Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters by Lesley M.M. Blume (264 pages)
This is a great book about true friendship. Cornelia S. Englehart is a smart girl who lives in the crowded streets of New York City. Life is hard for her growing up, as she has a very famous mom and dad. When new neighbors move in, she expects them to be the same as the rest, going through Cornelia just to know her famous mother. Instead, she finds herself face to face with one of the most amazing woman (or older woman) she has ever known. Read about this strange but perfect relationship between a girl and her neighbor in this wonderful book.
Review by Cindy P.
Megan’s Island is a great book about family and friends, and is full of mystery, adventure, and hope. Megan Collier and her little brother Sandy imagine a great summer full of swimming and days at the beach. Fun-filled days running around and having fun. But then suddenly, their mom tenses up and moves them to their grandfather’s house in the middle of the night. What they discover there is a secret so chilling yet intense that will have you reading the whole book non-stop until you figure out the mystery of their past. Are they really who they think they are?
Greg Heffling is determined to make this the best summer vacation ever! Well, his mom is at least. Greg makes trips to the town pool where he is mortified by seeing grown men in the showers. He and his best friend Rowley spend time at Rowley’s country club, ordering $83 worth of smoothies, which they later must find a way to pay back. The boys end up in an argument and stop speaking to one another for a month. Meanwhile, Greg’s family gets a new dog that makes Greg’s life miserable by sleeping in the middle of his bed, crawling under the covers when he’s wet, and barking constantly at the tv. Luckily, Greg’s older brother Rodrick doesn’t bother him too much during the summer, but without Rowley, Greg finds himself bored most of the time. When their mothers hatch a plan to get the boys talking to one another again by organizing a beach vacation, things do not go well. Discover all the fun Greg has during his “best summer ever” in Dog Days.
This novel, told in poetic form, gives the reader a glimpse into the life of a young girl, Rachel, whose mother has abandoned her family. The novel begins with the mother packing up her car and leaving for an unknown destination, and Rachel blaming herself and her father. What Rachel doesn’t understand is that her mother is ill with bipolar disorder, which means she has serious depression one minute and then major happiness the next. Rachel definitely struggles as she tries to cope with her mother’s abandonment - she stops doing her homework, hides her mom’s whereabouts from her best friend, and is angry with her father all the time. The simple poetry makes this tough subject matter an easier one to grasp and it is written with younger teens in mind.
Teens Omar and Becky have been best friends since early in their childhoods. They’re outcasts in their school and have been tortured by school bully, Kyle, for years. When a new student, Akhil, arrives and is different from any other student they’ve ever encountered, Becky and Omar befriend him. Akhil has strange scars up and down his arms, he refuses to sit in the chairs in the classroom, talks back to his teachers, and is the first boy to give Becky a flirtatious flutter. But, Kyle sees Akhil as fresh meat and his impending plan puts not only Akhil in danger, but everyone at the school that he has on his hit list. With an interesting approach to school violence by comparing it with a wolf pack, this novel will make the reader wonder about how far bullies will go and what students can do to stop them before it’s too late.
Another year in school, Vlad doesn’t know if he will survive it. His problems are just stacking, when Henry doesn’t want to be his drudge anymore, D’Ablo is seeking revenge on him, his relationship with Merideth, his uncle mysteriously disappears, and Eddie is still trying to prove he is a vampire. Vlad doesn’t know if he will survive the first week. This book is a wonderful over the weekend read.
Auden is spending her last summer before college in a lazy beach town with her father, his wife, and their new baby. She hasn’t spent much time with her father since the divorce, and staying with her super-intelligent mother is driving her crazy. She expects it to be a summer away where she can be alone and prepare for college, but things don’t always go according to the plan! Auden makes some friends while doing accounting at her stepmother’s clothing shop, she meets a mysterious loner boy who is an insomniac like she is, and she actually grows attached to her new stepsister. She also doesn’t expect to relive the feelings she had when her parents were constantly fighting and on the verge of separation. She learns some serious life lessons about enjoying the little things in life and not taking your family for granted.
