Little Beach Street Bakery (Little Beach Street Bakery, #1) by Jenny Colgan

Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Awfully narrated by Veida Dehmlow; all of the men sounded like they were craggy 90 year olds! I am so glad I did not abandon the audiobook because the story was so good! Polly has a life changing crisis and moves to a small seaside town, sets up a bakery, makes friends, and raises a puffin. she is a great main character who has a sunny disposition but will stick up for herself and others, and makes the most of everything and asks little of others. Just as I fell in love with Polly, so did the residents of this town, she ends up changing many people as well as herself. Listening to the 2nd book and the narrator is much, much better! Loving Polly, Huckle and Neal, wishing them the best in their life together!

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The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You by Lily Anderson

The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You by Lily Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Read this as part of #yearofya debut author chat to be held 3/29 @8PM EST and oh was it good- comic book & literature references plus a cast of loveable & devious teens and what a great title!!! Lily Anderson is a librarian and oh do I have love for her and this first new book that is real, funny, about teens in a genius school, rankings, and someone who is framing teens for plagiarism and other honor code violations. Add in romances, 2 teens who despise each other and you have one AWESOME read, I could not put it down and after the many sad, current books I have been reading, I thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic read, a must for teens:)

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Faceless by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

Faceless by Alyssa B. Sheinmel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this novel as part of #yabookchat twitter discussion. When we meet Maisie, she is enjoying a morning run, loves being on the track team, loves her boyfriend, Chirag and best friend, Ellen. As she finishes her run, she stops to enjoy the morning when a lightning storm hits, and that is all she remembers until she wakes in a hospital and part of her face is gone. Together with her parents she accepts getting a face transplant; the many pills and routines that will become part of her life FOREVER. It is during this time, summer and school is out, that I really started not liking Maisie. She did/did not want to see her boyfriend (who she thought about ALL the time) and best friend. She withdrew further and further, became insolent, angry, and lashed out at her parents and friends. It is was only in the final part of the book (I thought it should have happened much sooner) that Maisie joins a therapy support group- BOY did she need it; that she finally started coming around, figuring things out (lots of discussion) with her support friends, then slowly with her best friend and even slower with her ex-boyfriend and I really thought Maisie was a good person once again like she was at the beginning of the book. Teens will love this book, but I wished Maisie had sought out help MUCH sooner, thankfully she had tight, loyal friends.

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Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to admit, I liked Parker Grant more and more as I read this book. Losing your sight and mother at age 7 is very difficult for any child and as Parker grows up she creates The Rules and these rules govern her friendships, family, and relationships. Fast forward to high school where Parker has just lost her father, runs every morning, and reunites with the guy she blames for ruining her life. Lindstrom deftly portrays Parker's feistiness to the world but he does a superb job of fleshing out her insecurities, which make her wretchedly question many things she was so so sure about. How will Parker deal with her new reality of Scott, Jason, Molly, Trish, Sarah, and Sheila? Loved this book and the cadre of teen characters, the fierce friendships, the importance of friends and finding oneself!

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Stand Off by Andrew Smith

Stand-Off by Andrew Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ryan Dean was so different in this book; devastated, sad, and hawked by N.A.T.E. a big scary dark figure keeping him up at night for the next terrible experience in his life. Without Joey, Ryan Dean doesn't have much to look forward to his senior year without his best friend. But Annie is still Ryan's true love but he still has his "I am such a loser" mentality and he draws from her strength and compassion and this ends up making him a better person...and the fact that Pine Mountain has seen fit to give him a 12 year old roommate really puts Ryan Dean further over the edge. Ryan Dean is so hysterical and insecure and as a reader I LOVE his outlook and musings! Boys and girls will love the rugby, the action, and Ryan Dean's narration of the games are so exciting. And the romance between Annie and Ran Dean just gets better and better. A highly recommended read, I love all of Andrew Smith's books but Winger and Stand Off hold a special place in my heart. Ryan Dean is a special guy and I'd love to continue reading more about him.

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Read Between the Lines by Jo Knowles

Read Between the Lines by Jo Knowles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can't remember who recommended this book to me, but this is a book all teens should read! Jo Knowles takes something that happened to her in real life as a child ad uses one incident in each chapter of the book to perfection. Teens at a school are just trying to make it one day at a time, surviving bullies and mean girls, parents, teachers and even next door neighbors. Each character spoke to me (my favorite was Claire) and I think teens will see themselves or others on these pages. Even better is Jo Knowles' plea to "tell it true, even if it means, read between the lines."

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And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Emily Beam is a confused girl who has lost her boyfriend (killed himself in the school library), was sent to a boarding school, and must now try to figure out her own feelings and guilt by reading the many poems and biographies of Emily Dickinson. Will she be able to find her voice, make new friends, live with her decisions and navigate a world without Paul. This slim novel was very powerful and part of The 2015 Hub Challenge Printz Award. Emily's journey was slow, introspective, and her poems were as important as Emily Dickinson's. A must read.

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The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this amazing novel-in-verse about family, basketball, and twins in one sitting. With words that mirror a basketball bouncing, the reader meets the two Bell brothers who are awesome basketball players supported by a Dad who was once a famous basketball player and a mom who happens to be the principal at their school. The reader is treated to an urban delight of words describing one season, in both basketball and their lives. A book for boys and girls alike and the reluctant reader, highly recommended!

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The Final Four by Paul Volponi

The Final Four by Paul Volponi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love all of Paul Volponi's books and this is no exception! He gets the suspense and excitement just right in this book about basketball and 4 overtimes in a game that will totally drive you crazy with anticipation. Who will win this Final Four game between the Michigan State Spartans (Malcolm McBride and Michael Jordan) against the Troy University Trojans (Roko Bacic and Crispin Rice)is anyone's guess as we follow the story through the four main characters, (and there are so many more other memorable characters in this book!) newspaper stories, and news reporting by sportscasters. I so enjoyed Malcolm; he was easy to dislike with all his bravado, but he was a consummate player, who had a close-knit family, ethics that kept him away from the drug infested streets, parties and trouble. Volponi's trash-talking between the basketball players was cruel and amusing and created a dynamic that fueled the tension on the court. Roko's story was heartrending with his flight from Croatia and the loss of his uncle. But you knew he was going to do whatever it took to survive, be a leader, and be just like his uncle. I enjoyed the dynamics between Michael Jordan and Malcolm and loved his Reaction Paper: Basketball is Life! Crispin Rice's spur of the moment proposal teaches him (and his team) about living in the moment and the Troy of Hope good luck won't make them a winning team, but looking out for each other during the game is their winning strategy. I will be getting multiple copies of this book for our library and I know my reluctant readers, especially those that love basketball will be fighting for this book!

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