catching up

October 15, 2014 Emily 12 Comments

Hey guys! So first: my apologies for having not posted in so long. (Hey, I’m a busy person, alright?!) Here’s my excuse: I’m learning Latin this year and have to be able to draw the whole world and all of the countries by the end of the year (plus label the US and Canada.) What now?! Yep, yep. (“Suurrree, sweetie, home-schooling will be a breeze!” says mom.) Mmm-hmm… lol, but I kid, I kid, okay?! Seriously, it’s a blast. But I just haven’t been in the blogging “groove” lately. So I’m sorry about that.

Today I decided to talk a little about all the bookish happenings in my life lately, because, as a wise lady named Helen Exley once said, “Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled ‘This could change your life.'” Are you ready? The books I’ve gathered thus far this month…

So up on the top left is Princess Ever After by Rachel Hauck – I bought this one from B&N with a gift card I got from my birthday. (Seriously, my friends know me so well. What more could I want? I even used some of the gift card to buy a cup of coffee in the B&N!) I’ve got a few more chapters left, and I’m really excited to see how it ends. It went really slowly in the beginning, but we’ll just have to see!

Up on the top right is Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord, which I won in a giveaway over at Bookish Serendipity! (Thanks SO much, Samantha and Miss Lord!) I got it signed from Miss Cynthia Lord herself (which is AWESOME), and it was my first giveaway I won, which I was uber-excited about. Be sure to go and check out Samantha’s blog, and some of Cynthia Lord over at her website. I’ve never read any of her books, although I’ve wanted to read Rules, so I’m happy to have gotten that!

Down on the bottom left is The Secret Garden – it’s a required reading for my home-school curriculum. I read the Classical Starts version when I was younger so I’m familiar with it, but I’m glad I’m finally getting around to reading the full version.

Annnnd last on the bottom right is Powerful Writing by Richard Andersen. It was on sale at B&N, so my mom bought it for me. It’s got a lot of great tips! It’s more geared towards writing essays and letters and such, but I can still use those skills in writing fiction, too.

And just LOOK at all the notebooks and journals I’ve accumulated (whoa, big word, haha!) this past week:

And now you know my weakness. Well, that and chocolate.

That’s it for now! Hopefully, I’ll be able to begin posting more often, and I’ve been invited to participate in a couple of tags, so I’ll definitely be posting those soon! So long for now! 😉

reviews

destiny rewritten by kathryn fitzmaurice

October 1, 2014 Emily 6 Comments

Destiny Rewritten has been on my TBR since 2013. Seriously. My mom surprised me with it one day last year and it ended up being a DNF – as in, “Did Not Finish.” I finally finished it last week, though, and loved it!

Title: Destiny, Rewritten

Author: Kathryn Fitzmaurice

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, ages 9-12 (according to Kirkus Reviews)

Length: 335 pages

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (February 19th, 2013)

Source: bought!

Blurb: Eleven-year-old Emily Elizabeth Davis has been told for her entire life that her destiny is to become a poet, just like her famous namesake, Emily Dickinson. But Emily doesn’t even really like poetry, and she has a secret career ambition that she suspects her English-professor mother will frown on. Then, just after discovering that it contains an important family secret, she loses the special volume of Emily Dickinson’s poetry that was given to her at birth. As Emily and her friends search for the lost book in used bookstores and thrift shops all across town, Emily’s understanding of destiny begins to unravel and then rewrite itself in a marvelous new way.

Where to begin with this book? Okay, so first thing’s first. The characters. They came a long way. And, by the end of the book, I felt like I had come a long way, too. It was a short read, and yet I felt like the character development was very well written – which is rare for such a short book. I was really surprised by the end of the book how subtly the characters had changed, yet how much they had, indeed, changed, overtime. That’s a fantastic quality in a book, and I loved it!

Another thing that’s really awesome about this MG read – I feel like anyone can relate to the MC, Emily. (Well, I definitely can! Ha… ha…)

She’s grown up expected to be a poet one day, her destiny written in a first edition book of Emily Dickinson poems. The thing is, Emily even doesn’t want to be a poet. She doesn’t even understand poetry – and she definitely isn’t good at writing it. I think many people, of all ages, can understand where eleven-year-old-Emily is coming from. At some point in their lives, a person is going to face not being able to live up to other people’s expectations of themselves – whether you’re 11, or 20, or 30, or 72.

