Coyote Lost and Found

I saw online recently that Dan Gemeinhart had written a sequel to The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise and immediately put it on hold at the library. Coyote Lost and Found's book description reads, "It's been almost a year since Coyote and her dad left the road behind and settled down in a small Oregon town. . . time spent grieving the loss of her mom and sisters and trying to fit in at school. But just as life is becoming a new version of normal, Coyote discovers a box containing her mom’s ashes. And she thinks she might finally be ready to say goodbye. So Coyote and her dad gear up for an epic cross-country road trip to scatter the ashes at her mom’s chosen resting place. The only problem? Coyote has no idea where that resting place is―and the secret’s hidden in a book that Coyote mistakenly sold last year, somewhere in the country. Now, it’s up to Coyote to track down the treasured book . . . without her dad ever finding out that it’s lost. It’s time to fire up their trusty bus, Yager, pick up some old friends, discover some new ones, and hit the road on another unforgettable adventure."

This was another great read. I loved the first book, so it was really fun to reconnect with the characters and add a few new ones in Yager. The premise of the book (Coyote hiding from her dad that she got rid of her mom's important book) was a little stressful for me, so it was hard for me to read the first 2/3 of the book because I hated that she was keeping that a secret. But once that got figured out, I felt a lot better and could enjoy the story more. The book made me laugh and cry and was just a beautiful story of self-discovery. If you're a fan of the first Coyote book, I highly recommend this one.

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

Mere Christianity

I read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis for book club. It's one of those books that I've heard quotes from for years but never actually read it. The book description says, "In the classic Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis, the most important writer of the 20th century, explores the common ground upon which all of those of Christian faith stand together. Bringing together Lewis’ legendary broadcast talks during World War Two from his three previous books The Case for Christianity, Christian Behavior, and Beyond Personality, Mere Christianity provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear this powerful apologetic for the Christian faith."

This is a classic book that had some amazing thoughts and quotes that really got me thinking. But I will confess that as a whole, the book was pretty boring for me, and I wouldn't have finished it if it weren't for book club. A friend at book club described the author style as "meandering," which I think maybe describes why it was hard for me to follow sometimes, in addition to things being quite deep. But even though the book was slow/dry/boring for me, the parts I liked, I really liked. I had like 4 pages of favorite quotes I collected to share and discuss at book club, so clearly there was lots of good content in there, and we had a great book club meeting chatting about all the things we enjoyed from the book.

Rating: * (1/3 = It was okay)

Once Upon a Broken Heart

I read Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber for a new book club some friends at church started. (I'm already in a book club with other friends at church, but this is a group of young moms who I guess wanted a different vibe of a book club, so I figured I'd try it out sometimes too when I can fit it in.) The book description reads, "For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings . . . until she learns that the love of her life will marry another. Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic, but wicked, Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing. But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game ― and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy."

This was a silly but fun read. I haven't read a book like this in a long time (like a YA romance with sappy stuff throughout), and it made me laugh sometimes just because of how silly certain things were. But the story was definitely engaging and made me want to keep reading, and there were some fun and unique storylines. I thought the characters were fun to get to know and figure out. I did think the author had the main character overexplain all of her choices, which I guess was good since I would have been questioning her choices if not, but I don't know if I loved that style. Unfortunately, the author ended the book completely inconclusively, making the story feed right into book 2. (I probably won't read it but will have a friend summarize books 2 and 3 for me because I definitely want to know what happens.)

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

Next Stop

I got Next Stop by Debbie Fong from the library for my daughter, but it caught my eye and my interest, so I decided to read it too. The book description says, "Pia is a soft-spoken middle schooler whose life is turned upside down after the loss of her younger brother, followed by her parents’ decision to move to a new town. In an effort to get her mind off of the troubles at home, Pia goes on a bus tour with a family friend, stopping at weird and wacky roadside attractions. The final destination: a mysterious underground lake. The locals say it has magical powers; Pia won’t admit she believes in it, but she’s holding on to hope that the waters may hold the answer to mending her broken family."

This was a quick and engaging read. The flashback style of the book (telling the current story but frequently flashing back to past events) kept me engaged and interested in seeing Pia's full backstory. The book definitely had some sad and heavy things in it, but the author kept the book light enough that it's a good read for 8-12. The story was fun and unique with some entertaining characters. Good read.

