Since the meals for the Readathon seem to have confused some people. I’m going to do an example here of four books I’ve read and a dish that would come from them, that fulfills the prompts.
Also I’m not sure how Youtube works internationally but I’m pretty sure you could catch an episode of Chopped there or at least a clip. But anyway I’m going to do an example with four books I’m not reading for the readathon and for our easiest category Appetizers, I’ll do examples for the harder categories if needed but you guys will have to let me know if you want if you want that.
Pizza-Violets are Blue
Twelve-year-old Wren loves makeup—special effect makeup, to be exact. When she is experimenting with new looks, Wren can create a different version of herself. A girl who isn’t in a sort-of-best friendship with someone who seems like she hates her. A girl whose parents aren’t divorced and doesn’t have to learn to like her new stepmom.
Over a year since being entrusted with Ginseng’s care, Greta still can’t chase away the cloud of mourning that hangs over the timid Tea Dragon. As she struggles to create something spectacular enough to impress a master blacksmith in search of an apprentice, she questions the true meaning of crafting, and the true meaning of caring for someone in grief. Meanwhile, Minette receives a surprise package from the monastery where she was once training to be a prophetess. Thrown into confusion about her path in life, the shy and reserved Minette finds that the more she opens her heart to others, the more clearly she can see what was always inside.
Gelya is a Vessel, a girl who channels the word of the One True God through song. Cloistered with the other Vessels of her faith, she believes—as all Ovinists do—that a saint imprisoned Elath the Great Demon centuries ago, saving humanity from earthly temptation.
When Gelya stumbles into a deadly cover-up by the Ovinists’ military, she reluctantly teams up with Tavik, an enemy soldier, to survive. Tavik believes that Elath is actually a mother goddess who must be set free, but while he succeeds in opening Her prison, he inadvertently turns Gelya into Elath’s unwilling human vessel.
Now the church that raised Gelya considers her a threat. In a race against the clock, she and Tavik must find a way to exorcise Elath’s presence from her body. But will this release stop the countdown to the end of the world, or will it be the cause of the earth’s destruction?
Leftovers-Eva Evergreen Semi Magical Witch-A book you started but never finished
Sometimes all you need is a pinch of magic…
Eva Evergreen is determined to earn the rank of Novice Witch before her thirteenth birthday. If she doesn’t, she’ll lose her magic forever. For most young witches and wizards, it’s a simple enough test:
One: Help your town, do good all around. Two: Live there for one moon, don’t leave too soon. Three: Fly home by broomstick, the easiest of tricks.
The only problem? Eva only has a pinch of magic. She summons heads of cabbage instead of flowers and gets a sunburn instead of calling down rain. And to add insult to injury, whenever she overuses her magic, she falls asleep.
You can draw, write, or, do any sort of artistic or written expression you can think of.
The meal for this is actually a drink, its a red and blue tea that shifts color as as you watch, you can see a storm forming above the tea. Drinking the tea will tea will give different looks you’ll look like a zombie, a mermaid, and a tiger etc. Drinking this tea will also make birds spontaneously appear on the branches in the trees in the tea garden around where you are drinking. The garden also has embroidered flags and a special tree in the center with a special kind of berries that might occasionally fall into your tea. You take in the whole garden and the tea and feel a special kind of magic.
Now lets break this down, the tea is from Tea Garden Tapestry. The shifting colors are from the red color book and the blue in the storm from Eva Evergreen. The shifting looks are Violets are Blue. The birds are from Soulswift where they were an important plot point. The flags in the garden are also from Tea Dragon. The special tree is from Soulswift which was a very important plot point as were the berries.
Now do you all have a better idea of what I’m thinking about for the meals? If not please comment.
As well as my other Readathons I’m taking place in the year long Readathon by blog The Quiet Pond. They are having authors join them a companion to their larger quests this time the have Racquel Marie, author of Ophelia After All. The book is about
A teen girl navigates friendship drama, the end of high school, and discovering her queerness, called a hilarious and heartfelt comedy by author Raquel Marie.
