Review: A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom

Title:  A Tragic Kind of Wonderful 

Author:  Eric Lindstrom
Publisher: Poppy 
Publishing Date:   February 7th, 2017

Pages: 288
Genre: YA Contemporary/ Realistic Fiction

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  Audio

 

For sixteen-year-old Mel Hannigan, bipolar disorder makes life unpredictable. Her latest struggle is balancing her growing feelings in a new relationship with her instinct to keep everyone at arm’s length. And when a former friend confronts Mel with the truth about the way their relationship ended, deeply buried secrets threaten to come out and upend her shaky equilibrium.

As the walls of Mel’s compartmentalized world crumble, she fears the worst—that her friends will abandon her if they learn the truth about what she’s been hiding. Can Mel bring herself to risk everything to find out?

Shameful to say this book has been on my TBR for... well since before it was released. I was so excited about this book. I read his first book and loved it. Some how this book got lost in my mountain of a TBR. Well with my backlist challenge... I found it again. I was missing something special. This book was AMAZING. I think this author is coming up fast on favorite authors. This book had so much insight, feelings, and intensity. I loved every moment and I just couldn't put it down. 

Mel has bipolar. It runs in her family. Her aunt has it, her brother had it. For the last year she has been living with this disability. In the process of getting diagnosed she lost her best friends. She has since found herself spending time with some new friends...these friends are from school and also from her job. She sees a psychologist and she is on meds. She rates her every day to see where she is at, physically, mentally, and emotionally. She is getting through. Until something starts to dredge up some memories she isn't quite ready to explore. This turns her world upside down and she must face the truth and reality of herself. 

I loved loved loved this book. I want to rave about it to everyone. This book felt real and raw and had my emotions all over the place. I have known a couple of people in my life with bipolar... Someone really close and dear to me has bipolar. I have known about it for quite some time and she speaks freely to me about what she goes through....however this book made me realize I was so unaware. I know from talking to friend kind of what it's life and I know from what she tells me that this book explores it honestly.... but really brutally too. I mean it hides nothing. I was in tears. One for the main character and the other for those I know and love that have this horrible disorder and also for me for being so ignorant. I knew this disorder was bad but reading this book made me live it. It was hard. 

This book explores the bad about this disorder but the main character... for the most part lived with it in an accepting way. She seen it with her aunt and her brother. The hardest part for Mel, the rapid ups and downs, the mixes instead of being just main or just depressed. She was all over the place and it was hard to really focus on life when focusing on your moods was so detrimental for her quality of life. She found it hard to keep friends, get close to anyone. The thought distortion part of the disorder made it hard to trust people and to trust her own  thoughts or trust reality. She would withdrawal but also want to be close to others. she wanted to date but was scared of others running off as soon as they knew the truth. She kept her disorder a secret not trusting those around her to love her for who she truly was. I felt for her. Oh did I feel for her. 

Not only was Mel living with this disorder, she was dealing with tragedy in her past, secrets, and brokenness. This made her mood shifts even harder. She was trying to deal with healing and balancing her moods, and just being a teenager. Her story really just broke my heart. 

There were many great secondary characters in this book too. Relationships of every kind were the focus so there were many different characters. Mel's parents were a big part of her life, along with her aunt. They were in the story quite a bit. There was also memories her past... her brother, her old friends. There were new friends, a boy, and even her unofficial doctor and her actual doctor. So many around her that made such an impact bad and good on her life focusing on how they help her and how she deals with all the static of the relationships. I loved each and every flawed character... the good and the bad. 

The writing in this book was just so freaking amazing. The character development, the history, the knowledge of the disorder. It all came together so flawless allowing me to really live in Mel's world, in her head... to really understand her and to feel her. Really it was just incredible and so breathtaking and so beautiful and heartbreaking. 


I feel this is a must read for well almost everyone! I TOTALLY SOLD MY SOUL TO THIS BOOK! 

