"The Last Pass" by Gary M. Pomerantz

The Last Pass by Gary M. Pomerantz is a true story describing the basketball career of Bob Cousy and his life off the court.  Bob Cousy was a fantastic point guard for the Boston Celtics.  The stuff he could do with a basketball is amazing!  He could dribble and pass like no one else!

The basketball part of this book was really good, but I enjoyed reading about his life off the court even more!  I laughed out loud while reading this one!  He is in his 90s now, what a remarkable story he has told!  This is my "book of the month" for December!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Teaser from page 28:  Seeing Cousy play against the Globetrotters that night, Kerner, owner of the NBA's Tri-Cities Blackhawks, was dazzled.  He decided that Cousy was the greatest college player he had ever seen.

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"Another Good Dog" by Cara Sue Achterberg

Another Good Dog--One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs by Cara Sue Achterberg is heartwarming non-fiction. Cara really misses her companion of 17 years--her wonderful dog, Lucy!  Her husband got her a "back-up" dog, but it is not the same!  Cara needs something to ease the pain.  She decides to tackle a new adventure of fostering dogs.

If you are a dog lover, you will love this book!  She has her ups and downs in this new adventure, some funny, some sad.  She writes about her experiences very well.  I think maybe even a non-dog lover would enjoy this.  Keep up the good work, Cara!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 7:  I'd thought I would wait to adopt another dog, wait until I didn't miss Lucy so much and wouldn't compare every potential dog to her.  But months had passed, and I only missed Lucy more.

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"Everfound" by Neal Shusterman (Fantastic Book 3 of the Skinjacker Series)

Everfound by Neal Shusterman is the amazing third book in the Skinjacker trilogy. Will Allie, Mikey, Nick, Jix and Jill be able to stop Mary, Milos, Rotsie and Speedo from destroying the real world? Will Nick and Mikey get out of the Wraith’s trap? Will Jix bring Mary back to the City of Souls? Will Johnnie O and Choo Choo Charlie ever be able to get off the Heidenberg? Will Allie every get back to her parents? Teaser from page 41: Allie didn’t want to believe it. “No! Milos didn’t! He couldn’t have . . he wouldn’t dare!”

Everfound is fantastic! What a great finish to a great series! I LOVED IT! This had lots of adventure as well as relationship building, humor, supernatural abilities and lots of plot twists. Certain parts were so captivating that I couldn’t turn pages fast enough and other parts were so funny, I laughed out loud! I was always eager to see what would happen next and really came to care about certain characters. At some points, I felt so bad that I had to put it down for what happened to sink in, I couldn’t believe it! This series was wild and quite a ride! Unlike Scythe and Unwind, this series mostly takes place in Everlost, a ghost world between the real world and the light at the end of the tunnel into eternity. The ending was perfect! I highly recommend this series if you want an entertaining fantasy read! Neal Shusterman is becoming my favorite YA fantasy author very quickly with his well-developed characters and extremely original plot lines.
(Karen’s review, 5 stars)

Links to my reviews of previous books in this series:  Everlost and Everwild

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"The Marriage Pact" by Michelle Richmond

In The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond, Alice and Jake are newlyweds. They decide to join an exclusive and mysterious group known as “The Pact.” The goal is to keep marriages happy so how bad can it be? Alice and Jake both want a long and happy life! This book is wild to say the least and certainly not dull at all! I never really knew what was going to happen. I liked both Alice and Jake. This book kept my interest throughout and make me actually laugh out loud at some parts.
 (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

An appropriate book review for our 20th anniversary!

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"What Alice Forgot" by Liane Moriarty (We Both Liked This!)

In What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty, Alice is 29, loves her husband and is expecting a baby--life is good!  She has a fall at the gym though and has to go to the hospital.  At the hospital, she finds out she is 39 and has three kids but is getting a divorce!  What is going on?  Has she really lost the last ten years?

I enjoyed this book very much!  Alice was interesting and for sure funny!  It kept my interest throughout.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty is a thought provoking contemporary fiction book about amnesia.  At age 39, Alice hit her head hard on the handlebars when she fell in her spin class and lost the last ten years of memory.  She forgot she had three children, forgot she was very involved in their school, forgot all the changes her and her husband made to their home, forgot her best friend, and forgot she and her husband were now separated!   Her husband, Nick, loves his kids and was a good husband but what happened?  Alice forgot and is anxious to reconcile and have Nick come back home.  What happens when she finally remembers?  Will their family reunite or will Alice and Nick go their separate ways?

