Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

An absolutely amazing historical fiction.  I highly recommend the audio book.  Each of the characters is read by a different person and it really makes each character come to life with their own personalities.  It is a sad tale set during World War II so be prepared...but it is so poignant.  There is a beauty to the writing of Sepetys.

The Infinity Year of Avalon James by Dana Middleton

A great book about friendship and the magic it creates.  Besides the relationship between Avalon and Atticus, the book also deals with several issues familiar to kids namely, the issue of bullies and learning from our own mistakes.

4 stars

Madeline Finn and the Library Dog

An absolutely adorable book about a young girl struggling to read and the library dog who helps her gain the courage she needs.  This is exactly why libraries want to have therapy dog programs.

What She Wanted by Julie Anne Lindsey

What She Wanted tells the story of Katy, and orphaned 17-year-old living with her grandfather.  Her mother died when she was just a baby after succumbing to cancer.  She refused treatment because she was still pregnant with Katy when she was diagnosed.  Her grandmother died when she was 8.  Her grandfather never recovered from the death of his daughter or wife and has kept Katy at a distance since she was 8.

Katy has one friend, Heidi, a camera, and a dream.  She just has to turn 18, move out of her grandfather's house, and figure out how to get into NYFA.  Her life is filled with one obstacle after another, and things go down hill when her grandfather suffers a heart attack and falls into a coma.  After discovering a journal that her mother wrote for her, Katy decides that she wants to live up to her mother's wishes.  With the help of Heidi and an unexpected friend, Katy discovers that family is what you make it and sometimes you just have to open your heart to the world.

Julie Anne Lindsey did a great job with this book.  Katy is a very likable teenager who gets dealt a bad hand from birth.  I found myself rooting for Katy and hoping that she would have something to celebrate instead of grieve.

Alone by D.J. Brazier

I almost stopped reading this book because it was just a bit too much for me to stomach at first.  I'm glad I didn't and kept reading.  It was a gripping story and Brazier did an amazing job telling the story of a young boy stranded in the Amazon following a plane crash.  As a reader, I felt every struggle and celebrated the triumphs as his will to survive is pitted against the harsh reality of being alone in the Amazon.

Sweet Home Alaska by Carole Estby Dagg

Sweet Home Alaska, is set during the Great Depression and while Terpsichore and her family are made-up characters, the book is inspired by actual events that took place.  The government decides to try to help some of the many families that are struggling by giving them land in Alaska that they can farm, and hopefully become self-sufficient.  Terpsichore and her family are on of the many selected for this endeavor.

Everyone is excited about this adventure except for Terpsichore's mother.  However, she says that she will give it until just after the first harvest before she decides to move the family back home to live with her mother.  Terpsichore loves Alaska, and she wants to do everything she can to make sure that her mother will want to stay.  She has a plan, but it isn't going to be easy.  With the help of her new friends, some family members (her father and twin sisters) and a neighbor, she sets out to ensure that Alaska will be just as perfect for her mother as it is for her.

I highly recommend this book.

Wish by Barbara O'Connor

I read an ARC and really enjoyed this book.  It follows Charlie, a young girl who is sent to live with her aunt and uncle after her father is put back in jail and her mother sort of checks-out.  Charlie is a pro at making wishes, and she know countless ways to make a wish.  She takes every opportunity to make her wish - of course, we are not told what the wish is.  We can only guess.

While living with her aunt and uncle, she reluctantly makes a friend, Howard.  Everyone should be lucky enough to have a friend like Howard in their lives.  I think he was my favorite character because he does so much to help Charlie, and he never turns his back on her even though she makes some mistakes along the way.

Charlie slowly begins to learn what family is all about.  With the help of her aunt, uncle, Howard, and a four-legged friend, Wishbone she begins to see that she might just have everything she needs.

I highly recommend this book.

I recently finished reading an advanced reader copy of this book, and I can't tell you enough how good it was.

