Moonglass Book Review by Jessi Kirby

    Reviewed by Amelia A

     Picture this: You were very little when your mother passed, and you don’t know what happened to her. All of a sudden, you’re living in the house at the beach where she met and maybe even died. That’s what happens in the book Moonglass, by Jessi Kirby. Moonglass was a fantastic book with deep details and a rich background of Anna, the protagonist, and her dad. The overall story idea was unique, having to do with her mother passing away years ago, and Anna and her father moving back into where her parents met: a beach house in California. She also has to balance her concerns about her mysterious mother with finding friends at school, and maybe even a love life. The details in the flashbacks really give you an image in your head. The creative plot gives you a full-on picture of what’s going on at all times. When you finish this book, you will remember every detail of it. I still have memories of the images running through my head: The beach, the small shack they live in, the sand, etc.

    The book is very persuasive, and gives you a better perspective of the world and how to think about life. Like, when Anna had memories with her mom, it reminded me of my flashbacks I’ve had about being with my grandparents who have passed. It also makes me want to value my parents more. To find out what Anna figures out about her mother, read the book Moonglass!

Honorable Mentions:

What My Mother Doesn’t Know

Spoiled

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret

So.B.It Sarah Weeks

So.B.It by Sarah Weeks Reviewed by Gabriella Gonzalez

If you had a mother Named So B.It, who only knew 23 words, what would you do? Well Heidi has lived with her disabled mother, So.B.It, for twelve years. How does a woman raise a daughter only knowing 23 words? Heidi’s mom has a “bum brain” and doesn’t have the first clue how to raise a daughter. But she’s managed to do fine the past twelve years. But how? Heidi deals with problems when she sets out on a quest to find her grandmother’s and her mom’s real names. Will she get to where she’s going? Will she get the information she needs? Will she get into trouble on the way? With her lucky streak, and winning slots every time she should be fine, right? Well, will she? Read So.B.It   to find out. So.B.It is a perfectly paced book. It made me want to turn every page, just waiting to see what happens next. For example, on page 1 the last paragraph says: “I realized that one afternoon, sitting in the front of the squad car the fall before I turned 13...” left me wondering. Why was she in the squad car? What was she wondering? Wouldn’t that make you wonder what is going to happen next? Well, wouldn’t it? This book is a heartwarming book with some tears.

Honorable mention-

What my mother doesn’t know

What my boyfriend doesn’t know.

Hunger Games

Catching Fire

 

Title- The Kind of Friends We Used To Be

Author- Frances O'Roark Dowell

Reviewed by- Jeannie N

Having a best friend and sharing the laughter and memories may not last forever, especially in a middle school friendship. In the book The Kind Of Friends We Used to be by Frances O’Roark Dowell, the protagonists are Kate and Marylin, and the setting is mostly at their school and their homes. Kate and Marylin, who have been best friends ever since they were born enter a new grade in middle school. They don't have much classes together which causes them to go their own ways and not be as close. Kate and Marylin meet new friends and have interest in what their new friends have. While Marylin is a middle school cheerleader obsessed with popularity and hairstyles, Kate is the exact opposite with her combat boots and hankering to learn guitar and write her own songs. They both realize their friendship has been fading away and try to reconnect with each other, but it isn’t as easy to be the kind of friends they use to be.

    Throughout the book I noticed a lot of change with Kate and Marylin, for example when Kate and Marylin met their new friends in their classes they began to have interest in what their friends were interested in and forgot about each other. This brought out my understanding of change because it shows it testing an established friendship. This book also made me value friendship more. I enjoyed this book because it was at a pace that was just right for me and I also enjoy books with realistic issues because I can relate to them easily. I could picture the images in my head in what was going on because of the descriptive text. Every time I stopped reading it felt like a cliffhanger, making me want to read more.

HONORABLE MENTION

The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks

Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers