"Ms. Hannah Is Bananas!" by Dan Gutman

Ms. Hannah Is Bananas! by Dan Gutman is book 4 in the "My Weird School" series.  This one is about the art teacher who says "Art is everywhere."  The animosity between AJ and Andrea is really funny and I enjoyed this book as well as the others in this series that I have read so far.  The ending of this book made me laugh out loud, it was hilarious.  I think elementary children would like this one.  (Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"Big Lies in a Small Town" by Diane Chamberlain

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain is a fascinating story about a several artists--two during the depression (Anna and Jesse) and one in 2018 (Morgan Christopher).  Jesse Jameson Williams is a well-known black artist who likes helping young, struggling artists.  This is a story about mistakes and moving forward.  There are a lot of questions, the primary one being why Jesse would choose to insist that Morgan Christopher be the one to restore an old messed up mural painted by Anna Dale to be hung in his art museum by August 5, 2018, opening day.  Other questions include:  Why did Jesse have the mural? What happened to Anna Dale?  Will Morgan be able to finish the mural in time?  Why did it have to be done by August 5?  Questions are answered gradually in alternating chapters told by Anna and Morgan.  

I was drawn into this story right from the start and really got to liking the characters.  The book is sort of like reading a puzzle as the pieces begin to fall into place.  Issues addressed are racial relations, alcoholism, rape, and family secrets, friendship and recovering from past mistakes.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)     

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"Remembered" by Tamera Alexander is a Funny Historical Western Romance

Remembered by Tamera Alexander is the third book in the Fountain Creek Chronicles Series.  I really loved the first two books in this series so was excited to read this one as well which proved to be good too!  It is about Veronique's journey from Paris, France to Willow Springs in Colorado territory to try to find her father to fulfill her mother's dying wish.  Her father was a good man who left her and her mother behind when he came to America when she was just a little girl.  Veronique had quite the culture shock when she first arrived and quickly became known by everyone in the small town with her pretty fancy dresses and her French words.  She learns about herself and finds romance she did not expect on her journey. 

I liked this book because of the humor in it and I enjoyed reading about the funny and sometimes scary things that happened to Veronique.  It was also nice reading about some of the characters from the previous books in this series, but this book can also stand alone.  If you like Christian historical romance and western fiction, I highly recommend it.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Rekindled and Revealed are the first two books of this Fountain Creek Chronicles series.

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"Heart Song" by V. C. Andrews - Loving This Series!

Heart Song by V. C. Andrews is the second book of the Logan Family series which I am enjoying.  This second book is about Melody's search for her natural father, her romance with Cary, modeling for Kenneth and meeting her real grandmother that does not sit well with Olivia.  Melody learns more family secrets and stands up to Olivia.  It has a shocking ending that left me hanging, eager to read the next book of the series. 

This series sort of reminds of Belva Plain's family sagas.  There is a lot of interaction among the characters which makes for an interesting read.  I liked this book as well as the first, Melody.   

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"Okay For Now" by Gary D. Schmidt

Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt is about Doug, a 14-yr.-old who is upset about moving to a new town and leaving his friends. The story takes place in 1968 during the Vietnam War that Doug’s oldest brother is fighting in. He also has an older brother, who gets great pleasure from picking on him and an abusive father. Doug’s idol is the Yankee ballplayer, Joe Pepitone and a signed jacket by Joe is Doug’s most prized possession. Doug narrates about his high and low points as he goes through adjusting to the new town and with the help of several caring people, he actually gets to like it. When he sees a beautiful bird book in the library, he is drawn to it and the librarian encourages him to draw the different birds. Art becomes his passion and he likens how he feels to how he thinks some of those birds feel. It’s a well-written book that gives the reader insight into the feelings of a young teenage boy. It’s a good read that I think any teen could relate to and enjoy.
(Karen's review, rating 4)

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!