Six kindergarten students go missing.  Eleven years later, five of them return with no memory of where they were or what happened to the sixth kid.  Each of them has one distinct memory of something they did - a hot air balloon ride, a carousel.  As they struggle to remember a past that has escaped them, there are suspicions that they might know more than they are telling.

Tara Altebrando did a wonderful job with this novel.  It was suspenseful and kept you guessing throughout the story trying to figure out who did it? why? and do the kids really not remember where they were and what they were doing for the past eleven years?  The story is told from many different perspectives, including that of the younger sister of the still missing sixth kid.

I give this book 5 stars and definitely recommend it.

Good Night Owl by Greg Pizzoli

Owl is getting ready for bed when he hears a noise.  What could it be?  He thinks he knows, but is mistaken.  Each time he thinks he has found the source of the noise he hears it again.  Slowly, he begins to dismantle his house to stop the squeak.  Will he ever find out what is making the noise?  Can you?

Hammer and Nails by Josh Bledsoe

A heartwarming story about a dad who goes to great lengths to make sure his daughter, Darcy, has a wonderful day despite her play date being cancelled.  He has a list of things he needs to do; his daughter has a list of things she wanted to do.  They do one from dad's list and one from Darcy's list until they are all done.  They have coffee time (and chocolate milk); they play dress up.  They mow the grass, fix the fence, and finish the day with manicures!

It is precious and a perfect father/daughter story.

Parachute by Danny Parker

Toby is a young boy who never goes anywhere without his parachute.  It helps him get out of bed, climb off the stool in the bathroom, get out of the chair after breakfast.  Then one day, his cat is stuck in a tree.  Toby climbs up the tree and lowers his cat to the ground in his parachute.  Suddenly, he is up in a very high tree house without his parachute.  Slowly, he is able to make his way down to the ground, and as time goes by, he doesn't need his parachute as much as he used to.

Just Right for Two by Tracey Corderoy

A little dog has everything he needs inside his suitcase, and it is just the right size for sleeping.  But he wakes up one morning to discover that a small mouse has joined him.  He is not happy, but the two start talking about all the cool things in the suitcase, then they start playing games.  Mouse leaves and the dog is sad.  He can't quite figure out what he is missing, but he is sure that Mouse can help him find it.

Buddy and Earl Go Exploring by Maureen Fergus

Buddy and Earl are back at it again!  That little hedgehog has such a wonderful imagination.  The dog's water bowl is a lake.  The trash can is a mountain.  But things take a turn for the worse when Earl spies a monster (mom's purse) who has captured a lady hedgehog (a brush).  Oh, the mess they made!

A Friend for Mole by Nancy Armo

Mole likes his burrow, but all the scampering above ground makes him curious enough to peek.  He soon discovers that he made a terrible mistake.  He can't find his way back home.  Hiding in the brush to avoid the sunlight, mole falls asleep.  He wakes up at night to find that he is not alone.  What starts out as scary turns fun as mole meets a new friend, and they have so much fun that both are sad to say goodbye.  They make plans to meet again.

Love the illustrations and how the two friends help each other through a scary time.

Life Without Nico by Andrea Maturana

A great story for children who are having to deal with losing a friend because of a family moving away.  It shows that it is okay to be sad, but you should always remember to open your heart to new friends and possibilities.  Eventually things will get better.

I don't quite understand why Nico is blue.

Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins

Absolutely loved this book.  I couldn't stop laughing at this grumpy bear who accidentally becomes "Mother" to a bunch of goslings.  All he wanted was a meal, but what he ends up with is so much more fun for the reader.  I especially like the baby gosling with a bit of butter on his head.  I had to read this to several different people and had trouble holding it together each time.

Mr. King's Machine by Geneviève Côté

This is a great book about Mr. King who gets upset when he sees that a caterpillar ate a leaf.  He decides to build a caterpillar catching machine.  But he ends up causing more problems.  He learns that caterpillars are not bad, and he turns his machine into something positive.

Illustration can make or break a book as far as I am concerned.  In this case, I love the illustrations.  There is a combination of media used, but I especially love how the animals are outlined in black and filled in (as if a child had drawn them).