Author Sue Fliess selects "Five Family Favorites" to share with readers ... Read the rest of this post
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Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Ages 0-3, Ages 4-8, Dr. Seuss, Book Lists, Cars, featured, Transportation, Peggy Rathmann, Random House Books for Young Readers, Roy McKie, Greenwillow Books, Sandra Boynton, Annette Tison, Talus Taylor, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, Donald Crews, Sue Fliess, Family Favorites, Best Kids Stories, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, Workman Publishing Company, A & P Books, Sarah Beise, Theo. LeSieg, Add a tag
Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Ages 0-3, Ages 4-8, Picture Books, Art, Illustrator Interviews, ABC's, featured, Alphabet Books, Random House Books for Young Readers, Kim Krans, Add a tag
This gem comes to us from Kim Krans, the creator of The Wild Unknown—a lifestyle website offering prints, calendars, and more.
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JacketFlap tags: Mary Pope Osborne, Philip Reeve, Linda Ashman, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Nicola Davies, Random House Books for Young Readers, Leuyen Pham, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Rosanne Parry, Scholastic Press, Philomel Books, Balzer + Bray, Running Press Kids, Shannon Hitchcock, Salina Yoon, Adele Griffin, Joyce Hesselberth, Chris Grabenstein, Sarah Mcintyre, Sal Murdocca, Elizabeth Rose Stanton, Brooke Boynton Hughes, Paula Wiseman Books, Best Books for Kids, Best Kids Stories, Feiwel & Friends, Mike Curato, HMH Books for Young Readers, Toni Yuly, Henry Holt and Co. books, Best New Kids Books, Dan Gemeinhart, Bloomsbury USA Books, Annabel Wright, Chloe Bonfield, Lois Sepahban, Katrina Nannestad, Susan B. Katz, Eiko Ojala, J.J. Austrian, Ages 0-3, Ages 4-8, Ages 9-12, Kirby Larson, Book Lists, Oliver Jeffers, Farrar Straus and Giroux, featured, Michelle Markel, Add a tag
Take a look at our selection of hot new releases and popular kids' books and let us know which titles and covers catch your eyes. There are so many amazing new kids books coming in 2016!
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JacketFlap tags: Picture Books, Christmas, Book Lists, featured, Scott Magoon, Random House Books for Young Readers, Joan Holub, Linda Bailey, Seasonal: Holiday Books, Christmas Spirit, Geneviève Godbout, Henry Holt and Co. books, Holiday Gift Guide Kids Books, Doubleday Books for Young Readers, Mary Tanana, Lori Evert, Per Breiehagen, Sharon Thayer, Marci Chambers, Carousel Publishing, HarperCollins, Ages 0-3, Ages 4-8, Add a tag
Which books will you be reading during the 12 days of Christmas? Here are 6 picture books that we know will make you feel merry ... Read the rest of this post
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JacketFlap tags: B.J. Novak, Ages 0-3, Ages 4-8, Picture Books, Dr. Seuss, Book Lists, Cynthia Rylant, Oliver Jeffers, Farrar Straus and Giroux, The New York Times, featured, Best Sellers, Random House Books for Young Readers, Dan Hanna, Deborah Diesen, Daniel Salmieri, Philomel Books, Dial books, Best Books for Kids, Adam Rubin, Best Kids Stories, HMH Books for Young Readers, Drew Daywalt, Best Selling Books For Kids, Add a tag
Ooh, the weather outside is ... perfect for snuggling inside with one of these best selling picture books. Snow, by Cynthia Rylant, is this month's best selling picture book from our affiliate store—it's a beautiful book.
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JacketFlap tags: Deborah Underwood, Disney-Hyperion, Christian Trimmer, Schwartz & Wade, Benji Davies, Rob Sanders, Charlesbridge books, Teens: Young Adults, Best Books for Kids, Jory John, David Teague, Best Kids Stories, Kristen Remenar, Claudia Rueda, Popular Kids Stories, Best New Kids Books, Roman Muradov, Poppy Books, Guojing, Eric Lindstrom, Jessica Haight, Melissa van der Paardt, Pablo Hidalgo, Phil Szostak, Rick Carter, Stephanie Robinson, Ages 0-3, Ages 4-8, Ages 9-12, Book Lists, featured, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Jim Murphy, Kate Messner, DK Children, Random House Books for Young Readers, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Delacorte Books for Young Readers, Clarion Books, Antoinette Portis, Matt Faulkner, Scholastic Press, Sara Gillingham, Abrams Books, Dial books, Add a tag
After taking a look at our selection of hot new releases and popular kids' books ... it's more than likely we're suckers for picture books about love, kindness, and compassion.
