If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period

This middle grades book has been on my want to read list for awhile, so I’m glad i finally found the time to read it!  This middle grade novel is all about changing friendships and finding your place to belong, which are both very important to tweens and teens.

Kirsten cannot wait for seventh grade to start, if only to get away from her parents constant fighting and her mother’s concerns over her weight gain.  But she’s not prepared for her best friend to leave her for the popular crowd, leaving Kirsten feel like she doesn’t fit anywhere.  Walk is nervous for his first day of school, especially since he’s one of the few Black kids at his new private school.  He feels confident academically, but socially he feels like he’s a little out of his element.  He’s surprised that popular Brianna can get away with anything while people look at him with suspicion.  When an extra credit assignment brings Walk and Kirsten together, they find that maybe having a few nice, loyal friends is all you need to survive middle school.

This book pulled at my teacher heart-strings because I see many kids come into middle school trying to navigate the social minefields.  What happens when your friends outgrow you?  What happens when you’re the new kid?  How do you know who to befriend and trust?  What happens when your parents start fighting all the time?  Emotions in middle schoolers run high (remember, hormones), but they cannot be dismissed as trivial.  This story highlights the trials of middle school and all the mixed emotions that go along with it.  I was pleasantly surprised at this quick read.

All is Fair

This WWI YA spy novel was a pleasant surprise!  Most of the historical war stories seem to be about WWII, which is fine, but I’ve found myself burned out by the overexposure. But with this book revolving around WWI, it reminded me of early Downton Abbey.

Lady Thomasina—Mina—is called back home by her father to help with the war effort.  Her family estate, one of the only large estates that have not been turned into a convalescence home, seems empty with her mother away caring for family, her father’s secretive job in London, her brother Crispin missing in action, and her sister Margaret’s nervous temperament.  But Mina never expected “helping” would involve her hosting a play for the local airmen, stumbling upon a spy in the household, and a secretive American soldier named Lucas.  When secret plans start to go wrong, Mina must prove that she isn’t just a spoiled rich girl…she’s a girl with spunk and many hidden strengths.

I liked that this book had a strong female lead.  Mina is a very well-developed character that you can identify with, especially her need to be of use when everyone sees her as a silly girl. I also liked how it showed the old ways of life for England’s rich versus the changing landscape because of war.  Like I said previously, the forced decorum and social structure that is then challenged by the war reminds me of Downton Abbey, so maybe that helped color my perspective of this novel.  It’s very YA appropriate, especially for people who like spies and intrigues.  I found it to be a very well-done novel!

**Thank you Net Galley for this free read in exchange for an honest review.**

The Everlasting Rose

I read The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton earlier this year because she was coming to ReadUp Greenville (the local YA author’s conference).  The book definitely took some getting used to since it’s fantasy world takes a little getting used to (read the review here).  However, as the story goes along, you do get sucked into Camille’s tale.

The Everlasting Rose continues the story where the last story left off.  On the run and hiding from beauty-obsessed Princess Sophia, Camille and her friends must find a way to try and stop Sophia’s reign of terror.  Camille is determined to find all her Belle sisters (girls who grew up with special talents—arcana—to change people looks and personalities) before they are abused by Sophia, who wants to control all beauty changes in the country.  But Camille cannot do it alone and reluctantly accepts help from the Spiders, an underground web of women who reject beauty treatments and want to purge the empire of it’s beauty obsession.

I think I liked this one more than the first only because it had more espionage and spying with the first book focusing more on setting up the fantasy world and it’s infatuation with beauty.  Camille, her sisters Amber and Edel, and her guard Remy are all wanted criminals, so their plotting and scheming to get away from Princess Sophia—who has eyes and ears everywhere—was interesting to see.  The one part that was a little bit of a let down was the ending.  It seemed rushed and hasty.  I still had many unanswered questions, but it feels like it could be the end of the series…maybe?

Overall, it was an enjoyable YA fantasy read.

**Thank you Net Galley for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.**