Author: J.C.

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

Posted on by J.C.

** This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.** 

Title: Eight Keys

Author: Suzanne LaFleur

Published By: Wendy Lamb Books (2011)

Synopsis: Elise and Franklin have always been best friends. Elise has always lived in the big house with her loving Uncle and Aunt, because Elise’s parents died when she was too young to remember them.  There’s always been a barn behind the house with eight locked doors on the second floor.
When Elise and Franklin start middle school, things feel all wrong. Bullying. Not fitting in. Franklin suddenly seems babyish.  Then, soon after her 12th birthday, Elise receives a mysterious key left for her by her father. A key that unlocks one of the eight doors upstairs in the barn…(Taken from Goodreads.)

 

Review:

Every time I read this book, I am reminded how beautiful of a story it is, how original, how sweet, how touching — then again, what book by Suzanne LaFleur isn’t?

Elise is such a real middle schooler. I know I’ve said this about LaFleur’s other characters, but that’s because it’s just so true. The author has such a talent for getting right in the mind of a young girl and exploring her deepest thoughts.  I feel like I am Elise when I read this book. Elise isn’t perfect, she isn’t super loveable, but she’s real, and you love her for that.

I was reading reviews for this book and it seemed to me like one thing people don’t like about this book was that it seemed to them the message being sent was “Telling an adult about a bully doesn’t help.”  However, I don’t see that message at all. When Elise tells her teacher, I can agree that her teacher doesn’t seem to care the first and second times; but when she tells her aunt and uncle, they do do something about it— they give her advice on how to handle it. Maybe some readers wanted Aunt Bessie and Uncle Hugh to go storm to the school and demand Elise be treated fairly. But in reality, maybe they wanted Elise to learn something from this, for her to have courage to stand up for herself. And that is a definite message that is sent.

Personally, I can not find anything I do not like about this book. Everything Elise endures—whether it’s good or bad—winds together and twists together to create one unforgettable story of mystery, friendships, and a few keys that happen to unlock secrets from the past.

Negative Content:

None.

Rating: 5.0

Recommended to: All ages!

 

 

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell

Posted on by J.C.

Title: Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat (Emmy and

the Rat, #1)

Author: Lynne Jonell

Published By: Henry Holt and Co. (2007)

Synopsis: Emmy was a good girl. At least she tried very hard to be good. She did her homework without being told. She ate all her vegetables, even the slimy ones. And she never talked back to her nanny, Miss Barmy, although it was almost impossible to keep quiet, some days.

She really was a little too good. Which is why she liked to sit by the Rat. The Rat was not good at all . . .(Taken from Goodreads.)

 

Review:

While this book may seem weird or strange at first because of the word “rat” in the title and the corresponding rodent aspect of the story, it was not strange or weird in the least (at least not to me). The rats are spoken about just as any other animal, not regarded differently for a creepy aspect or whatever. Personally, I found it was incredibly unique and fantastical.


Ten-year-old Emmy is our heroine, a rich girl living in a huge house with servants and a nanny but no parents, who are always off away on some trip or another. She tries very hard to be a good girl to get her parents to come back, but it goes nowhere. Emmy made the perfect role to lead this adventure. It was written almost as a fairy tale, focusing on the action more than the characters, which in this case I thought was fine. Same goes for the other characters too—except the Rat, who was easily the starring role in the plot, the most developed character, and the best, all in one.

Adventure, magic, evil nannies, a ten-year-old heroine—this story was right up my alley. Such a unique storyline with twists and turns you never see coming! Even though the main character is young, it is by no means limited to her age range; I think all ages can enjoy this story. It felt so original — because who else writes stories about talking rats with magical powers and the girl who helps save them?

There were a lot of typical middle-school themes in this book—trying to be a good girl, the temptations to “be bad”, family struggles, being good enough, and loyalty to friends—all of which were skillfully explored through a middle-grade lens. Present but not straightforward, I think readers will take a lot from this book, maybe without even realizing it.

Negative Content:

None.

Overall:

I loved this book as a middle-schooler and still have a great appreciation for it now in my high school years. While definitely aimed at younger grades, I think this lighthearted tale is something all ages can enjoy. To this day it remains one of my favorite books of all time.

Rating: 5.0 / 5.0

Recommended to: Enthusiastically recommended to all ages!

Listening for Lucca by Suzanne LaFleur

Listening for Lucca by Suzanne LaFleur

Posted on by J.C.

** This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.**

Title: Listening for Lucca

Author: Suzanne LaFleur

Published By: Wendy Lamb Books (2013)

Synopsis:

Siena is not your everyday, normal 13-year-old. Ever since her two-year-old brother Lucca stopped talking for reasons no doctor can explain, she’s started a collection of old, abandoned things. Siena also has visions of the past and has been dreaming of a house by the sea—not daydreaming, but literal, when-she’s-asleep dreaming. When her family decides to move, they find an old house that strikingly resembles the one from Siena’s dream. When they get there, Siena discovers a pen marked with the initials SEA—and when she uses it to write in an old journal, the pen writes its own story, about a girl named Sarah who lived in the same house during World War II! As time goes on and Siena starts finding items from Sarah’s story, she discovers that, like Lucca, Sarah stopped talking. Did she ever talk again? Could she be the key to unlocking Lucca’s voice?

