The Fire, the Water and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla

The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Maudie is an autistic middle schooler who looks forward to spending her summers with her Dad and the rest of the time with her mom and stepfather. This summer she has to keep a secret from her Dad & as soon as she arrives there are California wildfires that destroy his home. Her Dad decides to take them back to where he grew up, a beach town with waves and surfers beckoning to her. I loved Maudie, she was relatable as she tries to find strength to surf & tell the secret her mother warns her she must keep. I could not stop turning the pages; middle school kids will be turning those pages as they see & root for Maudie to succeed again and again.

View all my reviews

Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow

Simon Sort of Says: by Erin Bow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved Simon; he has suffered a major trauma and as a result, his family moves far away. In this new town Simon makes 2 friends, is glad there is no internet and gets used to the new life while also being well aware what he survived. There was so much to love about this book; the plot, the characters, the funeral home hijinks, the farm, his pastor father all combine to give the reader a story so important you cannot put it down. You will laugh and you will cry but Simon's many messages will resound with ALL readers! Highly recommended!

View all my reviews

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this thriller as part of my Albright College Zoom Book Club and oh did I love it! Zig zagging between 3rd person description and Rose's journal entries, the reader learns about twins, Rose and Fern, as they grow up and present day. I think Fern is on the spectrum--- she does not like to be touched, going into public like swim meets, restaurants, bowling, all assault her vision and auditory processes (so she does not go) and she is a librarian with such an awesome love for books and the library (yay!) although she does not like to deal with the many questions about printers and computer problems:)
Rose can't have a baby, her husband left her and is away on a job, and Fern thinks she would love to help her sister and will try to have a baby for her. When Wally (Rocco Ryan) enters Fern's life while Rose is away trying to rekindle her marriage, things Fern did not like begin to change as her friendship grows with Wally.
I enjoyed the way Hepworth told this story weaving in and out about the sisters, their relationship with their mother, and their very entwined relationship. Suspenseful, a must read, and I will be reading other Sally Hepworth books!

View all my reviews

The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan

The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! I read it for #BitAboutBooks Spring Challenge with a non-human character. Readers will fall in love with Sila, her dad, Apt, and Gio, the elderly lottery winner. When Sila's mom must return to Turkey her 8 days becomes a year. Sila and her father are devastated; she turns away from her friends, school activities, and is sad all the time (but she feels it is no one's business). When her father takes Sila to fix a truck, she meets Gio and her life and Gio's changes. What follows is such an enjoyable, heartwarming story about friendship, family, empathy and second chances. With the introduction of classmate Mateo and his mom, the story just gets better and better. There was so much wonder when Gio, Sila, and Mateo save and care for an elephant, Veda. The information on the elephant dung showed the nature connection, the animal connection and the importance of caring for others. This is a book ALL should read; just like her book, Counting by 7s, Sloan is an awesome author and her message is real, timely, and authentic. A must read!

View all my reviews

The Rosie Effect (Don Tillman #2) by Graeme Simsion

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I loved Dan O'Grady's narration of this 2nd Don Tillman book but not much else in this long overly exaggerated pregnancy with Rosie and Don. As I listened I liked Don even more than the lst book, except for his deceit- not telling Rosie about the playground incident which became so much more than 1 thing he did not tell his wife. Don was all about trying to find out how to be a Dad- awful counselor Lydia told him he should never have a child. After other things I learned about her Lydia should never have been a counselor!!! I also did not like Gene's advice; it was still too much not telling Rosie the truth. So as Don works toward keeping things from Rosie, learning how to be a father, attending anger management classes, volunteering at birthing sessions which has a lesbian couple running it, it all spells disaster for Don. I did not like Rosie in this book either; she was up and down with her comments, not being honest with Don, and her character really disappointed me. And when is someone going to come out and talk about Don's autism?!? So I am really not sure I want to listen to/read the third book in the series and that makes me sad bc I really loved the 1st book.

View all my reviews

Planet Earth Is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos

Planet Earth Is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Wendy Lamb Books for the advance reader copy of Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos, in exchange for an honest review. I could not put this book down, debut author, Nicole Panteleakos, nails Nova’s nonverbal autism, her daily frustrations being silent, missing her big sister, Bridget (who gets Nova and champions Nova’s vast knowledge of space and everything else!!!) excitement for the liftoff of the Challenger, a new school, and foster family. This is a must read for all middle school students and will benefit Young Adult and adult readers (school teachers, guidance counselors too) as a window into what it is like to be an autistic foster child. This book does a stellar job of creating empathy both for Nova and Bridget but the reader also learns more about the challenges and desperate hope and love of the foster family. I also found the Author’s Note and Acknowledgments invaluable for the information it provides on autism and the author’s own Asperger’s.