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JacketFlap tags: Best Sellers, Best Kids Stories, Ages 0-3, Ages 4-8, Book Lists, Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin, Book List, Picture Books, Dr. Seuss, Chronicle Books, Oliver Jeffers, The New York Times, featured, Lauren Castillo, Random House Books for Young Readers, Tom Lichtenheld, Clarion Books, Daniel Salmieri, Philomel Books, Dial books, Sherri Duskey Rinker, Adam Rubin, Drew Daywalt, Best Selling Books For Kids, B.J. Novak, Add a tag
Autumn is a beautiful time for reading. Award-winning Nana in the City, by Lauren Castillo, is this month's best selling picture book from our affiliate store—it's a delightful selection for fall.
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JacketFlap tags: Chronicle Books, Maurice Sendak, Oliver Jeffers, The New York Times, featured, Best Sellers, Random House Books for Young Readers, Tom Lichtenheld, Daniel Salmieri, Philomel Books, Dial books, E.T.A. Hoffman, Crown Books, Seasonal: Holiday Books, Herve Tullet, Sherri Duskey Rinker, Adam Rubin, Best Kids Stories, Drew Daywalt, Best Selling Books For Kids, B.J. Novak, Ralph Manheim, Book List, Ages 0-3, Ages 4-8, Picture Books, Christmas, Dr. Seuss, Book Lists, Add a tag
It only takes a couple of beautiful autumn days and the holiday season suddenly feel so much closer. Readers are not wasting time getting into the holiday spirit: this month, our best selling picture book from our affiliate store is the delightful rendition of E.T.A. Hoffmann's Nutcracker, illustrated by Maurice Sendak.
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JacketFlap tags: Ages 0-3, Ages 4-8, Picture Books, Dragons, Author Interviews, Royalty, Random House Books for Young Readers, Books About Knights, Fantasy: Supernatural Fiction, Rhyming Text, Speed Interview, Ben Mantle, Penny Parker Klostermann, Add a tag
Which five words best describe There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight? Penny Parker Klostermann: Colorful, rollicking, humorous, deliciously warped.
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JacketFlap tags: Ages 0-3, Ages 4-8, Picture Books, Dr. Seuss, Book Lists, Chronicle Books, Oliver Jeffers, The New York Times, featured, Best Sellers, Random House Books for Young Readers, Tom Lichtenheld, Daniel Salmieri, Philomel Books, Dial books, Herve Tullet, Sherri Duskey Rinker, Adam Rubin, Best Kids Stories, Best Selling Books, Drew Daywalt, Best Selling Books For Kids, B.J. Novak, Add a tag
This month, our best selling picture book from our affiliate store is the uber entertaining Press Here, by Herve Tullet.
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JacketFlap tags: Best Books for Kids, Best Kids Stories, Soman Chainani, Best New Kids Books, Tui T. Sutherland, Daniel Miyares, Robert Beatty, HarperCollins, Ages 0-3, Ages 4-8, Ages 9-12, Dr. Seuss, Book Lists, featured, Random House Books for Young Readers, Disney-Hyperion Books, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Mordicai Gerstein, Scholastic Press, Jacqueline Kelly, Henry Holt and Co., Chris Colfer, Add a tag
If you love books as much as we do, we know you'll love our selection of titles that highlights some of the best new kids books; including a never-before-seen picture book by Dr. Seuss and some highly anticipated sequels!
