Category: Review

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, guys! Let’s get the weekend started with some good ol’ book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

1. Meet Kirsten: An American Girl (American Girls: Kirsten #1) by Janet Beeler Shaw
Great look at the immigrant experience for kids. Probably teared up at this one.

2. Just One Day by Gayle Forman
Made me want to visit Paris and reread As You Like It. Dee’s my favorite.

3. American Pastoral by Philip Roth
I liked the initial concept, but didn’t hold together for me character-wise.

4. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Delightful magical revision of English/French history. I loved the footnotes.

5. The Emperor’s New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen
As a child concerned about clothes, a king walking naked down the street was puzzling.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, everyone! Somehow it’s also the last Friday in September. Here are a few books I always feel like reading in the fall (even if they’re not really about fall).

1. Harriet the Spy by by Louise Fitzhugh
A heroine who lies, carries notebooks, and likes tomato sandwiches?

2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Tore through this on a November afternoon. Remember being shocked at the Quirrell reveal.

3. Searching for Dragons by Patricia Wrede
My favorite in the amazing Enchanted Forest Chronicles. Made me want Morwen’s magic sleeves.

4. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Basically a gorgeous, literary YA dystopian novel. Ishiguro, you know what I like.

5. Molly Learns a Lesson (American Girls: Molly #2) by Valerie Tripp
Molly’s kind of a dick in this one, but I liked learning about scrap drives and rationing.

Friday Fifteen

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So glad to see Friday! Here are the best(?) of this week’s book reviews in fifteen words or less:

1. Meet the Austins by Madeleine L’Engle
Not as memorable as later Austin books, but a good intro to the Austins.

2. Help! My Apartment Has a Dining Room Cookbook: How to Have People Over Without Stressing Out by Kevin Mills and Nancy Mills
Kevin and his mom are back to help you win friends by cooking for them.

3. That Mushy Stuff (Pee Wee Scouts #8) by Judy Delton
Only one of the series I read, mostly because it was a Valentine’s Day book.

4. Austenland by Shannon Hale
Light-hearted romance; fun for anyone who has a few BBC miniseries on their shelves.

5. Plain Kate by Erin Bow
Beautifully written and super creepy. One I’d like to reread.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, guys! Let’s kick things off with a few book reviews in fifteen words or fewer:

1. Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
Great adult-YA crossover, thoughtful exploration of grief and connection.

2. Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix
A solid fairy tale adaptation/sequel, but I remember feeling kind of “meh” about it.

3. The Professor’s Daughter by Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert
Never expected to have all the feels about a mummy. Beautiful art.

4. Bee-bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park
Super cute story of a family preparing dinner, with bee-bim bop recipe at the end.

5. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
You should not throw yourself off a cliff to get your ex-boyfriend’s attention.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, everyone! It’s starting to feel like fall, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Other things I’m happy about? Book reviews in fifteen words or less. Onto the reviews!

1. Three Junes by Julia Glass
Clear, elegant prose. The second June, from Fenno’s POV, stayed with me most.

2. Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins
Quiet, lovely writing. Expected something different, but would like to reread.

3. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Beatrice and Benedict might be Shakespeare’s best couple. “Another Hero!” line is a clunker.

4. Felicity Learns a Lesson (American Girls: Felicity #2) by Valerie Tripp
I still think about Felicity when I say no to more coffee/tea.

5. The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
The costs of urbanization as only Burton can tell it. Great illustrations, of course.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Labor Day weekend! Let’s kick off the long weekend with a few book reviews in fifteen words or less:

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
The closest I got to going through a horse-book phase.

Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff
Somehow the dinosaurs at the museum never talk to and come home with me.

Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw
Read as summer reading for my 10th grade history class; ended up really enjoying it.

Poetics by Aristotle, translated by Malcolm Heath
The original discussion about writing and art. Would like to reread selections.

Ruby by Francesca Lia Block
Magic + fangirl. Stayed with me, but didn’t hold together as well as I wanted.

Friday Fifteen

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Man, did I need Friday. Let’s celebrate with a few fifteen-word (or fewer) book reviews:

1. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Now I know what everyone’s been raving about for the last year. Read it now.

2. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Wasn’t a read-aloud in our house; what stands out for me is the color palette.

3. A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt
I watched a few episodes of The Tudors and recognized characters because of this play.

4. All My Friends Are Dead by Avery Monsen and Jory John
I should read this aloud to houseplants as a warning.

5. Claudia and the New Girl (The Baby-sitters Club, #12 by Ann M. Martin
I learned about Andrew Wyeth from this book. Well played, Martin.

Friday Fifteen

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I am so ready for Friday. Let’s get the weekend started with some good ol’ fifteen-word (or fewer) reviews:

1. The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Funke makes Venice so magical. Ending didn’t quite match the beginning for me.

2. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Really enjoyed Ari’s voice and the role parents played. Gentler than I expected.

3.  Warriors Don’t Cry: The Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock’s Central High by Melba Pattillo Beals
Harrowing story of the Little Rock 9. File under “bravest teens ever.”

4. After the Quake by Haruki Murakami
Like the unsettling vibe in each, but I was expecting something odder overall.

5. One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey
A loose tooth and clam chowder? This book reminds me of a cozy fall morning.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, everyone! Let’s kick the weekend off with a few book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

1. Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography by Lemony Snicket
A fun addition to the series; can’t remember if it illuminated any of the mysteries.

2. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
The art is gorgeous, but I always thought Max was kind of a dick.

3. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
I avoided this one for a while because I eye-rolled a werewolf romance. What was I thinking?!

4. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Maybe my expectations were too high, but I thought the “twist” was a given.

5. The Snapper by Roddy Doyle
Love the Rabbitte family. Sharon shines here, and Doyle doesn’t shy away from hard issues.

Friday Fifteen

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Friday, you could not come soon enough. Let’s kick off the weekend with some good ol’ fifteen-word (or fewer) book reviews:

1. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Was expecting more sci-fi; reminded me of The Tree of Life, in a good way.

2. Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
Only read this epistolary medieval children’s novel once, but it’s stayed with me. Should reread.

3. The Berenstain Bears No Girls Allowed by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Sexism sucks. We read this one often, which probably explains a lot about me.

4. A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L’Engle
In which I learned what mitochondria are and what cherubim really look like.

5. Conversations with J. K. Rowling by Lindsey Fraser
Because everything Rowling-related made me teary with the feels.