Ophelia Rojas knows what she likes: her best friends, Cuban food, rose-gardening, and boys – way too many boys. Her friends and parents make fun of her endless stream of crushes, but Ophelia is a romantic at heart. She couldn’t change, even if she wanted to.
So when she finds herself thinking more about cute, quiet Talia Sanchez than the loss of a perfect prom with her ex-boyfriend, seeds of doubt take root in Ophelia’s firm image of herself. Add to that the impending end of high school and the fracturing of her once-solid friend group, and things are spiraling a little out of control. But the course of love—and sexuality—never did run smooth. As her secrets begin to unravel, Ophelia must make a choice between clinging to the fantasy version of herself she’s always imagined or upending everyone’s expectations to rediscover who she really is, after all.
Since the book has roses as a central plot point we were supposed to make a rose after our favorite book cover. We could write draw, make a description of the rose, and then put the book cover with it.
Here is my best attempt at a rose modeled after Shannon Messenger’s Keeper of the Lost Cities Nightfall. I really liked this challenge because I got to draw a bit, which I should really do more of. I can’t wait to get the pride rose prize for my garden. And I really enjoyed this companion challenge!
So we’ve come to the most difficult part of the Readathon. The Sweet portion, you’re in for a bit of a challenge but if you’ve made it this far we know you can do it. I’ll show you what I’m reading for this portion of the readathon.
Champagne-A Protagonist with Anxiety
Three months ago, twelve-year-old Alma moved to the town of Four Points. Her panic attacks started a week later, and they haven’t stopped—even though she’s told her parents that they have. She’s homesick and friendless and every day she feels less and less like herself.
But one day she finds a telescope in the town’s junk shop, and through its lens, she watches a star—a star that looks like a child—fall from the sky and into her backyard. I’ve been waiting to read this sweet story for awhile now I’m glad I finally get the chance.
Ring Pops: A book where someone gets married or a wedding shapes the plot.
Rouge Princess
Princess Delia knows she must choose a prince to marry in order to secure an alliance and save her failing planet. But she’d much rather have a shot a true love than an arranged marriage. She’s going to chart her own course in life so she steals one of her family’s spaceship and decides to runaway, only to find a stowaway. But who would have thought a princess on the run from an arranged marriage and a poor stowaway looking to find a better life off planet may be the only ones able to stop a planet wide rebellion.
Nathan likes to spend time with his Nali during the summer in the Navajo Nation. even though he knows he’s in for a pretty uneventful summer with no electricity or cell service. On night when he gets lost in the desert all that when Nathan encounters a Holy Being from the Navajo creation story. A Water Monster and it needs his help!
Eleven-year-old Fiona has just read a book that doesn’t exist.
When Fiona’s family moves to a new town to be closer to her older sister’s figure skating club—and far from Fiona’s close-knit group of friends—nobody seems to notice Fiona’s unhappiness. Alone and out of place, Fiona ventures to the town’s library, a rambling mansion donated by a long-dead heiress. And there she finds a gripping mystery novel about a small town, family secrets, and a tragic disappearance.
Soon Fiona begins to notice strange similarities that blur the lines between the novel and her new town. With a little help from a few odd Lost Lake locals, Fiona uncovers the book’s strange history. Lost Lake is a town of restless spirits, and Fiona will learn that both help and danger come from unexpected places—maybe even from the sister she thinks doesn’t care about her anymore.
For this round @OliviaTempleto6 and I wanted to make this the most fancy and decadent round. Like you were really having elegant dinner. Not to say dessert isn’t also fancy but you will definitely fill up on books here.
Steak and Lobster-an expensive book or one the looks fancy.
The Storyteller
It’s not everyday you learn you might be related to related to Anastasia or that the tragic princess actually survived her assassination attempt and has been living as the woman you know as Aunt Anna. I love the design on the cover and the idea of the book and the idea behind it. That’s why I’m choosing it for this prompt.
