Review: So Over Sharing by Elissa Brent Weissman

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Willow and Hadley bond over shared frustration that their moms, both influencers on social media, seem to care more about their followers than what’s best for their children. They are constantly being asked to pose for the camera or capture what should be a private moment for an audience. There are perks, of course, in the way of sponsor-provided clothes and gadgets and income from the sharing platforms. But all the two really want to do is be anonymous middle-schoolers.

When they start sharing private notes about what really goes on behind the scenes, it’s just a matter of time before that info goes public. And if they thought life was difficult before then, that’s nothing compared to the problems that arise from the fallout. But it also might just make the change they seek possible.

So Over Sharing by Elissa Brent Weissman looks at the influencer culture as it affects children. Figuring out who you are as a pre-teen is difficult, but even more so when seemingly the whole world can see your struggles. Hadley and Willow want more than anything for their moms to see them as they are and not push them into fitting a brand.

The book brings up lots of good questions to consider and discuss, like should children be paid if their parents make money posting about them. And is it okay to make details of children’s lives public when they have not given their permission. Also, what age is someone deemed able to give permission. The topic flips the script on the assumption that all young people overshare and adults don’t spend as much time online.

I recommend So Over Sharing for readers aged 9 to 12.

The publisher provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Biology Lessons by Melissa Kantor

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Grace is chosen to tutor Jack, a star on their high school’s baseball team, in AP Biology. Over the weeks they become more and more attracted to each other until one day they have sex. Soon after, Jack breaks up with Grace to get back together with his old girlfriend. At the same time, Grace discovers she is pregnant.

Biology Lessons, a book by Melissa Kantor, shares the perspective of a teen who accidentally gets pregnant and then has to decide what she wants to do. Grace is sure her parents would she needs to give birth and raise the baby with their help. But she has always dreamed of leaving their small Texas town for New York City, and she’s set to take her first step on that path when she enters a prestigious college in the fall.

Together with her friend Addie she explores her options, ultimately deciding she wants to have an abortion. But that’s not possible in her home state. The two keep searching until they find a group willing to help with information and support to a get to a neighboring state for the procedure.

Biology Lessons looks at a difficult topic, teen pregnancy and abortion, through the lens of the current legal restrictions in Texas, although those same restrictions exist in many states. Grace goes through a gamut of emotions, particularly because her sister-in-law is pregnant at the same time. She wants to discuss what’s happening with her parents, but she feels they won’t listen to her perspective. In the end, she knows she has to do what’s right for her.

As with any book that addresses a difficult topic, readers can benefit by seeing how a fictional character handles the situation. Grace’s story, and the process she goes through to decide what she wants to do, is sure to help others facing an unwanted pregnancy. Also, it can help foster real world conversations between moms and daughters that may help them talk about potentially emotionally-charged situations like this.

Review: The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly

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It’s 1942, and everything is about to change for the Smith family on Martha’s Vineyard.  Brother Tom is off to war, leaving sisters Cadence and Briar to look after their farm and their grandmother. He also leaves behind Bess, an almost fiancée who loves him and her adopted family.

The island is also going through changes. There’s talk of German U-boats patrolling the waters, the FBI is keen on finding spies, and the army sets up a training base. It all forms an intriguing background for Martha Hall Kelly’s novel, The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club.

The story opens in the present day, when Mari arrives on the island, supposedly for a private lesson with Elizabeth, an artist in her 90s. Mari’s mother has recently died, and she suspects there was a shared connection between the women. From there, the story moves to the past, and the rich story mostly unfolds there.

Each of the characters deals with longing in some way. Cadence wants to find a life off the island in New York’s publishing industry. Bess wants to forge her own way in a family that accepts her for who she is, something her wealthy parents do not. Briar is a misfit who seeks connection on her own terms. In some ways, the island itself is another character in the story, which reveals the dynamic between wealthy summer residents and those who live there year round.

The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club, which carries its own book recommendations for people in the novel, is a great read for book clubs or anyone else interested in history and the way people deal with personal adversity as well as tough times.

The publisher provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Fantastic Flora by Ann McCallum Staats

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Most times we leave our homes, we encounter plants of some kind. Flowers, shrubs, and trees are present even in urban environments. But few of us think about how these plants grow and attract pollinators and reproduce in a continuous cycle.

And things that are prickly and smelly get even less of our attention, unless we’re figuring out how to avoid them. But some plants have adapted strange and fascinating ways of surviving that deserve more notice. Author Ann McCallum Staats highlights some of the strangest in her book, Fantastic Flora: The World’s Biggest, Baddest, and Smelliest Plants.

The book is broken down into four sections: The Big, The Bad, The Smelly, and The Exceptionally Strange. In each section, she provides fascinating facts about three different examples. For instance, the Bolivian water lily can grow up to 10 feet across, at the rate of 20 inches a day. And it floats on a stalk about 26 feet long, which Staats tells us is about as tall as four refrigerators stacked together

Then there’s skunk cabbage, which can heat its flowers up to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, even when it’s cold outside. That ability, plus its stinky smell, helps it attract flies to pollinate it.