This is a very interesting, thought provoking and fun read.  Makes you think what has changed in your own life in the past ten years.  This book mostly covers the week after Alice's fall but then jumps ahead at the end about ten years into the future.  I loved the humor in this and would have given it 5 stars except I did not care about the sister's infertility story line and all her miscarriages.  I thought that part was quite boring and the book would have been better if it just focused on Alice and her family.  I really enjoyed Nick and her children!  This book actually looks at love from several different perspectives:  lost love, dating love, marriage love through the ups and downs, late-in-life love, and unexpected love.  We both think this would be a great book for a book club.  It has some questions in the back.  (4 stars)

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"Train I Ride" by Paul Mosier is Uplifting! (Updated)

Train I Ride by Paul Mosier is a children's story about Rydr, a little girl on an Amtrak train.  This book tells the story of the people she meets on the train as well as the back story on Rydr.

Every so often I need a book that I can relax with that doesn't have somebody getting hurt or killed so I read this book.  Rydr is a great character who will surprise you with her antics.  I think people of all ages would enjoy this debut book.  Job well done, Paul Mosier!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Karen's review, 3 stars:  I read Train I Ride by Paul Mosier because my husband liked it so much and it is short and quick.  I liked Rydr, the main orphan girl who is on her way from Los Angeles to Chicago to live with some old uncle she never even met because her mom died and probably her father and her grandma who she was living with.  On the train, she meets several people who she really likes.  Although her money runs out, she is quite resourceful in finding ways to get some.  I especially liked her invisible monkey act but felt bad when she didn't even take the money she got from people.  I thought this was a pretty sad story but enjoyed the funny parts.  

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"The Edge of Everything" by Jeff Giles

In The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles, it has really been a bad year for 17-yr.-old Zoe.  Her dad died, an older couple who befriended her was killed, and now a blizzard has come and her young brother and her are in it and are being attacked.  Then a stranger comes out of nowhere and Zoe's life as she knows it will be forever changed.

This book had me from page 1!  The story is really good and I cared about the characters.  It went quick!  I really enjoyed it and feel it was well worth reading!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Heir" by Kiera Cass (Book 4 of The Selection Series)

The Heir by Kiera Cass is the fourth book in this series and although I enjoyed this one the least, it still gets 4 stars from me. This is 18 years after the end of The One and the main character is America and Maxon’s eldest by seven minutes, Eadlyn. The castes have been faded out by now and there is peace; however, old prejudices and discrimination still exist among some people. Small fights all over continue to break out over dissatisfaction with the monarchy. In an effort to provide a distraction while Maxon and America try to figure something out to correct the situation, they ask Eadlyn to have a selection of her own. She very reluctantly agrees and this book then becomes similar to the TV show, The Bachelorette! 35 suitors are picked live on TV with a draw, choosing someone from each providence. Someone entered Kile Woodward’s name (Marlee’s son who grew up in the palace with Eadlyn) and he is one of the selected. Eadlyn thinks love makes one weak but made a deal with her parents to go through the process for three months provided if she didn’t find love, she would not have to choose anyone in the end and that any of them were free to leave any time if they chose. Her parents are hopeful, she just wants her freedom. It’s fun to look back to the previous book as her parents reveal things about their Selection experience to Eadlyn and how interested she is

Eadlyn is a spoiled brat and basically rude to the suiters, but in spite of herself, her wall begins to crumble and she does start to really care about some of them. Her best dates turn out to be the ones that the cameras aren’t ready for. The two group dates were really fun. Some of the guys were outside playing baseball and she came by and decided to join them! The other was set up by the guys who felt left out of the ballgame—they got her to agree to join them for the “best date ever.” They put on a talent show and through this she actually laughed and finally enjoyed herself while getting to know a bit more about the suitors.

