In The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan, two young children are all alone in a fierce winter storm. Teddy (the talking dog) locates them and leads them to a cabin where he lives so they will be safe. Teddy tells them a story while they wait for the storm to end and for help to come.
This is a young reader's book, but I enjoyed it very much. I hope it touches your heart like it did mine! Perfect read for the holidays!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
Karen read it too and here are her thoughts: I read it because it was a short children's book that I could read quickly but did not enjoy it as much as Gerard did. The dog understood words and only children and a poet could understand what the dog said. I liked the ending but overall wasn't impressed, but then, poetry isn't my thing. I liked other dog stories much better. (Karen's review, 3 stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!
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.
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!
Slammed by Colleen Hoover is about an 18-yr.-old girl, Layken, who grows a lot in just a year. She has a lot of drama going on her senior year including her father’s death, moving, romance, lung cancer and caring for her 9-yr.-old brother. That’s half the story, with the other half being about her 21-yr.-old neighbor across the street named Will and his 9-yr.-old brother. Will’s parents both died in a car accident and Will became his younger brother’s legal guardian. He is working towards a teaching job but then falls for Layken.
This book just drew me in very quickly and deals with heavy issues in such an interesting way. It is packed with feeling and mostly good advice that is given through Will and Layken’s mother, Julia. I was both amused by funny things that happened and touched by some tender parts. I even cried at one part involving Layken’s best friend, Eddie. One of the themes is poetry-what it is and why write it. This is the first book I read by this author and look forward to reading more.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)
Gerard read this too--here's his review:
This YA novel is about a young girl named Layken (Lake). Her mom, younger brother and her move from Texas to Michigan. Her dad passed away. She meets a young man named Will. His younger brother connect right off, but does Layken and Will connect?
This is an outstanding read because all emotions are at play here. You feel connected to the characters very quickly. This is a page turner I loved! The good news is that there is a follow up book that I will read too. (5++ stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!
Close Your eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian is told by Emily Shepard
who is a homeless teen who lives in an igloo made of ice and trash bags!Half a year earlier, her parents caused a
nuclear disaster.Emily does not want
anyone to know who she really is because she fears people will blame her too.This is a fantastic page turner that I
enjoyed.Emily is a great character.SPOILER
ALERT, STOP NOW IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW THE ENDING! I loved the ending
when she reunites with her dog!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
Perfect by Ellen Hopkins is about three teens--two boys and one girl, dealing with parents and a myriad of life issues. The girl is the sister of one of the boys from Ellen's previous book, "Impulse" but that is the only connection I saw. I hoped that I would enjoy this as much as "Impulse" which I thought was fantastic, but did not. Still, I did like it. I thought the boys parts were more interesting than the girls.
(Gerard's review: My rating 3 stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
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WOW! Double WOW!! Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williamsis an awesome read about two sisters, Lizzie and Hope, who live with their mom. One day Lizzie tries to kill herself but doesn't go through with it and is taken to a mental hospital. Hope cannot figure out why and when Lizzie tells her to be careful, she is really confused. One day Hope finds out by listening to her mom talking to Lizzie about a terrible secret they share. The suspense about this secret builds all the way through! It is a hard book to put down. This is the third book I read by Carol Lynch Williams and is by far her best! It has a super ending too! I'm telling you to read this book, it is fantastic!
Glimpse is one of the most unusual books I have ever read because the whole bookiis written in free verse!
(Gerard's review)
Check out my teaser for this one.
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I just finished reading a book of Christmas poems called Christmas Blessings by Helen Steiner Rice that I really liked. They were all about the true meaning of Christmas, God's gift to us, His Son, Jesus Christ. Instead of Christmas cards she would write poems for her friends at Christmas time. Here's one I chose that was short to share with you:
A Christmas Blessing for You
May Jesus, our Savior,
Who was born on Christmas Day,
Bless you at this season
In a very special way.
May the Beauty and the promise
Of that silent, holy night
Fill your heart with peace and happiness
And make your new year bright!
Her poems are also used on greeting cards today. In fact, I just got one from a friend this week with the verse by her.
(Karen's review 12/23/09)
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