Book Review -Big Girl by Danielle Steel

Title: Big Girl
Author: Danielle Steel
Genre: Chick Lit

Challenges: 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, The Naming Convention Challenge, Book Around the States Challenge, Read and Review Challenge 2010, TBR Challenge 2010, 100 + Reading Challenge, Pages Read 2010, A to Z challenge, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, Audio Book Challenge 2010, Contemporary Romance Challenge in 2010

Rating: 5/5
No. of Pages: 536 (Audio)
Published: 2010


Back Cover: Victoria Dawson has always felt out of place in her family, especially in body-conscious L.A. Her father, Jim, is tall and slender, and her Mother, Christina, is a fine-boned, dark-haired beauty. Both are self-centered, outspoken, and disappointed by their daughter’s looks. While her parens and sister can eat anything and not gain an ounce, Victoria must watch everything she eats, as well as endure her father’s belittling comments about her body and see her academic achievements go unacknowledged. Ice cream and oversized helpings of all the wrong foods give her comfort, but only briefly. The one thing she knows is that she has to get away from home, and after college in Chicago, she moves to New York City.

Behind Victoria is a lifetime of hurt and neglect she has tried to forget, and even ice cream can no longer dull the pain. Ahead is a challenge and risk: to accept herself as she is, celebrate it, and claim the victories she has faught so hard for and deserves. Big girl or not, she is terrific and discovers that herself.

Mine: What a wonderfully timely book as we talk about bullying and obesity. Victoria suffers both, but worst of all the bullying comes from her own family. She’s just the “tester cake” that comes before her perfect sister. There are time while listening to the book – it was frustrating to think that her family is the cause of a lot of her heartache.

The wonderful thing about this story is we travel with Victoria through her journey of self-discovery and healing. She does finally discover she is worth of someone’s love as the person that she is, not what her family thinks of her.

Book Review - Hannah's List by Debbie Macomber

Title: Hannah’s List
Author: Debbie Macomber
Genre: Chick Lit

Challenges: 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge. Book Around the States Challenge, Monthly Mixer Mele, Read and Review Challenge 2010, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, 100 + Reading Challenge, Romance Reading Challenge 2010, Audio Book Challenge 2010, Pages Read 2010, Contemporary Romance Challenge in 2010, A to Z challenge,



Rating: 4/5
No. of Pages: Audio (354)
Published: 2010


Back Cover: On the Anniversary of his beloved wife’s death, Dr. Michael Everett receives a letter Hannah had written to him.

In it she reminds him of her love and makes one final request. An impossible request – I want you to marry again. She tells him he shouldn’t spend the years he has left grieving her. And to that end she’s chosen three women she asks him to consider.

First on Hannah’s list is her cousin, Winter Adams, a trained chef who owns a café on Seattle’s Blossom Street. The second is Leanne Lancaster, Hannah’s oncology nurse. Michael knows them both. But the third name is one he’s not familiar with – Macy Roth.

Each of these three women has her own heartache, her own private grief. More than a year earlier, Winter broke off her relationship with another chef. Leanne is divorced from a man who defrauded the hospital for which she works. And Macy lacks family of her own, the family she craves, but she’s a rescuer of strays, human and animal. Macy is energetic, artistic, eccentric – and couldn’t be more different from Michael.

During the months that follow, he spends time with Winter, Leanne, and Macy, learning more about each of them… and about himself. Learning what Hannah already knew. He’s a man who needs the completeness only love can offer. And Hannah’s list leads him to the woman who can help him find it.

Mine: As ever Macomber gets to the heart. Michael must live with the fact that his wife Hannah who died over a year ago is giving him permission to move on with his life. She has left him a letter with 3 choices of ladies who might be suitable. As always the least likely on paper is probably the best choice for him; if he will just let his heart open.

Book Review - Half Magic by Edward Eager

Title: Half Magic
Author: Edward Eager
Genre: Yough Adult
Challenges: 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, The Naming Convention Challenge, Book Around the States Challenge, Read and Review Challenge 2010, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, 100 + Reading Challenge, Young Adult Reading Challenge, YA Through the Decades, Audio Book Challenge 2010, Pages Read 2010, A to Z challenge, 1001 Childrens book Before I Grow Up

Rating: 4/5
No. of Pages: Audio (208)
Published: 1954


Back Cover: Beloved by children (and the parents lucky enough to share it with them) since it was first published in 1954, Half Magic is the uproarious tale of four siblings who discover a charm that grants exactly half of whatever they wish for – with results that are twice as unpredictable (and hilarious) as you might expect.

Jane, Mark, Katherine, and Martha manage to cope with an unexpected trip to the Sahara and a nearly disastrous trip to the time of King Arthur. But can these plucky and resourceful children deal with the changes magic is bringing to their tight-knit family?

Set in Ohio in the late 1920s, yet fresh and funny now as the day it was written, Half Magic weaves its spell anew in this full-cast recording that will entrance newcomers as well as fans who have loved this wonderful book for decades.