One thing I didn’t like in this book was that sometimes the writing could be very vague… I stumbled over this passage while I was reading it because I didn’t understand who “them” was. Check this out:

“Are you sure?” I said. You won’t get your attendance award this year if you do.” I imagined them ripping it in half and throwing it in the trash as we spoke.

– Chapter Fourteen of Destiny Rewritten, page 96

What do you all think? Is that being too picky of me? It’s up to you, but when I first read that I was slightly confused since there had been no mention of “them,” though it’s understood it’s of teachers or principals since the girl is missing school.

Now, the ending. It’s the sort you see coming from the very beginning, but you smile and tear up anyway. I was very happy with the way things ended, and even though I knew what was going to happen, in the end, I didn’t mind it so much because, as I said before, the book’s characters changed so much, and went through so much, they deserved a happy ending.

Overall, I really liked this book. There were some flaws, but it was a good book – for a total of three stars.

What do you think of the book? Am I being too persnickety about that part of the book? Would you like to read it?

miscellaneous 'bookish' things

ISFJ

September 29, 2014 Emily 2 Comments

Hey guys! So the other day, one of my favorite bloggers, Cait at the Notebook Sisters, blogged about her Meyer-Briggs personality type and fictional characters who have the same type as herself. Not too long ago, my family all took the personality quiz and it’s almost scary how accurate it is! I always find it interesting – and, hey, what can I say? I’m human. I like learning about/talking about/other people talking about myself. I also like finding kindred spirits like myself in people: fictional people, especially.

So I thought it would be interesting to look up fictional characters who have the same personality as me, just like Cait did – and boy, did I relate! (To some of them…!) I’m an ISFJ, and evidently, so are these fictional characters.

ISFJs are loyal, orderly and sensitive. They can be very shy around people they don’t know, but are the sort of person who will always remember your birthday, and are never accidentally offensive.

#1: Marlin from Finding Nemo.
Whaaaat? Pffft. No way. um, actually, yes way. I can totally see myself being a Marlin. And I even have my Dory and Nemo. (Not naming anyone, but… Sydney. Anna. Olivia.) They keep me on my toes, okay??

#2: Elinor Dashwood from Sense & Sensibility.
Yep, yep. Mmmm-hmm. I have sense, thank you very much – just like Elinor. Plus, I take good care of my lil’ sis, if I do say so myself… when I’m not teasing her.

Don’t deny it, El! We all tease our siblings at some point.

#3: Meg March from Little Women.
Another older sister! OLDER SISTERS UNITE! While I rather sometimes wish I were as daring as next-to-oldest sister, Jo from Little Women, I can definitely relate with Meg. She’s caring and devoted to her family, and, hey, she has smarts and patience – enough to teach the snobby King children all for the sake of her family.

#4: Cinderella from Disney’s Version.
Hmm… I can’t say I anticipated this one. Tell me, why would I put up with those awful stepsisters and that dreadful stepmother, waiting for my prince?! I’d have moved out and made enough bang-bang to own my own bookstore – I’d be so rich princes would come after me. No way. Nuh-uh.

#5: Slinky Dog from Toy Story.
Ahhh, Slinky Dog. I like him alright. He’s loyal to Woody, likes to play checkers (and if you notice, in the Toy Story movies, he picks the red checkers! JUST LIKE ME!), and sometimes, he needs to be stretched. HA! Hahaha. See what I did there?

#6: Winnie the Pooh from… Winnie the Pooh!
Deep in the hundred acre woods… where Christopher Robin plays… I really love Winnie the Pooh. I didn’t expect Pooh to be on the list, either, but not in a bad way. I’m proud to be a Winnie the Emily! He’s kind and friendly to everyone he meets, and he’s always optimistic. He also looovveeess his honey, and I loooovveee my chocolate.

Those are the characters I recognized in most of the lists I found via Google! (Disney cartoon characters and characters from some of my favorite classic novels were the only ones I really recognized! See a pattern, anyone?) To take the quiz yourself, go here. What personality type are you?

miscellaneous 'bookish' things

frozen hearts by topaz winters // cover reveal!

September 25, 2014 Emily 6 Comments

Hey guys! SUPER exciting post today.

