Love That Dog

I found Love That Dog by Sharon Creech at the library while looking through Sharon Creech books. (I've liked books of hers like Ruby Holler, The Castle Corona, and Granny Torrelli Makes Soup.) This book looked cute, so I sat in the library and read it. (It took less than 20 minutes.) Love That Dog is about a boy learning about poetry in school. The book is kind of like his journal, where he writes free verse poetry about what he's learning and his experiments with poetry.

I enjoyed this book. It was a clever idea and just fun to read. Even though the book was short, the main character was likable and interesting.

Stars: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist

Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist is the third in a series by Liz Kessler (who I also met at the National Book Festival). A former student loved these books and recommended them to me, and they're just fun reads. Emily Windsnap is a girl who finds out that she is half-mermaid--In other words, she's a regular human girl who transforms into a mermaid when she gets into water. This book tells the story of a mysterious ring she finds, how evil Neptune curses her, and obviously, a castle in the mist.

I enjoyed the book as I have the others. It was a quick read where I completely expected the "happily ever after" the entire way through. But, it's kinda fun to have a book like that sometimes. :) I would definitely recommend this series for elementary-aged girls. They are cute books.


Stars: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

River Secrets

River Secrets is the third book in the Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale. I've already read Goose Girl and Enna Burning, and now I'm looking forward to the new book, Forest Born. These books are kind of like a series but are different because each book is the story of another character. River Secrets is about Razo, a scrawny teenager who is part of "Bayern's Own," a special army sent to negotiate peace with an neighboring nation. Razo feels useless and thinks he was sent only out of pity. River Secrets tells the story of how he does find an important role in uncovering the secrets throughout the nation of Tiran.

I really enjoyed this book, like I do everything Shannon Hale writes. (It makes it even better that I just met her on Saturday at the National Book Festival, and she is super friendly.) The story had lots of side stories that kept the book unpredictable. Razo is a really likeable main character whose weaknesses are real and easy to relate to. It's also fun to read these Books of Bayern because characters I read about in the previous books are still secondary characters in this book. It's just great!

Stars: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Anything But Typical

Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin was a library shelf find. This book is about a boy with autism and is told through his point of view. The story is about how he handles his family, school, communication--and how he loves writing.

This book was very fun and enlightening to read. I have had experience with children and teenagers with autism, and I feel like this book gave a really interesting account of what a child with autism who has limited communication may be thinking. I really felt an understanding of this character and enjoyed his humor and experiences and felt for him when he couldn't express his feelings to those around him.

Stars: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

I found The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards on a shelf of librarian recommendations at my public library. In this book, a doctor and his wife in the 1960s have twins. One twin is born with Down syndrome, and the doctor, trying to protect his wife from suffering, gives the baby to his nurse to take to an institution. He tells his wife, who hadn't seen the twin, that the baby died. Meanwhile, the nurse decides to leave town and raise the baby as her own. The book follows the story of what happens in the years following.

This was an intriguing book because of the changing points of view where I became connected with several characters. I wanted to help them with all the issues going on since I saw all the different sides. I wanted to keep reading throughout the book to see what would happen to both the characters and the secrets.

Stars: * * (2/3 = Liked it)