* * (2/3 = Liked it)

Freestyle

I read Freestyle by Gale Galligan while with my daughter in line to meet Gale Galligan and get the book signed. :) The book description says, "Cory's dance crew is getting ready for a major competition. It's the last one before they graduate eighth grade and go their separate ways to high schools all over New York City, so they have to make it count! The group starts to have problems as their crew captain gets increasingly intense about nailing the routine, and things go from bad to worse when Cory's parents ground him for not taking his grades seriously. He gets stuck with a new tutor, Sunna, who he dismisses as a boring nerd… until he catches her secretly practicing cool yo-yo tricks. Cory wants to learn the art of yo-yo, and as his friendship with Sunna grows, he ends up missing practice and bailing on his crew -- and they are not happy about it. With mounting pressure coming from all sides, how is Cory supposed to balance the expectations of his parents, school, dance, and his new friend?"

This was a good read with great illustrations that really told the story. It was fun to read this right after hearing Gale Galligan talk about her process as a graphic novelist. I liked the story and the messages on friendship and being yourself.

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

Ferris

I follow Kate DiCamillo on Facebook and saw she had a new book coming out--Ferris--and so got it from the library. The book description says, "It’s the summer before fifth grade, and for Ferris Wilkey, it is a summer of sheer pandemonium: Her little sister, Pinky, has vowed to become an outlaw. Uncle Ted has left Aunt Shirley and, to Ferris’s mother’s chagrin, is holed up in the Wilkey basement to paint a history of the world. And Charisse, Ferris’s grandmother, has started seeing a ghost at the threshold of her room, which seems like an alarming omen given that she is also feeling unwell. But the ghost is not there to usher Charisse to the Great Beyond. Rather, she has other plans—wild, impractical, illuminating plans. How can Ferris satisfy a specter with Pinky terrorizing the town, Uncle Ted sending Ferris to spy on her aunt, and her father battling an invasion of raccoons?"

I loved this book. Kate DiCamillo's books just have a certain feel to them, and this book just felt so familiar and peaceful and happy from the start. Kate creates the most distinct and hilarious characters (Raymie Nightingale series, Mercy Watson series, etc.), and this book was no exception. Ferris's little sister Pinky was hilarious, and I also loved Ferris, Charisse, Billy, Ted, Shirley--everyone! I love how Kate created a story out of just a few days' time with all kinds of mishaps and adventures. I was laughing during the book and teared up toward the end. Just a great read.

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

Matilda

Our family listened to Matilda by Roald Dahl on audiobook on our recent road trip. We thought it'd be fun since my daughter was recently in the musical at school. The book description of Matilda says, "Matilda is a sweet, exceptional young girl, but her parents think she's just a nuisance. She expects school to be different but there she has to face Miss Trunchbull, a menacing, kid-hating headmistress. When Matilda is attacked by the Trunchbull she suddenly discovers she has a remarkable power with which to fight back. It'll take a superhuman genius to give Miss Trunchbull what she deserves and Matilda may be just the one to do it!"

This was a fun book to listen to. I loved the narrator and all her voices, and while listening, I looked up who it was--and it was actress Kate Winslet! I'm sure I've read Matilda in the past (as a child or something), but I didn't really remember it. It was fun to compare it to the 90s movie and to the musical. (Like there's a scene with a parrot that's in neither. Or there are a lot of lines from the book that are the exact same in the musical.) I enjoyed the read but probably won't say "loved" it since it wasn't fresh and novel.

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

Elf Dog & Owl Head

I got Elf Dog & Owl Head by M.T. Anderson from the library after seeing it won a Newbery honor this year. The book description says, "Clay has had his fill of home life. A global plague has brought the world to a screeching halt, and with little to look forward to but a summer of video-calling friends, vying with annoying sisters for the family computer, and tuning out his parents’ financial worries, he’s only too happy to retreat to the woods. From the moment the elegant little dog with the ornate collar appears like an apparition among the trees, Clay sees something uncanny in her. With this mysterious Elphinore as guide, he’ll glimpse ancient secrets folded all but invisibly into the forest. Each day the dog leads Clay down paths he never knew existed, deeper into the unknown. But they aren’t alone in their surreal adventures. There are traps and terrors in the woods, too, and if Clay isn’t careful, he might stray off the path and lose his way forever."

This book took me a little bit to get through at first, but once I got toward the end, I was definitely engaged and interested in finishing. I thought it was fun that the book took place during the pandemic (relatable for kids nowadays), and there was lots of unique fantasy and adventure. I also liked that the book had some illustrations throughout. In the end, I was happy with how the author tied things up, and I think the book had some good subtle messages about family and friendship. I think this would be a read aloud that my kids would really enjoy and be super into.