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JacketFlap tags: HarperCollins, Ages 0-3, Ages 4-8, Ages 9-12, Dr. Seuss, Book Lists, Boys, Dav Pilkey, Lemony Snicket, Scholastic, featured, Books for Boys, Jeff Kinney, Little Simon, Random House Books for Young Readers, Amulet Books, Sandra Boynton, Family Favorites, Danny Chatzikonstantinou, Todd Tarpley, Add a tag
My sweet little boys somehow grew into teenagers, so we have to take a trip back in time to talk about the five books that are special to my family ... Read the rest of this post
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JacketFlap tags: Tom Lichtenheld, Melissa Sweet, Peachtree Publishers, Christopher Silas Neal, Lincoln Peirce, Molly Idle, The Penderwicks Series, Teens: Young Adults, Best Books for Kids, Rachel Hartman, Best Kids Stories, Popular Kids Stories, Best New Kids Books, Maripat Perkins, Seraphina Series, Ages 4-8, Ages 9-12, Picture Books, Book Lists, Chronicle Books, Jane Yolen, Gift Books, Kate Messner, Boyds Mills Press, Knopf Books for Young Readers, Jeanne Birdsall, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Random House Books for Young Readers, Add a tag
Wow! This is a great month for picture books—amazing picture book authors and sensational illustrators star in this month's new release kids books. Plus, The Penderwicks in Spring is here!
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JacketFlap tags: Historical Fiction, Slavery, featured, World War I, Military, Jacqueline Woodson, Roaring Brook Press, Middle Grade Books, Random House Books for Young Readers, Michael Morpurgo, Equal Rights, Steve Sheinkin, Scholastic Press, Deborah Wiles, World War 2, Sharon M. Draper, Lea Wait, Freedom Summer, Ku Klux Klan, Islandport Press, Nancy Paulsen Books, Military Stories, Feiwel & Friends books, Sharon Lovejoy, Ages 9-12, Book Lists, Black History Month, Civil Rights, Books for Boys, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Award Winners, Books for Girls, African American History Month, Teens: Young Adults, Cultural Wisdom, Poetry & Rhyme, Add a tag
February is African American History Month. Sharing these books with young readers comes with the responsibility to discuss ... progress towards equality.
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JacketFlap tags: HarperCollins, Ages 4-8, Ages 9-12, Book Lists, Chapter Books, Jennifer L. Holm, The New York Times, James Patterson, featured, Jacqueline Woodson, Katherine Applegate, Best Sellers, Knopf Books for Young Readers, Middle Grade Books, Random House Books for Young Readers, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Chris Grabenstein, Yearling Books, R.J. Palacio, Dave Shelton, Best Kids Stories, Best Selling Books For Kids, Add a tag
This month, A Boy and a Bear in a Boat, by Dave Shelton, is still The Children's Book Review's best selling middle grade book. And we're very happy to add Brown Girl Dreaming to our selection from the nationwide best selling middle grade books.
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JacketFlap tags: Ages 4-8, Ages 9-12, Book Lists, Chapter Books, Jennifer L. Holm, James Patterson, Gift Books, featured, Rick Riordan, Best Sellers, Knopf Books for Young Readers, Middle Grade Books, Random House Books for Young Readers, Disney-Hyperion Books, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Chris Grabenstein, Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Yearling Books, R.J. Palacio, Dave Shelton, Malala Yousafzai, Best Kids Stories, Best Selling Books For Kids, Add a tag
This month, A Boy and a Bear in a Boat, by Dave Shelton, is The Children's Book Review's best selling middle grade book. Our selection from the nationwide best selling middle grade books, as they appear on The New York Times, still features books by super-talents R.J. Palacio and Rick Riordan and also includes the powerful story I Am Malala.
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JacketFlap tags: R.J. Palacio, Malala Yousafzai, Best Selling Books, Best Selling Books For Kids, Brown Books for Young Readers, Ages 4-8, Ages 9-12, Chapter Books, Linda Sue Park, Jennifer L. Holm, The New York Times, featured, Rick Riordan, Best Sellers, Knopf Books for Young Readers, Middle Grade Books, Random House Books for Young Readers, Disney-Hyperion Books, Little, Clarion Books, Ecky Thump Books, Steven Hornby, Add a tag
This month, Secrets of a Christmas Box, a fantasy novel where the Christmas Tree ornaments come to life once the family go to bed, is The Children's Book Review's best selling middle grade book.