View all my reviews

Slider by Pete Hautman

Slider by Pete Hautman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the ARC, Slider by Pete Hautman. Pete Hautman has done it again with middle school novel guys will love, but also a great story ALL can relate to! David is an 8th grader who has two best friends and avidly follows food eating contests and those who compete. When he gets in trouble bidding on the internet using his mother’s credit card, David enters the Pigorino Pizza Eating contest hoping to win 1st prize. There were so many things I liked about this story; an extremely likable protagonist, good friends, and David’s comedy as he prepares to win the contest. Readers will laugh out loud at some of the planning he goes through; eating heads of cabbage! and guess where he gets this information? on the internet, ha-ha. But David’s relationship with his younger brother, Mal, is what really spoke to me. David loves Mal even though Mal can only say “Okay”, eats Cheerios one at a time, cannot look you in the eye, and walks around the block picking up “items” for his WALL. But things look up when David borrows his friends’ sunglasses. Mal’s world and David’s enlarges as Mal is involved in David’s daily prep for the eating contest. Will David win the contest? How will Mal be changed? Humor and heart are used to explore family, friendship, and brothers. Empathy, love and respect are developed for those who are different. David finds out many things about himself, his family and his friends and what really matters. I would love to see a sequel to this book about Mal and David. Hautman’s book stole my heart and it will steal your heart too! A highly recommended middle school read!

View all my reviews

What To Say Next by Julie Buxbaum

What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just loved Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum so as soon as I knew she was writing another YA novel, I pre-ordered it and dove right in. I read this wonderful, serious, funny, definitely sad book in one day, but the SAD was integral to the story of Kit Lowell sitting at David Drucker's lunch table. Kit is popular but grieving the death of her dad and really can't deal right now with her friends' company, sympathy, etc.(not that she tells them this). Kit sitting with David (OMG, their growing friendship was palpable, sweet, engrossing) changes his (and Kit's) life. David and Kit were such authentic characters; you rooted for them, wanted to punch them (you will see), and you hoped & prayed their friendship was string enough to survive reality that is HS life. The book is told in alternating chapters by Kit & David and really spoke to me about them as real teens. David was such a great character, being on the spectrum of autism (which he doesn't really think he has) and totally supported by his family was so nice to see in YA literature. But I really liked the way Buxbaum let us see David's thoughts (and desires) about Kit. She becomes the reason he really tries to be more normal- his sister is away at college & they do a lot of FaceTime- Miney helps & supports David. Due to his sister's deep abiding love- David keeps a notebook on his thoughts of his classmates, who to talk to, and who to stay away from. He has been bullied by Justin & Gabriel since middle school and this is detailed in his notebook too. But as he comes to wonder & rely on seeing and talking to Kit everyday at lunch (his sister tells him to text Kit too) you see his awkwardness but since he is so intelligent and his sister has tried to drum normalness into him, David becomes so much more to Kit and to the reader. You feel his loneliness, his yearning, his intelligence as he begins to look Kit (and others) in the eye, uses his headphones less, look around as he walks in the school halls. I really enjoyed the new David with clothes and haircut (just as everyone else does, but Kit already saw that David) and I loved David's honesty when he told Kit she was beautiful and in his thoughts how he loved her just as she was (with or without makeup, nice clothes, smiling or crying) I just could not put this book down, Kit and David are two protagonists I really enjoyed getting to know, teens will like the HS drama, develop empathy for those who are different and despise the horrible bullying for teens like David.

View all my reviews

Things I Should Have Known by Claire LaZebnik

Things I Should Have Known by Claire LaZebnik
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Many thanks to Doris Heise, my librarian hero, for recommending this read!!! First of all I LOVE the cover with the hashtags turning the title to read Things I Know, how brilliant! Claire LaZebnik has a great voice- her dedication to her husband is totally awesome and main protagonist, Chloe is such a real voice- she is popular, dates & kisses lots of guys, doesn't like to complain about many things BUT just look how her mood changes when her autistic sister, Ivy is involved in any way. Chloe's love, concern and aggravation for her autistic sister unfolds in so many wonderful ways in this MUST READ YA novel. Then the very annoying David Fields also has an autistic brother, Ethan - Chloe thinks Ivy and Ethan should date, and get out in the world more. Together Chloe and David share many harrowing dates with Ivy and Ethan and together they find out many things about their families, themselves, and what really matters. This book did really steal my heart and it will steal your too! Highly recommended.

View all my reviews

On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis

On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for the ARC, On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis. If you are looking for a gripping post-apocalyptic read with diverse characters measured according to how “worthiness” On the Edge of Gone, is a rip-roaring action packed read! Denise is the tough but insecure protagonist, who does not let her autism stop her from proving her worth to gain a spot on the generation ship (bringing her mother along while still trying to find her sister, Iris) as a comet hurtles toward Earth. I loved the much needed diversity Duyvis brought to this raw book with biracial characters, transgender characters, and characters with disabilities. I saw this author speak on a diversity panel 11/15/15 in Philadelphia titled, Moving Past “Girl” Books and “Boy” Books: Representing a Rainbow, and I was so impressed. I immediately requested this title from NetGalley and I was so excited to read this scifi thriller. I even purchased Otherbound, too! Congratulations to Corinne Duyvis and the cadre of other authors celebrating diversity in culture and environment in their writing; YA readers need more authors to lend their voices; highly recommended!

View all my reviews

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The story of Rose Howard, her autism, her father, her dog, her uncle was recommended by Donalyn Miller in a Nerdy Book blog post. Boy am I glad I read this book! Rose is a very special character, girl, classmate. Her homonym LOVE and list made my English major heart happy- but was not necessarily appreciated by her classmates and father. Ann M. Martin has crafted a must read for students - both young and old, parents and teachers. Rose's autism was depicted perfectly by Ann M. Martin; the good and the bad traits. I did not want this book to end; Rose and her dog, Rain will resonate with me for quite some time!.

View all my reviews