Summer Book Review

I didn't read as many novels as I would have liked this summer, but what I did read ranged from slightly disappointing to fantastic.
The first book I picked up (I have no idea why I do this, buy a book when I have a stack bedside waiting to be cracked open. I'm a easy sale, I guess.) Anyway, I picked up the sequel to Ingo by Helen Dunmore. I read Ingo last year and LOVED it but the second book, The Tide Knot, well, not so much. I'm only half way through and it seems to me that the story hasn't begun yet. But I'll hang in there because there has to be some good things coming. I mean, we have to find out about Sapphire's dad, don't we? Here is another review of The Tide Knot: http://kidslitinformation.blogspot.com/

I was in Canada the week of The Deathly Hallows anticipated arrival. Everyday the local and national newspapers had some Harry related story and I kid you not, but on the front page of the Globe and Mail was a photograph of two girls from Santa Barbara perusing the Border's Harry Potter book display in Goleta. I thought this was so funny. I knew these girls and had to laugh and how small the world has become. Okay, so onto the book. My niece, Brynn, is the biggest all-time HP book fan ever. She's twelve and has read each book at least a dozen times. We enthusiastically shared our excitement--and our anxiety--over what the last book might entail. We weren't disappointed. Our expectations were met and I personally loved the story and how it all came together (epilogue was great, I thought.) Brynn loved it and at last word, she was reading the book for the third time. My fiction-challenged thirteen year old son also loved it. Everyone I know who read it, loved it. The series is wonderful.

Another highly anticipated book was Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer. I fell in love with her first book, Twilight, and accepted the second book, New Moon, as a pretty good read, but Eclipse didn't do anything for me. I was so sad. I wanted to eat it up and dream about all the ways Bella and Edward love each other, but it was the pesky werewolf storyline that never worked for me. Oh well. Still, I would buy a fourth book if one ever came out (and I think it might, right?)

My daughter and I were thrilled when we discovered the second story in the Clementine series at Indigo (Canada's largest bookstore). I was purchasing Eclipse when Elly came running out from behind the shelves waving the bright orange book in her hand. "There's a part two, mom!" Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker is truly the most adorable, age-appropriate, funny book for early readers. My daughter and I love "The Talented Clementine" just as much. We're looking forward to a thrid installment.

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr was next on my list. It's a pretty good urban fantasy so if you like faeries and magical stuff, you'll probably like this book.