Review {The Fourteenth Goldfish}

Synopsis & cover photo: {courtesy of amazon.com}:

Galileo. Newton. Salk. Oppenheimer.

Science can change the world . . . but can it go too far?

Eleven-year-old Ellie has never liked change. She misses fifth grade. She misses her old best friend. She even misses her dearly departed goldfish. Then one day a strange boy shows up. He’s bossy. He’s cranky. And weirdly enough . . . he looks a lot like Ellie’s grandfather, a scientist who’s always been slightly obsessed with immortality. Could this pimply boy really be Grandpa Melvin? Has he finally found the secret to eternal youth?

With a lighthearted touch and plenty of humor, Jennifer Holm celebrates the wonder of science and explores fascinating questions about life and death, family and friendship, immortality . . . and possibility.

{Review}:

{I received a digital copy of this book VIA Netgalley in return for an honest review}

I LOVED this book.

I had a feeling before I even started that it was going to be about more than goldfish…and it definitely was.

Ellie’s world turns upside down when her grandfather comes to stay with them. Except, unlike most grandparents, her grandfather {Melvin}…isn’t just some old man who wear slippers around the house and does crossword puzzles—he’s a scientist. Who has discovered a cure for aging.

And turns himself into an adolescent boy.

And the story unfolds from this beginning.

I enjoyed this book for a few reasons: It reminded me a little bit of Back To The Future. With a little more Doc Brown.

I also loved the message that this story had. It was sweet, pretty profound, and I definitely had tears in my eyes when I finished it.

It took me all of about 2.5 summer hours to read {my summer hours are definitely much easier to “read straight through” in}.

I also liked that some of this book was given away piece by piece. I definitely am going to look into it and see what guided reading level it is to possibly use it with one of my groups this school year: I really enjoyed the message within the pages. I also liked that Holm took the time to place resources in the back of the book to further look into some of the scientific matters {an excellent resource for educators looking to squeeze potential out of this fantastic book!}

{Where can I buy this?}:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fourteenth-Goldfish-Jennifer-L-Holm/dp/0375870644/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414367664&sr=1-1&keywords=the+fourteenth+goldfish

B & N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fourteenth-goldfish-jennifer-holm/1117541921?ean=9780375870644

{What would I rate it?}: 4.9/5. I really, REALLY liked it.

{Who would I recommend this book to?}:

Anyone with an interest in science, pre-teen girls AND boys, basically…pretty much any kiddo out there!

Depth of Field {Review}

{Synopsis: courtesy of amazon.com}:

Two weeks in New York City should be the time of Pippa’s life: she’s attending the prestigious Tisch Photography Camp, her boyfriend, Dylan McCutter (two months and counting!) is coming with her, and their parents are 500 miles away. Talk about lights, camera, (swoony, unchaperoned) action! But what should be 14 unforgettable days of bliss turns into chaos when her one and only nemesis, Ben Baxter, proves to be surprisingly more complex than she could’ve ever imagined, and her Tisch mentor, a renowned photographer, seems to have a lot more to do with her parents’ past than anyone wants her to know. Is Pippa out of her depth?

Picking up where she left off in The Rule of Thirds, Pippa Greene returns in Depth of Field, in a story full of the same heart, comedic touches, and romance that made readers fall in love with Chantel Guertin’s charming YA series.

{Review}:

Any story about photography will absolutely get my attention.

My full attention.

Knowing this ahead of time, I knew I had to request this story from netgalley, and I did a happy dance when I was finally chosen as the recipient of an ARC. I also DID NOT read book 1. I’m now going to go back and read book 1, to see what I missed… but it didn’t “take away” from reading this novel.

Pippa is a sweet girl, who lost her father who just happened to be a local photographer. You get the feeling that Pippa “does photography” for two reasons: she’s predisposed to being artsy, but she also seems to have a knack for it, as well. She enters a competition, and it seems that another local boy has, as well—with HER work. They both have different motives, as to why they want to go to Tisch photography camp, but both reasons are absolutely legitimate, and make you love the characters even more.

This read was incredibly quick—I read it in about 3 hours cover to cover…perfect summer sunshine read. And the twist at the end, is absolutely marvelous, and makes the whole book so much more meaningful as a whole.

I also liked how this book started off as a traditional “sweet love story” where the protagonist had to leave her boyfriend for summer camp, but they would be reunited again soon, and then quickly became a book that was so much more than just the clichéd YA drama-fest.