In addition to writing Young Adult novels, Eric Lindstrom has worked in the interactive entertainment industry for years as a creative director, game designer, writer, and usually combinations of all three. As Editor and Co-Writer for Tomb Raider: Legend he received a 2006 BAFTA nomination for Best Video Game Screenplay, and then as the Creative Director for Tomb Raider: Underworld he received a 2009 BAFTA nomination for Best Action Adventure Video Game and a 2009 WGA nomination for Best Writing in a Video Game.

He has also raised children, which led to becoming first a school volunteer, then a substitute teacher, then a part time kindergarten teacher, then getting a credential to teach elementary school, and most importantly the discovery that YA literature is awesome. It’s pretty much all he ever reads, and now writes, in his house near the beach on the west coast, with his wife and, yes, cats.

Review: The Dollar Kids by Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Title: The Dollar Kids

Author: Jennifer Richard Jacobson Illustrator: Ryan Andrews 
Publisher: Candlewick Press

Publishing Date: August 7, 2018

Pages: 416
Genre: MG Contemporary/ Realistic Fiction

Series: Stand Alone

Source: ARC- Kindle

When a family buys a house in a struggling town for just one dollar, they’re hoping to start over — but have they traded one set of problems for another?
Twelve-year-old Lowen Grover, a budding comic-book artist, is still reeling from the shooting death of his friend Abe when he stumbles across an article about a former mill town giving away homes for just one dollar. It not only seems like the perfect escape from Flintlock and all of the awful memories associated with the city, but an opportunity for his mum to run her very own business. Fortunately, his family is willing to give it a try. But is the Dollar Program too good to be true? The homes are in horrible shape, and the locals are less than welcoming. Will Millville and the dollar house be the answer to the Grovers’ troubles? Or will they find they’ve traded one set of problems for another? From the author of Small as an Elephant and Paper Things comes a heart-tugging novel about guilt and grief, family and friendship, and, above all, community.

How would like to buy a house for a $1?! The catch is you have to have 3 kids, a certain skill that can be beneficial to the community, and have to complete all the necessary repairs required by the town to keep the house. Sounds like a reality show concept with social experimentation aspects to it. That is probably the most interesting part of this story.

It involves the family the Grovers who are ready to move out of the city into small town life. The reason is because a friend of the middle child(Lowen) was shot and killed one day. Since that depressing day Lowen who once drew comics has had a hard time drawing anything other than comics involving his dead friend, Abe.

The town is almost a ghost town and has many people move out due to the paper mill in town shutting down. That caused many of its residents either to move or have their homes foreclosed on since they are unable to make payments.

So the banks gave the homes back to the town to help try to bring back the town. So the town council came up with the $1 house proposal to help bring more students back to town so they could have enough kids for sports. Because everything in small towns is dependent on sports and small businesses. Plus bring more business and people of certain skills to the town.

Lowen's mum has decided that she wants to open a cornish eatery in the town. Based off cornish past that she could make and serve. But as she attempts to serve food during the lunch hour since the town has no lunch place, a small business open during breakfast hourd decides to expand it hours. 

This of course causes a back and forth battle to occur between the businesses and many financial difficulties for the Grover family. And of course Lowen is still dealing with the loss of his friend and the transition to small town life.

He has to enroll in sports to help the school have enough players to field a team. But he struggles in athletic ability and know how. At one point he scores a winning shot for the opposing team.

The story has some interesting developments as it goes along and deals with grief and growing up. I think the story is good, but could have benefited from more character development. I felt the characters really didn't jump off the page and become alive for me. I also felt the story may have taken on to many plot devices to really get at the main issues that Lowen is experiencing. 

I give this book a slight recommendation for those who enjoy emotional, feel good stories.

An interesting realistic fiction that deals with grief, small town politics, and family struggles.

Jennifer Richard Jacobson has written many books for young readers, including stories about Andy Shane. She lives in Yarmouth, Maine.