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JacketFlap tags: Ages 9-12, Science, Humor, Chapter Books, Jennifer L. Holm, Scientists, Books for Girls, Random House Books for Young Readers, Marie Curie, STEM, Family Relationships, Immortality, Jonas Salk, Robert Oppenheimer, Middle Grade Read Aloud Books, Add a tag
The Fourteenth Goldfish is a clever novel that offers depth with humor while intersecting science and childhood in a memorable story perfect for sharing aloud with boys or girls.
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JacketFlap tags: HarperCollins, Ages 4-8, Ages 9-12, Book Lists, Chapter Books, Linda Sue Park, featured, Rick Riordan, Katherine Applegate, Best Sellers, Middle Grade Books, Random House Books for Young Readers, Disney-Hyperion Books, Clarion Books, Chris Grabenstein, R.J. Palacio, Best Kids Stories, Best Selling Books For Kids, Add a tag
This month we have some truly intelligent fiction for our middle grade readers that really are must-reads. The Children's Book Review's best selling middle grade book is a regular on the list: Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy, by Matthew Reinhart.
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JacketFlap tags: Mystery, Humor, Reluctant Readers, featured, Books for Boys, Suspense, Books for Girls, Random House Books for Young Readers, Chris Grabenstein, Brain Twisters, Libraries, Mysteries, Ages 9-12, Games, Puzzles, Librarians, Add a tag
In Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, author Chris Grabenstein cleverly captures reader’s imaginations by combining the suspense of a thrilling game with the majestic nostalgia of great libraries, librarians, books and authors of past and present.
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Blog: The Bookish Type (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Tessa Gratton, Signed Sealed Delivered, Songs of New Asgard, Meme, Young Adult, Fantasy, mythology, Book Deals, Norse mythology, Random House Books for Young Readers, Add a tag
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My pick this week is:
Weight of Stars (Songs of New Asgard #1) by Tessa Gratton
2013 | Random House Children's Books
Author of Blood Magic
Tessa Gratton has signed a three-book, six-figure deal with Suzy Capozzi at Random House Children’s Books for a new YA trilogy. Laura Rennert at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency handled the world rights deal for Gratton; the series is called the Songs of New Asgard. The series presents an alternate history of the U.S. in which the country was founded on elements of Norse religions, and gods walk among humans, with some maintaining powerful positions in the government. Rennert said Gratton’s inspiration was, in large part, her own translation of Beowulf. The first book, Weight of Stars, follows two teenagers who embark on a cross-country search for a missing god. As the kids travel through the United States of Asgard they encounter, as Rennert put it, “smalltown zealots, trickster gods, and sadistic field trolls.” Gratton’s YA debut, Blood Magic, was published by RH Children’s in May 2011, and the companion book to that title, The Blood Keeper, is coming out in August 2012. (via Publisher's Weekly)
"Our country was founded two and a half centuries ago by men who served the old gods of Scandia. We need them, people say. They wait always at the edges of our stories, to nudge an election one way or another, to turn away natural disaster, to rebuild, to inspire kindness or bolster fury."
In Book One, Soren is the lonely son of an infamous berserk warrior, who only wishes to ignore the battle-fever in his heart and be normal. Astrid’s mother was a famous seer, and she wants to use her own prophetic dreams to change the world.
When Baldur the Beautiful goes missing, the two teens take off on a road trip to find their lost god. Along the way, they encounter zealots and trickster gods, undead soldiers and sadistic field trolls. To survive, they’ll have to choose between loyalty and destiny, and learn to have faith in themselves.
I loved Tessa's debut Blood Magic, I think this new trilogy sounds AMAZING. I want them in my hands right noooow! What do you
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Blog: The Bookish Type (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Review, Young Adult, death, contemporary, afterlife, new release, Random House Books for Young Readers, C. K. Kelly Martin, Three and a Half Stars, September release, My Beating Teenage Heart, Add a tag
Release Date: September 27, 2011
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Buy: Amazon
Ashlyn doesn't remember dying. She doesn't remember living. And she certainly doesn't remember this broken boy she can't seem to escape in the afterlife. Though Breckon hides his despair from his family and friends, it's unmistakable to Ashlyn, who is a silent witness to his most private moments of grief. She doesn't know why she's there, or what strange power intertwined their fates, but as Breckon spirals out of control Ashlyn is determined to save him from an irrevocable fate.