The battle or war in this case isn’t directly against a thing or another person, it’s against magic itself and those who practice it. When Josslyn Drake finds herself infected with a dangerous piece of magic in world where it, not only illegal but dangerous and deadly she must ally with the unlikely Jericho Nox, who offers her a deal: his help extracting the magic in exchange for the magic itself. Will deal be worth it or will Josslyn find herself in more trouble than she imagined as she learns about the world, magic and things she never expected.
Spaghetti-Good Friendships or Multiple Points of View
Another Kind
Six not so human kids have been kept in the Playroom, a government facility that was has been protecting them. Or at the very least keeping them safe from the eyes of the judgmental word where some would consider them nothing more than animals. They are at home there until a security breach forces them them into the real world and the path of the Collector.
Can the group band together to thwart the Collectors plans, or will they end of the next part of his collection?
Dark Chocolate Truffles-a book from a darker genre mystery, horror, thriller.
Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves
On a frozen wasteland of a planet, a girl is on the run with a wolf who is born to be a killer but bound to be her guide. As they fight to escape ice goblins, giant bears, and a ruthless leader intent on trapping them both, one question drives them relentlessly forward: where do you turn when there is nowhere to hide?
This is the Introduction/Welcome post to the Chopped: Romance Dinner Theme Readathon. Your judges will be the lovely @OliviaTempleto6 and myself, @Plaid_Reader. If you’ve ever seen the show Chopped, this readathon will take a similar format, only ingredients will serve as reading prompts. You will have to come up with unique dishes based on the prompts we give you. The readathon will run from February 1st-28th, with a celebration on March 1st.
Your Dishes
How will you create dishes from reading books you ask? Your imagination, based on the books you’ve read and the food in the the prompts imagine a what a meal would look like, you can interpret this any way you like, art, writing, collage, music etc.
The Rounds
Like the real game of Chopped, the game will be broken into three rounds, Appetizer, Entree, and Dessert. You’re welcome to take on the rounds in whatever order you choose but we’ve built them so they get tougher as you go, so you may want to take them in order.
Appetizers
1) Pizza
2) Strawberry
3) Milkshake
4) Leftovers
Entree
1) Steak and Lobster
2) Edible Glitter
3) Spaghetti
4) Dark Chocolate Truffles
Dessert
1) Champagne
2) Ring Pops
3) Baked Alaska
4) Yuzu
You may be asking what all these foods mean and why you’ll have to deal with edible glitter, that’s me @Plaid Reader’s fault, I’m the evil judge. Anyway let me give you an introduction to what these foods mean:
The Prompts
The Prompts
Spaghetti
Good Friendships or Multiple Points of View
Champagne
A Protagonist with Anxiety
Steak and Lobster
An expensive book or one that looks fancy
Ring Pops
A book where someone gets married or a wedding shapes the plot.
Yuzu
A book with a sweet and tart protagonist.
Dark Chocolate Truffles
A book from a ‘darker’ genre horror, mystery, thriller.
Leftovers
A book you started but didn’t finish
Baked Alaska
A book with a surprise
Edible Glitter
A book about magic or a fantasy
Milkshake
Two people must go on a quest
Pizza
A comfort read
Strawberry
Red Cover
The Reading
We will be counting pages and there are cute digital rewards available along the way. So make sure you enter your pages and make note when you finish a book.There may be rewards along the way but however you do just remember everyone is champion no matter how many books you pages or books you read. We’re happy to have everyone here at this readathon.
The Points
Though everyone will get a prize for participating in the readathon. The top 3 readers. I see you people who can take down a 600 page book like nothing, will get a special prize. So keep reading, and enter those pages in our tracker!
The Prize
There will be two winners at the end of the readathon, one US and one international. We will be doing a random draw for both. The US winner will receive a signed copy of A Place at the Table by Laura Shovan and Saadia Faruqi, a lovely middle grade book about food overcoming cultural borders. While the international winner will get $20 in Book Depository credit so long as they ship to your country.
