Michigan vs. The Boys by Carrie S. Allen (We Both Liked This Teen Book)

Michigan vs. The Boys by Carrie S. Allen is a YA novel about a girl who loves to play hockey who tries out for the boys' team when the High School cuts out the girls' team due to lack of funds. I thought this book was pretty good.  It is written for teens so I was able to figure out what was going to happen, but I still enjoyed it and give it a solid 4 stars.  I am sure tomboy girls would love it!  It goes very fast, a quick read.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Karen's review:
Michigan vs. The Boys by Carrie S. Allen is an interesting story about Michigan, a high school student whose hockey team was cut due to lack of funds. She loves hockey and wants to keep playing no matter what! When alternatives her friends find do not work for her, she decides to try out for the boys’ team and makes it. Although she is a very good player, even better than a lot of the boys on the team, they are not happy, especially the ones who feel cut because of her! They all give her a hard time except the goalie, who is at least civil to her. The captain, Daniel, is the ring leader and the coach pretty much backs him up in an effort to get her to quit. When she proves to be tougher than they thought, Daniel sets her up in an effort to get her kicked off the team. That is when she finally reports it to the authorities.

I enjoyed this book but thought Michigan let things to too far. She should have reported the incidents right away. Anyhow, this is a good book for any young athlete to read. There is some hockey action, but mostly it’s about practices and off the rink fallout from the hazing Michigan receives. Her brother is a great character who is very supportive of her and for whose team Michigan is an assistant coach. I recommend this book to any girl athlete. I think girls would like it more than boys but it would be good for them to read it as well. (4 stars)


Teaser from page 13:  I'm happiest when I have skates on my feet, a stick in my hands and teammates by my side.  "Please . . ."  My voice cracks and the rest of my plea sticks in my throat.

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"No Better Friend" by Robert Weintraub about a WWII Dog

No Better Friend by Robert Weintraub is about one man, one dog, and their extraordinary story of courage and survival in WWII.  WOW!  This book is so good!  My review will not do it justice, but I will try.  Two British sailors were looking for a mascot for their gunboat.  They fell in love with Judy, a fiercely loyal dog, Right away! This took place just as World War II was about to begin.  Judy was right in the midst of the battle.  She had a relationship with all the men but formed a strong bond with a sailor named Frank. 

This book takes you through World War II.  The writing made me feel as though I were right there with them.  The adventures that Judy and Frank go through are really something!  I enjoyed this book very much!  Judy put her life on the line for the men so many times!  What a dog!  What a book!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 5:  "Swim"! Frank yelled to Judy, while giving her one last push that sent her flying out the porthole.  Below, the ocean was roiling and filling with oil and debris from the dying ship.

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"A Dog Called Hope" by Jason Morgan & Damien Lewis

A Dog Called Hope by Jason Morgan is the true story about a wounded warrior and the service dog who saved him.  It is fantastic!  Jason was hurt during an anti-narcotics raid in Central America.  Months later, he was told he would never walk again.  When he is finally doing a little better, his wife leaves him.  He has three young boys and really needs something to go right!

Napal is in training to be a CCI dog.  Napal is a special dog just waiting to be given a chance to be someone's special helper. 

I really enjoyed Jason and all the stuff he had to battle through!  Of course, I loved Napal, the great dog!  This book went fast and I was engaged from page 1!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 282 (large print edition): 

As I left, Napal threw me a look that could melt anyone's heart.  It spoke to me so powerfully.  There's so much love, devotion, and companionship in here if you'll only have me.  Stand by me, and I'll be your battle buddy until the day I die.

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"On Desperate Ground" by Hampton Sides

On Desperate Ground by Hampton Sides tells the true story of the Korean war!  It concentrates on the battle of the Chosin Reservoir--a classic battle!  Marines had to deal with over 300,000 Chinese and bitter cold.  They were surrounded and still they fought on!  What a great book!  These men had so much courage!  The writing is so good I felt like I was right there with them!  If you enjoy these kinds of books, then do not miss this one!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars) 

Teaser from page 242 (large print version):  The next star shell revealed a horrific panorama:  The snow was smeared with blood.  Twisted corpses and shorn body parts had been flung in all directions. 

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"A Court of Wings and Ruin" by Sarah J. Maas - We Both Loved It!

A Court of Wings and Ruin is the third book of A Court of Thorns and Roses series and did not disappoint! It starts off with Feyre back with Tamlin in the Spring Court where she creates some havoc with her mischief, but soon moves back to Valeris. Feyre and Lucian’s friendship is strengthened and he proves. In this book, other courts come into play and more new characters are introduced. Feyre’s sisters have a major part in this book and some romance starts to blossom. Rys and Fayre are reunited and work together so well throughout the book. There is a lot of banter and adventure.