Review: Monday's Not Coming By Tiffany D. Jackson

Title:  Monday's Not Coming

Author:  Tiffany D. Jackson
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books 

Publishing Date:  May 28th, 2018

Pages: 448
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction, Mystery

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  Audio

 

A gripping, relentless, and timely new novel from the critically acclaimed author of Allegedly, Tiffany D. Jackson, about the complex mystery of one teenage girl’s disappearance and the traumatic effects of the truth.
Monday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. Claudia and Monday have always been inseparable—more sisters than friends. So when Monday doesn’t turn up for the first day of school, Claudia’s worried. When she doesn’t show for the second day, or second week, Claudia knows that something is wrong. Monday wouldn’t just leave her to endure tests and bullies alone. Not after last year’s rumors and not with her grades on the line. Now Claudia needs her best—and only—friend more than ever. But Monday’s mother refuses to give Claudia a straight answer, and Monday’s sister April is even less help.
As Claudia digs deeper into her friend’s disappearance, she discovers that no one seems to remember the last time they saw Monday. How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that she’s gone?

I received this book as an ARC but I wasn't sure I was going to read it. I think the only reason why is the cover looks boring to me. I know I know don't judge a book by its cover. Anyways, it came out on audio and I have heard amazing things about this author... so I decided to give it a try. Oh, my goodness. I loved this book. It was hard, it was difficult, it made me cry, it made me yell, it made me want to throw something but it was so so so amazing and beautifully written. 

Monday and Claudia have been friends for a very long time. They know each other's secrets, they are there for each other, they love each other.  The only time they are apart for a long period of time is when Claudia spends the summer with her grandmother. This summer when Claudia returns, Monday is missing. She doesn't show up at school, her phone is disconnected, no one seems to know where she is. Claudia sets out on a mission to find Monday and finds out that Monday had secrets. Horrible secrets.

This book was so good but so hard to read. It was difficult to get through because of the hurt and the damage and the things that are so wrong in the lives of some kids. This book brings light to all those things. The things we know exist but if we don't see it we can pretend it's not happening. This book lit it all up and boy did it hurt, but it was also beautiful. 

This story was beautiful because it was about family and friendship and love. Claudia had these things and didn't realize not everyone did. She had a good family, they loved her and they kept her safe and fed and happy. She had a best friend that loved her for who she was. She had a good life. Until Monday went missing. 

The story is told from Claudia's point of view, and it rotates between timelines of when Monday was around, Monday missing, and after they find out why Monday was missing. It does get confusing at times. But in the end, it all makes sense and comes together. I love the mixed timeline and even though it did confuse me at times, I felt it added to the intensity. 

Claudia was a great character. I felt she didn't know how beautiful or smart or wonderful she was. She went to a school with mean kids and she just didn't have the self-worth she needed. She found her self-worth in Monday. Monday came off like she had confidence but really had no self-worth either. This kind of characters just saddens me because there are so many teenagers and kids out there that feel this and just need someone to look out for them. 

That is what made me mad in this story. No one was looking out for Monday. There were signs of her home life everywhere. She was bruised, she was distant, she was dirty, the signs were there. No one knew of the bullying, the name calling, the rumors. No one knew these things because no one cared to look, or if they did they didn't see the severity because they didn't know what to do. So just ignore the problem, maybe it will go away. 

This book was real and raw and hard and damaged and so much heartache. BUT it was so worth the read.

Just so good! So so GOOD!

Tiffany D. Jackson is a TV professional by day, novelist by night, awkward black girl 24/7. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Film from Howard University and her Master of Arts in Media Studies from The New School University. A Brooklyn native, she is a lover of naps, cookie dough, and beaches, currently residing in the borough she loves with her adorable chihuahua Oscar, most likely multitasking.

Review: Dumplin by Julie Murphy

Title: Dumplin'

Author:  Julie Murphy
Publisher: Balzer+Bray

Publishing Date:  September 15th, 2015

Pages: 384
Genre: YA Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Series:  Dumplin #1
Source:  Audio

 

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.
With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine—Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.

