Wonder Twins Activate! by Mark Russell and Stephen Byrne

Wonder Twins Vol. 1: Activate! by Mark Russell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Known as the Wonder Twins, Jayna and Zan come from the planet, Exxor, but the twins have been banned from their home and come to earth to live as students in a high school watched by Superman as they work at the Hall of Justice. They work to stop the villains who are called the League of annoyance. I felt this first in the series jumped around alot and it was difficult to follow at times.

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Mountain Dog by Margarita Engle

Mountain Dog by Margarita Engle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh did I love this middle grade novel in verse from awesome Margarita Engle! Told from 2 points of view (and one is a dog) this is the story of boy who has suffered trauma at his mother's hands, she was involved in dog fighting (she made her son responsible for taking care of the pit bulls - those who were injured, feeding them, and forcing him to be involved in the dog fights. Tony continues to have nightmares, does not know what love is, and lives in fear. When his mother lands in jail for cruelty to animals, a compassionate social worker finds an uncle, Tony, did not even know about. Tio lives in the Sierra Nevadas with his search and rescue dog, Gabe, and as a park ranger, he rescues lost hikers, guides nature walks, and takes care of trees. Together Tio and Gabe take this very sad, tormented Tony and show him, love, friendship and a real home. I could not put this book down; it was filled with many search and rescues, Tony learning to be a rescue for the dogs, and Tony trying to find a lost hound and getting lost himself. I LOVED THIS BOOK ad the pictures were awesome too!

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The Innocent (Will Robie, #1) by David Baldacci

The Innocent by David Baldacci
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a first book in the Will Robie series and I can't wait to read more about this assassin. I loved all the John Puller books so I am sure I will enjoy Will Robie----he is isolated, great at his trade, hardly ever makes mistakes because that could mean death. But in this book---as he goes to his next target, he finds the target has a child in bed with her and Will will not shoot her, but what happens is that a sharp shooter kills her and her son with one shot and now Will is being hunted down. There is another story he becomes involved with---a 14 year old girl and she is a foster child---tough but all alone and she and Will become partners and I could not stop turning the pages!!! Awesome, suspenseful read!

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Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a book club selection for my Albright College Zoom Book Club. I love anything Jacqueline Woodson writes; she is so interesting and all of her writing is compelling. In this book, Iris gets pregnant and never has her coming of age ceremony---16 years later, her daughter Melody has the all important ceremony wearing the dress meant for Iris. What transpires in between is how the pregnancy alters everything---Iris and Aubrey as a teen couple---she is a much higher social class and so much more advanced than Aubrey. Aubrey and his mom are poor, he is madly in love with Iris and also Melody and spends his life taking care of his daughter and her parents while Iris attends college and goes to work and tries to find herself. I loved everything about this novel except the presentation of the book---it would have helped this reader tremendously if each chapter had the person's name so the reader did not have to guess who was telling the story in that chapter.

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People of the Sun (The Eye of Ra, #3) by Ben Gartner

People of the Sun by Ben Gartner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to Crescent Vista Press, Independent Book Publisher’s Association (IBPA), and the author, Ben Gartner, for the advance reader copy, People of the Sun (The Eye of Ra, #3) by Ben Gartner in exchange for an honest review. This is my 3rd Ben Gartner book in the Eye of Ra series and I just keep wanting to read more and more of this exciting middle grade series involving science fiction, fantasy, adventure, and mystery using time travel to many different ancient cultures. But this book contains many surprises for both the reader and John and Sarah as they travel to 1519 CE, Mexico. In this book, they learn more about their past quests and how this present mission is crucial; they must restore the past to restore history. This will involve learning and seeing things about themselves, their clones, their parents, and the Eye of Ra! I could not stop turning the pages; this book contained just as much adventure but oh so much more suspense! Will John and Sarah be able to stop an Aztec woman, Toci, from changing history? Readers will be riveted to the adventures and mystery even more so as John and Sarah grapple with how to save the day and restore history. I loved the growth of John and Sarah and their shifting roles as they are exposed to danger and intrigue. I want more John and Sarah adventures! Highly recommended!

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Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad

Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks so much to Tara Smith, MaryAlice BD, and Pat Graham for your high recommendations that pushed me to read it immediately! Flawlessly narrated by the author, Suleika Jaouad's story had me captivated from page 1! As a 22 year old she contracts a form of leukemia 60 year olds deal with. Over a four year period, Suleika will share her treatments, her relationships, her friendships and her blog that the NYT picks up as a way of helping others, helping herself and coming to terms with what her life will be after cancer. This is a must read, I will think of Suleika and what she has accomplished whenever I want to feel sorry for myself---this book is a testament to the beauty of life even during cancer. She gave me meaning, hope, and beauty with her emotional truth and her triumphs as she learns how to drive and visits some of the people who wrote to her after reading her column, Life Interrupted.

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What About Will by Ellen Hopkins

What About Will by Ellen Hopkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book tore me up: I ached for 12 yr old Trace and the life he once enjoyed with his 17 yr old brother, Will, before he suffers a brain injury during a football game which drastically changes Will. Trace's mom ends up leaving, his father is seeing someone new, and Will is scaring Trace--he steals his baseball glove signed by Victor Sanchez, is hanging out with truly scar people, and he is taking drugs and maybe selling too. As Trace tries to be true to Will, he alerts his mother and father and even a neighbor and they all chalk it up to being a teenager---but Trace is really worried. Ellen Hopkins' novels in verse are real, aching, raw and deal with timely issues. This book is no different--the football injury in essence ends Will's life-a traumatic brain injury giving him awful headaches, he can't smile right, and he has uncontrollable rage. This is a must read for kids and adults! Young adults will enjoy this Hopkins book too!

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