Eadlyn is so bratty that I did not like this book as much as the previous ones, but by the end she was becoming more decent. I like how there are really several possible choices for her and I am not sure who she will pick. I think it is a very interesting addition the Henri needs a translator, Eric who tries to stay in the background and is quite smart. Henri speaks only Finnish but is very nice and a great chef! Their kitchen kiss was so sweet!  I also like seeing America’ and Maxon’s friends appear in this book as well. I cheered when I saw Aspen is now a General! I flew through this book as well and continued right on with the next. I am eating up this series and highly recommend it as a light, funny, entertaining read.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"The Selection by Kiera Cass is a Fun Read!

I’ve heard so much about The Selection series by Kiera Cass that I finally gave in and started it. The first book of the series, Selection, is a fun, light read about the rags to riches story of America Singer, a teenage girl. This is set in a future time where what once was America is now the country of Illéia. There is a royal family who rules and a caste system in place. America’s family are “fives” which are made up of musicians and artists. Just one level above “sixes” who are servants which is the caste Aspen is in. Aspen and America are in a serious relationship but have to keep it secret since they are in different castes. One day America gets a letter that could change her life forever, inviting her to apply to be Prince Maxon’s princess. Thirty-five girls will be selected for him to get to know and choose his princess from. During the selection process, their families will be compensated for allowing their daughters to participate in the selection. This first book is about the girls being selected and the process of Prince Maxon trying to narrow down the number.

I enjoyed this book because it is entertaining and reminded me of the show, The Bachelor. Prince Maxon, however, is a nice guy and not a sleeze at all. I like the humor throughout the book and how America slowly discovers that Maxon is not the snob she expected him to be. In fact, he is nothing but exceptionally nice to her! The love triangle that develops between her, Aspen and Maxon gets a push when Aspen is drafted as a guard at the palace and is assigned to guard America’s room. This is a quick read and I am anxious to continue on with this series. This is a pretty uplifting read with lots of happy moments.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)

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I linked this up to Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop in response to the book review prompt.  You can too!

"Under Rose-Tainted Skies" by Louise Gornall

In Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall, Norah is 17 and has accepted that the four walls of her house will be her life.  She cannot possibly go outside and heaven forbid she should come in contact with a stranger.  However, when a new family moves in and a young teen boy notices her, will Norah do something that she could not have imagined she would do or is she just headed for heartache?
This book is based on the author's own experiences.  I enjoyed it because Norah was a fun character and thought the ending was good too!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman is simply all about a 59-yr-old man called Ove who is brokenhearted because his wife died and he feels useless since he retired.  He is quite a character and is actually a lovable, crotchety old man who lives in a little community that he sort of takes responsibility for.  He desperately wants to join his wife so tries committing suicide, but it seems something always comes up that spoils his plans--life happens in spite of himself.  The more I read, the better I liked Ove.

This book is really good!  I liked Ove so much, partly because he reminded me of my dad and husband in some ways.  The chapters are short and give pictures of different moments in Ove's life jumping back and forth from the present to the past.   There are many tender moments and some funny things as well which makes this book very real to life.  I loved how gradually Ove formed relationships with those around him, even the stray cat who was practically starving and almost died.  This was a tear jerker for me because the ending was so sweet.  I'm sure this is one that I will not soon forget!  I highly recommend it!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"Three Weeks with My Brother" by Nicholas and Micah Sparks

Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas and Micah Sparks is one of the best memoirs I have read. It has humor, interesting adventures and touching moments. I loved how these guys gave us a look at their family dynamics from childhood. I think they did a fantastic job of weaving their memories into their time together as they traveled around the world in three weeks. It is a story of persevering through tragedy and life’s bumps. Throughout the book, they kept repeating the mother’s standard sayings: It’s your life. No one ever promised that life would be fair. What you want and what you get are usually two entirely different things. 

I enjoyed reading this more than I expected and found the inspiration for Nicholas Sparks' books very interesting. I think anyone who enjoys Nicholas Sparks' books would enjoy this as well even though it is non-fiction. It even includes discussion questions in the back for book clubs!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"Truly Madly Guilty" by Liane Moriarty is One We Did Not See Eye to Eye On (updated)

I read Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty on my husband's recommendation and because he laughed out loud as he read through it.  Unfortunately, I did not find it all that funny and plowed through it.  (To be fair though, I just got done reading A Torch in the Night by Sabaa Tahir which was one I could hardly put down which had lots of adventure, action and interesting characters.)  Compared to that, this one really fell flat.