This is a page turner that was hard for me to put down once Rys and Feyre were reunited. I was happy to see Tamlin come through for Feyre and her flying lessons with Azriel were pretty funny but paid off in the end. I loved how this book brought out a wide range of emotions for me and of course had some surprises along the way. I look forward to the next book in this series. (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review:
This is the third book in this series written from Feyre's perspective.  WOW!  This book is really good!  It has plenty of action and I loved the dialogue between all the main characters.  That really added to the enjoyment of the book for me.  The ending is full of surprises and I had a hard time putting it down for the last 150 pages.  With this book, Sarah J. Mass shows once again why she is one of the best!  I give this 5++ stars!

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"The Fire Line" by Fernanda Santos is Informative

The Fire Line--The Story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots and One of the Deadliest Days in American Firefighting by Fernanda Santos is a non-fiction book that tells the story of an elite crew of firefighters called "The Granite Mountain Hotshots."  This was some book, let me tell you!  I never knew all the details and things you have to know to be a firefighter!  Through this book I really got to know them and their families.  The main part of the book describing the Yarnell Hill fire made me feel like I was there.  These were very brave men and I am glad to learned about them through this book!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"Wolf Hollow" by Lauren Wolk

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk kept my interest all the way.  Annabelle has lived a nice quiet life in her small town with her loving family.  However, that all changes when a young girl named Betty comes to town.  Annabelle is being bullied and has to find a way to stop it.  Then one day, Betty goes missing and all signs point to one man who Annabelle has befriended.

This book was really good!  It moved along quickly and Annabelle is a great character.  It also has a surprise ending that I liked!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"When the Moon is Low" by Nadia Hashimi

When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi is a heartbreaking story about Fereiba and her family in Afghanistan.  Part 1 of the book is her childhood and her life in Afghanistan growing up and her marriage to Mahmoud, a good man who was an engineer, and their three children.  Part 2 focuses mostly on Saleem, her 15-yr.-old son and their journey to England after her husband was killed by the Taliban.  He felt the responsibility to be the man of the house and then got separated from his family in Greece on their way to England to live with Fereiba's sister.

This book kept my interest all the way through.  It shows how tough the life of a refugee is and my heart just goes out to them.  I liked Fereiba who always felt like an outsider and had a very hard life except for a short time.  I found myself pulling for Saleem in the second part of the book which showed how three different women helped him along the way and how encouraging that was for him.  I was a bit disappointed that the ending was sort of open, but I guess that was better than a sad ending.  I highly recommend this book if you have any interest in what it is like to be a refugee or Muslim.  It was an eye-opening story for me to understand how not all Muslims are extremists.  It even has some discussion questions in the back for book clubs to use.  It's very good!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)



Tweet by Karen:

Reaching the Unreached-MENA https://t.co/cbMY4fQUHp donated after reading WHEN THE MOON IS LOW 

— Karen Zemek (@kzemek) May 14, 2016

Here is a link to donate to help refugees in Greece through Samaritan's Purse
Here is a link to donate to help refugees through World Vision



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"Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys--A Must Read!

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys takes place in 1941. Lina is preparing for art school and all that summer has to offer. Then the Soviet Secret Police break into her home and taker her, her mother and her younger brother away. Her father was taken captive too, but kept apart from them. Will they get back together? Will they ever survive? What do the Soviets want from them? I thought this book was outstanding! I was into it all the way. The writing was so good too that I could really picture it in my mind. A Must Read!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review, 5 stars:
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys is a very good historical fiction book about Lithuanians who were deported during WW II by the Russians.  This book is about a 15-yr.-old girl, Lena, who is very brave and loves to draw.  She is the cousin of Joana, one of the main characters in Salt to the Sea, that is taken by the NKVD during at night along with her mother and younger brother, Jonas.  First, they are crammed into a train with a bunch of others who were "on the list" going to who knows where.  Lena becomes friends with Andrius, a boy her age who is also on the train.  The second part of the book is about her time at the farm where the Russians try to force them to sign a paper admitting they are criminals and willing to work on the farm for 25 years.  Those who sign get treated slightly better than those who don't.  Andrius signs but Lena does not so Andrius tries his best to help her and her family.  Living in unsanitary conditions with barely anything to eat, she is forced to dig with a trowel all day or carry 50 lb. sacks of grain.  Can things get any worse?  Oh yes.  The third part of the book takes Lena, her mother and brother to Siberia but not Andrius, way up into the Arctic Circle where they must use the bricks and wood that the Russians brought along to build barracks and a bakery for the soldiers.  They have to make huts for themselves out of driftwood, moss and whatever else they can scrounge up from the trash the soldiers throw away during temperatures below zero!  All through this book, you wonder along with them if they will survive and if they will ever be reunited with their father and Andrius.       

