Skulduggery Pleasant

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is re-read for me. Actually a re-listen. I loved this book when I read it - but it truly came to life when I listened to it. (Yes, I know, Skulduggery is a skeleton - and technically not alive) Rupert Degas did an amazing job on this audiobook. You have to give it a listen!


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Cosmic

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Liam is big for his age (11) and he is even growing facial hair. Adults think he is a grown up and he gets to do things that kids wouldn't have the opportunity to do. He enters a contest as a adult and convinces his friend to pretend that she is his daughter. Is this a case of "be careful for what you wish for?"


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Charles and Emma: Darwin's Leap of Faith

Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I never would have guessed that I would read a biography on Charles Darwin, but I am so glad that I did. It reads as a love story between the father of evolutionary theory (survival of the fittest) and Emma, his very religious wife. They had a very unlikely yet very sucessful marriage.


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Three Cups of Tea

Three Cups of Tea: Young Reader's Edition by Greg Mortenson


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Greg gets lost on K2, the second largest mountain in the world and is rescued by villagers. This village not even on the map of Pakistan. To show his thanks, he promises to come back and build the village a school. Very moving account of his struggle to fund and build this school in a very remote region of the world. You would think one school would be enough, but not to Greg; he decided many more schools were needed throughout Pakistan and Afghanistan. True Story.


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Saffy's Angel

Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Saffy Casson lives with her Mom, Eve and her siblings, Caddie, Indigo and Rose. At least she thinks that she is part of this family - however it turns out that that Eve is her Aunt and her "siblings" are her Cousins. Her biological mother was Eve's sister who died in an accident. As you can imagine, Saffy did not handle this news well and always felt different than the rest of her family. She eventually takes a trip back to where she was born to try to find herself. Meanwhile, her family goes to extraordinary lengths to make her feel loved.



I loved Saffy and the whole free spirited Casson family. I want to be a Casson! I am so happy that this is a first in a series. BTW - the audio books are fabulous!


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An Unusual Event

It takes A LOT for me to give a book 5 stars. It really needs to knock my socks off! So it is very unusual for me to give the last two books I read 5 stars. I doubt it will happen again :) I trust that if it does, you'll tell me.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I LOVE Callie Vee and you will too! She is the only girl with 6 brothers. (I can't even imagine the noise) Her mother runs a strict household and expects Callie Vee to learn the "domestic arts" - including cooking and sewing. Callie Vee can't stand to be inside the house and do what is expected of her. Instead, she wants to be a scientist. No one understands her except for her grandfather. Everyone is afraid of her grandfather but they become very close. He teaches her how to be an observer - asking questions - searching for answers. They spend hours together - a fact her mother does not like. Will Callie Vee stay on the scientific path or will her mother win out and she does what is expected of her?



Once you start this book you will NOT be able to put it down. For more insight on the struggles that Callie faces, pair this book with Charles and Emma, The Darwins Leap of Faith, by Deborah Heiligman.


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All the Broken Pieces

All the Broken Pieces by Ann Burg


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Amazing book about what happens to us when we go to war. The turmoil we all feel, both those who fought and those left at home. Also tells the story from a kid's perspective. Very powerful!


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The Big Splash

The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It's "The Sopranos" for the tween set. Squirt-gun assassins, a mob boss, body guards and goons. In other words, more suspects than you can shake a stick at. Matt, the school's private eye, is the only one to figure out a mystery. Lots of fun!


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