Posted on by Maureen

Calvin by Martine Leavitt

51ukzkyygalI received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was not familiar with author Martine Leavitt when I received the opportunity to review her novel Calvin, but I was intrigued by the premise. My oldest daughter is a huge fan of Calvin and Hobbes, and her passion has helped me to rediscover a comic strip from my youth. I used to love reading Calvin and Hobbes with my father, who passed away a few years ago, so it is very special that my daughter loves Calvin and Hobbes as much as he did.

I do want to clarify that Leavitt’s novel Calvin is intended for a young adult audience. Calvin is the story of a young man named Calvin who believes he has a personal connection to the famous comic strip. Not only does he share a name with Calvin, but he also has a stuffed tiger named Hobbes, and he was born on the day the last strip was published. The stuffed Hobbes was lost in a washing machine accident years ago, but he has returned- except this time, Calvin is the only one who can hear Hobbes talking. This is one of the reasons that lead to Calvin’s diagnosis with schizophrenia. He is convinced that there is a connection between his life and the fictional Calvin. He needs to persuade Bill Watterson to draw one last strip in order to cure his schizophrenia. So, Calvin decides to walk across a frozen Lake Erie with his neighbor Susie in order to meet Bill Watterson. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz

51vr3c-zwplI have been a big fan of Laura Amy Schlitz since listening to the audio version of her novel Splendors and Glooms. So when I saw her latest novel- The Hired Girl– on the young adult news release shelf at the library, I was very excited.

This is the story of Joan Skraggs, a fourteen-year-old girl living in rural Pennsylvania in 1911. She is heartbroken at having to leave school to work on her father’s farm. She feels that her efforts are not appreciated, and inspired by an article she read in a newspaper, she goes on strike. Her father retaliates by burning her books. Joan runs away from home; she also read in the newspaper that people are paying $6 a week for hired girls. She makes her way to Baltimore, and ends up in the home of the Rosenbach family. She lies and claims to be 18, and is hired to assist Malka, the aging housekeeper. Joan- who has taken the name Janet- has never met anyone Jewish before, but she is eager to learn. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins

61hpjyhipllI received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was immediately intrigued by the premise of Until We Meet Again when I saw it on NetGalley. I’m a big fan of YA book, and although I’m not familiar with author Renee Collins’ other books, I’m certainly going to look out for her books in the future.

This is the story of Cassandra and Lawrence. They meet on the beach on the North Shore of Massachusetts and immediately strike up a friendship. There’s just one problem: Lawrence is actually from 1925. As inexplicable as it seems, Cass and Lawrence are able to meet regularly and then go back home to their respective eras. When Cass’ curiosity gets the best of her and she looks up Lawrence at the library, she finds out something shocking. She wants to help her new friend, but how will helping him affect the future? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

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I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a big fan of Jennifer Donnelly for years. A Northern Light is one of the best books that I have ever read. When I received the opportunity to read These Shallow Graves, I was very excited about the opportunity to return to the same historical era as A Northern Light.

Jo Montfort comes from a wealthy New York family. She is expected to maintain proper decorum at all times, marry a young man from an equally wealthy family, and devote her life to raising children and managing a household full of servants. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

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It’s probably not mandatory to read Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl before reading Carry On, but it certainly helps. Fangirl’s protagonist Cath struggled with going away to college, being separated from her twin for the first time, and the role that Simon Snow fanfiction played in her new reality. Fangirl featured excerpts of both “canon” Simon Snow, and Cath’s fanfic spin on the global literary phenomenon.

Carry On is a full length Simon Snow novel. Simon Snow is similar to another series with a famous boy wizard, but that is where the similarities end. Simon Snow’s world is wholly original. Carry On takes place during Simon’s eighth year at Watford, a school for magical children. Simon plays a unique role in the World of Mages; he is seen as the Chosen One, who will deliver them from evil. Namely, the Insidious Humdrum, who takes on the form of Simon as an eleven-year-old boy. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

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The medical name for “bubble boy disease” is SCID- Severe combined immunodeficiency, which became more widely known after a (fictional) character with SCID appeared in a 1992 episode of Seinfeld. Or, if you are even older than that, you might remember John Travolta’s 1976 role in The Boy in the Bubble. I’m not quite sure if either of those pop culture references are in the lexicon of today’s modern youth- the target audience for Nicola Yoon’s Everything Everything. Perhaps this book is their first exposure to the rare medical condition.

Everything Everything is the story of a girl named Maddy. She lives with her mother in an average looking house on an average block, but there is nothing normal about Maddy’s life. Maddy is severely allergic to everything, and her house is eqipped with special sensors and air filters to protect her from airborne pathogens and other things that could trigger a fatal reaction. Aside from her mother, Maddy’s only companion is her beloved nurse Carla, who has been caring for Maddy for many years. Maddy is homeschooled, and receives only occasional face-to-face visits with her tutors; most of her schooling takes place via Skype. Read more

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Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell

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I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

It cannot be denied that Cinderella has been very popular lately. There was a live action film released this past spring, and I have also recently read A Curse of Ash and Iron, which is also a steampunk retelling of Cinderella. That said, I was very excited to see Mechanica’s interpretation of the classic fairy tale.

Mechanica is a young adult novel written by Betsy Cornwell. This is the story of a young woman named Nicolette who lives with her stepmother and stepsisters. She is not treated as an equal, and is forced to work as a servant in her childhood home. When she discovers the inventor’s workshop that belonged to her mother, Nicolette sees a new world full of possibilities. Read more

Posted on by Maureen · 1 Comment

A Curse of Ash and Iron by Christine Norris

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I had not heard of A Curse of Ash and Iron before I received the opportunity to review it, but I was extremely intrigued by the premise. This is a young adult novel written by Christine Norris.

As the story begins, we are introduced to Ben and Ellie. Despite the fact that Ben was the son of the cook in a grand home that Ellie lived in, the two were best friends of children. They were separated rather abruptly when Ellie’s stepmother fired Ben’s mother seven years earlier, but a chance meeting brings them together again. Ellie tells Ben a wild story about being enchanted by her stepmother and forced to work as a servant in her own home. Ben is a young man enamored with science and technology, and he finds the idea of magical enchantments to be absurd, but he agrees to help his old friend. As they explore the nature of the enchantment, they learn that if the curse is not broken by midnight on New Year’s Eve, the effects will become permanent, and Ellie will be bound to her stepmother forever. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Mildred’s Resistance by Katie Cross

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I read Miss Mabel’s School for Girls almost a month ago, and immediately fell in love with the world of The Network. Since then, I have gone on to read the second book in the series, Antebellum Awakening. I have also read The Isadora Interviews, a novella featuring school admission interviews from some of the secondary characters.

Mildred’s Resistance is the third book in the series, and it takes place before the events of MMSFG. Mildred serves as the High Priestess in the series; essentially, she serves as the head of the government. There are several allusions to an uprising in the past, during which Mildred seized power from a witch name Evelyn. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Queen of Tomorrow by Sherry Ficklin

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I am not familiar with Sherry Ficklin’s other books, but I love young adult books and I love historical fiction, so I was excited about the opportunity to read Queen of Tomorrow.

Queen of Tomorrow is the second book in Ficklin’s Stolen Empires series. Catherine is a young girl married to the heir to the Russian throne. Court life is full of intrigue, and plots, and forbidden dalliances. Catherine knows that she needs to produce an heir in order to ensure the continuation of the dynasty, but her husband Peter is wholly unsuitable, thanks to his mercurial temperament. Read more