Good Books: 8-9 year old girls

My daughter, Cailyn, has always enjoyed reading but over the summer she really found a passion for it and devoured book after book after book.  So I thought I'd share a few of her favorites. Books are ALWAYS a great present for Christmas.  :)

The great thing about this list is that they are all part of a series so there are many, many books to read!

1. The Princess Tales , by Gail Carson Levine

2. Bailey School Kids, by Debbie Dadey

3. Ruby Lu , by Lenore Look

4. Ivy and Bean , by Annie Barrows

5. Dork Diaries , by Rachel Renee Russell

6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid , by Jeff Kinney

7. Janitors , by Tyler Whitesides

8. Dear Dumb Diary , by Jim Benton

Bonus Series (Read Alouds)

I've also been reading the Fablehaven series with her and we are on book 4.  I absolutely *adore* this series!  I'm not sure it would be one she could read on her own, but it is a fabulous read-aloud book and I am more than happy to read it with her. :)

When we're done with this series we will probably read Percy Jackson together, followed by Gregor the Overlander.  I love having a child that loves reading as much as I do!!!

-marie

What I Read: November

I only managed to read 4 books last month but I LOVED all of them so it's okay. :)

These is my Words by Nancy E. Turner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was such a good book!!! It was easy to read and easy to get sucked into and I couldn't put it down. It was heart breaking and thought provoking and made me want to reevaluate my life. It made me more grateful for the things I take for granted every day and made me think about what is truly important in my life. I fell in love with Sarah and loved watching her through the trials and joys in her life. I adored Jack and couldn't help but smile whenever she talked about him. Beautiful, beautiful story!!!



Finale (Hush, Hush #4) by Becca Fitzpatrick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought this was a great ending to the series. I loved that there was plenty of romance, action, and twists. My only complaint was that the ending seemed a bit rushed and the epilogue was a bit cheesy. Other than that I really enjoyed the book and the series over all. Can't wait to see what Becca Fitzpatrick writes next!




Grip of the Shadow Plague (Fablehaven #3) by Brandon Mull
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another great book in the series.  I am thoroughly enjoying reading these with my daughter.  Brandon Mull is such a fantastic writer and I love that he's not afraid to use "big" words.  My daughter and I have had many discussions on vocab words from this book.  ;)




Endlessly (Paranormalcy #3) by Kiersten White
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was the perfect end to the series. There was so much that happened and it was such a fun ride. Evie is one of my favorite characters ever. She is so fun and witty and I love her voice and all the emotions she feels. And the supporting characters are just as great, too. Such a fun series and I am truly sad to see it end. Time for a re-read. :)

-marie

What I Read: September & October

I haven't had as much time to read lately so I combined the last two months in one post. :)


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Of all the books and series I've read, Harry Potter is, and always will be, my favorite. There is just so much depth, character development, and pure magic woven throughout the series. I've said it before, but J. K. Rowling really is a genius and master story teller. It amazes me how much she wove through each of these books and how everything comes together in this final book. I have loved listening to the audio books this time around. Jim Dale is absolutely amazing. I don't know that I can go back to just "reading" the books now! I took my time getting through this last one because I knew it would be bittersweet and I'm glad I did so that I could enjoy it longer. I have that feeling I had when I first read the series -- happy that it was such a great ending and a great journey, but so very sad to say goodbye to these characters and their stories. Is it too early to start another re-read?! :P


The Kill Order by James Dashner
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I can't quite decide how I feel about this book. I am a huge fan of the Maze Runner series and was so excited to get this book to see how it all started. It didn't feel quite as gripping as the Maze Runner and I was not as fully invested in the characters in this book. It took about 3/4 of the way through to get to where I couldn't put it down. It was quite gross and disturbing, which I really should've expected since I know what the virus does to people. It was interesting to see these characters experiences through the flashbacks of when the sun flares happened and their journey a year later when the virus was released. But it was all just so .... sad and depressing. As interesting as the prequel was, I'm not sure the trade of was worth it. I dunno, still on the fence on this one! 3.5/5 stars

Intrinsical by Lani Woodland
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

It took me about a week to read 60 pages -- never a good sign for me! The main character, Yara, just really grated on my nerves. I think the author was going for witty/sarcastic, but she came across as bratty and obnoxious. The boy love interest was just as bad. I just couldn't bring myself to keep reading a book I was NOT enjoying. :/



Hidden by Sophie Jordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought this was a great end to the series. The romance aspect of it got to be a little too much for me at times, though. I found myself rolling my eyes and wishing they'd get on with these life and death situations already! :P Overall, a fun series to read.




Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wasn't expecting to like this book. I didn't really care for the second in this series and it had been so long since I read it that I couldn't remember what happened. I was surprised to find that I couldn't put it down! Nora has lost her memory at the beginning of the book so she was just as blind as I was while trying to piece things together. There was so much happening in this book and I loved the way the revelations and memories came back to her (and me!). I also fell hard for Patch in this book. I've loved his story and transformation even more than Nora's. I'm so glad the last book comes out in a couple weeks because I am dying to see how it all ends!