If you have any questions about any of the prompts not cover in the introduction or need help with your dishes please contact your judges on Twitter. We are here to help, not to critique and would love to see TBRs for this Readathon. Also check out our introduction video here.
You can sign-up to the readathon here. The readathon starts on January 10th 2022 and ends on December 11th 2022; sign-ups are open across the duration of the readathon.
You also get to create your own Pond animal character for the Pondathon, and create your own character card!
If you’d like, create a blog post, bookstagram post, booktube video, Twitter thread, or whatever medium you wish, with ‘#PondathonII’ in the title or your tweet. Share the character you have created and your character card!
Evrin is a quiet little water witch whose name means magic, they come from a large family and have their own house and large underwater garden they tend to. When they heard about the state of the Pond after the conflict, they knew they had to leave their comfy underwater home with clippings from their own garden to hopefully help along with healing the pond.
They also brought their favorite blessed scythe to reap away anything still containing negative energy. They hasn’t been on land much so they are planning on staying in the pond if they can, but if helping means they has to try being on land they hoping their Pond friends will hep them adjust.
My Pondathon TBR
I needed to put a TBR for Januaruary together anyway so this is a good opportunity. I need to read ten books, But I probably won’t list them all here, just the ones that have recently caught my eye since I’m such a mood reader.
The Kindred
Joy Abara knows her place. A commoner from the lowly planet Hali, she lives a simple life—apart from the notoriety that being Kindred to the nobility’s most infamous playboy brings.
Duke Felix Hamdi has a plan. He will exasperate his noble family to the point that they agree to let him choose his own future and finally meet his Kindred face-to-face.
Then the royal family is assassinated, putting Felix next in line for the throne…and accused of the murders. Someone will stop at nothing until he’s dead, which means they’ll target Joy, too. Meeting in person for the first time as they steal a spacecraft and flee amid chaos might not be ideal…and neither is crash-landing on the strange backward planet called Earth. But hiding might just be the perfect way to discover the true strength of the Kindred bond and expose a scandal—and a love—that may decide the future of a galaxy.
Celeste knows she should be excited to spend two weeks at her grandparents’ lake house with her brother, Owen, and their cousins Capri and Daisy, but she’s not.
Bugs, bad cell reception, and the dark waters of the lake… no thanks. On top of that, she just failed her swim test and hates being in the water—it’s terrifying. But her grandparents are strong believers in their family knowing how to swim, especially having grown up during a time of segregation at public pools.
And soon strange things start happening—the sound of footsteps overhead late at night. A flickering light in the attic window. And Celete’s cousins start accusing her of pranking them when she’s been no where near them!
Things at the old house only get spookier until one evening when Celeste looks in the steamy mirror after a shower and sees her face, but twisted, different…
Who is the girl in the mirror? And what does she want?
Yusuf Azeem has spent all his life in the small town of Frey, Texas—and nearly that long waiting for the chance to participate in the regional robotics competition, which he just knows he can win.
Only, this year is going to be more difficult than he thought. Because this year is the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, an anniversary that has everyone in his Muslim community on edge.
With “Never Forget” banners everywhere and a hostile group of townspeople protesting the new mosque, Yusuf realizes that the country’s anger from two decades ago hasn’t gone away. Can he hold onto his joy—and his friendships—in the face of heartache and prejudice?
That’s just a little bit of my TBR, if you are considering joining this readathon and are on the fence about it you really should give it a go, it’s cute and a year long so low stress, and @artfromafriend is amazing at literally everything they do so yeah take part.
So I’m back, I just wanted to take awhile off but I can’t stop blogging for long lol, so since today is Christmas I’ve been thinking about Christmas trees and what character’s Christmas trees would look like.
A Chance to Fly
I can see Nat twisting her family’s arm into a musical based tree after she did the show during the summer. Or maybe the whole cast did one together to commemorate their first show together. I can see the cast doing trees every year for every musical that they do.
