Book Blurbs

Right on time! As long as the last day of the month is the deadline. I'm posting some short book blurbs. I don't want to call them true reviews since they are short and basically what I thought about the books. One middle grade and three young adult. I really must write the blurbs closer to when I read the books! But if it's anything like my writing exercises getting done on time, well, this will just have to do. 

Baby Mouse – Tales from the Locker: Lights, Camera, Middle School! by Jennifer L. Holm  (Author), Matthew Holm (Illustrator)

I read the earlier Baby Mouse books and enjoyed them so much. This is a logical step and highlights many middle school problems: friends, fitting in, the dreaded cafeteria seating dilemma, younger siblings and trying to succeed. It’s an easy read and very accessible to lower middle grade readers. The ending felt abrupt to me; it suited the story but I wanted more. That’s a good thing because there will be future books in this new series!

No Good Deed by Goldy Moldavsky

The main character, Gregor, is a geek going to a save-the-world type of camp with all the other nerdy do-gooders. But it soon becomes a cutthroat situation when a coveted position is presented as a prize. At first, Gregor annoyed me and I wasn’t sure I’d stick with the book. With the intro of the antagonist celebrity girl he doesn’t care for, Ashley, their interactions really propelled the story.

One hilarious aspect is the fact that everyone is called by their “cause” instead of a name. Gregor is called Children because he wants to Feed the Children. A few are called by their names, but only the few (still geeky) cool kids.

I ended up being carried along and enjoying the weird relationship that develops between Gregor and Ashley – each defeating the labels attached to them. Maybe they can all end up seeing each other past their causes. 

 
It’s a fun, different, odd twist on the ever popular summer camp story.

Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves

This is a period piece with magic and European society. It might have taken me a little bit of time to get into this world, but once I was in, I was hooked. It was fun to be in this environment of gypsies, balls and gowns, and magic spells. Throw in the one person who can break magical spells and you have a nice twist with plenty of plot, character and love interest. I know I’ll be reading book 2.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

What I liked about this book was all the twists. The writer didn’t feel constricted to take one storyline all the way through – it was okay to mix it up and change it and that made it fun and interesting. I liked the main characters, Citra and Rowan, and their sponsors, Scythe Faraday and Scythe Curie. I did have a hard time reading the mass killing/gleaning scenes because they were too real. There is a really good antagonist in Scythe Goddard.

I found it hard to believe this could be a series until I was further in and along for the ride.

Very interesting concept and well written and plotted. A thoroughly engaging and strange read. The cover captivates with its two faces – the two main characters manipulated against the other. Felt a bit like The Hunger Games type of cleverness.