Peanut by Ayun Halliday
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Imagine having the opportunity to start over, to reinvent yourself. After Sadie's mother announces they are moving, Sadie creates a new identity for herself at her new high school as the girl with the peanut allergy. The thing is Sadie doesn't have a peanut allergy but she is looking for something that will make her stand out and win attention.

Peanut is Sadie's story as her first semester at her new high school unfolds. She has gone to great lengths to create this person with a peanut allergy, has even ordered a special medical alert bracelet. At first her idea works and she makes new friends and even starts dating a cute boy. But can she keep up the lie? Or will it come back to haunt her.

As a graphic novel this is a quick story to read. The drawings are highly detailed making facial expressions easy to read. I enjoyed the book and the drawings complete definitely make the story.



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The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thus far, the story of Sabrina and Daphne Grimm does not end "Happily Ever After." Their parents disappeared over a year ago and ever since they have been moved from foster home to foster home until they are sent to live with their Father's mother, the grandmother they believed was dead.

Granny Grimm is not your typical grandmother and does not live in the typical town. Granny Grimm and therefore the Grimm sisters are relatives of the legendary Brothers Grimm. After Granny is taken by a giant Sabrina and her younger sister must face the truth, that the stories told in the Grimm fairy tales are not just stories but true-life cases and the characters are in fact real.

With their Granny held captive by a giant it is Sabrina and Daphne's responsibility to solve the lastest crime wave in Ferry Port Landing.

I have always been intrigued by this series when I past it on the shelf in my library and I'm glad I finally picked up the first one to read. It is an entertaining read and it has left me more interested in the original tales from the Brothers Grimm. This a great book for young readers ages 7 and up and would work well as a read aloud.

VIRALS by Kathy Reichs

Virals by Kathy Reichs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Teenager Tony Brennan is just getting used to living with the father she never knew on a secluded island of the coast of South Carolina. Luckily she has a loyal group of friends she spends her time with. When Tony discovers an undercover experiment involving a furry little wolf-dog pup, she convinces her friends to help her break the pup out of captivity. In doing so the group is exposed to an experimental version of the parvovirus which seems to heighten the friends' senses to that of a wild canine. If that isn't intriguing enough, the friends discover a skeleton and use their new "powers" to help solve a decades old murder case.

With murder and supernatural powers, Kathy Reichs has provided a high-paced adventure mystery that is sure to keep your interest.

WONDER by R.J. Palacio

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

To quote a line in J.M. Barrie’s The Little White Bird as referenced in Wonder by R.J. Palacio, “Shall we make a new rule of life…always try to be a little kinder than is necessary?” The story of August Pullman in Wonder is a story for all ages on the importance of not just being kind to the point of being polite but of taking one step further and being even kinder, being a friend.
August Pullman was born with a deformity. A deformity so severe that Auggie himself says, “I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.” A deformity so severe that Auggie walked around with an astronaut helmet on his head for two years to avoid the stranger’s stares, gasps and screams. Now Auggie is going to school for the first time, middle school no less where life can be cruel to even the most “normal” looking kid. Author R.J. Polacio takes the reader through Auggie’s fifth grade year through the eyes of six different characters, including friends and family members. A year that is difficult at best and heartbreaking at worst. But there is always a ray of sunshine in the form of the courageous Auggie and the shift in the attitudes of the students who walk the hallways with a classmate who is normal despite his differences and still extraordinary, a wonder.
As I read Wonder I felt as though I was in the hallway with Auggie. How would I have reacted as a fifth grader? I want to say that I would have been kinder than necessary as I strive to be now. Read Wonder by R.J. Palacio and consider J.M. Barrie’s challenge to “be kinder than is necessary”. Even better read it with child, grandchild, or neighbor and share the message.

BEFORE I DIE by Jenny Downham

Before I Die by Jenny Downham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Life isn't fair. Especially for 16yr. old Tessa Scott who has been living the last 4 years of her life fighting a losing battle against cancer. Now she has chosen to stop treatments to prolong her life. Before she dies she has a list of things she wants to accomplish that keeps growing and growing. Ranging from simple to illegal, Tess' list makes for a compelling story. I can't lie though, if you don't want to cry then don't read this book. She is a young girl with a terminal illness, enough said. In spite of my tears I did enjoy this book alot.

NO PASSENGERS BEYOND THIS POINT by Gennifer Choldenko

No Passengers Beyond This Point by Gennifer Choldenko
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

12 year old Finn, his 14 year old sister India, and their 6 year old sister Mouse are being sent from California to a new life in Colorado. A life that none of them are looking forward to. After their mother loses their house she sends the three on a plane to live with their Uncle Red. The thing is, the plane never arrives in Colorado. Instead Finn, India, and Mouse are welcomed to Falling Bird, a city that is all about giving you your dream life, but just for a day, before you are asked to make one of the toughest decisions of your life, stay in Falling Bird or risk your life trying to return home, wherever that may be. In Falling Bird everything is illogical. Children drive taxis and every new visitor is given a huge welcoming party. This book is beyond imagination with a great twist at the end. Remember to keep track of the narrator as characters speak in alternating chapters.

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay Asher

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hannah Baker is dead. She killed herself. She has recorded her story on tape for those who played a role to listen to the events, random and intentional that led to her decision to end her life. Clay has received those tapes in the mail. He liked Hannah, he's not sure how he could have caused her take such drastic measures. He listens to the tapes, the stories of thirteen people that have played a part in Hannah's escape from life. What did he do? Could he have stopped her? Could anyone have stopped the snowball that started with a small rumor and ended with Hannah committing suicide? This book was hard to put down. I was drawn to the plot and wanted to know the reasons why. I was also hoping the entire book that Hannah was not dead but that it was all a terrible joke. I think I'll try to read a happy book next.