Poems and Poets

Publication Date: September 26, 2017 Genre: Middle Grade My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Source: Publisher (Through Edelweiss) Christa loves Christmas. The holiday season is her favorite season of all time- it's just so perfect! Unfortunately, this year, the holidays are stained by her parents separation. She can't imagine spending the vacations without her father, even when her mom tells her she'll be joining her on a trip across Europe for the winter. A cautious, play-it-safe kind of girl, Christa isn't really looking forward to the crowds and new foods. When she gets to her hotel though, there's a package from her father awaiting her. The first of 12, the letter dares to her complete a task she normally wouldn't. As Christa works to finish the dares and make new friends within her mom's acting troop, her father shapes her into a more confident girl, from halfway across the world!

Publication Date: February 28th 2017 Genre: Middle Grade/ Young Adult My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Source: Own Copy Alex Petroski is an 11-year-old, space obsessed boy. He also happens to love his mother, his older brother and his dog- named after his hero, Carl Sagan. Alex dreams of launching recordings into space the way Carl Sagan (the hero) launched his golden record on the Voyager. Along with Carl Sagan ( the dog), Alex travels from Colorado to Nevada and from New Mexico to California. What Alex discovers are secrets about his family and a new family that he never imagined existed. When he gets home however, he meets a version of his known family he has never been able to embrace.

Publication Date: August 8th 2011 Genre: Middle-Grade, Science Fiction My Goodreads Rating: 3/5 Source:  Own Copy Miranda is a pre-teen living in New York City with her eccentric mum. Her best friend lives only a few apartments away from her, and her mom is auditioning for a reality TV show. Her life begins to unravel, when Sal (her best friend) gets hit by a street-side bully for no reason. Then her mom's spare key is stolen, and a rather mysterious note arrives. The note claims that the writer is coming to save the life of one of Miranda's friends. It asks Miranda to write a letter to the anonymous sender of the notes. The notes keep coming, and Miranda realises that the writer seems to be able to predict-accurately predict-the future. Each message leads her to believe that she can prevent a disaster. The last note however, makes her think she's too late to avert a tragic death.

Genre: Middle-Grade Publication Date: Aug 18th 2015 My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Source: Library Copy Suzy is convinced that her best friend, the incredible swimmer, couldn't have drowned to death. She does some research and realizes that Suzy might have been stung by a rare jellyfish. She stops talking, communicating only with herself and her research, and goes through her first year in middle school as a child determined to prove the police wrong. Her shock and grief resonate with the reader through every page, her sheer determination sets her apart from all other grieving characters and her belief in her friend's abilities strikes the audience. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome on page, Suzy Swanson!

Publication Date: January 1st 2014 Genre: Memoir (both middle-grade and YA) My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Source:  Own Copy Maya Van Wagenen used to be a shy, antisocial, awkward girl who attended a public school at Brownsville, Texas ( shares a border with Mexico). That all changed, however, when Maya found an old '50s book teaching girls how to be more popular. Maya signed herself up for a social experiment, following contemporary teen model Betty Cornel's advice for the entire school year, and documenting it as a memoir. This true story brought my attention to the entire genre of memoirs and opened my eyes to the world of young-adult non-fiction.

Publication Date: January 1st 2013 Genre: Middle-Grade My Goodreads Rating: 3/5 Source: Borrowed Hey everyone! Late last year, I read "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein as a pick-me-up book. I needed something quick and refreshing, interesting and humorous, just to remind myself what got me into reading in the first place. So today, I'll be reviewing this Middle-Grade book.