Assuming someone told Clementine about Christmas she’d probably want to put up a tree but to stay loyal to her father she’d probably keep it dark and foreboding even if she wanted something more traditional and sparkly. I think she’d maybe keep a small traditional tree in the area where she does her magic, I think it would have multicolored lights and and a jumble of ornaments that she made herself.
If the Revenant found out about Christmas one he would first possess Artemisia so he could wear a Santa hat but after she shook off the possession and the hat. I’m sure he would demand a Christmas tree. I’m sure Artemisia wouldn’t love the idea but would give into the Revenant because he’s kind of a pain, I think the Revenant would want a sparkly Christmas tree and that Artemisia would shoot that down quickly. I think they would fight over decorations but eventually agree on skulls.
I imagine if there were Christmas in Liora and Evran’s world they would have a white tree with stars decorating it and white lights. Partly to celebrate Liora’s power and partly to celebrate the role of falling stars in her life.
It’s going to be winter soon, coming up on the 21st. I’ll have a separate post on Yule itself but since it feels like winter here I thought I’d do this tag.
One: What book is so happy and so sweet that it just warms your heart?
Séance Tea Party, it’s just a sweet story of love, friendship and growing up. The protagonist is a young witch, Lora making friends with a ghost. Lora wants to avoid growing up and recalls the ghost because she was a younger ‘imaginary’ friend.
Two: What’s your favorite book with a white cover?
A nun and a warrior try to stop to end of the world. It’s exceptionally and beautifully written and the religion is well done too. Two of my favorite YAs have been about nun’s in the past few years, am I sensing a trend. Or are people just writing really good books featuring religion. I need to read this book again this winter.
Four: It’s snowing outside and you decide you want to have a snowball fight. What fictional character do you want to have this snowball fight with?
I want to get in a snowball fight with the crew from Skin of the Sea, just because I’d love to see them during the winter Simi can use a frozen river if she needs to stay in her Mami Wata form so she won’t be at a disadvantage.
Five: Sadly, your campfire is dying. What last few chapters of a book would you throw in the fire to revive it and keep yourself warm?
Newsprints while good ended up being too political and confusing and strayed from the characters that made it interesting in the first place, for a political subplot that was tough to understand.
Six: What book do you love so much that you would buy another copy of it to give to someone as a Christmas gift (or any gift really) to inspire them to start reading?
Starfish by Lisa Fipps, who I promise you I’m not trying to annoy. I just think everyone needs to read her book.
So if you’ve been reading here long, you know I’m a fan of readathons, memes, book tags any kind of fun communal that the bookish community puts on. But there are always events that stick out as particularly awesome. The organizers did a good job or the concept was particularly good. So I thought I’d highly the ones I particularly enjoyed. While there are many great bookish events here are some of my personal highlights.
1) Trope-ical Readathon
I always get a ton of reading done when Trope-ical Readathon rolls around. So I’m going to call it most productive. It has another round coming up soon, in which I’ll happily participate, because it always helps me reach my book goals.
2) Autistic Pride Readathon
I really enjoyed this one because it focused on an important aspect of my personality that I got to spend time reading about, it also changed my view on indies so that was cool too. We’ll call this the most social justice focused readathon.
3) Path Or Pantheon
This vies with another for most elaborate readathon. It’s a great readathon that mixes books and mythology and I really hope to see it again next year as I was dealing with too much personal drama to really get to enjoy it this year. I’m also looking forward to the other readathon by @MythTakeReads, since I’ve never done a round of Make Your Myth Taker.
4) Orillium Readathon
This is the one that is vying for most elaborate, the readathon creator, created a whole world around the readathon including several species, and they are planning to do another round in the spring which I’m looking forward to. Readers choices also lead to several final schools within a larger school, so I have to give it most elaborate readathon. I can’t imagine the time they put in.
5)IndigAThon
Finally IndigAThon is one of my favorites towards the end of the year because it makes me reach to most in my reading. While I try to read Native books all year round this readathon just shows me how woefully behind I am. I like that it pushes my reading to where I’m reading more authors who should already be on my list.