This was my second time reading this book. I read it the first time after it first came out and I remember loving it but I never did a review of this book. Not sure why. I wanted to re-read because I didn't remember all the characters and I want to read Puddin'. So I decided to re-read this book. I loved it this time around just as much as I did the first time. The characters are bit flawed at times but the story is cute and funny and it was just a fun read. 

Willowdean is a fat girl. She is the one that calls herself a fat girl and makes many comments to herself about her weight. She wants a normal life and she wants others to see her for who she is not her weight. Also to accept her for her weight and stop trying to change it. Especially her mother. Her mother is a former Miss Clover City winner and Willowdean knows her weight disappoints her mother. The one that she was close too, her aunt Lucy, was overweight and understood. But she has recently passed away. Willowdean feels she has no one that understands her anymore. This summer has changed everything for Willowdean. She meets a boy, she is kissed for the first time, she doesn't have her aunt Lucy, and her childhood best friends seem to be drifting away from her. This summer Willowdean needs to find herself, truly accept herself, and learn to depend on herself. She decides to enter the Miss Clover City beauty pageant and this leads to many events, relationship drama, family drama, and maybe even some new friends. 

So I love this book. I love the characters, even though they are flawed, they are real. I love the story, the comic relief, the revelations, the writing, even the romance... which is flawed too. There is a lot of reality in this book, and I think it was approached in a such a good way. 

Willowdean is a very complicated character. She isn't the only one that is complicated in this book, but she is the most complicated. She is aware of how others see her and even though she tries her hardest to not allow it to affect her, it does. She tries the method of admitting her weight and that she is fat, she tries to be okay with this, she tries to joke about it. Truth is she is self-conscience at times. There are times she is great about it and then other times she isn't. Honestly, I think this is true of every teenager with every flaw. Being a teen or adult even and accepting yourself is hard. Willowdean had a couple saving graces growing up, her aunt, and her best friend. They accepted her truly. Now one is gone and the other is drifting away. Willowdean is strong most of the time and she is brave. I love this about her. She does have her issues. She can be quite selfish and self-loathing at times. But all in all, I liked her. 

I think Willowdean would have been a different girl if her mother had just embraced her like her aunt did. I understand wanting your child to be happy and healthy but instead of focusing on weight focus on things that will make her a strong individual. 

I did like Willowdean's best friend, Ellen. I think most of the issues that the two had were on Willowdean's part. Ellen accepted Willowdean for who she was. She wasn't judgy or embarrassed. She loved her. 

There were two guys in this book that were a part of Willowdean's life. There wasn't a love triangle just a love and a sort of rebound. This is the part I really hated on Willowdean's part. Bo was the boy she crushed on and when he kissed her and they started to have some pretty heavy make-out sessions, Willowdean's gets a little strange. She really likes Bo but she fears a relationship with him because of her size. She decides to run from this relationship and out of some kind of strange pity for herself or not knowing how to say no she starts a relationship halfway with another guy at school. This guy is super sweet. The problem is she isn't over Bo and is just using this other guy... not really coming to terms this is what she is doing. I didn't like this part of Willowdean. 

Anyways, the romance is complicated in this book because Willowdean is complicated. I didn't dislike Bo. I think he was confused and didn't know what he wanted as far as relationships go but he really did like Willowdean. So its a sweet but very complicated romance. 

Another really good and fun part of this book was the group of misfits that join the pageant with Willowdean. I enjoyed getting to know all of them and can't wait to see where Millie's story goes in the next book. 

This book is about self-acceptance, friendship, family, forgiveness, love, and just finding happy. It's a really good story. 

Loved it, so cute, full of laughs and some tears. Great story. 

Julie lives in North Texas with her husband who loves her, her dog who adores her, and her cat who tolerates her. When she's not writing or trying to catch stray cats, she works at an academic library. Side Effects May Vary is Julie's debut novel.

