Divergent and Veronica Roth :)

I have to say that Divergent by Veronica Roth (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8306857-divergent) is one of the best books I’ve read in a while.  If you like a book full of action, romance, and a strong female heroine, this is the book for you.  Tris, formerly Beatrice, lives in a futuristic world divided into five factions—Dauntless, Abnegation, Amity, Erudite, and Candor.  At the age of sixteen people take a simulation test that determines to which faction they belong.  This tests tells them whether or not the value bravery, selflessness, friendliness, knowledge, or honesty.  Although the test tells them where they should be, teens still retain the power to choose.  They can pick to remain with their families in the faction where they were raised or chose to move into another one, one that better fits their personalities.  Tris chooses to leave her family and her Abnegation faction and seek out a new life in Dauntless the faction that values bravery.  Tris is quickly thrown into an initiation process that forces her to jump onto moving trains, jump off seven story buildings, fist fight both males and females twice her size all the while trying to both hide the fact that she is different and discover what being different really means.  Are there other people like her?  Other people whose simulation tests were inconclusive?  Other people who possess attributes found in multiple factions?  Other people who feel like they both belong to more than one faction and no faction all at the same time?  Could her initiation leader Four, a dark older boy, be just like her? 

What makes this book great are the characters and the action.  There was never a dull moment.  This book hooks you from the beginning and keeps your adrenaline pumping until the end.  It is chocked full of interesting and unique characters that keep the story interesting.  I can’t sing its praises enough.  I LOVED this book and will be reading it again and again and again.  Two thumbs up for Roth.  I’m counting down the hours until there’s a sequel.

Owen's last day of school

This was Owen's last day of preschool in the three year old room.  Now off to pre-kindergarten :)

Lucas's last day of school

River Cast, a great read

River Cast, book two in the Tale of the Lunarmorte, follows Caia and Lucien, her pack leader as they visit the Centre, the head of the Daylight magik coven.  They’ve been called to the center to help Marita, the head of the coven, thwart an attack on a small but powerful pack of werewolves.  While there, Caia further develops her already kick-butt magic abilities and discovers the Daylighters aren’t as good as they seem. To make things even more confusing for the young magik, her trace, the ability to sense the feelings and emotions of all members of the Darklight Coven, alerts her that not all members of this coven are evil like she and all other Daylighters have been led to believe.  To keep the story fresh, Young introduces the voices of two more pack members, Jaeden, the young sassy werewolf tortured and broken by the old head of the Darklight Coven who has somehow developed the ability to move objects with her mind, and Ryder, the sexy and funny rogue werewolf hunter sent to track down the run away Jaeden and drag her back to the pack. 

The book is full of magic and mystery which keeps it moving at a fast pace.  Again, Young does a great job of creating believable characters.  From sulky Lucien to pop culture funny man, Ryder, her characters jump of the page and beg you to keep reading, to find out what’s in store for them. 

If you want a book that you won’t be able to put down until you’ve read the last line, this is it. 

great reads

It's been a while since I've blogged, but between two little kids, housework, a full-time job, a husband, writing, and reading, there just hasn't been any free time.  However, I feel it is now time to share of my recent reads.  For the kids, we have discovered Bob Books, a great series of early readers that focuses on getting kids to read stories made up of short vowels and consonant sounds.  My four year-old can already read the first four books in the first set.  He'll be a great reader in no time. 

Also my little one absolutely loves Bob Staake's Look a Book, a great seek in find that's not overly busy, perfect for a little one who likes to find hidden objects.  We have to read this one over and over again.

We also have recently purchased Silverlicious  by Victoria Kann and Chicks Run Wild by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen.  Both of these are awesome reads.  Silverlicious is about a young girl who loses her tooth after taking a bite out of a chocolate cookie that she stole from her brother.  Much to her dismay, she discovers that she has not lost just any old tooth, but her sweet tooth.  Desperate to taste something sweet again, Pinkalicious, the girl in the story, leaves notes for her Tooth Fairy asking her to leave her something sweet.  The Tooth Fairy is busy and sends some helpers in her place, including Cupid and the Easter Bunny.  Try as they may these helpers never seem to help Pinkalicious recapture her ability to taste something sweet.  Will she ever be able to enjoy sweets again?  Read it and find out.

Chicks Run Wild is a cute rhyming story about a mother hen who after multiple attempts to put her chicks to bed gives up and finally runs wild with the little ones.  After a night of wild partying with their mother, the tired chicks eventually fall asleep and mother hen can finally run wild all by herself.  This is a very well written cute story. 

Finally, for the adults I am in the middle of Forbidden, by Tabitha Suzma, a story about a brother and sister forced to become parents to their younger siblings when their father abandons the family for a new wife and their mother becomes a drunk who is more interested in pursuing younger men than being a mom.  Because of their situation, the two are isolated and lonely.  They find themselves falling in love and this story follows the two of them struggle against the taboo and forbidden love. 

This is the most emotionally charged book I have read in a while, maybe ever.  This book did not make me squirm as I read about this taboo subject.  It made my heart ache for two children so deprived of love and understanding, they have to turn to each other because there really is no one else.  Please pick up this book.  It is a must read.  

The Boys Next Door by Jennifer Echols

I just coaxed my four year old into watching a movie and then playing on the computer with his Leapster Explorer so that I could finish The Boys Next Door, a fabulous comedic YA romance.  I LOVED this book and will definitely be reading it again.  I'm a HUGE fan of books with characters so alive on pages that you sometimes forget they're only a figment of someone's imagination.  And yep, you guessed it, this book had that in spades.  I really loved Lori, the tomboy trying desperately to become more girly so as to snag one of the three Vader brothers next door before he heads off for college in the fall.  I also loved Adam, her BFF and youngest Vader, who continually butts heads with his middle brother, Sean.  This book was all about brother rivarly, which of course tugs at my heartstings as the mother of two boys.  The book had me laughing, cyring, and sighing all at the same time.  A must, must, MUST read for a romantic at heart.

Owen's book review for I Need My Monster

I find book reviews to be very helpful when find books to read for myself and for my children.  I've found a lot of books at the mundie moms and mundie kids site.  Here is a video of Owen reviewing I Need My Monster written by Amanda Noll and illustrated by Howard McWilliam.  This is a really beautifully illustrated children's picture book about a boy who needs the monster who lives under his bed to fall asleep.  The little boy in the story's monster has gone fishing and he finds himself unable to fall asleep, so like any little kid who needs a monster, the boy raps on the floor and calls a slew of monsters to his room.  But there is something wrong with all of them.  They just aren't Gabe, his monster.  This is a really great read.  My son has asked me to read it to him over and over and over again, but don't take my word for it.  Check out is own take on the book.