Mine: What a wonderful story – I’d never heard of this book until looking in the 1001Childen’s Books to Read Before I Grow Up. A thoughly enjoyable book for all young adults or chapter book readers. The magic charm only allows for ½ the wish, the children soon realize that they need to wish for 2x more if it is to really work. The wishes are simple and elaborate (Going to King Arthur’s time). Since the children are big readers every summer they know all about it and Lancelot needs to be saved by the children, but does take offense.

The magic coin also brings new people into their lives also. Mr. Smith comes into the picture several times during precarious times for both the kids and their mother. He seems to be in on the magic of the coin.

Book Review: Superfudge by Judy Blume

Title: Superfudge
Author: Judy Blume
Genre: Young Adult

Challenges: 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, The Naming Convention Challenge, Monthly Mixer Mele, Read and Review Challenge 2010, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, 100 + Reading Challenge, Young Adult Reading Challenge, YA Through the Decades, Audio Book Challenge 2010, Pages Read 2010, A to Z challenge, 1001 Childrens book Before I Grow Up

Rating: 4/5
No. of Pages: Audio
Published: 1992


Back Cover: He knows a lot of big words, but he doesn’t know where babies come frm. He’s never heard of a stork, but he plans to be a bird when he grows up. He’s Superfudge, otherwise known as Farley Drexel Hatcher. And, according to his older brother, Peter, the biggest pain ever invented. Among other things.

As fans of Tales of Fourth Grade Nothing already know, nothing is simple for Peter Hatcher. He is far from overjoyed at the turn the family fortunes are taking. It looks as if Peter wil be spending sixth grade far from Central Park, Sheila Tubman, Jimmy Fargo, and Henry the doorman. (He won’t miss Sheila) And it also looks as if Fudge will no longer be the baby of the family. How will Peter ever survive if his new sibling is a carbon copy of Fudge?

Mine: This is much better as an audio book (actually read by the author). I had tried reading this when I was younger, but never read the first book, so the story was hard to follow. How Fudge can bring on such troubles is humorous.

Moving from New York City to a small town where he must meet new friends and start at a new school along with this brother Fudge. He does such innocent things, but they turn in to unmanageable problems for Peter his favorite brother.

Book Review: Mates, Dates, and Inflatable Bras by Cathy Hopkins

Title: Mates, Dates, and Inflatable Bras
Author: Cathy Hopkins (Audio)
Genre: Young Adult

Challenges: 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, Read and Review Challenge 2010, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, 100 + Reading Challenge, Young Adult Reading Challenge, YA Through the Decades, Audio Book Challenge 2010, Pages Read 2010, A to Z challenge

Rating: 4/5
No. of Pages: 160
Published: 2002 Bolinda Publishing


Back Cover: A turning point is exactly what Lucy does NOT want. Everything is changing around her, and suddenly she is required to make all sorts of decisions. Everyone else knows who and what they want to be, except her.

Izzy has become friends with the glamorous Nesta and Lucy isn’t certain she likes this new threesome

Nesta and Izzy look sixteen, but Lucy, at fourteen, can easily pass for a twelve-year-old.

But then the day Lucy see the most wonderful boy crossing the street, things start to change – in all areas of her life……..

Mine: A wonderful coming of age story – Lucy must get her crazy family to realize that she is growing up. Her best friend Izzy finds another Nesta – Lucy figure 3 is a crowd. The funny thing is that they should all be together, since they complement each other so well.

Who could be the mystery man that Lucy finds – low and behold he’s related to Nesta – Lucy’s new nemesis, who could that be. Lucy can never tell the girls who it is now.

Change is good for everyone. Nesta the new girl in town learns to accept Lucy, Lucy gets her first kiss and new friend and a new perspective on life. Izzy gets to learn about new friends can always mix with old.

Still trying to understand the concept of snogging (very British term). First time I’ve heard of an inflatable bra, but the concept is great.

Book Review: The Christmas Pearl by Dorothea Benton Frank

Title: The Christmas Pearl
Author: Dorothea Benton Frank (Performed by Celia Weston)
Genre: Fiction - Holiday
Challenges: 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, Book Around the States Challenge, Winter Reading Challenge 2010, Read and Review Challenge 2010, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, 100 + Reading Challenge, Audio Book Challenge 2010, Pages Read 2010, A to Z challenge,

Rating: 5/5
No. of Pages: 176 (Audio)
Published: 2007


Back Cover: Theodora is the matriarch of the family that has grown into a bunch of truculent knuckleheads. While she’s finally gotten them all together in South Carolina to celebrate, this Christmas looks nothing like the extravagant, homey holidays of her childhood.

What happened to the days when Christmas meant tables groaning with home cooked goodies, over-the-top decorations, and long chats in front of the fire with Pearl, her grandmother’s beloved housekeeper and closest confidante?

Luckily a special someone hearing Theodora’s plea for help arrives, pockets full of enough Gullah magic and common sense to make Theodora’s Christmas the love-filled miracle it’s meant to be.

Mine: What a wonderful “Spirit” of Christmas tale. The true spirit of Pearl comes to Teddy when she needs it most to help – her whole wacky family comes to celebrate the holiday. The outrageous cavorting is bright to light, the children’s misbehaving is corrected and in the end all is well. Christmas is finally found in an around everyone’s heart.