‘Cause guess what?! Future author Topaz Winters asked me to participate in the cover reveal for her upcoming novel, Frozen Hearts. I’ve known Topaz for a while via the internet; I first met her on a Taylor Swift fan forum. (Strange world, right?! so of course I had to include a Taylor Swift GIF! What am I talking about, I include TS GIF’s in all of my posts.) She began posting the chapters in Frozen Hearts one by one on the fan forum before she had plans to publish it, so – lucky me! – I got to read the first thirteen chapters before she decided to self-publish!

I remember it fairly well, and can I just say – it was stinkin’ awesome. SO I was super-duper excited when Topaz emailed me and asked me to participate in the cover reveal for the up-and-coming novel available on amazon.com in 2014, Frozen Hearts. Check out this incredible synopsis:

“Rose, don’t try to tell me what’s real or not real. I live and breathe impossibilities.”

Rosalyn Lawrence is not the type of girl who strays from the norm. She’s not the type of girl who goes on whirlwind adventures or travels across the world and beyond or fights fire-breathing dragons to the death. After all, fairytales exist only in books, and Rosalyn is happy to keep it that way.

But when her beloved little brother Benjamin disappears, Rosalyn’s entire world comes crashing down. Then a boy with a wand climbs through her window and she learns that the grieving queen of a shockingly desolate enchanted land has abducted Benjamin. If she chooses to be sucked into the magic of this land, its power – and the power of an enemy she isn’t quite sure even exists – could destroy her.

A world of frozen fantasy is waiting for Rosalyn – and if she will succeed in bringing Benjamin home, she must learn how to trust herself, use her wits, and perhaps discover an inner magic she never knew she had.

I was even more captivated by the excerpt – Click here to read it! Isn’t it awesome?! I need the book NOOOWW. Now, I tell you, now!

One aspect I absolutely love, however, is that Topaz is only 14.

Yes, you read that right. Fourteen. I think that’s pretty amazing, don’t you?

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://forthebookish.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/emily-150×150.png[/author_image] [author_info]TOPAZ WINTERS is a songbird, word hoarder, and cheesecake connoisseur. Sometimes she composes music. Other times she writes books. If she knows you, she’s probably written about you. Topaz’s debut novel, Frozen Hearts, drops this year, and her first album in 2015. She enjoys strong coffee, ugly cats, and the taste of words. Topaz rambles about writing, music, and the meaning of life over at her website. [/author_info] [/author]

And now…

The most exciting thing about this post…

The cover!

It’s gorgeous, is it not?!

Be sure to head on over to Topaz’s website for more info on Frozen Hearts!

So long for now, lovelies!

miscellaneous 'bookish' things

when do you find time to read?

September 22, 2014 Emily 2 Comments

I read in my bedroom. At night. In the morning. In the afternoon. In that in between time everyone forgets about. I read at the grocery store, my hand on the shopping cart while my mom shops. I read in the car (to the point I’m so nauseous it can’t even be described in words). I read at dinner. I read at parties. I read at my friends’ houses under the covers when they’re sleeping. Basically: I read whenever I have a book nearby.

Unfortunately, lately I’ve been very lazy about reading books. I’m home-schooled for crying out loud, I should have so much time on my hands I don’t even know what to do with it all. But with my free time lately I’ve been watching YouTube videos, watching TV, eating the huge container of animal crackers I got for my birthday (seriously! I’m addicted), practicing my flute (OKAY, I digress. I’ve been pretending like I’m the perfect-most-intelligent-flute-player-who-literally-practices-in-their-sleep-flutist when, in reality, I didn’t even practice today. Or Saturday. And totally winged my testing on Friday and still passed. In my sister’s words, ‘Woot woot!’)

I know. HOW CAN I CALL MYSELF BOOKISH? I’m so vain, I put FOOD before books!

In all reality though, food always comes before books. Always.

Typically, I do read at nighttime before I go to sleep, and when I’m not talking one of my parent’s ears off in the car or elsewhere, I try to read, be it leisurely reading or school books (which do not count, in this case!) When I’m oh-so-very addicted to a book (such as The Selection by Keira Cass (!!!)), I read it allll. day. long. I’ll take it to dinner with me or in the car or (oh heavens, forgive me), church! Some books don’t get near as much of time (take the book I’m reading now, for instance – Destiny Rewritten by Katherine Fitzmaurice), and thus it takes me a long time to read – even though they’re super short books!