The tiny bit of action in it was alluded to all through the book in an attempt to build up some mystery, but moved along much too slow for my taste.  It is primarily about three couples and their marriages.  I really hated that the chapters went back and forth between the day of the big incident and the present and the past.  I just wanted to know what happened already and found the writing annoying.  Of the characters, I found the girl Dakota interesting and liked Tiffany and Sam best of the adults.  I also thought Harry, the grumpy neighbor was an interesting character but he wasn't in it much.  I loved Big Little Lies by this author so expected to like this book as well, but I didn't. 
(Karen's review, 2 stars)


Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty is about three couples and their children who gather together for a backyard barbecue.  What could possibly go wrong?  First of all, this is an adult novel.  I read a lot of YA and fantasy novels so this was a change for me which I thought was fantastic but find I am in the minority compared to other reviewers on Amazon.

I enjoyed all the characters and laughed out loud through it!  The dialogue among the characters made this a very enjoyable read.  This is the third book I have read by this author and I loved them all!  You cannot zoom through this book, because if you miss one thing, you miss a lot of the story!  LOVED IT!
(Gerard's review 10-9-16, 5++ stars)

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"Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire" by J. K. Rowling is Fantastic!

This is the fourth book in the Harry Potter series.  The main story is the Triwizard tournament in this one.  This book started out kind of slow for me--I did not really get into it until after the first 100 pages.  It is a long book though (734 pages) so with my wife's encouragement, I kept reading and am glad I did.  I did not think there was much interaction between the kids as I would have liked.  I was hoping for more Quidditch games.  However, the tournament was good, especially the last challenge!  What I really enjoyed was when HArry and Voldemort had a battle.  That was like "WOW"!  I could hardly turn the pages fast enough!  That more than saved the book for me--on to Number 5!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)  

Karen's review 10/14/15, 5 stars:
Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire is the fourth book in this series which kept me turning pages. It is full of mystery, excitement, adventure, humor and suspense! The beginning is kind of light with Harry getting to attend the World Quidditch match with the Weasleys and Fred and George Weasley have a bigger role in this book. They add a bit of fun to the story! Hermione was even getting on my nerves with her campaign to free the house elves. I really was surprised Ron took so long to ask her to the dance. Harry is chosen by the Goblet of Fire to enter the champion inter-school competition in spite of his age. Someone secretly entered his name but why? Talk about unexpected twists and turns? This book has them! How is that reporter getting her information and how is Hermione going to get her revenge? When Harry is entered into the interschool Triwizard Tournament, his friends help him prepare for the tasks. I did not guess who entered Harry’s name even after I learned why someone did it. Near the end when Harry was in major danger fighting for his life, I felt so sorry for him.

I loved this book and especially enjoyed the dog visit at the end! I was sad when Ron and Harry weren’t speaking but loved how the friendship between them and Hermione further developed in this book. Goblet of Fire made me laugh but also kept me wondering what was going to happen next. I highly recommend this series, the creativity and writing is amazing! It is very entertaining.


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"Harmony" by Carolyn Parkhurst is About Living in Harmony With Special Needs Kids

Harmony by Carolyn Parkhurst is about the Hammond family, Josh, Alexandria and their two daughters, Iris and Tilly. Tilly is a 13-yr-old somewhere on the autism spectrum whose “special interest” is statues and who has a quick temper, no filter and is fairly smart with a good imagination. When the mother is near wits end from daily episodes with Tilly, she attends a workshop by Scott Bean for help. She starts listening to his tapes and even arranges a personal consultation. When Tilly gets kicked out of the school for special needs children, the mother suggests to Josh that they consider helping Scott Bean run Camp Harmony – a new endeavor for families with a special needs child. Scott is an educator who gives parents advice and through the summer, different families can attend the camp for a week. Three families agreed to help Scott run it and help with all the chores that need to be done.