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

The Eyes and the Impossible

I got The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers from the library after seeing it won the Newbery Medal this year. The book description reads, "Johannes, a free dog, lives in an urban park by the sea. His job is to be the Eyes—to see everything that happens within the park and report back to the park’s elders, three ancient Bison. His friends—a seagull, a raccoon, a squirrel, and a pelican—work with him as the Assistant Eyes, observing the humans and other animals who share the park and making sure the Equilibrium is in balance. But changes are afoot. More humans, including Trouble Travelers, arrive in the park. A new building, containing mysterious and hypnotic rectangles, goes up. And then there are the goats—an actual boatload of goats—who appear, along with a shocking revelation that changes Johannes’s view of the world."

I loved this book so much! The book engaged me pretty much right away and just had the best characters (all animals). I loved the story and found myself laughing out loud several times and tearing up at the end. It was just a beautiful story with characters you're rooting for the entire time, and it's a story that makes you want to keep reading. Highly recommend this one. I'm passing it onto my husband and daughter next.

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

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Ollie and I are continuing on our Roald Dahl kick, so I read him Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The book description says, "Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!"

This was such a great read. I know the story well, but Ollie didn't know pretty much anything except for Willy Wonka from the new Wonka movie (a prequel story). So it was so fun to read together. The story was engaging and entertaining, and Ollie and I both enjoyed it all the way through. I am excited for us to watch the classic movie from my childhood now. I liked how this book introduced 6-year-old Ollie to some hard things in life (like a family not having enough money to buy food and being hungry) but also had a nice happily ever after.

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

My Antonia

I read My Antonia by Willa Cather for my book club with friends from church. The book description says, "Set during the great migration west to settle the plains of the North American continent, the narrative follows Antonia Shimerda, a pioneer who comes to Nebraska as a child and grows with the country, inspiring a childhood friend, Jim Burden, to write her life story."

I felt super out of the loop not really knowing about Willa Cather and her books before this (since lots of others in the book club had already read or were familiar with her books), so this was one of those books that I came away from being glad I read even if only to "educate" myself and be more literary. :) I wasn't overly engaged in the book but did enjoy the story and really loved the character of Antonia. There were some sad parts of the story, but I thought the end was satisfying. I probably won't pick up another one of her books on my own, but I wouldn't mind reading another someday if another book club picked it.

* * (2/3 = Liked it)

Fantastic Mr. Fox

I read Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl to Ollie this past week. Ollie wrote a letter to a favorite author/illustrator (Kevin Sherry) and got a letter back that included a recommendation of Roald Dahl books. So Ollie wanted to give one a try--so I figured we'd start with this nice short one. The book description reads, "Someone's been stealing from the three meanest farmers around, and they know the identity of the thief—it's Fantastic Mr. Fox! Working alone they could never catch him; but now fat Boggis, squat Bunce, and skinny Bean have joined forces, and they have Mr. Fox and his family surrounded. What they don't know is that they're not dealing with just any fox—Mr. Fox would rather die than surrender. Only the most fantastic plan can save him now."

This was such a fun read. Ollie loved it from the start and was always happy to keep reading more chapters. The illustrations matched perfectly with the text, and I loved the goofy characters and clever ideas of Mr. Fox. Glad we read this one.

* * * (3/3 = Loved it)

The Reading List

I read The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams for the book club I go to with my mom and her friends. The book description says, "Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in Wembley, in West London after losing his beloved wife. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his granddaughter, Priya, who hides in her room reading while he spends his evenings watching nature documentaries. Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the local library for the summer when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper in the back of To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a list of novels that she’s never heard of before. Intrigued, and a little bored with her slow job at the checkout desk, she impulsively decides to read every book on the list, one after the other. As each story gives up its magic, the books transport Aleisha from the painful realities she’s facing at home. When Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha passes along the reading list…hoping that it will be a lifeline for him too. Slowly, the shared books create a connection between two lonely souls, as fiction helps them escape their grief and everyday troubles and find joy again."

This book was SO GOOD. I've been needing a book I just loved, and this was it. I was engaged in the story from the beginning and just loved Mukesh as a character. He was just so endearing and likable, and I was rooting for him throughout the story. I loved his relationship with his late wife and with each person he interacted with in the book. I was enjoying the story all along, but then when something tragic happened, I was worried it'd ruin the rest of the book for me--but luckily it didn't. The ending came together beautifully and had me crying as I finished up. I loved the messages in the book about helping each other and about how books can help and teach us. This was easily my favorite read of 2024 so far. It was a great read that I got through in just a few days even though I expected it to take me much longer. As a disclaimer, this book does have some bad language in it.