What about you? When do you find time to read?

blog segments

top ten tuesday # 8

September 16, 2014 Emily 4 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is an original book meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s TTT is ‘Top Authors I’ve Only Read One Book From but NEED to Read More of.’ I was really eager to post this one because there are so many authors I’d love to read more of.

#1: Morgan Matson.
I read Morgan’s Second Chance Summer and LOVED it. Surprisingly enough, it was originally a DNF on my Kindle, and eventually I picked it back up when I ran out of any other books to read! I really need to look into reading more of her books!

#2: Katherine Reay
Okay, so maybe this one doesn’t count, because she only has one books out at the moment (Dear Mr. Knightley, which I plan to read again because I read it about a year ago now), but her next book, Lizzy & Jane, comes out October 28th and it sounds like it’s right up my alley! I’m going to pre-order it soon!

#3: P.L. Travers
I read the book, Mary Poppins, but it turns out there are three more in a series of Mary Poppins books! I definitely need to get those soon.

#4: Gail Carson Levine
I first read Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted when I was eight or nine and loved it! In fact, I couldn’t even begin to tell you how many more times I’ve read. Just look at my copy’s poor spine! I really ought to read more of her awesome fairy tales.

#5: Cynthia Kadohata
I read Kira-Kira sometime last year and cried like a baby! (I don’t see how anyone can’t cry, at least a little, when they read this book!) Though I did love the book. (You can see my copy next to Ella Enchanted in the picture above!) I really, really want to read Cynthia’s other book, Weedflower, next.

#6: C.S. Lewis
Some of you may remember my ~~complaining~~*ahem* civilized protest about having to read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as part of my required reading for my home-school curriculum. I read it this summer with my sister and really actually enjoyed it. I’m supposed to read The Magician’s Nephew, which is sort of a prequel to The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, next, so I’m excited to read more C.S. Lewis!

I think the White Witch is the most mysterious of them all — how did she get into Narnia in the first place? I think I’m going to find out in The Magician’s Nephew!

#7: Stephanie Morrill
I read Stephanie’s The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet a while back and loved it! I may even read it again so I can post a review here sometime soon. I have the second book in the series, The Unlikely Debut of Ellie Sweet on my Kindle, I just haven’t gotten around to finishing it – so the next book is most definitely on my “mental” TBF (To Be Finished!) List!

#8: Katherine Erskine
I picked up Mockingbird three years ago for a reading bowl I was apart of – my goodness, it was… indescribable. Let’s just say I smiled through my tears! I’ve been wanting to read The Absolute Value of Mike, also my Katherine, for a while now, so I hope my library has it!

#8: Deanne Gist
My mom lent me her copy of Deanne’s Maid to Match last month and I finished it in two days! Looking at Deanne’s other books now, I think I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for more of her books.

#9: Meg Cabot
I borrowed the book The Princess Diaries from my school library last year, and it was… a lot different from the movie. I really loved it, though, and hope I can find more books by Meg!

#10: Lois Lowry
Alright, so I’ve read two books by Lois Lowry – The Giver and Number the Stars (which so happens to be another required reading this year!) and I loved, loved, LOVED both of them. I think I’m going to check out all the Lois Lowry books from my library! Plus I have The Giver series quartet waiting for me on my bookshelves!

Well, that’s all ten! What about you? Are there any authors you’d like to read more books from?

miscellaneous 'bookish' things

happy birthday to me! // updates & more

September 12, 2014 Emily 8 Comments

Well, it’s official: no longer is a child writing this blog. ‘Cause guess what?! I’M A TEENAGER!

Yesterday was my thirteenth birthday (and the thirteenth anniversary of 9/11) and all day long I kept thinking, “OMG I’M A TEENAGER NOW!” I’ve always felt older than I actually am (don’t think of me as the kind of kid who purposefully tries to act like they’re older than they are), but I’m officially a teenager now. You’re only a teen for seven years, after all, and I’ll only be a “kid” for six more, so I’m determined to make the best of it, that’s why I asked for a great party Soft Play Design and Installation included so I can play with all my friends.