Book Review: Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Title: Off Season (Dairy Queen, #2)
Author: Catherine Gilbert Murdock (Audio)
Genre: Young Adult

Challenges: To Be Continued…Challenge, 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, Book Around the States Challenge, Read and Review Challenge 2010, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, 100 + Reading Challenge, Young Adult Reading Challenge, YA Through the Decades, Audio Book Challenge 2010, 2nd Chance Challenge, Pages Read 2010, A to Z challenge

Rating: 4/5
No. of Pages: 288
Published: 2007 Random House


Back Cover: Life is looking up for D. J. Schwenk. She’s made it to eleventh grade, finally. After a rocky summer, she’s reconnecting with her best friend, Amber. She’s got kind of a thing going with Brian Nelson. Plus there’s the fact that she’s playing for the Red Bend High School football team as probably the first girl linebacker in northern Wisconsin.

But then the season, which began so well, starts to go suddenly, horribly wrong. As autumn progresses, D. J. Struggles to understand what’s happening with football, Brian, Amber, and most of all her family. And as her life turns completely upside down, she discovers she’s a lot stronger than she – or anyone – ever thought.

Mine: This is the second in a series and I definitely have to back and read the first part. This is a coming of age story where D.J. becomes the most adult of everyone. Her parents are struggling with finances, her older brother gets injured in a football game and her younger brother (the brains of the family) wins a science contest, but can’t tell anyone about it.

D.J. can’t figure out her relationship with Brian the star quarterback from her schools rival team. Does he like her or not? He takes her on a trip to pick up some truck parts in Minneapolis and they have a great make out session, but when they return to town – he sees her in the local hang out and ignores her and leaves.

Her brother Will suffers a football injury that should bring the family together, but for a time breaks them apart. D.J. becomes an adult in no time and must help her mom – who hurts her back, her brother Will with his injury her younger brother who takes the truck to the science fair and he’s only 13. Everything that can go wrong, does and there is D.J. to pick up the pieces.

Looking forward to the next part of the story.

Book Review: The Invisible Island by Ron Roy

Title: The Invisible Island (A-Z Mysteries)
Author: Ron Roy
Genre: Mystery – Children’s

Challenges: To Be Continued…Challenge, 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, Read and Review Challenge 2010, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, 100 + Reading Challenge, Audio Book Challenge 2010, Pages Read 2010, PB & J Challenge, Young Readers Reading Challenge 2010


Rating: 3/5
No. of Pages: Audio (96)
Published: 1999


Back Cover: While picnicking on Squaw Island, Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose find a hundred dollar bill, and when they return to explore further they find an entire cave full of money.

Mine Well it’s summer and time for the summer reading program at the library. This is when most of my children & young adult books. I try to read some of the same books as my nephews. The older one loves the A-Z and Capital Mysteries.
I have to say this is a very cute series. This book takes out to an island (more like a sand barge in the middle of the lake). The kids find money and turn it in to the police, they go out to check to see if there is more money and they find a whole cement box full – mostly on shelves and then in dog food boxes. They get scared off by someone, but they don’t see who it is, since it’s a foggy day.

They soon discover from the police that the money is found to be counterfeit – now the mystery solving starts. They look around to find out who might have poison ivy, since the island is covered with it. They get a clue when Josh has to go get lotion for his own poison ivy. They are on the trail and soon solve the mystery.

Book Review: The Haunted Hotel by Ron Roy

Title: The Haunted Hotel (A-Z Mysteries)
Author: Ron Roy
Genre: Mystery – Children’s

Challenges: To Be Continued…Challenge, 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, Read and Review Challenge 2010, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, 100 + Reading Challenge, Audio Book Challenge 2010, Pages Read 2010, PB & J Challenge, Young Readers Reading Challenge 2010


Rating: 3/5
No. of Pages: Audio (87)
Published: 1999


Back Cover: A ghostly guest has checked into the Shangri-la Hotel! It's almost Halloween and reports of strange sounds and even stranger sights are coming from Green Lawn's only hotel. Hotel guests and neighbors are being scared away, and it's up to Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose to figure out what's going on--before Green Lawn turns into a ghost town!


Mine: Well it’s summer and time for the summer reading program at the library. This is when most of my children & young adult books. I try to read some of the same books as my nephews. The older one loves the A-Z and Capital Mysteries.

I have to say this is a very cute series. I love the fact that the kids are not scares (well maybe Josh is) about taking on adults. Many children don’t know how to talk to them. The kids have convinced the owners of the hotel that they can solve the mystery, if they don’t the owners will have to sell the hotel to be knocked down. They get to spend the night to see if they see the ghost also. The ghost seems all too familiar with who is stay at the hotel. It goes to each door of the room that the kids are staying in and knows their names. Who else is at the hotel that would know their names?

There are funny smells in the hallway that seem familiar. What could it be? It seems the kids are on to something with this clue. The clue leads them to the only other guests in the hotel – what is the connection?

In the end the kids figure it out and save the hotel from the demolition ball.