One Old, One New: Middle Grades Edition

One Old, One New features two books - one old, one new, which are connected in some way. Today, I am sharing two middle grades books. They explore different issues, but both are wonderful additions to a middle grades reading list. 

Five Star Friday: September 2020

On the first Friday of each month, I will share my five-star reads from the previous month. Fingers crossed, I have lots of books to tell you about.

People! September was another fantastic reading month! It ended a bit shaky, but I am still ecstatic about how it went in general. I read 38 books, 9 of which earned 5-stars. Not too shabby! 

#AmReading YA

One Old, One New: The Unlikely Romance Edition

One Old, One New features two books - one old, one new, which are connected in some way. Today, I am sharing two books that feature unlikely romances. One, between a have and a have-not, the other between a base ball player and a base ball hating Francophile.

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Blog Tour: Bright Burning Stars by A.K. Small

Bright Burning Stars
A.K. Small
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Best friends Marine Duval and Kate Sanders have trained at the Paris Opera Ballet School since childhood, where they’ve formed an inseparable bond forged by respective family tragedies and a fierce love for dance. When the body of a student is found in the dorms just before the start of their final year, Marine and Kate begin to ask themselves what they would do to win the ultimate prize: to be the one girl selected to join the Opera’s prestigious corps de ballet. Would they die? Cheat? Seduce the most talented boy in the school, dubbed the Demigod, hoping his magic would make them shine, too? Neither girl is sure.

But then Kate gets closer to the Demigod, even as Marine has begun to capture his heart. And as selection day draws near, the competition—for the prize, for the Demigod—becomes fiercer, and Marine and Kate realize they have everything to lose, including each other.

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Blog Tour: In the Neighborhood of True - Susan Kaplan Carlton

In the Neighborhood of True
Susan Kaplan Carlton
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

A powerful story of love, identity, and the price of fitting in or speaking out.

After her father’s death, Ruth Robb and her family transplant themselves in the summer of 1958 from New York City to Atlanta—the land of debutantes, sweet tea, and the Ku Klux Klan. In her new hometown, Ruth quickly figures out she can be Jewish or she can be popular, but she can’t be both. Eager to fit in with the blond girls in the “pastel posse,” Ruth decides to hide her religion. Before she knows it, she is falling for the handsome and charming Davis and sipping Cokes with him and his friends at the all-white, all-Christian Club.

Does it matter that Ruth’s mother makes her attend services at the local synagogue every week? Not as long as nobody outside her family knows the truth. At temple Ruth meets Max, who is serious and intense about the fight for social justice, and now she is caught between two worlds, two religions, and two boys. But when a violent hate crime brings the different parts of Ruth’s life into sharp conflict, she will have to choose between all she’s come to love about her new life and standing up for what she believes.

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Blog Tour: Be True to Me - Adele Griffin

Be True to Me
Adele Griffin
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Historical
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

It's the summer of 1976 on Fire Island, where feathered hair and the Bicentennial celebration reign. Jean, a sometimes cruel, often insecure, and always envious rich girl, is accustomed to living in her glamorous older sister’s shadow. So when Gil Burke, a handsome newcomer with uncertain ties to one of the most powerful families in the exclusive enclave of Sunken Haven, notices Jean—not her sister—Jean is smitten. Then Fritz, a girl from outside the gilded gates who humiliated Jean in the Island’s tennis championship last year, falls for Gil herself. Soon the girls are competing for much more than a tennis trophy, with higher stakes than either of them can imagine.

Told through the alternating perspectives of Jean and Fritz, as they experience feeling like an outsider and first love.

REVIEW

Jean is determine to make this summer one of her best. She returns to Sunken Haven with a plan to win the heart of Gil, an island newcomer, and to reinvent herself. However, her plans are stymied, when Gil falls for Fritz, an island outsider. The tug of war over Gil fuels the rivalry, which meets a tragic ending.

This story takes place during the summer of 1976. I was only 4 years old, but I fondly remember the bicentennial. Griffin peppered the story with just enough references to bring me back.  I loved all the mentions of the music, the clothing, the hair, even the odd food we ate. It was a cool trip down memory lane.

Our celebratory block party. You can see a lot of Griffin's 70s references. 

This story revolved around three characters: Jean, Gil, and Fritz. Both Jean and Gil were trying to reinvent themselves, while Fritz stayed true to her self.

Gil had recently been accepted into his wealthy uncle's world. He was constantly battling between his desire to please his family and the desires of his heart. This resulted in Gil making some poor decisions, and both Jean and Fritz being hurt in the process.

Jean was a spoiled, entitled, rich girl, who grabbed this opportunity to shine by both hands. She had a chance to enjoy a summer at Sunken Haven without the shadow of her sister looming over her, but Jean also made a myriad of poor decisions, and often tried to justify or dismiss them.

