​Title: Rules
Author: Cynthia Lord
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Length: 197 pages
 
 
Summary 
 
Twelve-year old Catherine simply wants her life to be normal. But normal is challenging when you have an autistic brother. This summer a girl is moving in next door, so hopefully they can become friends, if her brother David doesn’t find a way to ruin it like he does for everything in her life. Catherine has created a list of rules for David so he can learn to behave normally, and just as importantly, allow Catherine not to be embarrassed.
 
Unexpectedly Catherine meets Jason in the waiting room of David’s speech therapist. Jason is wheelchair bound and communicates by pointing at pictures in his speech journal. What starts as drawing special word cards for Jason, so he can talk like a normal teen, leads to a special friendship. Meanwhile, Catherine is taking tentative steps towards a friendship with her new neighbor, Kristi. But when Kristi suggests that Catherine invite Jason to a dance, Catherine needs to decide what to do because she has not had the guts to tell Kristi of Jason’s special needs. And bringing a boy in a wheelchair to a dance is not exactly normal in Catherine’s eyes.
 
My Review
This is a book I had a hard time putting down. (The same held true for my twelve year old daughter.) The characters were so real, particularly Catherine and Jason. Nothing earth shattering occurred in the book, but I still had to know what happened next. I believe it was because Catherine’s struggle to fit in and be normal is something that so many pre-teens (and even adults) face.
 
The book was written in first person, which helps bring the reader into Catherine’s world. We feel her struggle as she tries to figure out what to do: the right thing or the normal thing.   
 
I am a member of two book clubs, and we read a variety of genres. Plus, as a Young Adult author, I am constantly reading YA and MG books to improve my writing, and as a mother, I am always on the lookout for books for my children to read.
 
If you would like to read more of my reviews, check out my ratings at Christine at Goodreads. If you like them, please send me a friend request.    
 
Thank you for reading this post.  

​Title: Twice Upon A Time: Sleeping Beauty, The One Who Took the Really Long Nap
Author: Wendy Mass
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Length: 172 pages
 
 
Summary 
 
This is a fairy tale retelling based on Sleeping Beauty. In this story, the main plot of the original fairy tale holds true: Princess Rose is still cursed to fall into a one hundred year sleep when she pricks her finger on a spindle. However, this retelling follows Princess Rose and the Prince as they grow up.
 
Princess Rose faces the challenge of being perfect in so many ways, thanks to the gifts of the fairies. Additionally, she must live with overly protective parents who hope Rose can avoid the fairy’s curse by hovering over her and not allowing her to participate in any activities where she might hurt herself.
 
Meanwhile, we get to know the Prince as he grows up one hundred years later. He lives with his own challenge: a mother who has some ogre blood which causes her to feed, sometimes on humans, two times a month. He discovers a castle, eerily similar to his own, deep in the woods covered by briars and is drawn to enter it. Like Princess Rose, the Prince also has very little independence making it difficult to investigate the hidden castle.
 
My Review
This is was a fun book to read. The story was told in first person, alternating chapters between Princess Rose’s and the Prince’s point of views. I really enjoyed how the author developed these two characters so we got to know their personalities much better than in the original fairy tale. I especially enjoyed seeing how Princess Rose’s gifts of beauty, cleverness, grace, and perfection at singing, dancing and music could be its own curse by not allowing her to fail causing her to seek out activities where she might fail. Both main characters were very likable as well as each of their best friends.
 
This book is classified as Middle Grade and is therefore intended for ages eight to twelve, but I believe anyone interested in fairy tales would love to read this twist. Additionally Wendy Mass has written a few other fairy tale retellings that would likely be of interest to people who enjoy this story.
 
I am a member of two book clubs, and we read a variety of genres. Plus, as a Young Adult author, I read a lot YA and MG books to improve my writing. And as a mother, I am always on the lookout for books for my children to read.
 
If you would like to read more of my reviews, check out my ratings at Christine at Goodreads. If you like them, please send me a friend request.     
 
Thank you for reading this post.  

​Title: George
Author: Alex Gino
Genre: Middle Grade
Length: 195 pages
 
 
Summary 
 
George is a fourth grader. Her friends and family see George as a boy. However, George knows he is really a she, but doesn’t know how to tell her friends and family.
 