My Beating Teenage Heart is unlike any tale of death and the afterlife I've ever read. It is a surreal experience, an existential look at life and death and meaning. C. K. Kelly Martin's prose envelops readers, giving them a sometimes poetic and sometimes stark look at her characters' reality. This story transcends age. Though the title references teenagers, the pain the two protagonists experience is sympathetic to anyone who's ever lost a loved one, been abused, been bullied, struggled to hang on. Martin plunges headfirst into a range of painful and hard-hitting issues, treating them all with piercing, but ultimately necessary, honesty.
Breckon's struggle with his family's tragedy is dark and raw. Martin doesn't shy away from the sometimes drastic measures people turn to in their grief, or try to rationalize the reckless abandon that comes with intense pain. He is lost and guilt-ridden and alone, pushing everyone away as he wallows in his despair. Though his feelings are understandable, at times his behavior is distancing. He doesn't try to be a martyr, which is a relief, but he's also willing to let himself hit rock bottom, to be dragged into the abyss. He doesn't try to save himself. Breckon tries so hard to suppress his emotions that they become abstract, not as viscerally wrenching for readers unfamiliar with this kind of utter devastation. The emotion behind his actions doesn't always shine through, making it difficult to connect with his motivations.
The novel features a surprising element of mystery, as readers struggle to uncover the connection between Ashlyn and Breckon, and the events that led to their separate tragedies. Ashlyn herself is in the dark (both literally and figuratively) as the novel opens. She intuitively senses that there are some things about her life she doesn't want to face, and as her memories slowly return, readers will feel the pain and frustration of injustice and cruelty alongside her. Ashlyn is a fascinating counterpoint to Breckon. They are both broken in different ways, but in life Ashlyn was determined to carry on through the pain. Her life was far from perfect, and in death she comes t
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Blog: The Bookish Type (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: historical fiction, Romance, mythology, paranormal, debut author, Balzer and Bray, Random House Books for Young Readers, In My Mailbox, 2012 release, HarperCollins, Meme, Young Adult, Add a tag
Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Thanks to HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray!
Coming January 3, 2012!
Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.
She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.
Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.
As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...
Cross My Heart by Sasha Gould
Thanks to Random House/Delacorte and NetGalley!
Coming March 13, 2012!
Venice, 1585.
When 16-16 Comments on In My Mailbox; September 12 - 18, 2011, last added: 9/18/2011Display Comments Add a Comment
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Blog: The Bookish Type (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: debut author, Random House Books for Young Readers, Tessa Gratton, 2011 Debut Author Challenge, Four and a Half Stars, Blood Magic, Blood Journals, Review, magic, Young Adult, Romance, gothic, paranormal, Add a tag
Silla Kennicott's life hasn't been the same since that night -- the night her parents died, and she found them lying in a pool of their own blood. The local police blame the murder-suicide on her father, but everything in Silla's blood rebels against the damning accusation. Unfortunately, the truth may be even more horrific than the lies. When an ancient book arrives on her doorstep, calling for blood and magic, she's got nothing to lose -- but when the spells actually work, Silla quickly finds herself tangled in a web of obsession, murder and blood that spans a century.
In Blood Magic, Tessa Gratton weaves together fantasy and sorcery to create an utterly original story -- a mythology of magic and sacrifice, betrayal and death. One of the most bewitching aspects of the novel was its lore, the history and the mysteries of blood magic, the double-edged sword of sacrifice and the seduction and destruction of power. Just when readers think they've got it all figured out, Gratton sweeps them away on a tide of uncertainty. The world Gratton creates isn't black or white, the magic neither good nor evil. There's darkness inside them all -- be it sadness or madness -- and the intoxicating allure of the magic has the potential to go horribly awry, but ultimately it's all about choice. There's a beautiful symmetry to this world, a terrible price for power.
Silla is an unusual heroine, a faded, bereaved version of someone once bursting with life. In the wake of the terrible tragedy that cost both her parents' lives, Silla lives behind masks and roles, slipping into another skin on stage to escape her own tattered life. It's a relief to see a heroine with a passion (theatre), and more to her life than a boyfriend. Silla doesn't obsess over Nick when he's gone -- in fact, he seems to be the more enamored one.
