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Archive for July, 2010

QuickReview: The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt

Jul-6-2010 By Keri
Book #76 of 2010
Title: The Things a Brother Knows
Author: Dana Reinhardt
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Pub Date: September 14, 2010
Grade: A
Comments:
When Boaz returns from three years at war, he’s not the same and his brother Levi is mad at him for it. Boaz locks himself in his room and spends his time using the internet and printing out maps. Levi spends his time working at the video store and hanging out with his friends Pearl and Zim, but his brother is constantly on his mind. When Bo announces that he is going to trek the Appalachian Trail, his parents are relieved, but Levi knows his brother has intentions that go way beyond exploring nature. He follows his brother and persuades him to take him along on his quest, even though Levi has no idea what the destination is.

This is another knockout book from Dana Reinhardt. Both brothers feel really authentic and Levi’s friends add some lightness to this heavy book. This is one of the best books of the year hands down.

Reviewed from ARC received from Random House at ALA Annual.

I am an Amazon Affiliate (in order to use their photos mostly, but the occasional gift card is nice). If you make a purchase after clicking on a photo, I will receive a small portion of the purchase price.

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QuickReview: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Jul-4-2010 By Keri
Book #75 of 2010
Title: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks
Author: E. Lockhart
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Pub Date: March 25, 2008
Grade: A
Comments: Frankie is starting her second year at boarding school, and over the summer, she developed into a very attractive girl. When she gets back to campus, people start to notice her, and she starts dating Matthew Livingston, a senior who is a big man on campus. When he keeps blowing her off to hang out with his boys, she follows him and discovers that he is the head of a campus secret society that’s been around since before her father attended the school. Frankie knows they will never let her in, since she’s a girl, but she comes up with a way to infiltrate the society and leave her mark on the campus – if only she could get the credit for some of the best pranks ever pulled off.

This is a re-read for me, since we read it for our Talk It Up book club. As I reread, I was cringing a bit that I should have used this book in the group for grades 10-12 rather than 7-9. The content wasn’t inappropriate, but the narration and concepts went way over the heads of some of our younger readers. Three of the girls who are going into 9th grade read it and loved it though, so I feel a bit vindicated. Just a great book all around.

I am an Amazon Affiliate (in order to use their photos mostly, but the occasional gift card is nice). If you make a purchase after clicking on a photo, I will receive a small portion of the purchase price.

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QuickReview: Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart

Jul-1-2010 By Keri
Book #74 of 2010
Title: Real Live Boyfriends
Author: E. Lockhart
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: December 28, 2010
Grade: B
Comments:
Ruby Oliver is back and her life is complicated as ever. She’s dating Noel now, which is great, except now Nora hates her again, and Noel has gone AWOL during a trip to New York. Then there’s Gideon who wants her to hang out, and her mother who is driving her crazy.

This is another cute addition to the Ruby Oliver series. I love the humor and the lists and the footnotes. This seems to be the last book in the series, and while I enjoyed the books, this seems to be a good place to end Ruby’s stories.

Reviewed from ARC received from Random House at ALA Annual

I am an Amazon Affiliate (in order to use their photos mostly, but the occasional gift card is nice). If you

make a purchase after clicking on a photo, I will receive a small portion of the purchase price.

Posted in: Books
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