Lucky for me *sarcasm, ha!* my birthday landed on a Thursday this year, which is the day out of the week my mom, my sister, and I head to our home-school “co-op” from 9 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon – which I should not be complaining about, because just in May I was in public school from 9 in the morning to 4, sometimes 5:30 at night! Look at me, already spoiled by the very relaxing home-school schedule! 😉

So yesterday I brought cupcakes to my fellow home-schoolers and then last night my family and I headed to the heaven that is the restaurant Longhorn (my favorite restaurant!), and then to (guess!) Barnes & Noble.

emily — There I am! LOOK AT ALL THE BOOKS!

I got a book I’ve been meaning to read for ages – you may have heard of it? 😉 – Code Name Verity. It’s a historical fiction that I’ve heard SO many awesome things about (including one from a good friend of mine), and JUST READ THE BLURB:

Oct. 11th, 1943-A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. Arrested by the Gestapo, “Verity” is given a choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution. They’ll get the truth out of her. Only, it won’t be what they expect.

How AWESOME does that sound?! I haven’t even begun it yet, but I’m uber-excited to.

I’m going to sign off here, so I can go stress-fully try to organize my book shelf, because it’s been bugging me. (THERE SIMPLY ISN’T ENOUGH ROOM!). Logging on to Spotify now so I can crack up the music and turn my room upside down with all the darn BOOKS I OWN! I KID, okay?! Really! ;P

miscellaneous 'bookish' things

best fictional father/daughter duos

September 8, 2014 Emily 7 Comments

Saturday night, my dad and I attended our fourth annual father/daughter ball, and it was a blast. Dinner, a great speaker, dessert (the best part of the night! … I kid, I kid!), dancing, and games (we won one ‘How well do you know your father/daughter’ game and a raffle prize!). I had a great time. As I was spending an amazing night with my amazing dad, I started thinking about my favorite fictional father/daughter duos and decided to share them with you all!

Jane Austen’s Mr. Bennet is by far my favorite fictional father. He’s so understanding and patient (he has to be to be married to Mrs. Bennet!) and his relationships with his daughters are unique. I love Donald Sutherland in the 2005 P&P movie.

Robert Quimby – otherwise known as Beezus, Ramona, and Roberta’s pretty awesome dad. (Is it just me or does Mr. Quimby’s facial expression look like Mr. Bennet’s in the pictures I chose?) Robert Quimby has a great sense of humor and despite having lost his job, he stays positive for his girls. I love that about him.

Best thing about P.L. Travers’ Mr. Banks from Mary Poppins? He’s really not fictional. If you’ve never read the book ‘Mary Poppins,’ GO GET IT. The movie does not do it justice, though I do love Julie Andrews. Then watch the best movie ever made, Saving Mr. Banks and WATCH IT. I was bawling like a baby at the end, by oh goodness, it was incredible.

The Long Way Home, the second book in the Family Tree series by Ann M. Martin, is my favorite of the three-book series (soon to be a fourth!) because I love Dana’s father, Zander. Though he makes mistakes, he loves his girls and his family and Dana clearly adores him. Zander Barnes reminded me bit of Mr. Banks, and there’s tear stains on my copy of this book, too.

These four fathers each remind me a bit of my own dad, and I cried with them and laughed with them and loved them! I really recommend you to go read all of the books they’re in; the books are fabulous, and I promise you’ll fall in love with the dads just as much as I did!

Who are your favorite fictional fathers? Why do you like them?

blog segments

stacking the shelves #8

August 31, 2014 Emily 6 Comments

Hello, everybody! First of all, I apologize for the lack of activity on For the Bookish lately. Second of all… are you ready for HUGE Stacking the Shelves?? (I’m not! I can hardly keep up with all the books I’ve wanted/been reading recently!!) Stacking the Shelves in a book meme hosted byTynga’s Reviews. It’s all about sharing the books you’ve read/gotten this week, virtual or physical.

Well, there’s my stack! It’s so big… I don’t even know how many books there are. I guess I should begin this (inevitably!) long post…

At the top is Ten Good and Bad Things About my Life by Ann M. Martin. I got it soon after reading Ann M. Martin’s Ten Rules for Living With my Sister, which I loved! I got it several weeks ago, but I got sidetracked by a few required reads for my home school curriculum… well, that and I had about four books I was reading at the same time… but never fear! I’m back on track and look forward to finishing that one very soon!

