I absolutely love that this story was from Opal's point of view. How fantastic and lovely and purely other she is. I now know exactly what it is like to think as a dreamthing. I do hope that there are more stories to come, but I am perfectly satisfied if there are not.

Thank you, Maggie Stiefvater, for this true gem of a story and of a series.

I enjoyed this book, but I do think it tried to do too much. There was so much emotion in this book and so many big issues to tackle. I felt like I floated through it when what I really wanted to do was sink into it, drag my hands through the mire, and really sift through the emotional muck. I wanted Blade to feel more, or perhaps express more. Perhaps it felt rushed to me. I'm not sure. The poetry is lovely and there are some moments where the emotion does pull toward the surface and make itself known. I simply wanted more of those moments.

My students will love this book, just like all of Kwame Alexander's masterpieces. So, I'm going to booktalk it and rave about it, because that's the beauty of books. What I get out of it is not what you may get out of it. So don't let my review bring you down or stop you from reading this book. It could be just what you're looking for.

"To Alef, the letter that begins the alphabets of both Arabic and Hebrew - two Semitic languages, sisters for centuries. May we find the language that takes us to the only home there is - one another's hearts."

Ibtisam Barakat provides a stunning portrait of what refugee children and families endure in the middle of war. Her story is one of many thousands and reminds us that the important parts of our lives are all the same, regardless of our race, religion, country, or creed. Never once does she blame Israel for the fear and terror that made a home in her young heart. We can all learn a great deal from Ibtisam and her experiences. Stories are what teach us to love the world and those in it. Ibtisam's is an important one.

This book threw me for a loop. I will say that the fractured writing style wasn't my cup of tea, but I believe it shows the narrator's mental state and sometimes her lack of reliability. I listened to most of this book on my commute and that helped with disliking some of the author's writing style. I wish I had more from the end after the major reveal. Maybe then I could decide if I actually like Caydence as a character or not. This book will definitely mix up your emotions.

The Girl I Used to Be is one those books that doesn't blow you away, but it is a nice, pleasant read (as much as a murder mystery can be). The somewhat sensitive topic of Ariel/Olivia's parents' murder is discussed without unnecessary gore, making this appropriate for my junior high audience. There's also a smattering of romance, which somehow keeps this murder mystery a bit more light-hearted than April Henry's other books I've read. Although I knew the killer could come for Ariel/Olivia, I didn't feel too worried about it, which is why I gave this book four stars instead of five. The tension just didn't reach me like it did in Girl, Stolen. I liked the main character well enough, but I didn't care about any of the others except for Nora, and maybe a little for Benjy. This book would have benefited from about 20-50 more pages of character building spaced throughout, in my opinion. Still, it's a fun and enjoyable read overall. It's definitely worth picking up.

Being now several years old and also a translation from another language, the writing from Silence is not in the style that most of us are used to. I found the emotional descriptions somewhat lacking and had to fill in a great deal using my own imagination. I simply didn't feel the anguish as much as I believe was necessary to fully appreciate this book. That said, I did enjoy the book and it is certainly not without its merits. I can't say anything more about this story than Martin Scorsese has already said in his introduction.

As a postulant to the priesthood myself, this story did make me consider the ease with which I live my life of faith and if I would be so bold if I lived in a time and place of great persecution. Would I be a Ferreira and apostatize to save others? Would I be Garrpe and martyr myself to attempt in vain save others? Would Ferreira have done as Garrpe if given the choice? How much are our choices and our faith lives determined by our context in time and space?

There are no true answers to these questions concerning myself. What an intriguing thing to ponder. I am very glad I read this book.

Linda Sue Park does a wonderful job of weaving a present day narrative of a girl in Sudan in with a past narrative of a boy in the same country. The reader cannot help but ask why the situation is not any better for the present day girl than it was for the boy. This book is a wonderful way to see the power of perseverance and helps students begin to build a worldview outside of comfortable homes with tap water on demand.

Second Reading: I cry every time I see my students realize at the end that Salva brought water to the tribe that

Spoiler

killed his uncle.

Nya lived with.

Now that I've gone to hug or message all my friends, here's a bit more about this book.

From the very beginning, Mateo's voice grabbed me and pulled me in. I feel like if Death Cast called me just after midnight saying I was going to die today, I'd want to react like Mateo. He panicked. He threw books around his room. He played video games to distract himself. He even did the dishes as an excuse to not leave his home. But then, after choosing his own epitaph, he decides to branch out and make a "last friend" via an app that matches deckers, people who have received the alert, with other deckers so that no one has to spend their last day alone. Mateo's dad is comatose in the hospital and he doesn't want to burden his best friend Lydia with the knowledge that he will die today, so he makes a last friend in Rufus.

It took me longer to enjoy Rufus's voice. I loved him as a character from the moment he got the alert while beating his his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend's face. I severely dislike how Rufus uses "mad" every five seconds when "very" would suffice, or nothing at all. The word doesn't add much to his way of speaking and since it is so often repeated, i found it distracting and odd. I soon got past that and loved the way Rufus wanted to make sure he didn't end his day as the same person who began it. The way he helps Mateo out of his house and into the world is touching.

It's tempting to say this is the story of two boys who die, because the cover gives that much away. Even though I knew what was coming, it still hit me like a punch to the gut. But in all honesty, this is a story of two boys who learned how to live and lived their last day to its fullest. I also appreciated how the author put emotion into every touch Mateo or Rufus experienced that day, whether it was someone bumping their shoulder, grabbing onto their wrist, or a last hug goodbye.

That kind of story is great food for thought. I encourage everyone to read it. It's a must for all junior high / high school classroom libraries.

Maggie Stiefvater creates amazing characters. She also makes me want to get back up on a horse, even though it's probably been thirteen or fourteen years since I've ridden. Although The Scorpio Races features capaill uscha, horses that eat flesh and come from Celtic mythology, in a way they do remind me of the horses we had when I was growing up. While reading this book I relived the pain of coming home from a vacation to find that our horses had been suddenly sold and that I never got the chance to say goodbye to them. Now all but the colt and filly are probably dead. I'll never forget quietly exiting the house at night, not waking the dog or my parents, to go lay over Little Star's back and let him do as he pleased or whisper into Taco's ear.
...
Yes, we had a horse named Taco. No, I didn't name her.
...
I imagine that's how Puck and Sean must feel about their horses. I was never brave enough to race, or even canter much on my horses, so horse race books always intrigued me. Where was this book when I was in junior high? I would have loved it then. I love it now.