Review:

I thought it was a fantastic story and fantastic writing! It had an element of fantasy to it, yet was realistic enough to seem like real life. Siena’s story seems like it could be easily real.

I will note that it is a bit higher reading level than Love, Aubrey and Eight Keys (Suzanne LaFleur’s other books), and it has a couple of more mature concepts (the main character is closer to a teenager, after all).

The only thing at first I was unsure about was that there is some “ghost” sections in the story, in terms of, Siena, using her visions-of-the-past power, goes back in time, into Sarah’s body, to the house when it was Sarah’s, and talks to Sarah’s big brother Joshua. As I said, at first I was unsure about it—but it all merged together in the end and made the story even better, so no complaints!

Negative Content/Notes:

No negative content. Like I said, there is a ghost/spooky element (Siena goes back in time in someone else’s body) but it is not glorified in the wrong light. One or two “Oh God” or “Oh my God” which kinda bugged me but were just one or two times, so it was easy enough to skim over.

Overall:

When I was younger, I loved this book so, so, so much (in fact, I loved all of LaFleur’s books–and I still do). Coming back to this review years later has reminded me of how much I truly enjoyed the book. I haven’t read it a long time, but at the targeted age range it filled me with excitement and thrill and that is what I remember when I think of this book; and so for that reason I highly recommend this book!

Rating: 5.0

Recommended to: Anyone and everyone!

 

Honey Butter by Millie Florence

Honey Butter by Millie Florence

Posted on by J.C.

** This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.**

Title: Honey Butter

Author: Millie Florence

Published By: Sprouting Pen Press (2017)

Synopsis:  Jamie Johnson is a seven-year-old girl with an annoying older sister, a short attention span, and an odd hobby of collecting paint sample cards. Laren Lark is an almost thirteen-year-old girl with a love of books, a talent for poetry, and a past full of road school adventures. This Book is a whimsical story about what happened to them one fateful summer, with a pound of friendship, a gallon of family, and a ton of everyday joy. (Taken from Goodreads.)

Review:

What a sweet book! The author truly has tremendous talent for pulling the reader right into the setting; we can practically hear Jamie’s flip flops flop or imagine Laren’s excited voice. I was blown away from the first page!

It truly is such a sweet story, too, just a simple but beautiful portrait of a summer from the eyes of a 7 year old—and how genuine and realistic that 7 year old viewpoint is, too! It perfectly captured both Jamie’s enthusiasm and disappointment, as well as her interactions with friends and family. We watch friendships grow and families come closer together, all through the eyes of one little girl and her paintbox of colors. I really thought this was super sweet—I know I keep saying sweet, but it’s really the best word to describe the book

On the flip side, I felt the plot wasn’t as strong as it could have been. A mostly character-driven story, I really only kept reading because I liked Jamie, not because of what was going on. And granted, there are plenty of books that can completely pull this off. I just thought that in this case, a little more overaching storyline to knot it all together would have produced a stronger story. Sure, there were small side things that happened and dramatic events along the way; but there was no overarching plot pulling it altogether, and that unfortunately left the book feeling a little too scattered, in my opinion.

Overall, though, it was a truly exceptional story, even if lacking a bit in the plot area; it was full of living, breathing characters embarking on radical adventures. I was blown away by the amazing ability of the author and I recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

Negative Content/Notes:

None.

Overall:

A truly exceptional story, if lacking a little bit in the plot area, full of live characters and fun adventures.

Rating: 4.0

Recommended to: Anyone and everyone!

Reintegration by Ashley Bogner

Reintegration by Ashley Bogner

Posted on by J.C.

** This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.**

Title: Reintegration (Reintegration, #1)

Author: Ashley Bogner

Published By: CreateSpace (2017)

Synopsis: 

A perfect citizen. A captured rebel. One decision could destroy them both…
As a Regulator, seventeen-year-old Katherine Holliday’s duty is to protect the people of the Federation from a group of violent rebels who have exiled themselves to the mysterious wilderness. When one of these rebels is captured within the Federation, the government leaders propose an alternative to execution, a procedure they call Reintegration. The procedure involves erasing the rebel’s memory and attempting to make him a member of society. The rebel, a young man named Matthew, is not the violent criminal Katherine expects, and she can’t help but befriend him. A few weeks after Matthew’s Reintegration, Katherine realizes the procedure failed and she is now presented with a choice no one else can help her make. Can she warn her superiors that Reintegration failed, which could mean death for Matthew? Or will she defy everything she knows to help him escape—and risk her own execution? (Taken from Goodreads.)

