Completely Full Bookshelf

For MMGM and #IMWAYR, I am recommending Becoming Brianna  by Terri Libenson.           Becoming Brianna  is the fourth book in Terri Libenson's graphic novel series "Emmie & Friends"—the first three books are Invisible Emmie , Positively Izzy , and Just Jaime  (reviews linked), and a related journal ( that's been a trend lately) called YOU-Niquely You  is coming out soon. (There will also be a 5th regular book in the series.)            Becoming Brianna  is centered around—you guessed it—Brianna, Emmie's best friend and a recurring character throughout the series (acting as one of two protagonists in Positively Izzy ). Brianna is a smart middle-schooler who, while not shy, certainly doesn't want all eyes on her. Brianna faced her fear of attention when she performed in the school talent show in Positively Izzy , and she faces it again in this book at her bat mitzvah. Brianna can't figure out wh...

Update (4/2/2022): I typically participate in blogging groups that review kids’ books, but sometimes, I do end up reading adult books like this one. In the past, I have typically labeled those books as MG or YA when I review them, primarily because I still want my typically blogging audiences to see them! However, this has become confusing, so I have decided to re-label these books as adult books, while leaving the reviews in their original format. Thank you for your consideration! I've decided to bring back my series of Classic Critique reviews (in which I discuss the pros and cons of classic books) from MMGM in order to review Pride and Prejudice  by Jane Austen, which I would consider a YA book (although it's hardly inappropriate for MG readers, as the most scandalous event is a woman and man living together while unmarried—gasp!). Before we get started, you can read my old Classic Critiques if you want here , and don't worry—I'll be back to the regularly scheduled p...

For MMGM and #IMWAYR, I am recommending Efrén Divided  by Ernesto Cisneros.           I decided to read this book after seeing positive reviews of it by Sierra Dertinger on her blog, Books. Iced Lattes. Blessed, and by Shaye Miller on her blog, The Miller Memo. I am so glad I took their advice! Efrén Divided  tells the story of middle-schooler Efrén Nava. Most of us (including myself) would probably pity Efrén from the very start of the story; his family is pretty poor, so he, his twin young siblings Max and Mía, and his Amá and Apá all live in a one-room apartment. But where we see a shabby apartment, Efrén sees the home of his loving family. Where we see a tiny kitchen, Efrén sees the place where his Amá bakes fresh sopes, flipping them with her bare hands (the root of his nickname for her, Soperwoman). Between his amazing parents, his best friend David, and his love of reading, Efrén knows he has what truly matters in life. So, of course, e...

For #IMWAYR, I am recommending Will Grayson, Will Grayson  by John Green and David Levithan. A word of caution to any young readers: this book is a YA (young adult) novel, not an MG (middle grade) novel and contains some mature content.           Nothing says "behind on my reading" like reading a book from 2010 and discovering mentions of flip phones and instant messaging. In every other way, though, this book's story is timeless and perhaps even more relevant today than it was then. Will Grayson, Will Grayson  alternates between two points of view: that of Will Grayson, and that of Will Grayson. The first Will Grayson survives high school through apathy and distance, in sharp contrast to his gay best friend, Tiny Cooper, who is so dramatic that he is attempting to put on a musical about his own life at his and Will's high school. As Will deals with being in his friend's shadow as well as the struggles of high school romance, the second Will G...

Hello, everyone! Before I get to today's review, I wanted to mention that I hope everyone is healthy and (relatively) happy as we move into what seems like week #627 of the coronavirus. If you're feeling like you're the only person stressed out right now, some bloggers have posted some really relatable content: two standouts are Joanne Fritz at My Brain on Books , who has been documenting her experience weekly with a pandemic diary, and Elisabeth Ellington at The Dirigible Plum , who posted an excellent poem about the coronavirus as part of her now-concluded series of daily poetry for the month of April. Now, let's get to the review! Today, I am reviewing White Bird: A Wonder Story  by R.J. Palacio.           I decided to read this book after seeing an excellent review of it on Sierra Dertinger's wonderful blog, Books. Iced Lattes. Blessed.—I was not disappointed! First, some backstory: White Bird  is a graphic novel companion to Wonde...