This is an interesting and sometimes funny read. I liked it overall and was able to overlook the foul language which was part of Tilly’s problem. Most of the book is told from Iris’s perspective with some chapters interspersed showing Tilly’s thoughts and some that give the background on their family, particularly the mother’s dealings with Tilly, before leaving DC for the camp in New Hampshire. This gives insight into some struggles families with special needs kids may have, but also shows the tender moments too. The ending was sad and quite a shock—not what I expected. My favorite part was the interaction among the kids at the camp and between Tilly and Iris.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"November 9" by Colleen Hoover--a WOW Romance (We Both Liked This One!)

November 9 by Colleen Hoover I really a captivating romance novel.  From the beginning, I figured Fallon and Ben would get together but what a journey they have!  They meet when they are 18 on November 9 at a restaurant when Ben pretends to be her boyfriend, slides in next to her and joins in the conversation she is having with her father about her going to New York.  Her father is trying to discourage her from going back to acting and Ben defends her and encourages her to go for it in spite of the scars she has from being in a fire.  Ben and Fallon agree to meet again on November 9, same time, same place for the next 5 years and see where things go.  However, they also do not exchange phone numbers and block each other on all the social media sites so they cannot have any contact except on November 9. 

The witty dialogue and the alternate points of view allowing the reader to know what each of the main characters is thinking makes November 9 a very fun read!  I enjoyed the book very much and liked both Fallon and Ben, but I liked Ben better (Fallon seemed kind of slutty and mean to me).  I thought Fallon had a tendency to over react and was a bit mean at times by not giving Ben a chance to explain himself.  As I read, something seemed off with Ben which provided some mystery and the surprise twist in the book!   I was so glad that this book moved along to all their November 9 meetings rather than showed us what they were both up to all year long.  I also liked their book discussions and how the author developed and organized this novel in such a cool way.  For me, the swearing throughout was a big turn off to me and I also did not care for the premarital sex scenes and how quickly Fallon allowed Ben to paw her up.  Because of that, I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

November 9 starts off with Fallon Having an argument with her father in a restaurant. Ben over hears and takes it upon himself to enter and sit with Fallon and aid her in the discussion.  If I say anything else, it would spoil it for you.  What I can say is that this book is FANTASTIC!  In my opinion, it is Colleen Hoover's best book!  The characters of Ben and Fallon are so good!  The writing is easy to follow and flows along nicely leading to the twists and turns near the end.  WOW!  I felt a lot of emotion in this book for both Ben and Fallon.  This is absolutely a "Must Read" I highly recommend!  There is so much to discuss about this one too!
(Gerard's review 8/3/16, 5++ stars)

We also liked SLAMMED and CONFESS by Colleen Hoover.

Here is my favorite Booktuber's review of this that really got me interested in it:

So, if you read this book, who did you like better and why--Fallon or Ben?

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"Messenger by Moonlight" by Stephanie Grace Whitson is fiction about The Pony Express

Messenger by Moonlight by Stephanie Grace Whitson tells the story of a young girl named Annie and her two brothers, Frank and Emmett.  When their dad dies, they are left broke and lose the farm.  The brothers decide to join the Pony Express and Annie comes along and becomes a cook at one of the stations.

I liked Annie, the main character, but this book had little action and there was nothing that took me by surprise.  It's an okay read that I read only because Karen recommended it.
(Gerard's review 7/18/16, 3.5 stars) 

Karen's review 7/13/16, 4 stars:
Messenger by Moonlight by Stephanie Grace Whitson is a very enjoyable read about two brothers (Frank and Emmett) who join up as pony express riders and sign up their sister as a cook for Clearwater, one of the remote home stations in Nebraska territory without even asking first!  Annie is at first put out by that, but doesn't want to be alone so agrees to go with them on this new money-making adventure. Emmett trusts in the Lord for courage and guidance and encourages Annie to as well, like their ma but Frank doesn't want anything to do with God and just complains about his rotten luck.  Annie tries to stay positive and look for the good things.  Annie has a dream of having her own nice white house with flower boxes and blue trim one day and Frank aims to make sure that happens for her.  When they get to the Clearwater station and meet the owner, George Morgan, he is not what any of them expected.

I enjoyed this historical western romance very much and liked all the characters.  The story line moved along and gave insight in what the pony express riders faced and the part women played during this time.  I loved the ending and recommend this for anyone who likes novels about the west around the time of the Civil War.  It had some funny parts that I actually laughed out loud at!