I should have hated both Gil and Jean, but I didn't. Griffin did such a good job with these multidimensional characters, that I would get angry with them, but then later, I would empathize with them. Jean was oppressed being the "Other Custis Sister", and Gil was constantly being reminded that he could be written off if he dared any missteps. I cannot say that these circumstances excused their poor behavior, but it helped me understand their motivations.

Fritz, on the other hand, was fantastic. She loved spending her summers with her best friend in Sunken Haven. She was confident in who she was and her abilities. But as the summer wore on, her confidence began to unravel. The damage inflicted by Jean's and Gil's actions had consequences. Her rose colored glasses were removed, and she began to see the people of Sunken Harbor in a new light. Regardless, she chose to stay true to herself through it all. But again, poor decisions were made.

I found the story quite compelling, and fought sleep to keep reading. Having the story told from Fritz's and Jean's point of view worked really well. I got to hear each of their sides of the story, and see the Sunkie world from two very distinct viewpoints. It was also interesting to see Gil through their eyes, as he was perceived quite differently by each of them, and that added yet another dimension to this story. Griffin did an incredible job relating this tale of what happens when we lose ourselves, and unfortunately for our protagonists, they were a little too late figuring out what was really important.

**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.

DREAMCAST

If Adele Griffin could cast this book, this is who she would pick:

Jean Custis - Saoirse Ronan

She just really has that plain vanilla-with-a-twist thing going on.

Gilbert Burke - Lucas Till

Maybe it’s Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me” music video, or when he played Travis Brody in “The Hannah Montana movie”- but Lucas Till has some serious southern-charm/boy-next-store qualities. *POINTS OUT PERFECT HAIR AND JAWLINE*

Fritz O’ Neal - Zoey Deutch or Hailee Steinfeld

THIS.IS.HARD. Both young and vibrant, either of these actresses would make a fantastic Fritz. Zoey has that carefree vibe and was stunning as a ‘70s chick in “Everybody Wants Some” but Hailee is more edgy and could pull off that signature raspy voice.

Carpie and Weeze Burke - Danny Houston and Laura Linney

Danny Houston looks like one of the many rich old uncles in Sunken Haven: tan, silver, and never without his evening cigar. Laura Linney played a stereotypical bored Upper East Side mother in “The Nanny Diaries”. She would be great as Weeze, who lives for appearances and overthinks dinner parties.

Julia and Logan

Julia Tulliver, steadfast and true: Jane Levy 

Jean’s reliable yet drippy Bertie? I see Logan Lerman

Junior

Junior “the Underminer” Burke feels like either Beau Mirchoff or David Henrie

Daphne Custis - Dianna Agron

Does she look the way she act or act the way she looks? Maybe it’s her ability to rock hair accessories like no other, but Dianna Agron would make a beautiful/cool older sister in the 70s! Just think: She could bring back those strong bitch vibes from Glee when she played head cheerleader.

GIVEAWAY

• 1 Copy of BE TRUE TO ME by Adele Griffin
• 1 BE TRUE TO ME patch (see picture)
• U.S. Only
• Follow the tour for more chances to win
• Read the rules and regulations before entering
• Giveaway ends 6/14/2017

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PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | B&N | BOOK DEPOSITORY | KOBO | IBOOKS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adele Griffin is the highly acclaimed author of almost thirty books for Young Adult and middle grade readers.

Her works include the National Book Award Finalists Sons of Liberty and Where I Want to Be, as well as the popular Oodlethunks series for younger readers. Her latest novel The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone was a YALSA Best Book of 2015, an Amazon Best YA Book of the Year, a Booklist Top Ten Arts Books for Youth, a Junior Library Guild selection, a Romantic Times Finalist for Book of the Year, and a School Library Journal Top Fiction pick. Her latest novel Be True to Me is publishing in June 2017 with Algonquin Books.

WEBSITE | GOODREADS | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM

FOLLOW THE TOUR

June 5
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club & Pink Polka Dot Books - Welcome Post

June 6

A Dream Within a Dream - Guest Post (author)
YA and Wine - Q&A

June 7
YA Obsessed - Review
We Live and Breathe Books - Guest Post (author)

June 8
Her Book Thoughts - Guest Post (author)
the book dragon - Review

June 9
Taking it One Book at a Time - Q&A
Reading to Unwind - Review & Favorite Quotes
Zerina Blossom's Books - Review

June 10
Here's to Happy Endings - Review
Deliciously Savvy - Promo

June 11
YA Book Divas - Review & Playlist
BethLee's Book Blog - Review & Favorite Quotes
Never Too Many To Read - Guest Post (blogger)

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