Review: Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen

Title: Wild Bird 

Author:  Wendelin Van Draanen
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Publishing Date: September 5th, 2017

Pages: 320
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction 

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  Audio

 

3:47 a.m. That’s when they come for Wren Clemmens. She’s hustled out of her house and into a waiting car, then a plane, and then taken on a forced march into the desert. This is what happens to kids who’ve gone so far off the rails, their parents don’t know what to do with them anymore. This is wilderness therapy camp.

The Wren who arrives in the Utah desert is angry and bitter, and blaming everyone but herself. But angry can’t put up a tent. And bitter won’t start a fire. Wren’s going to have to admit she needs help if she’s going to survive.

I am not sure how I came across this book but I did and it was just recently. I am not sure how I missed it when it came out. I adore this author. I was pretty excited and I mean really that blurb. Wow sounds like a fun book. It was too. Fun and emotional, oh what an emotional ride. I enjoyed this book from the first page to the last page. 

Wren is a feisty 14-year old that has found herself in a lot of trouble. She drinks, she does drugs, she gets in trouble everywhere she goes, she is reckless and has some violent tendencies. Her parents are hopeless and do the only thing they can think of which is desert boot camp. Wren is stuck in the desert having to find a way to make her own fire before she can cook food, put up a tent and keep it dry, find fresh water, and be a part of a community. She must find respect for herself and others and find who she really wants to be in life. 

So I just loved loved loved this book. I really knew I would or had a feeling I would. I loved The Running Dream and I love emotional books and I knew this one would be emotional and it was. This book was about finding one's truth, finding acceptance, finding forgiveness, finding a place where you make a difference. It's about love and learning. 

Wren is a loveable character. Yes, in the beginning, I wanted to slap her. I mean she was a mess and only 14 years of age. I think this is what made me feel for her though. How can someone so young be such a mess? I mean she is hurting and broken. 

As the story progresses we learn Wren's truth. What I love about this story is the fact Wren didn't have a bad family life. She lived in a nice house with good parents and loving sister. Everything that broke Wren, well it was her perspective. I think her parents noticed things were wrong a little too late but they didn't do anything or not do something that broke Wren. It was just the fact that loneliness and hating oneself came when changes happened in her life and it was just the magical combination of disaster for a young girl.  I like that nothing big happened in her life that just made all her angst and sadness acceptable. She was just troubled and troubled can come from everything right in a teens life. It is what it is and we just have to love and accept and forgive and also find a way to help. 

This is what Wren's parents did. The decisions they made was the best one for Wren. She was able to get away from those friends that weren't really friends, the bad life she was living, the drugs and alcohol. She was able to be somewhere she could find others that were broken and needing help, adults who really cared and didn't have to. A different way of living and different way to make choices. 

This story was so good. I loved the journey. This is really what you get with this book. A journey. There is friendship, there is family. There is no romance and there is no finding the one person to make your life better. This was a journey of oneself and also the acceptance of help from others. 

IT WAS GOOD! 

A real feel good warm fuzzy that's a tear in my eye kind of read! 

Wendelin Van Draanen has written more than thirty novels for young readers and teens. She is the author of the 18-book Edgar-winning Sammy Keyes series, and wrote Flipped which was named a Top 100 Children’s Novel for the 21st Century by SLJ, and became a Warner Brothers feature film with Rob Reiner directing. Her novel The Running Dream was awarded ALA’s Schneider Family Award for its portrayal of the disability experience.

Van Draanen is also the author of two short chapter-book series. The Gecko & Sticky books, are fun read-alouds, perfect for reluctant readers, and the Shredderman books—featuring a boy who deals with a bully—received the Christopher Award for “affirming the highest values of the human spirit” and became a Nickelodeon made-for-TV movie.

Van Draanen was a classroom teacher for fifteen years. She and her husband reside in California and have two sons.