As for all the Christmas readathons, of course I love them too. But with this I’m trying to reflect more on the readathons I’ve done throughout the year.
I’m really excited start on the Reindeer Readathon. I wanted to post my TBR a few days before it started. I’m really getting excited for the Christmas season and trying to hit my reading goal for the end of the year. 100? Can I do it, maybe if not I’m still happy but it would be really nice. How many Christmas Readathons are you doing I have 12 Days of Christmas Readathon which is going to Twitter this year, wish me luck.
Dasher: A novella or a collection of short stories
I’m using a book that I wanted to start in November for IndigAThon, but didn’t get a chance to use.
The Sea Ringed World: Sacred Stories of the Americas
Fifteen thousand years before Europeans stepped foot in the Americas, people had already spread from tip to tip and coast to coast. Like all humans, these Native Americans sought to understand their place in the universe, the nature of their relationship with the divine, and the origin of the world into which their ancestors had emerged. The answers lay in their sacred stories. While this may not be a Christmas book I want to make sure I continue to read native literature even after November.
Dancer-A book by one of your favorite authors, re-reads count
I was planning on re-reading the Keeper of the Lost Cities Series anyway so this is a good chance to start.
The Keeper of The Lost Cities
Twelve-year-old Sophie has never quite fit into her life. She’s skipped multiple grades and doesn’t really connect with the older kids at school, but she’s not comfortable with her family, either. The reason? Sophie’s a Telepath, someone who can read minds. No one knows her secret—at least, that’s what she thinks…
But the day Sophie meets Fitz, a mysterious (and adorable) boy, she learns she’s not alone. He’s a Telepath too, and it turns out the reason she has never felt at home is that, well…she isn’t. Fitz opens Sophie’s eyes to a shocking truth, and she is forced to leave behind her family for a new life in a place that is vastly different from what she has ever known.
But Sophie still has secrets, and they’re buried deep in her memory for good reason: The answers are dangerous and in high-demand. What is her true identity, and why was she hidden among humans? The truth could mean life or death—and time is running out.
Prancer-A book with a travel element (vacation, quest etc.)
Skin of the Sea
A way to survive. A way to serve. A way to save.
Simi prayed to the gods, once. Now she serves them as Mami Wata—a mermaid—collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home.
But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi goes against an ancient decree and does the unthinkable—she saves his life. And punishment awaits those who dare to defy the gods.
To protect the other Mami Wata, Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends. But all is not as it seems. There’s the boy she rescued, who knows more than he should. And something is shadowing Simi, something that would rather see her fail. . . .
Danger lurks at every turn, and as Simi draws closer, she must brave vengeful gods, treacherous lands, and legendary creatures. Because if she fails, she risks not only the fate of all Mami Wata, but also the world as she knows it.
Aissa has never felt so trapped and alone even with her sister and friend by her side. Zandria—once her other half—has become cold and inflexible after her time in the Technocrats’ dungeon. Their friend Remy may still side with his father, a Magi leader who refuses to believe his spymaster has turned traitor. And Aissa herself is now an enemy of her Magi people after falling in love with—and binding her heart to—Aro, a Techno prince who puts all their lives at stake.
Aissa is determined to uncover the secrets of the Alchemist Alliance that created her and Zandria’s unique magical powers … as well as learn whether the Alliance’s research holds the key to healing the rift between the Magi and Technocrats after centuries of war. But with her people preparing for battle, it will take more than lost spells and hidden secrets to accomplish her goal. Especially as the bond between her and Aro grows deeper and threatens everything Aissa has ever believed.
These books so far don’t have much to do with Christmas itself but I’m going to try to include at least one Christmas centered story even though I’m fan of fantasy.
Comet-A 5 Star Prediction
Maren’s life has finally gone back to normal. Her sister, Hallie, is doing much better, she’s still allowed to work in her family’s dream shop, and there’s been no sign of Obscura, the evil nightmare thief.
