libscote's Reviews (6.4k)

This is a...I'm not sure what the right word is for it, but if you asked me to name books that changed the way I look at the world, I would include this one. When I read it, I didn't know you could write about these topics, or that I would feel it so deeply despite not going through the same experiences as Melinda. Earlier this year I was disappointed by the GN version of "A Wrinkle in Time" not living up to the original text for me, but this one does. I love Carroll's illustrations and I think the black and white palette works really well here. 

This book was the frothy confection I needed at the moment. I felt like the book had a little bit of a pacing issue (it feels like half the book takes place the Saturday before the wedding) but otherwise, if you're looking for lighthearted YA romance that is big on longing looks and short on spicy parts, this is for you.

Ann Patchett is a beautiful writer. I wasn't sure about this story at first--how would I stay enthralled by one woman's tale of a summer romance? But the tie-in with all the other characters and what they were doing worked really well for me. I had taken a break from Patchett since State of Wonder didn't wow me (and honestly, I was also heavily doing youth literature award work) and I'm glad to go back.

Of course this series was stopped after a few books because I love it as much as the two book Mockingbird run. Sigh.

This book was good, but I didn't realize it wasn't going to complete an arc of the story, that the story would continue with Gwen using a different spider moniker. I thought it was a duology.

I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I'd be hard-pressed to give a particular reason, but none of it landed particularly well--I felt like the scientist was suddenly off, the reveal about the mom was kind of fast, and I didn't really understand the romance aspect. It wasn't bad, it just didn't blow me away.

This mystery reminded me a bit of "The Westing Game." I can't think of another book like it at the moment, but I love the small town feel of Gifton, Georgia, where everyone is in everyone else's business all the time. Grady and his dad are down on their luck after Grady's mother died, to the point where they are in foreclosure on the house. A mysterious inheritance from a distant relative could change everything, if only Grady's dad can believe and Grady can solve the mystery of the old sampler. This was a fun summer read and I think kids will love both the mystery and the nosy neighbors. 

I love a book with slightly unusual pairing, so hockey girl plus drama boy worked for me. Sometimes I found it a little hard to tell if someone was blushing or if it was just the regular under-the-eye lines, but that didn't deter from the story for me. Overall it was good.

Wings of Fire or Warriors (Cats) but with Dinosaurs.

Shannon has always wanted to be an actor, but has been a little too nervous to try out, so she usually ends up doing tech stuff. When the director hears her sing just after auditions, he asks her to try out and she gets a part! This changes the dynamic a bit between Shannon and her two best friends, especially when she gets the role one of her friends wants. While all this is happening, her grandmother moves in with Shannon and her mom, causing more friction. Shannon tries to keep all of this plus her OCD under control, but it ends up being a bit too much at times. Shannon needs to speak up for what she needs before it all gets too far.

I enjoyed this look at OCD because it's a little different than what we might normally think of for symptoms. I also thought it portrayed an interesting family dynamic. My one complaint is

I kind of felt like Shannon was a little too hard on Elyse, especially after she was mean to her at the party, and I felt like no one really expressed that to Shannon? It seemed to be a lot of "Elyse is responsible for everything." I would have liked to see some more emphasis to Shannon on her actions at the party and her reaction to Fatima's attempts to go between her and Elyse.