Sisters can be the best of friends. Or the worst of enemies.
Or, they can change so much you don’t know who they are.
That’s what happens to 15-year-old Carly in Lauren Myracle’s young-adult novel Peace, Love and Baby Ducks (Dutton, 2009). She comes home from summer camp to find that her younger sister, Anna, has turned into a beautiful, shallow teenager who’s more interested in fashion, friends and boys than Carly ever was.
Carly doesn’t know what to make of Anna — or her extremely well-off family and its focus on money and appearances. Carly’s summer camp made her re-evaluate her priorities, and she’s not sure her family’s lifestyle lines up with them any more.
What will she do?
Let’s see what today’s guest reviewer has to say.
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I like: Playing softball, cheerleading, eating Chinese food and watching movies.
This book was about: A girl, Carly, and how she adjusted to her little sister growing up and their experience in high school together. It’s also about how she learned she was a lot closer to her friend Roger than she thought she’d be.
The best part was when: Anna conquered her fear of the high dive and Carly realized she wanted to be more than friends with Roger and they kissed in the pool.
I laughed when: Tracy, the babysitter, left Carly and Vonzelle at the hardware store and they had to walk home.
I was worried when: Carly couldn’t find Anna after they had a fight.
I was surprised that: Anna got drunk at the party and their parents didn’t figure out they had a party in the house. Also when their dad started crying after he talked to Carly about her Beverly Hillbillies video.
This book taught me: Why having a good relationship with your sister is important.
Other kids reading this book should watch for: Roger’s subtle hints toward Carly throughout the book.
Three words that best describe this book are: Funny, realistic, a good read.
My favorite line or phrase in the book is: “Dr. Smiley has halitosis.”
You should read this book because: It doesn’t end the way you think it will.
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Thanks, Je’Kyah!
Lauren Myracle is a New York Times best-selling author. She’s also one of our country’s most frequently “challenged” writers, meaning, her books have appeared at the top of the American Library Association’s list of titles most often requested for removal — or banning — from our public libraries’ shelves. If you’d like to learn more about Lauren Myracle, you can:
Featured author for review of Deidre's Secret on Red Room!
http://www.redroom.com/
Review:
Title: Deidre's Secret
Author: Terry Lee Wilde
Publisher:
The Wild Rose PressYA Climbing Rosebud Rating: Sweet
ISBN: 1-60154-414-6
Blurb:
When Deidre Roux has premonitions of danger, watch out! Faced with thwarting bank robbers and protecting others from the high school bully, she must reveal her secret to her new friend, Mark Cummings. Can she convince him that she truly sees a world of imminent danger headed their way before it's too late? Not only must Mark deal with Deidre's premonitions, which he has a hard time believing, but his convicted uncle has returned home. Humor, suspense, and conflict rule the day as Deidre's crazy aunt tries to do a true crime story on Mark's uncle. Deidre attempts to keep her aunt out of it before she gets mixed up in the much darker business of robberies and murder—her own, if she's not careful.
Review:
I enjoyed the book very much, It has a "Nancy Drew" feel that was a very welcoming. I have seen few books written in that style and enjoy them even today. It is a great read for your junior high and early high school students and has a mystery about it that keeps you wondering what is going to happen next. I loved the flow. As a matter of fact, I never got lost on who was who, or what happened.
Deidre Roux has a gift of seeing into the future and her twin, Charlie, does not, but supports her through her visions. Her boyfriend, Mark Cummings, is very understanding also. Although, I'm not sure he understands how much these visions bother her. Very good story for the teens and I enjoyed it very much. I think this is a very promising book.
Reviewed By Lela Fox
WRDF Review
Happy St Patty's Day, Everyone! May the luck of the Irish be with you! :) Terry
Review of Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
by Terry Spear
In Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr, Leslie has a horribly dysfunctional family--an alcoholic gambler for a father, a drug abuser for a brother who sells her to his drugged-up friends, and a runaway mom. She’s desperate to have normalcy in her life and drawn to a shop to get a tattoo. Not any tattoo, but one that will bind her to the Dark King of the fey. An intriguing tale of courtly angst and the concept that we all make choices, right or wrong, the story is full of twists and turns, forbidden desire, and lots of conflict that kept me reading until the end, and wanting more!
Terry Spear, Author of The Vampire...In My Dreams
www.terrywildeteenbooks.com
Cloth Paper Scissors is an informative magazine about collage, mixed media and artistic discovery. Take a look at the collage-fabric self portraits, which are fantastic!
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Amy, thanks for that link. It looks like a Yummy magazine! I will most likely subscribe even though I am sure I won't have time to do more than just enjoy what others are doing.