Unlike many orphaned heroines, Silla's pain feels raw and authentic, coloring her whole world. Fortunately, she has family to lean on. Her brother Reese seems solid even on paper, stoic in the face of pain. It is clear that he loves his sister, even if he takes the big brother attitude a little too far at times. Their sibling bond is portrayed with strength and subtlety, an anchoring presence at the heart of the novel. Then there's fluttering Aunt Judy, who took on two troubled teens in their time of need. Though she flits in and out of the house like a social butterfly, she's an important fountain of advice for her niece, who's still trying to find her way back from the brink.
The only character who isn't entirely winning is Nick. From the outside he seems self-satisfied and entitled, almost a melodrama hero with all his slick suavity. He is more sympathetic once the reader gets inside his head, revealing the scars that made him who he is. His snarkiness is even amusing when he's not cruelly lashing out. Yet, his hypocrisy makes him rather unsavory at times -- I was outraged when he attacked Silla for behavior identical to his own. Nick has a lot of maturing to do, but his chemistry with Silla is undeniable. Their attraction is sexy and sweet, if lightning fast. Gratton knows how to write a kiss -- instead of seeming like hormone-driven lust, their unabashed awe of one another strikes a romantic chord.
The alternating perspectives, both past and present, give this novel a rich, layered texture. Gratton carefully controls the flow of information, tantalizing the reader without giving the game away. The author slips effortlessly between the widely diverse narrative voices, from Silla and Nick to Josep
Blog: Welcome to my Tweendom (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: hiking, Random House Books for Young Readers, arc 4/10 from publisher, Appalaichian Trail, family, Friendship, cancer, nature, inner strength, Vermont, Add a tag
Megan is not having a good summer. Instead of being at a house in Vermont with her best friend Lucy, she is at a house in Vermont with her art-loving parents and her boy crazy sister, while Lucy is in Maine with her mom and grandma. The cell phones have been taken away, the T.V. has rabbit ears, and there is mandatory art time every morning! If Lucy were here, everything would be so much better. Megan and Lucy would be laughing about all of this stuff and finding things to do. They certainly would have worked out the differences that they have been sorting through lately if they could just spend the summer together.
But Lucy is not here, and Megan is in full on mope mode. After a fight with her parents, Megan has taken to sighing loudly and staring at the blank screen of the T.V. A week into this behaviour, Megan’s parents decide that since she cannot figure out what to do, they will figure out activities for her, and today she must go hiking with her sister Ginia and local boy Sam through the woods. Her folks are going to Rutland, and Megan and Ginia will be sleeping over at Sam’s parent’s cider mill. The problem is, Megan doesn’t want to go. She knows that all Ginia and Sam want to do is slobber all over each other, and her instinct proves true when a few minutes into the hike, Sam and Ginia disappear. When Megan finally finds them, Ginia throws a hurtful insult at Megan, who promptly turns and runs to try to get rid of the bad feelings that are surging through her body.
When Megan pops out of the woods she looks for the farm house where her family is staying. It’s not there. A moment later her little dog Arp comes along, and Megan tries to figure out what to do. She has no map, no phone and no idea where she is.
Megan heads back into the woods, and finds a marked trail that is way bigger than the one that she was on with Ginia and Sam. She then overhears a couple of hikers arguing about their trek on the Appalachian Trail. Megan has heard of this trail! Now she knows where she is. She also overhears the hikers say that they had been through Mount Greylock! Megan has heard of Mount Greylock too – it’s right near where Lucy is staying with her family.
Megan hatches a plan to hike to Lucy. She knows that once she sees her friend, they can work everything out.
You can imagine what an unprepared girl hiking on a trail from Vermont to Maine could get into, and you’d be partially right! While Megan is pretty much unlikable at the outset of the book, her journey along the trail is more that geographical. With fun secondary characters like Trail Blaze Betty, and the unpredictable outdoors, Jane Kelley has written a book that has depth and fun intermixed. Readers will be hoping that Megan isn’t found along the trail, and that for once in her life she will finish what she starts. Filled with friendship, family and frustration Nature Girl is a perfect summer read.
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oh what a great idea for a meme!
i have Blood Magic on my shelf but i haven't had a chance to read it yet! i need to get on that. :)
Oooh, this sounds great. I will be ALL OVER IT.
Yay, this meme idea is awesome! I've linked up :)