Review:

I really liked this book. If nothing else, it’s going on my wish list for books to own! I found this dystopian world unique, though lacking detail (for example, if kids grow up separate from their parents, where do they grow up at? On their own?), but compelling nonetheless. Katherine was a decent lead for the book. Her heart changes felt a little rushed, but not completely unrealistic. Her love for Matthew was unique, beautiful, and adorable, yet mature, too. Matthew was well rounded and full of depth. I thought the author mastered his character and the delivery of the concept through him—the concept of even loss of one’s memory but somehow still knowing morality.

I felt that it got a little cheesy with the gospel presentation and the Intolerants being Christians and all, but I’ve read worse, so I’m not complaining. Besides, I actually really liked how the author tied in Christians as a whole and the “underground”. It made for a really eerie feel, which I like, because sometimes the those books are the ones that make us think the most.

Sometimes the story felt stereotypical—with a main female lead solely dedicated to her society but suddenly turns when she sees the truth; the romantic, mysterious love interest; the shallow best friend; the evil political leader who starts out good but slowly is revealed is evil—but for the most part it felt original.

Negative Content/Notes:

Overall: I thought it was just a good book with some good themes and I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

Rating: 4.0 

Recommended to: Ages 12+

Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk

Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk

Posted on by J.C.

** This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.**

Title: Beyond the Bright Sea

Author: Lauren Wolk

Published By: Dutton Books for Young Readers (2017)

Synopsis: 

Twelve-year-old Crow has lived her entire life on a tiny, isolated piece of the starkly beautiful Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. Abandoned and set adrift on a small boat when she was just hours old, Crow’s only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their fierce and affectionate neighbor across the sandbar. Crow has always been curious about the world around her, but it isn’t until the night a mysterious fire appears across the water that the unspoken question of her own history forms in her heart. Soon, an unstoppable chain of events is triggered, leading Crow down a path of discovery and danger.
Vivid and heart wrenching, Lauren Wolk’s Beyond the Bright Seais a gorgeously crafted and tensely paced tale that explores questions of identity, belonging, and the true meaning of family. (Taken from Goodreads.)

Review:

I wasn’t impressed. It was okay, I guess. While the writing had spectacular moments, the plot failed to keep up with it. I immediately was fascinated by Crow, an apparent orphan living on an island with Osh, her caretaker, and an orphan’s search to find her parents is a storyline that always intrigues me. However, I really didn’t feel like it lived up to what I thought it would be. Rather than compelling me, captivating me, enthralling me, this story rather felt like the author grasping at straws and making up for the lack of story by extravagent (and they WERE good) descriptions, paragraphs, chapters. The story really just felt really weak, like a watered down version of what it could have been.

However, I did like the themes of family that crept in. I especially liked how even in the depths of her search for her “real” family, Crow is still insistant to Osh that he is more her father than anything else. Despite not having a storybook family, Crow really does have a family, and she has all she needs, and I really liked that aspect of the story.

The rest of the book felt like a bland narration, without much emotion, but just excitement to make the book more interesting, not to move the plot forward. I never once was scared by Mr. Kendall or even midly intimidated; the only thing that left me unsure was the unpredictability of the author—what happened regarding this mysterious character literally could have gone either way—but it being I didn’t have a strong tie to Crow or Osh, I really could have cared less regardless. Everything felt very one-dimensional; and nonetheless it was a good one-dimensional story, but I just think it could have been a lot better with a little more characterization, a little more emotion, and a little more length. Every action was piled on top of the previous one, leaving no room to breathe, process, or feel anything for any characters.

On the other hand, though, even though I just said it lacked characterization, to an extent the characters were developed well enough to be able to predict their behavior, but it backfired, for the story became boring.  The characters were too solid, too predictable, and I guess that was my main problem—none of them felt real, for none of them had any real flaws. Crow, Osh, Miss Maggie: they were all perfect in their own way. Not once can I remember seeing any fraction of a flaw in any of them, which made the story feel bland and fake.

I also was extremely disappointed with the ending. Leading up dramatically, and then just ditching the plot so quickly, made no sense to me. All this drawn-out, built up suspense, clues, and mystery about Jason and it literally went nowhere. Just dropped off the face of the story a few pages before ending. Again, the feeling like the author was grasping at straws. If I were the editor, I would have deleted Jason altogether. It added absolutely nothing to the story save for a feeling of having wasted one’s time reading.

Negative Content/Notes:

None.

Overall:

While the writing and descriptiveness was exceptional, and the themes were beautiful, the rest of the story was watered down and weak. The characters had no flaws, making them feel fake, and the plot was weak and hardly held together for the duration of the story.

Rating: 3.0

Recommended to: I’m indifferent to this book. If you want to read it, read it, if you don’t, don’t. I really have no suggestion either way.