{Where can I buy this?}:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Depth-Field-Pippa-Greene-Novel/dp/1770411836/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413937252&sr=8-1&keywords=depth+of+field

B & N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/depth-of-field-chantel-guertin/1117926086?ean=9781770411838

{What would I rate it?}: 4.7/5. I really enjoyed the way this book was written, and I absolutely fell in love with Pippa as a character. However, I felt as though some of the minor characters {especially some of her classmates} were rushed while developing, and I felt like some of them didn’t need to necessarily be in there at all.

{Who would I recommend this book to?}: Anyone who enjoys an in-depth book that deals with so much more than teenage love and YA subjects.

Elixir by Ted Galdi {Review}

{Synopsis: courtesy of amazon.com}: Meet 14-year-old Sean Malone. He has an IQ above 200, a full-ride scholarship to one of the country’s top universities, and more than one million dollars from his winning streak on Jeopardy. However, Sean wishes he could just be normal. 

But his life is anything but normal. The US government manipulates him, using him as a code breaker in pursuit of a drug lord and killing innocent people along the way. 
For reasons related to his personal security, Sean finds himself in Rome, building a new life under a new name, abandoning academics, and hiding his genius from everyone. When he’s 18 he falls in love. The thrills begin again when he learns that his girlfriend is critically ill and it’s up to him to use his intellect to find a cure, a battle pitting him against a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical company and the demons of his past. 
Elixir is a story about identity, secrets, and above all, love.

{Review}:

I received this title courtesy of Netgalley. 

I’ve been reading far too many girl-themed YA… all drama and boys, and while well written, I was excited for a change of pace.

When I began this book, I didn’t love protagonist Sean Malone.

I mean, he was kind of a pompous kid, who knew everything in the world there is to know. However, when reading this book, even though you might not be rooting for him to begin with {again, because he’s portrayed as that snobby jeopardy kid}, the author weaves a story that’s impossibly good: you literally cannot put it down.

I really enjoyed that the character of Sean, was an outcast not because of how he looked, or how he dressed…but because he was so insanely smart. I feel like there aren’t many authors that take that risk, and in this case, it definitely took.

I maybe put it down for meals, and bathroom breaks, but it was incredibly good. While the plot might seem a little unrealistic, I promise you that it’s incredibly exciting (and actually seems as though it could happen) and well written, especially appealing to the YA men out there. Bravo Ted Galdi!

{Where can I buy this?}:

Amazon: Buy from Amazon

{What would I rate it?}: 4.5/5. A solid novel, especially appealing to those YA kids who aren’t wanting the Dystopian society/love at first sight/someone’s dying types of YA we’ve been reading as of late.

{Who would I recommend this book to?}: YA males, especially those who are smart, and might feel disconnected because they’re different.

{Review} Dear Nobody: The True Diary of Mary Rose

Dear Nobody: The True Diary of Mary Rose

{image from amazon.com}

{Synopsis: courtesy of amazon.com}: 

Go Ask Alice was a hoax. But Dear Nobody is a true teen diary so raw and so edgy its authenticity rings off every page

"I am a freak."

The words and drawings of Mary Rose present a gritty, powerful, no-holds-barred true experience of a teen girl so desperate to be loved, so eager to fit in that she'll go to extremes that could cost her her life.

This is not a story about addiction. Or sexual promiscuity. Or cystic fibrosis. It's the story of a young woman with a powerful will to live, who more than anything wants to be heard...and loved.

This compelling, emotional account ensures her voice will not be forgotten.

{Review}:   I received this ARC courtesy of Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I started this book off not sure what to expect. After reading the synopsis, I was intrigued, so I started reading.

It’s an incredible true-life journey of what a teen’s life is. At some places, you’re reading along, and you think… “Ugh…that sounds so childish…”

Well DUH!

It’s her.

Unparalleled, unbiased, completely true to life-teenage angst.

Much of the book reads like a similar diary of mine {not the alcohol and drug use, or the sex, but much of the back and forth “I love him, I hate him, he loves someone else”}… it was like going back in time. That should be one of the biggest draws for a novel like this: that it WILL take you back… to when you thought your world was crumbling and imploding around you {and in Mary Rose’s case, many times, it truly is}.