When her fourth grade class plans to a put on a performance of Charlotte’s Web, George wants to play the part of Charlotte more than anything. But Charlotte is a girl’s part, so she doesn’t know if it’s possible to even try out. But George believes by playing Charlotte, she will be viewed as a girl for the first time in her life. 
 
 
My Review
I loved this book and breezed though it quickly. The language and content is definitely geared toward a young middle grade audience, but the story appeals to all ages, children and adults alike. (My twelve-year old liked it too.)
 
I am far from an expert on transgender issues, but I believe the story of George becoming Melissa was told in a realistic way. It was not easy for her to share this news with her friends and family. She had some support, but she also had to deal with bullies and a mother who was unwilling to hear what she was saying. The story hints that telling her friends and family is just the beginning of a long road ahead.
 
The characters were well-developed. George was a very likable protagonist and the author did a great job of getting into her head even though this was told in third person. Kelly, as her best friend, is the type of friend everyone deserves. The mother, the brother, the bully, the teacher, and even the principal all played unique roles and represent the variety of people one might encounter in real life with their varying levels of acceptance of transgender youth.
 
The story was sweet and held my attention, even as an adult. It an emotional read and moved me to tears a couple times, both happy and sad ones. I just wanted to reach into the book and give both George/Melissa and Kelly a big hug.
 
Although the story was about a transgender girl grappling with coming out as a girl to her friends and family, the message about being yourself can be applied in a much broader sense. I highly recommend George to both children and adults and hope eventually books like these will be on the shelves of all schools and libraries.
 
I am a member of two book clubs, and we read a variety of genres. Plus, as a Young Adult author, I read a lot YA and MG books to improve my writing. And as a mother, I am always on the lookout for good books for my children.
 
If you would like to read more of my reviews, check out my ratings at Christine at Goodreads. If you like them, please send me a friend request.    
 
Thank you for reading this post.  

Title: A Snicker of Magic
Author: Natalie Lloyd
Category/Genre: Middle Grade, Magical Realism
Length: 311 pages
 
 
Summary 
 
Felicity Pickle is an eleven-year old girl who is constantly moving from place to place with her mother and her younger sister. She struggles each time she begins school and has a difficult time speaking to strangers and making friends. Instead, is blessed with a unique talent: she sees words floating around people and objects telling her what they feel. Words such as hope, love, lonely, stormy, etc. These words may float or dance or come in any color or even be full of sparkles. Felicity collects her favorite words and writes them down in her journal.
 
At the beginning of the story, Felicity’s family moves to Midnight Gulch, Tennessee where her mother grew up and her aunt still lives. The residents say there used to be magic in the town, but it left about 100 years before after two magical brothers fought. In Midnight Gulch, Felicity is finally assigned a teacher than understands her. She also makes her first friend, Jonah. Felicity keeps seeing the words, Yes, Yes, Yes and realizes that she wants her family to settle in Midnight Gulch more than anything. She is fascinated by the stories that people tell her about its magical history and wants to learn more.
 
With Jonah’s help, they hatch a plan to keep her family in town. Felicity signs up to read a poem at the Duel for her school. To speak in front of a crowd and to get her family to finally stay in one place is going to require a snicker of magic.
 
 
My Review
This was a beautifully written book. Each page reads like a piece of poetry. The author paints a picture on each page so it is easy to see each scene with Felicity’s words hovering in the air. I believe it is a book to be read slowly so you can soak up the imagery.
 
The story is sweet about a girl who wants what most of us take for granted: a place to call home. Her friend Jonah’s goal in life is to make people in town happy. It is a feel-good story rather than a fast paced book. I believe it will appeal to both middle grade boys and girls who may identify with Felicity’s struggles. But I believe there is a larger audience: people of all ages who want to escape for a few hours into a beautiful story.
 
The main characters are well developed and many unique people are introduced. I particularly like that Jonah, her best friend, is in a wheelchair. However, the book is not about that. There is only a mention here and there about his wheelchair. Instead, the story concentrates on his friendship with Felicity and his big heart. I imagine this would appeal to people with their own disabilities to see someone who might be a bit like them, but prefer to be treated as a regular person rather than someone special simply due to their disability.
 
I am a member of two book clubs, and we read a variety of genres. Plus, as a Young Adult and Middle Grade writer, I am constantly reading YA books to improve my skills. 
 
If you would like to read more of my reviews, check out my ratings at Christine at Goodreads. If you like them, please send me a friend request.    
 
Thank you for reading this post.