A Good Kind of Trouble

I got Lisa Moore Ramee's book A Good Kind of Trouble from the library after enjoying her book Something to Say. This book is about Shayla, who starts junior high and struggles with drama related to friends and boys. Shayla's sister Hana supports the Black Lives Matter movement, but Shayla isn't sure she wants to get involved--until an unfair trial ruling makes her realize she has to stand up.

This was a good read. The story was engaging, and I thought the book did a great job portraying the perspective of one young black girl and her experiences while also addressing things like friendship issues that can affect everyone. I really liked how Shayla--who is a good girl and doesn't like to get in trouble--finds that there are times where you have to stand up for what's right, even if you might get in trouble for it. The book was filled with characters to love (Isabella) and ones to really not love (the principal), and I think this is a really important book. This one wasn't quite as good as Something to Say to me, and I also felt like there was a lot of bad stuff going on that she never told her parents about--which made it a hard read for me at times. But I still enjoyed it overall and finished it fairly quickly.

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

Something to Say

I saw Something to Say by Lisa Moore Ramee on the new book shelf at the library, and it caught my eye. It is about 11-year-old Jenae who is content with her life of being invisible at school and having no friends. However, the new school year changes things for her when 1) her English teacher announces that everyone will be giving speeches in class (major phobia of Jenae's) and 2) a new boy named Aubrey seems insistent on being her friend, despite her best efforts to push him away.

This was such a great read! I finished it in just a couple days because I kept wanting to read and see how things would turn out. I sometimes was frustrated by Jenae's inner struggles and her inability to just speak up, but I think that was kind of the whole point of the book (note the title). I liked following the various side issues in the story (her brother, her grandfather, her school's name) and really loved the character Aubrey. This was a great read, and I'm so glad I accidentally came across it. I'll recommend this to Emmeline next. It also looks like the author has written another book, so I'm going to get that from the library next.

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

Theodore Boone: The Accomplice

I also got from the library Theodoore Boone: The Accomplice by Theodore Boone, the last book in the series. This book is about Theo's friend Woody who gets arrested after being caught up in a bad situation. Theo becomes aware of the inequalities in the justice system as he desperately tries to find justice for Woody.

This was another engaging read. I didn't like this one quite as much as some of the others because it was just a lot of stressful stuff without resolution until the end. However, I enjoyed the story and was relieved with how the book concluded.

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

Theodore Boone: The Scandal

When I was at the library the other day, I saw Theodoore Boone: The Scandal by John Grisham and excitedly realized that there were new books in this series that I started years ago. The series is about 13-year-old Theo who is super interested in the judicial system thanks to his two lawyer parents, and in each book he gets involved in something related to the law. :) This book follows Theo and his friend April when she discovers information about a cheating scandal at a neighboring middle school.

This was a fun read. I've had trouble getting into a book lately (started several and ended up just returning them to the library), but I had no problem finishing this book. It was engaging and kept me reading. I kind of like how Theo always turns to his parents for help in this series rather than just hiding things from them and dealing with big problems on his own. (It's less stressful for me haha.) I do feel like this book wasn't completely realistic in how much people valued Theo's opinion about things and such, but it's fun anyway. I enjoy these books.

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