Karma by Cathy Ostlere

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Oh,how I loved this book!



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I have read a lot of okay books lately. Nothing wrong with that, but sometimes I want a book that I can't put down and this one did the trick. For some reason I love books that are written in verse and two voices and teen angst, I was not disappointed.

It is hard enough that this young girl must wear a sari to school sometimes, but her other choice includes clothes from the 80's-that can't be good. Her mother is so homesick for India and her family that she commits suicide. Now her father takes her to India to marry her off but war breaks out when Gandhi is assassinated. She is separated from her father and wonders India until she is saved by a knight in shining armor with big ears.

I love that the ending is realistic allowing me to come up with my own happily ever after.

The Wonder of Charlie Anne

The Wonder of Charlie Anne by Kimberly Newton Fusco

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really liked Charlie Anne. Her mother died a year before and the only peace she feels is when she is talking to her mother at her grave site. Now, her father and oldest brother are going north to build roads during the Depression. Their demanding cousin Mirabel has come to take care of her and her two sisters and younger brother while their father is away. But slowly Charlie Anne finds peace when Mr. Jolly across the road takes a new wife along with her daughter. Together they cross racial line to mend the hearts of some people.



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One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street

One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I liked this book and I think it would make a great read aloud for grades 2-5.

One morning on Orange Street an orange cone shows up on the street in front of an empty lot where the local kids meet and play everyday. The youngest child on the street is recovering from an illness and Ms. Snoops, across the street from the empty lot, forgets current happenings but remembers past events. All while two friends, Leandra and Ali are having a disagreement and Robert is trying to grab the attention of Ali. A mysterious stranger arrives and brings all of the events of the two days together in to a little perfect package.



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Matched

Matched by Ally Condie




I have taken this book home at least three times and I am so glad that I finally read it. This book is about a utopian society 70 years in the future. The society provides everything for you including the best marital match. What happens when the society makes a mistake that isn't really a mistake-who do you marry then. By the way, don't cross the society or you could end up in the farmlands or worse-the outer provinces.

I am looking forward to book 2. It is on reserve.



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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8901945-hidden" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Hidden" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1316638921m/8901945.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8901945-hidden">Hidden</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/49193.Helen_Frost">Helen Frost</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/209361420">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
there are so many things that I like about this book: the characters, the friendships.  It is written in prose, which I alway enjoy, but the author has added a second dimension to it.  There is an explanation in the back of the book about how to read.  the kidnapping is written from the pov of the kidnapped child,Wren,  but the second half of the book is written from her pov and the child of the kidnapper, Darra. Plus each "long" line of prose from Darra's pov has additinal meaning if you read it correctly-so fun.
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All These Things I've Done

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this book. It is hard to imagine chocolate being something that is illegal, but store your favorite chocolate in the closet because by the end of the twenty first century is a street drug. Only Grandma remembers a time when chocolate was ooey gooey fun and not mafia business. Now her grand daughter has to find out who poisoned the chocolate, and stop herself from falling in love with the DA's charming son while saving her brother from the clutches of mafia wannabes. It's all good fun.



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Inside Out and Back Again

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this book! As soon as I finished it I started reading it again. Lai uses her own experiences in Vietnam during the war and her new life in the U.S. as the basis for this book. The picture of Vietnam that I carry is of forest and explosions and children running down streets screaming. This book shows the side of Saigon that is everyday life-going to the market, spending time gardening and with family but it doesn't gloss over the sound of the bombing or the hunger. When the family arrives in the U.S. after escaping on a cramped military ship, they face discrimation and adjustment that takes time to face and heal.



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Hidden by Helen Frost

Hidden by Helen Frost

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


There are so many things that I like about this book especially the characters and their friendshipss. It is written in prose, which I always enjoy, but the author has added a second dimension to it. There is an explanation in the back of the book about how to read this book to get the entire story of the characters. The kidnapping is written from the pov of the kidnapped child, Wren, but the second half of the book is written from her pov and the child of the kidnapper, Darra. The additional story line is incorporated in the "long" lines of prose from Darra's pov. It is fun to read and add this additional bit of information to the overall story.

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