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