Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen!

I saw Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen! by Sarah Kapit on a list for the Schneider Family Book Award. I had forgotten about it until I was looking at something my sister was working on for her library--so I decided to check it out. This book is about Vivy, who has autism and loves baseball. She is an expert at the knuckleball pitch, and when she gets invited to join an all-boys Little League team, she is thrilled when her mom reluctantly agrees. The book is written as a series of letters Vivy writes with her major league baseball player pen pal VJ.

I loved this book! I finished it in like 24 hours because it was just an engaging story, and I wanted to see how things would pan out. I liked the letter format and thought Vivy was a really wonderful character. I found out afterward that the author has autism, which makes the story even cooler that it's written from an authentic perspective.

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

Ghost Squad

I read Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega for my girls' book club. It's the story of Lucely, who can interact with the ghosts of her ancestors who are fireflies. When something bad happens to the spirit of her grandmother, Lucely and her best friend Syd are desperate to help. They find a magic spell book and end up unintentionally awakening malicious spirits in their town.

This was a fun read. When I started out, it was the type of book I maybe wouldn't have stuck with because fantasty/ghosts isn't usually my preferred genre. But I'm glad I stuck with it because I enjoyed the book. I liked the characters, especially Syd's grandma Babette, and thought the story was clever and fun.

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