Staats also includes facts about how seeds germinate and grow, plants used as medicine, and how color and scent attract pollinators, as well as other interesting tidbits about flora. It’s all informative in a fun way. Fantastic Flora is sure to be a hit with a budding naturalist drawn to nonfiction. I recommend it for ages 8-12.

The author provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Kaua’i Storm by Tori Eldridge

When Makalani returns to family’s home on the island of Kaua’i for her grandmother’s birthday, little does she know that she has a mystery to solve: two of her cousins are missing and no one seems concerned except her.

As a national park ranger in Oregon, she’s used to keeping the peace among a lot of factions, but none so fractious as her own large family. Everyone seems to be blaming someone else, while also hiding something they don’t want her or the authorities to know. Before a week is up, she will be dodging bullets by criminals as well as accusations about her own identity as Hawaiian. But she won’t stop until her cousins are safe back home.

Kaua’i Storm by Tori Eldridge, A Ranger Makalani Pahukula Mystery, takes you deep inside island life, the part that’s paradise as well as the part that challenges natives and others who have made it their home for generations to continue living there. Eldridge brings to the forefront issues that drive residents out of the communities of their heritage.

While I would have preferred a little less of the history lesson and a little more of the action, Kaua’i Storm provides both as well as a hint at more adventures to come.

The author provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Wolf Girl Into the Wild by Ahn Do

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An unknown threat forces Gwen and her family and everyone she knows to flee. Packing bare essentials, they set out in their car, and so does everyone else from their town. When the threat catches up to them, they set out on foot. Gwen’s parents tell her to run as fast as she can towards the woods without looking back. But when she finally tires, she realizes she’s all alone. Except, that is, for a puppy.

Soon a whole group of dogs, separated from their owners, has gathered into a pack, with Gwen as their leader helping them find food and shelter. She learns how to survive and hopes someone will come to find her. When years pass without her seeing another soul, she and her animal friends set off in search of answers.

Wolf Girl Into the Wild by Anh Do is an adventure tale for young readers that lets them consider what it takes to survive on your own. The book is the first in a series and ends on a cliffhanger. While I would have liked more info about the threat and why it took the community by surprise, as well as why Gwen waited so long to go looking for her family and other survivors, I imagine young readers aged 9 to 12 won’t have a problem with that.

The author provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Spelling It Out by Margaret Finnegan

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Ben Bellini gets the Spelling Bee bug when he becomes his school’s champ and advances to regionals. That’s where he finds out that people take the competitions seriously, and most contestants study for them. Ben’s friends don’t really get his newfound interest, which makes him unsure if he wants to pursue it. That is, until his grandmother invites him to spend the summer with her in San Francisco and train with a professional spelling coach.

But Ben finds that all is not as he expected when he arrives in the city. His grandma frequently forgets things, the spelling coach is kind of a bully, and he befriends a girl at the library who is also spending her summer studying spelling. As the summer goes on, he gains confidence by being in charge of getting himself around town and making sure he and his grandma have food to eat.

Yet when all his relationships start to spiral out of control, Ben will need to configure out what’s most important to him as well as how to ask for help when he needs it.

Spelling It Out by Margaret Finnegan is a tender coming-of-age story about a boy who isn’t sure of himself and his evolving relationships with his friends and family. Ben really likes spelling even though he thinks his friends see it as nerdy. He likes the freedom he has to come and go as he needs to in the city without his grandma, but he worries about the times she forgets he needs her to take him somewhere. He likes spending time at the library with Asha, but she’s working through friendship issues of her own.

Over the weeks Ben learns a lot about himself, which helps him figure out the right thing to do when a crisis occurs. There are lots of issues for moms and daughters to discuss in Spelling It Out. I recommend it for ages 9 to 12.

Also, if your inclined to learn more, check out info on the 100-year anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Plus, the author has some fun activities to check out on her website.

The author provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Review: When Stars Align by Melissa de la Cruz

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Miranda, Germaine, and Sicily met as teens on the set of a popular kids show. They basked in the attention they received, though their outward success and wild times captured by paparazzi hid the challenges they went through in their private lives. As they aged their troubles only grew.

Miranda struggled with alcohol, drugs, and superficial relationships. Germaine’s every movement and all of her money was controlled by her conservative parents. Sicily’s extended family pressured her to provide an upscale lifestyle for everyone until the pressure upended her life. One thing remained the same: their commitment as friends to each other.

Where Stars Align by Melissa de la Cruz tells the story of how these friends navigate personal and professional setbacks on the road to becoming the people they want to be. Fans of pop culture will recognize similarities between their situations and those of some real-life child stars. It also provides a look at how fame can shine a particularly harsh light on female performers, criticizing them for behaviors that male performers get a pass for, which should make for good discussion in a book club.

The author provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

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