But when Lishta, Maren’s grandmother, finds an ad for a sleepaway camp designed for dreamers, alarm bells start to ring. Lishta’s never heard of the camp directors, and she’s worried and wants to investigate. Maren and Hallie pose as campers with Lishta taking a job as the lunch lady.
Almost right away something seems off. Campers all wake up humming the same song, a whole bunk of girls does their hair the exact same way, and everyone seems to have had the same dream. And things go from bad to worse when Maren discovers most of the camp population has been sleepwalking.
As the girls investigate the camp, Maren and Hallie discover a nefarious plot that could affect the entire world. Maren will have to figure out who’s really behind the camp and stop them from turning more dreamers in sleepwalking zombies, before it’s too late.
I loved the first book in this series so I’m really excited for this one.
Of her two granddaughters, Grandma Yvette clearly prefers Ruby Taylor’s perfect—and perfectly Jewish—cousin, Sarah. They do everything together, including bake cookies and have secret sleep overs that Ruby isn’t invited to. Twelve-year-old Ruby suspects Grandma Yvette doesn’t think she’s Jewish enough. The Jewish religion is matrilineal, which means it’s passed down from mother to child, and unlike Sarah, Ruby’s mother isn’t Jewish.
But when Sarah starts acting out–trading in her skirts and cardigans for ripped jeans and stained t-shirts, getting in trouble at school–Ruby can’t help but be somewhat pleased. Then Sarah suddenly takes things too far, and Ruby is convinced Sarah is possessed by a dybbuk, an evil spirit… that Ruby may or may not have accidentally released from Grandma Yvette’s basement. Ruby is determined to save her cousin, but a dybbuk can only be expelled by a “pious Jew.” If Ruby isn’t Jewish enough for her own grandmother, how can she possibly be Jewish enough to fight a dybbuk?
Amanda Panitch writes with a humorous, irresistible, and authentic voice. This character-driven story with a magic twist about speaking up and finding your place in the world.
Amazon: The Two Wrong Halves of Ruby Taylor
Donner-Book with Red or Green as the Primary Color
Things Finley Hart doesn’t want to talk about: -Her parents, who are having problems. (But they pretend like they’re not.) -Being sent to her grandparents’ house for the summer. -Never having met said grandparents. -Her blue days—when life feels overwhelming, and it’s hard to keep her head up. (This happens a lot.)
Finley’s only retreat is the Everwood, a forest kingdom that exists in the pages of her notebook. Until she discovers the endless woods behind her grandparents’ house and realizes the Everwood is real—and holds more mysteries than she’d ever imagined, including a family of pirates that she isn’t allowed to talk to, trees covered in ash, and a strange old wizard living in a house made of bones.
With the help of her cousins, Finley sets out on a mission to save the dying Everwood and uncover its secrets. But as the mysteries pile up and the frightening sadness inside her grows, Finley realizes that if she wants to save the Everwood, she’ll first have to save herself.
Blitzen-Do book selection via, online poll, pets picking it etc)
You’ve Reached Sam
Apparently everyone thought I could read this and it is super popular.
Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out—move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city, spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cellphone just to listen to his voicemail. And Sam picks up the phone.
What would you do if you had a second chance at goodbye?
Filled with a diverse cast of characters, the heartache of first love and loss, and the kind of friends that can get you through anything, plus a touch of magic, You’ve Reached Sam will make an instant connection with anyone looking for a big emotional romance of a read.
Prairie Lotus is a powerful, touching, multilayered book about a girl determined to fit in and realize her dreams: getting an education, becoming a dressmaker in her father’s shop, and making at least one friend. Acclaimed, award-winning author Linda Sue Park has placed a young half-Asian girl, Hanna, in a small town in America’s heartland, in 1880. Hanna’s adjustment to her new surroundings, which primarily means negotiating the townspeople’s almost unanimous prejudice against Asians, is at the heart of the story. Narrated by Hanna, the novel has poignant moments yet sparkles with humor, introducing a captivating heroine whose wry, observant voice will resonate with readers.
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