13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

I had heard so many great things about this book before reading it, and Maureen Johnson did not disappoint. This book is a great travel/adventure story with a bit of romance and a scavenger-hunt feel to it, which includes international travel. Virginia "Ginny" receives 13 little blue envelopes from her Aunt Peg, who had vanished months ago and just recently passed away. Ginny learns a lot more about her "runaway aunt" through the travel instructions and challenges posed to Ginny within each of the 13 envelopes. For some students, this book could be challenging because background knowledge is required to understand the geography of where Ginny is traveling. With that said, the vivid descriptions took me right back to London, Rome, and Greece. I also loved the portion of the book when Ginny was in Copenhagen. I recommend this book for advanced 7th grade readers, definitely 8th graders and maybe even freshmen. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars!

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

This is one creepy vampire story. And before you get turned away because it's a vampire novel, I will say that it is the anti-Twilight. Instead, it is intense, suspenseful, and gory at times. For these reasons, I recommend it to teens and some mature, upper-level middle school readers. I can see why this book made several top teen book lists. I give it 4 out of 5 stars! View the book trailer. 

Summer Reading Books

Although it is June 30, I am just now posting my Summer Reading list. My excuse? School got out really late and then I had other professional obligations. But now...time to enjoy some sweet independent reading time. Check out my selected titles--I'll be sure to post reviews as I finish each one. Enjoy & happy reading!

Best Books of 2014

The image shows all of the books I read this school year (43 in total)--YA and adult. While it's difficult to pick favorites, I will do my best...although some of my favorites were books I read before starting this blog and I don't want to "blog backward," so to speak. Enjoy!

5. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

4. Trafficked by Kim Purcell

3. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

2. Split by Swati Avasthi

1. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Sold by Patricia McCormick

Written in verse, this beautiful, award-winning book tells the story of Lakshmi, a girl from the Himalayan mountains who is sold into sex slavery by her step-father. She is forced to work in a brothel or else face starvation and eventual death on the streets. The book is very well researched since the author traveled to India and Nepal to interview women working in Calcutta's red light district. I could not put this book down--once I started, I was hooked! McCormick is also the author of Cut, a book about self harm; the author thoroughly researched the topic, which is something I really appreciate about this talented writer. 

I recommend this book to readers who like survival stories, realistic fiction, and real world issues. It does have some explicit and inferred violent abuse, so I recommend it for mature readers. 5 out of 5 stars!

Raucous Royals by Carlyn Beccia

What I liked best: The author researched common rumors about several famed royals including King Henry VIII, Prince Dracula, Mary Queen of Scots, and more.

I learned the truth behind royal rumors, such as that Marie Antoinette supposedly said “Let them eat cake,” when she was told that the poor were starving. (Guess what....She did NOT actually say this).

I also learned a ton of fascinating facts about the royals and different historical time periods, such as that it became fashionable to color your teeth black (like tooth decay) because only the rich could afford the sweets that would rot teeth.

Read on to find out more! 

This could definitely be booktalked to gain interest, but students may need some background knowledge to understand it...such as roman numerals for the royals and some descriptions that correspond with the time period.

5 out of 5 stars. Very enjoyable and interesting. I sped through this one!

Split by Swati Avasthi

This book takes the reader on a train wreck of emotions, but you simply cannot stop reading. The main character, Jace, has not seen his older brother Christian since he left their abusive home years ago. But after Jace is kicked out by his dad, he drives from Chicago to Albuquerque and shows up on Christian's doorstep--beaten up and carrying a horrible secret. From the moment Jace arrives in Albuquerque to the very end, this plot hums along and sweeps the reader with it. The characters are well-developed, the plot is masterfully constructed, and despite its difficult topic, this is a beautiful book.

I recommend this book to mature readers who can handle reading about family violence and abuse, but who also like reading about relationships and second chances. It was an emotional read, but I definitely give it 5 out of 5 stars!