After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick

I cried in Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie and dang it, Mr. Sonnenblick made me cry yet again and I had my nonwaterproof mascara on so I looked like I had black lines down my face.  This is part 2 of Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie where we get to see Jeff as an 8th grader.  We learn that cancer has truly affected his life in many ways and he still has effects from his treatments.  But cancer isn't the only problem, now he has to deal with 8th grade, statewide testing and a hot girl.  I laughed, I cried, I cheered.  I seriously read this book in about 2 days (which is good for me with a 2 year old).  It's another clean book that I think middle schoolers will appreciate. It's not G, but it's PG. 

Library Chick Rating...Totally an omelet...Ya gotta read it and Drums Girls and Dangerous Pie if you haven't yet!  Good stuff!

The Everafter by Amy Huntley

I actually got to read 2 books this weekend..TWO!  So, we got in The Everafter from library processing so I decided to check it out to see what it was all about.  The cover which has a picture of an orchid is very intriguing.  So the gist of the book is a girl who has passed on is trying to figure out where exactly she is and she finds objects that surround her "being".  These objects are lke clues to her past and help her figure out who she is, why she died and what she needs to do.  It's beautifully written.  The imagery the writer creates with her words are almost poetic.  However, because it is so ethereal (meaning spiritual and thinking about life beyond death) it sometimes could be difficult for an average middle schooler to grasp.  I did love this book but I think Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin was easier to "get".  The content was pretty PG and didn't push any limites.  If I had a student who was a strong reader and had the maturity and wanting to explore life aftter death, I would give it to them in a heartbeat (along with Elsewhere).

Library Chick Rating...Scrambled, Almost an Omelet

Little Blog on the Prarie by Cathleen Davitt Bell

Gen's family is taking a unique family summer vacation...they are going to a camp that will take them back to the 1890s and they will actually become pioneers.  Gen is NOT thrilled at all to leave the modern world behind.  In fact she secretly uses her cell phone and texts her friends all of the things that have happened and they turn it into a blog.  This blog becomes viral and now the public wanting to learn more about Gen and her prarie life.  This becomes a problem because in the 1890s, there is no texting or blogs. What's even worse is that she likes the cute boy in the camp and the daughter of the owners of the camp already seems to have her claws into him and is out to get Gen.

I read the book and it was different than most books but the characters weren't as developed as I would have liked.  I wish I knew more about some other characters.  It was predictable but it did make me laugh out loud on occassion.  I did like that it is a good chick lit for the tween girl. There' no language or sexual references which make it highly accessible for the middle school student.

Library Chick Ranking:  Fried egg almost scrambled!
Amazon.com

Invisible City by M.G. Harris

Indiana Jones Meets Alex Rider in M.G. Harris' fast paced novel.  Thirteen year old Josh's professor father is murdered while uncovering something secretive about the Ancient Mayans and Josh wants to find out why.  He goes to the last place in Mexico his father stayed and finds out that not only is his life in danger but he might find the key to unlock the mystery to the 2012 prophecy.

I normally don't read a lot of "guy" books but I didn't want to stop reading at night.  The characters are multi-dimensional.  It's action-packed, fast-paced and unpredictable.  It's also the first in a series and is highly appropriate for the middle school student (no sex, no language, mild violence).  I'm totally giving this one to my reluctant readers, especially the guys!

Library Chick Rating:  Scrambled
Amazon.com link

Devoured by Amanda Marrone

Devoured by Amanda Marrone puts a supernatural twist on the whole Snow White story. You don't even know it's linked until the end of the story (even though there is a hint at the beginning but the story drastically shifts that you forget). Megan can see dead people, well actually her twin sister who died when they were about 10 years old in a tragic car wreck. Her sister is trying to warn Megan about something but she doesn't know what. Enter in Luke...the cute boy who can also see ghosts. He tries to help Megan figure out what's freaking her sister out. Strange things start happening and people are ending up missing or dead. Is Megan in danger? Will Megan start a romance with Luke?

Because I love chick lit with a supernatural twist, I actually enjoyed this book even though the characters were flat and the storyline sort of predictable (there is a twist though that you might see coming).  I wouldn't put it on my list of must reads but if you are bored and want to escape, check it out.

Library Chick Rating:  Fried Eggs
*minor language and sexual situations (not graphic, just brief mentions)
Amazon.com link

I'm Baaaacccckkk!

It has be eons and eons since I have posted any chick picks.  I adopted a little girl from China last summer and my world was turned upside down, in a good way.  So, this summer, I've got my feet a little more grounded and I was able to read and review some books.  I am trying to be more vigilant as well as read a wide variety.  I am going to add genre tags to my postings and recommendations.  I also want to give ratings to what I'm reading. Since, I am a library chick, I would think an egg scale is appropriate...

The Egg Scale:
raw egg - Don't even crack the book open!
poached egg - It's okay, not the greatest
fried egg- Enjoyable but not memorable
scrambled egg - Liked it a lot it's a favorite but not "The Favorite", but would share with friends
omelet - it rocked my socks!  So good, couldn't put it down and want to read it again and tell the world

So, now I'm going to start with some reviews of what I read this summer