The author does a fantastic job of introducing the reader to other characters as Lena meets them so it is pretty easy to keep them straight.  I really liked this book better than Salt to the Sea because it had better continuity with just telling the story from Lena's viewpoint.  I couldn't help but thinking how I would react if I was in that situation.  I'm pretty sure I would have given up.  These people went through awful things but the book did have some high points with the romance thread, the birthday and Christmas celebrations.  This book stayed with me after I was done and needed time to process it before jumping into my next read.  I must say, I liked this as much as I liked The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.

Also liked Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys but not as much as this one.

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"Some Kind of Courage" by Dan Gemeinhart is a Gripping Read!

Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart is about an 12-yr.-old orphan boy, Joseph Johnson. He has lost just about everything he loved, but the one thing he can get back is his horse, Sarah, that was sold without his knowledge. Joseph is a great character and his adventures had me holding my breath! I so wanted him to get his horse back. I loved this book! It goes fast because it’s hard to put down. We also loved this author’s first book, The Honest Truth.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart is a gripping story about a boy who goes on his own to track down his horse that was sold without his knowledge to a crooked horse trader.  He has a strong sense to do his dead parents proud and do the right thing.  Even though his parents and sister died, he still keeps their memory alive.  The story is about how important family is.  Joseph is very likable and I couldn't help but pull for him.  He met a Chinese boy along the way so had a friend on part of his journey who was also on a mission.  Both boys were very brave!

I loved this book and was surprised it was just as good as the first book by this author.  It has lots of action and kept me turning pages.  The recurring theme in the book was what Joseph's papa always said and what drove Joseph:

But Papa had said that when there's something that's got to be done, the thing to do is just to buckle down and do it the best you can.

(Karen's review, 5 stars)


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"Court of Fives" by Kate Elliott

Court of Fives by Kate Elliott is a YA novel about a young girl named Jessamy.  She loves to run the Fives.  What that is, you will have to read this book to find out.  What I will tell you is that she should not be doing this.  If it gets out that she is, it will be very dangerous for her family.  Does this get out and if so, what are the consequences?

I thought this book was pretty good.  I really enjoyed the main character and her interaction with her family.  It has pretty good action and the ending is very good!  I will be reading book 2.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Every Last Word" by Tamara Ireland Stone - Two Different Takes On This One

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone is about Samantha, a popular high schooler.  She hangs around with a popular group of girls that she has been with since kindergarten with a secret that she has kept hidden all this time.  What that is you will have to read this book to find out.  She gets an urge to leave the group, but does she have the courage?

WOW!  This book was really good!  I thought all the characters were well developed and got into it very quickly.  I really liked Samantha, the main character.  I did not see the twist coming at all and the ending was fantastic!  A must read!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)


Karen read it too (2 stars):
I was not as impressed with Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone as my husband was.  It is realistic contemporary YA fiction about Samantha, a popular high school girl who loves swimming, the number 3 and struggles with obsessing thoughts because of OCD.  Through regular visits with her therapist and medication, she begins to make some changes in her life but still wonders if she is crazy.

I thought this was okay but didn't have much action or plot to it, other than Samantha learning to cope better with OCD by changing friends and writing poetry.  It does give some insight as to what OCD is like and it was inspirational when she experienced some small victories along the way. This book is mostly about friendship and accepting yourself for who you are.  Compared to the fun, fantasy page turners that I've been reading, this one just seemed to fall a bit flat.  I thought the unexpected "twist" was kind of dopey.

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"Ender's Shadow" by Orson Scott Card

Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card is actually a parallel book to Ender's Game with the main character in this one being Bean.   Bean is a street kid that a nun befriended and recommended to the space Battle School.  Bean is very small and only 4 years old but has advanced intelligence when he gets into the school.

It is interesting how Bean views things and how his leadership skills develop.  I really liked his strong sense of teamwork and how he would get people to work together.  I loved Ender's Game and so it was fun reading about Ender some more, this time from someone else's viewpoint.  I highly recommend this book if you liked Ender's Game.  I gave this 4 stars only because I liked Ender's Game a bit better but that may be just because I read that one first so I had a clue what was going to happen next as I read Ender's Shadow.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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