Below is The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne, which I am super excited to read. I got it at a book sale at a festival in North Carolina last week when my family went there for a mini vacation. Beneath that is a book I finished this morning! A Maid to Match by Deanne Gist was… awesome! My mom actually lent this one to me, and she got it from the Biltmore in North Carolina back when we went in February 2013. The book is set at the Biltmore back when George and Edith Vanderbilt owned the enormous estate and I loved it!!! (By the way, if you’ve never heard of Biltmore, go Google it!!)

Next is The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer, which I found amongst some other books at the library! Also from the library I got Counting by 7’s by Holly Goldberg Sloan, which I’ve been dying to read and The Boy on the Front Porch by Sharon Creech (which looks short but I’m eager to read it because it also seems incredibly sweet!). Ten Rules for Living With my Sister (which I read a while ago… it’s probably overdue at the library!), was super good (check out my review!). I also got Wendy Mass’ version of Rapunzel, which I started but haven’t finished.

Behind the Attic Wall by Sylvia Cassedy had such an amazing blurb I was already hooked just by reading it! Leap Day, by Wendy Mass, is another book I’ve been wanting to read for… well, about three years! That was when I really went into a Wendy Mass kick, you could say, so I’m anxious to begin this one! The third to the last one, Carry on, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham is a required reading for home school that I’m doing and it’s dragging on really slow at the moment. I’ve got to read it by this Thursday, though, so I’ll let you know my thoughts soon enough!

The last two, The Doll People and The Meanest Doll in the World,by Ann M. Martin, are so cute! I read The Doll People about a month ago, and then I read to my little sister who was hooked! She got to The Meanest Doll in the World before me and spoiled it! 😀 But I’m glad I hooked her. The first one was very well written, I loved it!

Well, that’s it! I’m going to be verrry busy! What books have you gotten/ read recently? Let me know in the comments below!

reviews

ten rules for living with my sister by ann m. martin

August 13, 2014 Emily 10 Comments

Title: Ten Rules for Living With my Sister

Author: Ann M. Martin

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, ages 9-12 (according to Kirkus Reviews)

Length: 256 pages

Publisher: Square Fish; Reprint edition (September 4, 2012)

Source: borrowed from library

Blurb: Pearl’s older sister, Lexie, is in eighth grade and has a boyfriend. Pearl’s only boyfriend is the family’s crabby cat, Bitey. Lexie is popular. Pearl is not, mostly because of the embarrassing Three Bad Things that happened in school and which no one has forgotten. Everything Pearl does seems to drive Lexie crazy. On top of that, their grandfather is moving into their family’s apartment and taking over Pearl’s room. How will these sisters share without driving each other crazy? Pearl is good at making lists of rules, but sometimes, life doesn’t play by the rules!

Wow, this was such a cute, sweet book! It made me laugh and I really sympathized with Pearl, the Main Character. Life is tough for Pearl – as a fourth grader, with a 1st-grade best friend, and three enemies (‘Jill-Rachel-Katie’), plus an annoying older sister to boot. I’ve wanted to read to read it for a while now, but my bookstore only carried the hardback copy, which I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on. When my library got it, I checked it out right away – oohhhh my goodness, the pages smelled awesome. (That was… well… anyway!)

More than the pages, though (lol!), this book will be a favorite of mine for a while now because it reminded me a lot of my sister and I. Of course, I’m an older sister, so it’s bit different, but it was cool looking through the younger sister’s point of view. They… see things differently, I guess. (Sigh.)But it did make me bust out laughing a lot – Pearl’s imagination reminded me a little of Ramona, or Clementine. It was very relatable, to me.

The characters all changed a bit, in some way or another, by the end of the book. Pearl’s sister, Lexie, became a little less snobby, Pearl learned how to handle and be kinder to her sister, and even Pearl and Lexie’s grandfather, Daddy Bo, comes to peace with moving into a retirement home.

Now, I know I’m biased here, but I totally reject the whole “snobby, mean older sister” stereotype. I was appalled in the beginning of the book – whaaat? C’mon, Pearl, your older sister just needs her space. Take a hint! Besides, I’m not like that. (Riiigghhhtt, Anna??)

So this was an awesome book – I loved it! I give it four stars =)

Go and read it – and tell me what you think about it! 🙂