11/22/63 by Stephen King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I kind of had a love/hate relationship with this book. I went into it having absolutely no clue what it was about and I was instantly intrigued. I loved the writing style, I loved the main character, I loved the narrator (audio book), and I loved the concept. There were times when Jake was in Derry and it was so intense and I couldn't wait to find out what happened. But once he left Derry, I found it to be a little slow. There were some interesting things going on and maybe it's my aversion to politics, but I didn't really care too much about the plans to stop the assassination and I found my interest waning. There was also a lot of adult content and language, much more than I am comfortable with. I finally decided to stop reading and read a synopsis online. I'm a little disappointed I didn't get to finish it because it sounds like some really good twists happened. At the same time I'm satisfied with what I did read and okay with my decision to stop. A good book if you don't mind the content (and the length of the book). It was just a little too much for me. :/


Flesh and Bone by Jonathan Maberry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was a little disappointed in this final book in the series. Most of the book felt long and drawn out, mostly because there were so many things happening at the same time with different characters. The entire book only takes place over the span of a day or two. There was a lot going on but I just didn't feel the "on the edge of your seat" moments like I did with the first two books. And then everything just ended so abruptly. I'm one who likes all (if not most) ends tied up and I definitely didn't get that from this book. I just had a feeling of sadness and disappointment. Overall I enjoyed the series and would recommend it, but I just wish that after I had invested so much into these characters there was a little more hope at the end. :/

Update ....Whew, I just saw that there will be a 4th book in the series! If Flesh & Bone wasn't the ending to the series then maybe it wasn't so bad after all. As long as I get more closure in the next book then I can live with the ending of this book. :)


My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This is becoming one of those series I don't really love, but can't seem to put aside. I don't like Kaylee and I don't like Nash. They both just kinda bug me. I'm also not crazy about the writing. Yet I still find myself wanting to read the next one! Maybe they'll grow on me as the series goes on...

-marie

Halloween Books

One of my kids favorite traditions is to read a Halloween book every day in the month of October.  We have a few books we've bought over the past couple years and the rest we got from the library this weekend.  We have a basket full of them and the kids take turns picking one out every night.  This year I also bought Roald Dahl's The Witches (for only $1 though a school book order!) and plan to read a chapter every night with the big kids. It will be my first (gasp!) Roald Dahl book.  I've heard only good things about his books so I'm as excited as the kids. :)

Here are some of our favorite Halloween Books:

• Clifford's First Halloween, by Norman Birdwell
• Clifford's Halloween, by Norman Birdwell
• Spookley the Square Pumpkin, by Joe Troiano
• Sixteen Runaway Pumpkins, by Dianne Ochiltree
• The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, by Linda Williams
• Where's My Mummy? by Carolyn Crimi
• Come With Me on Halloween, by Linda Hoffman Kimball
• The Halloween Queen, by Joan Holub

Do you have a favorite Halloween Book?  I'd love to get some more good ones for our home library. :)

-marie

 

Things We Love Thursdays: Savers

I stumbled up this thrift store on accident.  We were driving home from Utah a while ago and let's just say it was NOT a fun trip.  The kids were tired and not interested in sitting in the car for 10 hours.  So we made a stop to let them get out and run around.  We walked into Savers having no idea what kind of a store it was.  But the first thing I saw were the shelves and shelves of books and didn't make it any further than that!

They had so many used books in great condition and most were a dollar or less.  Plus they have a promotion where you buy 4 and get the 5th free.  Yeah, I was in heaven! We got a few books for me and some for the kids.  They were happy to have something "new" to read and look at in the car and I was happy it bought us at least a few minutes of sanity.  :)

I have to say, I've been to several Savers now and really couldn't tell you about the rest of the store -- the books and I are besties.  :)  But it looks really clean inside so I'm sure they have more great finds.  I'm thrilled that they *just* put one in down the street from me!!!  I will have a fabulous library built up in no time.

-marie

Books I have Read- Chelz

Thirteen Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I completely appreciated the style in which this book was written. It starts off with a count down to midnight and you are immediately wondering what happens at midnight. The whole time I was reading in the back of my mind I knew it was all leading to this one event that occurs at 12am! This book had a different and fun concept and I found myself staying up late to find out what happens. I did struggle however with Jacob because there were times I wanted him to grow a back bone, but it all worked out in the end!


The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was a good change of pace for me from the types of book I have been reading. It did take me a few chapters to get into it but I was glad I stuck with it. There were so many twists and turns in this book and I really enjoyed to story. It was a good quick read!


Balthazar by Claudia Gray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I did not give it 5 stars solely for the ending. I loved Balthazar from the first moment he was introduced in Evernight! Although I had issues with the Evernight series I was excited to read about Balthazar. I was not disappointed, however the ending leaves you with more questions than answers. She leaves so much room for their story to continue and I want to know what happens next.

-chelz