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

The Mona Lisa Vanishes

I got The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, A Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day (with art by Brett Helquist) from the library after seeing it won the Sibert Medal for this year (most distinguished informational book for children). The book description says, "On a hot August day in Paris, just over a century ago, a desperate guard burst into the office of the director of the Louvre and shouted, La Joconde, c’est partie! The Mona Lisa, she’s gone! No one knew who was behind the heist. Was it an international gang of thieves? Was it an art-hungry American millionaire? Was it the young Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, who was about to remake the very art of painting? Travel back to an extraordinary period of revolutionary change: turn-of-the-century Paris. Walk its backstreets. Meet the infamous thieves—and detectives—of the era. And then slip back further in time and follow Leonardo da Vinci, painter of the Mona Lisa, through his dazzling, wondrously weird life. Discover the secret at the heart of the Mona Lisa—the most famous painting in the world should never have existed at all."

This was an interesting read. I enjoyed learning the story of the theft of the Mona Lisa and how that is what made the painting so famous. I also liked learning more about Leonardo da Vinci. I wasn't a huge fan of the format of the book (jumping between different interconnected stories) and wasn't always completely engaged, but I do think the author did a great job as a storyteller and trying to make a story like this interesting for kids. I think this was almost a "liked it" rating, but I didn't like it as much as all the other "liked it" books I read this year, so I feel like I had to go one notch lower. (But I do feel terribly guilty doing that for a Sibert award winner. It still was a good one!)

Rating: * (1/3 = It was okay)

Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen

I saw Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen: The Essential Conversations You Need to Have with Your Kids before They Start High School by Michelle Icard recommended somewhere and got it from the library on audiobook. I figured this was a good time to read it since I'm coming up on my daughter starting high school next year. The book description says, "Trying to convince a middle schooler to listen to you can be exasperating. Indeed, it can feel like the best option is not to talk! But keeping kids safe—and prepared for all the times when you can't be the angel on their shoulder—is about having the right conversations at the right time. From a brain growth and emotional readiness perspective, there is no better time for this than their tween years, right up to when they enter high school. Distilling Michelle Icard's decades of experience working with families, Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen focuses on big, thorny topics such as friendship, sexuality, impulsivity, and technology, as well as unexpected conversations about creativity, hygiene, money, privilege, and contributing to the family. Icard outlines a simple, memorable, and family-tested formula for the best approach to these essential talks, the BRIEF Model: Begin peacefully, Relate to your child, Interview to collect information, Echo what you're hearing, and give Feedback. With wit and compassion, she also helps you get over the most common hurdles in talking to tweens."

This was a good read. I thought it gave lots of helpful thoughts and good advice on how to structure conversations in a way that avoids a fight. Sometimes the examples didn't seem like the best way to handle a situation, but I also think the point is that every teenager handles things differently, so you have to kind of adjust the advice to fit your situation. I'm going to check out the physical copy of the book now so I can make note of a few things that were hard to keep track of in the audiobook version. Overall, I think books like this are definitely a helpful thing to read to just expand my mind in terms of parenting and give me more tools and ideas.

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

The Midnight Library

I've had The Midnight Library by Matt Haig on my to-read list for awhile but finally had the push to read it when some friends formed a new book club with this as the first book. The book description says, "Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better? In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's enchanting blockbuster novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place."

This was a great read that kept me interested throughout. I loved the premise of the book and loved following Nora as she discovered things about herself and about life. Throughout the book, I was enjoying it and was like, yeah, I like this book, but I particularly loved the ending and how the author brought things together and just taught a beautiful lesson about what makes life worth living and about the difference we make to others in the small and simple things we do. The big downside for me in this book was that there was quite a bit of bad language throughout. But I really enjoyed the characters and the story and the message.

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

Simon Sort Of Says

Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow has been on my to-read list for several months now (and I even started it once but didn't get the chance to finish). But I found out last week that it won the Newbery Honor AND a Schneider Honor (for middle grade), so that was the push I needed to actually get it read! The book description says, "Simon O’Keeffe’s biggest claim to fame should be the time his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a holy sacrament. Or maybe the alpaca disaster that went viral on YouTube. But the story the whole world wants to tell about Simon is the one he’d do anything to forget: the one starring Simon as a famous survivor of gun violence at school. Two years after the infamous event, twelve-year-old Simon and his family move to the National Quiet Zone—the only place in America where the internet is banned. Instead of talking about Simon, the astronomers who flock to the area are busy listening for signs of life in space. And when Simon makes a friend who’s determined to give the scientists what they’re looking for, he’ll finally have the chance to spin a new story for the world to tell."