For #IMWAYR, I am recommending Dear Haiti, Love Alaine  by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite. A word of caution to any young readers: this book is a YA (young adult) novel, not an MG (middle grade) novel and contains some mature content.           Alaine Beauparlant doesn't have an average family. Her mother, Celeste Beauparlant, is a journalist who hosts a widely-watched TV news program called Sunday Politicos  (and is an immigrant from Haiti), and Celeste's twin sister Estelle is the Minister of Tourism for Haiti and founder of PATRON PAL, an app that allows people to donate to help specific children in Haiti and see exactly how they benefit from the money. Alaine's outgoing, fiery nature (like that of her mother and aunt) will likely benefit her later in life, but as a teenager in private school, it is the catalyst for what my copy's front flap calls "the incident." "The incident" results in Alaine's school agreeing for her to spend t...

For MMGM and #IMWAYR, I am recommending The List of Things That Will Not Change  by Rebecca Stead.           Before I describe this book in particular, it seems like an appropriate time to mention that Rebecca Stead is one of my favorite authors ever . I loved her Newbery-winning book When You Reach Me  so much that it was the first book I ever reviewed (you can see the post here ), and I loved her last solo book Goodbye Stranger  so much that, since I thought my first review didn't do it justice, I reviewed it again . (Looking back at my first review, I apparently knew it didn't do the book justice since the moment I wrote it!) Rebecca Stead is such a truly amazing author that, when I heard The List of Things That Will Not Change  was coming out, I would have bought a copy without even reading what it's about. I suspect many of you feel the same way, since I've seen quite a few people who have read or are reading this book. Whether y...

For #IMWAYR, I am recommending the graphic novel Pumpkinheads  by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks. This book is a YA (young adult) novel, not an MG (middle grade) novel, but it doesn't contain any mature content and is probably safe for younger readers to read.           I realize that the middle of spring isn't the most reasonable time to be reading a book set on Halloween, but too late! For most of us, Halloween is a semi-fun holiday that comes once a year, but for Deja and Josiah (who also goes by Josie), Halloween is the last day they'll spend working together at the wonderful pumpkin patch where they've worked each year of high school (and probably the last time they'll ever see each other, since they aren't friends outside of the patch). Josiah is ready to spend this last day exactly as he always does: working at a booth with Deja, serving succotash and talking about Marcy (a girl who works there who he has a crush on but has never spoken...

As the coronavirus leaves us stuck at home, panicked and stir-crazy, I've gone through my past reviews to find the perfect MG books for you all to read right now! Below are descriptions of 6 books and explanations of why you should read them right now. Let's dive in! The Candymakers  by Wendy Mass See my review The Candymakers  is a perfect choice right now for a few reasons. First off, the book is about four kids (Logan, Miles, Daisy, and Philip) who are competing in a contest (held at a candy factory) to create the best candy—what could be more fun than that? But there's so much more to this book. You may be as tired of multiple-POV books as I am, but The Candymakers  is different. Instead of switching back-and-forth between perspectives, The Candymakers  goes through its story (up to a cliffhanger) from just one character's perspective before switching to the next. This scheme acts as the perfect vehicle to explore people's perceptions of others: each of t...

For #IMWAYR, I am recommending The Hate U Give  by Angie Thomas. A word of caution to any young readers: this book is a YA (young adult) novel, not an MG (middle grade) novel and contains some mature content.           Quite frankly, this book barely needs my recommendation, considering that it was probably the most-discussed, most-read, and most-important book of 2017 (also quite frankly, I'm unsure how it took me 3 years to start this book—I still feel like it just came out!). Regardless, I'm still reviewing it. ;)           The Hate U Give  revolves around Starr Carter, a high school student who spends her life divided between two worlds, so to speak. She and her family live in Garden Heights, a predominantly-black neighborhood that is home to gangs and drug dealers but is also a closely-knit community of neighbors who help each other (certainly something largely absent from today's society). However, Starr attends...