I also {because I’m ALWAYS doing this…} saw a teaching opportunity to tie this into another fiction book, and do some sort of analysis. Possibly another book where the protagonist dies, and do a comparison of the main characters. It intrigued me how strong willed Mary Rose is. And I think struggling adolescents could learn a thing or two from her.

{Where can I buy this?}:

Amazon: Buy it from Amazon

B & N: Buy from B & N

{What would I rate it?}: 4.5/5. I liked it. I probably wouldn’t read it again, but it was pretty darn great.

{Who would I recommend this book to?}:  Any adolescent that could use a good read.

Undone by Cat Clarke {Review}

{obviously: cover from amazon.com: link below}

{Synopsis: courtesy of amazon.com}: Jem Halliday is in love with her best friend. It doesn't matter that Kai is gay, or that he'll never look at her the way she looks at him. Jem is okay with that. But when Kai is outed online by one of their classmates, he does the unthinkable and commits suicide.

Jem is left to pick up the pieces of her broken life. Before he died, Kai left her twelve letters—one for each month of the year—and those letters are all Jem has left. That, and revenge.

Although Kai's letters beg her not to investigate what happened, Jem can't let it go. She needs to know who did this, and she'll stop at nothing to find the person responsible for Kai's death. One way or another, someone is going down. Someone is going to pay.

{Synopsis: courtesy of amazon.com}: Jem Halliday is in love with her best friend. It doesn't matter that Kai is gay, or that he'll never look at her the way she looks at him. Jem is okay with that. But when Kai is outed online by one of their classmates, he does the unthinkable and commits suicide.

Jem is left to pick up the pieces of her broken life. Before he died, Kai left her twelve letters—one for each month of the year—and those letters are all Jem has left. That, and revenge.

Although Kai's letters beg her not to investigate what happened, Jem can't let it go. She needs to know who did this, and she'll stop at nothing to find the person responsible for Kai's death. One way or another, someone is going down. Someone is going to pay.

{Review}: I received this book as an ARC from netgalley.com.

A few years ago, Thirteen Reasons Why was added to the syllabus of the school that I work for’s 9^th grade required reading list. Many parents were urged to read the book, as it is a story about teen suicide, where the protagonist left behind 13 audio tapes that basically explained her thought processes in her last days.

I IMMEDIATELY went back to this book when I read Undone. Now, with that said, really the only similarities that exist are that they both deal with teenage suicide, as well as people speaking from beyond the grave. They are also both impeccably written YA books that you literally just melt into. The book becomes a part of you while you’re reading it, and you can’t eat, sleep, or anything until you’re done with it.

We start by meeting Jem, a sweet lost soul who has just had to bury her teenaged best friend. He’s committed suicide (it isn’t a secret), but what is, is really why he felt the need to end his life, as well as who was behind the “straw that broke the camel’s back?” I don’t want to give it away, but Jem is gay, and there was social media involved.

It’s a mystery, but Jem decides to “get back” at whomever she thinks might have done this to him. Meanwhile, she starts to get these letters from Kai. All well-meaning and good letters about her moving on with her life, and attempting to better herself, while she’s in the midst of trying to punish those that she thinks are responsible for her best friend’s death.

You’ll be blindsided by the ending to this book. Really, you’ll be staring with your mouth open at around 85% completion… and your jaw will continue to slacken throughout the ending of the book. And you also might cry.

It’s masterful.

Brilliant, even.

One of the best of 2014 {Right now, this book is tied for 1st place IMO, with Oblivion & We Were Liars}.

And the length, at first glance…kind of scared me. I don’t love any YA read that’s over 300 pages…but this FLEW by. I finished it in a day and a half at the beach. It was WONDERFUL!

I also enjoyed the fact that Cat Clarke brought the ills of social media into it. It’s very interesting to see what could happen at a get together, that could then end up all over the internet.

{Where can I buy this?}:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Undone-Cat-Clarke-ebook/dp/B00IJEVN9Q/ref=la_B005XPT5CQ_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404846608&sr=1-1

B & N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/undone-cat-clarke/1113965658?ean=9781402292248

{What would I rate it?}: 4.99999999/5 stars. It was practically perfect.

{Who would I recommend this book to?}: Anyone who enjoyed Thirteen Reasons Why or We Were Liars. It was a good combination of those two. I received this book as an ARC from netgalley.com.