Ten Books I recently added to my TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  For more information, or to join the fun yourself, check out their blog! Here is my March 31 Top Ten Tuesday which includes
Ten Books I recently added to my TBR List!
1.  Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
2. Daughter of Smoke & Bone (1) by Laini Taylor
3. The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds'
4. When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds
5.   Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
6. The Winner's Curse (1) by Marie Rutkoski
7.  The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski
8.  Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story by David Levithan
9.  Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith
10. Happy Again by Jennifer E. Smith
11.  Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour

Find Momo by Andrew Knapp

Find Momo: A Photography Book by Andrew Knapp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read, visualized, soaked up this wonderful book of photographs through Canada and the US as readers try to find border collie, Momo in each photograph. But I liked even more, Andrew Knapp's down to earth love of his dog, his surroundings and his internet followers who have become very special to him as they rise and champion the many Momo sightings. A visual adventure children, teens, and adults will all enjoy!

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Skink-No Surrender by Carl Hiaasen

Skink--No Surrender by Carl Hiaasen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to this Amazing Audiobook as part of The 2015 Hub Challenge and Hiaasen's plot was funny, gripping, and compelling. Read by Kirby Heyborne, the plot of Malley who goes missing in Florida with cousin Richard (aided by Skink, a 70 yr old ex-governor and supposedly dead) in pursuit was so awesome to listen too. I loved learning about the Florida wildlife (gators, wild boars, herons, loggerhead turtles and extinct woodpeckers) while grinding my teeth as Richard and Skink tracked Malley through all kinds of weather, water, and mosquitos. This is a must read adventure that keeps you riveted and riled to the bitter end.

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This One Summer by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book as part of The 2015 Hub Challenge but I have had it on my TBR because it received so many kudos! This graphic novel covers one summer and two friends at the shore. We fleetingly meet arguing family members, teens with problems, and friends who are beginning to have differences of opinions. I loved the illustrations, I kept going back and looking over the panels; Jillian Tamaki's illustrations are gorgeous, real, and bold. The bluish cover becomes rich black and white illustrations within the book. The main characters, Rose and Windy celebrate what they love about Awago Beach (turkey jerkey, amazing breezes, and bike rides) and we see Rose is beginning to outgrow building forts and become more interested in what is going on with the teens in the store. The spare words and amazing graphics make this a graphic novel many will enjoy!

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The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale

The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I LOVED this book! Shannon and Dean Hale have crafted a Princess story kids will love! Who can resist a perfect princess who is also The Princess in Black guarding her kingdom from monsters and any kind of bad guys? With humor in both words and illustrations (LeUYEN Pham)the Hales have crafted a laugh out loud book kids will relate to (and read ove and over again)- this could be a play they act out when they are with their friends- right down to the toenail clippings!!!Very enjoyable and highly recommended! I know I am going to be reading this to my granddaughter and giving it to my daughter to read to her students.

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Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein

Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Book Group and Disney-Hyperion for the ARC, Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein. Once again, Elizabeth Wein has crafted masterful historical fiction you can’t put down. Teo and Emilia’s lives are unconventional; they are raised together as brother and sister; but they are not. Really nothing in their life is normal. Their mothers are women stunt pilots; one white, one black with an enduring friendship and devotion to family. When Teo’s mom, Delia (Black Dove) dies in a freak stunt accident; Em’s mom, Rhoda (White Raven) raises Em and Teo as her children. But in the 1930’s being black and raised by a white woman is fraught with all kinds of problems. Rhoda flees to Ethiopia, where Delia dreamt of an equal future for her son where racism did not exist. As they fall in love with their new life in Ethiopia; history, war, and slavery threaten to disillusion this family of pilots and dreamers. Wein has thoroughly researched this engaging tale told from Em and Teo’s point of view through letters, school assignments, flight logs, and fantastical adventures. Beautiful, gripping, and tense, you will root for Rhoda and her brood, as war threatens to decimate their tranquility.

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Define "Normal" by Julie Ann Peters

Define "Normal" by Julie Anne Peters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to this amazing audiobook from the Hub Challenge and LOVED it. Both girls are fantastic protagonists, although the story is told solely from Antonia's point of view; she is peer counseling Jazz Luther who is the total opposite of Antonia. As I listened to this compelling audiobook I realized why I love Julie Ann Peters books- she gets teens. This book is no different- both Jazz and Antonia have "stuff" going on and teens will love reading or listening to this book; can seeming "opposites" get along, trust each other, and become friends? Highly recommended!

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