Ginny Moon = 5 STARS!!!

This book truly took special hold of me. You know the kind of book that makes you forget everything you "must" do. The kind of book that when you finally look up from reading you realize hours have passed by and you didn't even realize it. The kind of book you just can't stop reading because you don't want to leave the characters behind. That's the kind of book Ginny Moon was for me. Ginny swept into my heart from the very first pages and persistently tugged at my heart strings throughout. This book was highly recommended to me by numerous readers that I trust. Now I have wholeheartedly joined the Ginny Moon fan club. Without hesitation or reservation, I recommend Ginny Moon to everyone near & far! <3

A bit about the book:
Benjamin Ludwig did an amazing job of bringing us right into Ginny's mind/inner world. Ginny is an autistic teenager who has had a heart-wrenching childhood. At age 9, she was taken away from her abusive, drug-addict mother. The descriptions of the state she was in when they found her had me in tears. After bouncing from one foster home to another, at age 14 Ginny has finally found her "forever home" with Brian and Maura Moon who have adopted her.

Maura becomes unexpectedly pregnant and the family wants to prepare Ginny for the baby's arrival. They give Ginny an "electronic" baby to care for which triggers anxiety in Ginny and sparks an obsession with her "baby doll" from when she was 9. No one understands Ginny's obsession and she is unable to express herself. Soon her actions seem reckless and dangerous to those trying to help her. As the reader - it was amazing to see Ginny's thought process through out the story. The plans she concocts, the deliberation, the manipulation - she is truly one "smart cookie".

Ginny's relationships with those around her begin to crumble as she lies, steals and manipulates in futile attempts to get what she so desperately wants. Unfortunately they simply can not understand her actions or the motivation behind them. I won't explain the "why?" because it's filled with spoilers. You simply owe it to yourself to read this book and let it unfold with Ginny the way Ludwig meant for it to happen.

The bottom line - This book gave me all the feels! I cried and felt heartbroken, I laughed out loud & was filled with hope. Ginny may be a fictional character but she now holds a special place in my reader heart.

4 Stars for The Testing

Yes, The Testing has similarities to Divergent and The Hunger Games but it's just different enough to set it apart and strong enough to make it's own name in the vast YA Dystopian category.

About the Book:
The world has been ravaged by The Seven Stages War. The United Commonwealth is trying to re-build with the help of a few chosen students. Cia has worked hard in school to be "chosen" as a candidate for The Testing so that she can attend the University. Unfortunately, The Testing is not at all what Cia imagined it would be. Here is where you would mentally insert comparisons to The Hunger Games. The Testing is not just cut throat - passing the different stages determines if you live or die. I don't want to provide spoilers but the different stages of The Testing were fast-paced and interesting and by far my favorite parts of the book.

I enjoyed the main character, Cia. Cia was smart (she knows all about botany and is into engineering - I love that!), rational (I loved how she puzzles things together!), vulnerable (in a way that was true to her age) and caring. Even in an environment that rewards vicious, ruthless behavior Cia was kind and struggled with choices that went against her heart. I appreciated her remaining true to herself and her core values.

There is quite a bit of death and violence in the book as you'd expect from a YA Dystopian read. People tend to be ruthless and cutthroat in this kind of world. The actual "Testing" process was very interesting. It was like a massive psychological mind game. It kept Cia analyzing, second guessing and doubting everything. I was right there with her for it all.

There is also a touch of romance in the book but nothing inappropriate if you have a middle school reader. It wasn't dominant which I liked. I felt like Cia was too strong to be sidetracked by a boy when she had so much going on. She knew how important it was & I was glad to see that she kept Tomas from becoming front and center.

I hope the rest of the series will be equally good or better. The cliffhanger ending definitely piqued my interest. I'll certainly be reading on at some point to see what happens next as they move from The Testing to the University.

3.5 Stars for GONE

One day everyone over the age of 14 disappears. Here one moment, poofed out of existence the very next. There are no phones, no internet, no television and suddenly there is a strange barrier around the town. No one knows what happened or why.

Can you imagine a world where the children are the only ones left? Where middle-schoolers are the "adults"? As an adult the thought is scary. Add in the fact that some of the children have developed "abilities" and you have some interesting twists to the overall plot. I thought Grant does a good job telling this often dark story. You can't help but root for these kids as they struggle to take basic care of themselves, understand what's happened and of course battle against the "bad guys" from Coates Academy.

As a mom, I was instantly worried about all the babies and toddlers that had to be left unattended when the adults disappeared. Thankfully there's "Mother" Mary who steps in as caretaker which is certainly no easy feat! I really enjoyed the premise of this book but there were definitely parts that were a bit dark for younger readers.

The bottom line - There are some dark/intense parts to the plot but if you like that sort of thing (I do!) then sit back and delve in!