This was a great read. It kept me interested, and there were parts that made me laugh out loud (particularly the part where you first meet Agate's dog). I really liked the main characters (Simon, Agate, Simon's parents), and I thought it was a nice storyline with lots of fun extra things on the side to keep things interesting and entertaining (like the super incapable assistant of Simon's mom, who is an undertaker, and the peacock in their yard). I thought this was a great read and a good introduction for kids to PTSD and how it might affect someone. I found Agate to be a wonderful, supportive friend, and I loved watching that friendship help Simon find some healing. The book is technically middle grade (ages 8-12), but I would definitely consider it more of an upper middle grade read or young young adult due to both the school shooting content but also some little side things throughout.

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

A Gentleman in Moscow

I read A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles for my book club. The book description reads, "In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery."

So much to say about this book! First of all, it was very slow for me at the beginning. Not bad slow necessarily--like I was enjoying what I was reading and following it ok, but it just never made me want to keep reading. So I would read a few pages and then move onto something else. Because of this, it was taking me forever to get through it. Around halfway through, I made myself sit for like an hour to read and made great progress--and then got super into the book. And for the rest of the book, I was excited to read it. The slow start made it so this was one of those books I would have 100% given up on if it weren't a book club book, but now that I'm finished, I'm so glad I read it (and am so proud of myself for finishing it). There were parts of the book that I just loved (Nina's funny personality as a child, the 3 men making a secret soup, the loose geese, the scene with the bishop at the end, etc.). The author brought things around from earlier in the book to later in such fun ways, and the characters were so fun and well-developed. (I especially loved Nina and Sofia, and I also enjoyed Rostov and his 2 friends at the restaurant that he meets with. And Marina.) The book had so many great descriptions or lines or scenes that I made a note of on my phone to discuss at book club. I almost would have said I loved the book rather than liked since I was so enjoying the book the last half, but the ending was a little too inconclusive for my liking since I like things getting wrapped up a little better. But it will make for more fun things to discuss at book club.

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

A few quotes to remember:

"For when life makes it impossible for a man to pursue his dreams, he will connive to pursue them anyway." (p. 336)

"For it is the role of the parent to express his concerns and then take three steps back. Not one, ind you, not two, but three. Or maybe four. (But by no means five.) Yes, a parent should share his hesitations and then take three or four steps back so that the child can make a decision by herself--even when that decision may lead to disappointment." (p. 358)

"To what end, he wondered, had the Divine created the stars in heaven to fill a man with feelings of inspiration one day and insignificance the next." (p. 125)

"For if a room that exists under the governance, authority, and intent of others seems smaller than it is, then a room that exists in secret can, regardless of its dimensions, seem as vast as one cares to imagine." (p. 64)

The Agathas

I read The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson for a book club I'm in with my mom and her friends. The book description says, "Last summer, Alice Ogilvie’s basketball-star boyfriend Steve dumped her. Then she disappeared for five days. She's not talking, so where she went and what happened to her is the biggest mystery in Castle Cove. Or it was, at least. But now, another one of Steve’s girlfriends has vanished: Brooke Donovan, Alice’s ex–best friend. And it doesn’t look like Brooke will be coming back. . . Enter Iris Adams, Alice’s tutor. Iris has her own reasons for wanting to disappear, though unlike Alice, she doesn’t have the money or the means. That could be changed by the hefty reward Brooke’s grandmother is offering to anyone who can share information about her granddaughter’s whereabouts. The police are convinced Steve is the culprit, but Alice isn’t so sure, and with Iris on her side, she just might be able to prove her theory. In order to get the reward and prove Steve’s innocence, they need to figure out who killed Brooke Donovan. And luckily Alice has exactly what they need—the complete works of Agatha Christie. If there’s anyone that can teach the girls how to solve a mystery it’s the master herself. But the town of Castle Cove holds many secrets, and Alice and Iris have no idea how much danger they're about to walk into."

This was such a fun read. I got into it pretty quickly and then just couldn't stop reading! I finished the book really quickly because I was super engaged and really wanted to find out what happened. By the end, it was a can't-put-it-down read. This book kind of gave me the same vibe as the Theodore Boone books I read years ago in that there's a mystery, and young people are the ones solving it better than the police....which is not really always super realistic, but it's fun. :) I really liked the main characters (Alice and Iris) and their stories and personalities, and I didn't find the book too overly predictable. The book did have some language and other content that would make it not ideal for my 13-year-old, but it wasn't terrible. Overall this was a fun read, and I'd probably read book #2.

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