I also liked Key on the Quilt by this author.

Joining in Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop this week responding to the book review prompt.

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"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" by J. K. Rowling (video review included)

Love Crankshooks!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling is the third book of this series and another enjoyable fun read!  In this book, there are surprises and a very cool map that has been handed down from former mischief makers to current mischief makers at Hogwarts school.  I thought the classes were really interesting and was happy Hagrid got to be a teacher on care of critters.  The class on Defense of Dark Arts was also fun.  There are so many great scenes in this book that I didn't want to put it down.  I cheered when Hermione bought herself a cat named Crankshooks who has sort of a big part in the story chasing after Ron's rat, Scabbers and causing tension between Ron and Hermione.  Snape and Malfoy continue to resent Harry and cause trouble.  Of course, Harry is amazing in this book too and I enjoy rooting for him!  I loved this book and enjoyed it very much.  It has lots of action and funny things throughout.  I look forward to continuing this series.
(Karen's review7/15/15, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 7/9/16 (5 stars):
It's always good to get back to a Harry Potter book!  In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius Black is loose and the word is out that he wants to get at Harry in the worst way! I thought this book was very good.  I enjoyed the various storylines throughout the book and Ron and Hermione are good in this one too!  I especially liked the unexpected ending and the great writing!

Watch my review I did for "Booktube":

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"Calvin" by Martine Leavitt

If you read and enjoyed the comic strip, "Calvin and Hobbs," you will enjoy Calvin by Martine Leavitt.  Calvin, a 17-yr.-old boy born on the day the last strip was published, has schizophrenia.  He was a fan of Hobbs.  If he could just have Bill Watterson, the writer of "Calvin and Hobbs," make one more comic strip without Hobbs, he will be okay.  I enjoyed this book.  It was like reading a bunch of comic strips.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix" by J. K. Rowling

As this series continues on with book 5, The Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling contains lots of action and adventure with the Ministry of Magic rejecting Harry's and Dumbledore's claims that you-know-who has returned, making them out to be "nutters" or liars.  The Order of the Phoenix is a group of wizards and witches who believe Dumbledore and Harry against the Ministry of Magic which begins fighting against them by replacing Dumbledore as headmaster of Hogwarts with Umbridge, a mean-hearted, witch that really has it in for Harry.  Luna Lovegood, Cho, Ginny Weasley and Neville all get more time in this book which added more interest as we get to know them better. 

The Weasley family plays a big part in this book and I love how Dumbledore comes to Harry's defense and is so good at knowing the rules of the Ministry of Magic that he gets Harry out of trouble several times.  I enjoyed how George and Fred both entertain everyone with their pranks and practical jokes.  Harry's Godfather, Sirius Black, also is a main character in this book.  Hermione provides sound advice and is obsessed with setting house elves free and improving their lives.  Another big part of this book that I liked very much was when Harry decided to share his knowledge of defense against the dark arts with other students when Hermione asked him to teach her and Ron when Umbridge took over as the Professor of the Defense against the Dark Arts.  All she did was tell them to read the text book and gave no time at all to practice of any kind.

Harry's best friend, Ron, gets to be a prefect which helps his self-esteem and he finds himself as the new keeper on the Gryffindor Quiditch team.  I felt bad that Hermione missed the one good game he had while going to meet Hagrid's brother in the forbidden forest.  The climax to this book was the big fight inside the Ministry of Magic which was awesome and the big secret revealed to Harry as to why you-know-who wants to kill him!

This book is full of action, adventure, revenge, mystery, fun and humor.  As with the others, I enjoyed this one too.  Hermione and Ron both have big parts in this and I really like Hermione so I was glad she had such a huge part.  I really liked how all the professors had lots of interaction with each other, Umbridge and the students in this book too.  I felt very sad for poor Harry when Umbridge was making his life miserable and preventing him from contacting Sirius and of course, the ending.  I didn't like that this book was SO big, over 800 pages because it was HEAVY!  I have to give this one 5 stars too because I was always eager to get back to it, I got so engrossed in it that the bus driver had to tell me we were at my stop, and I kept thinking about it even after it was over.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)      

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