Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

 

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Are you asking me to be your anybody?"

Sadie Montgomery has spent a good deal of her life determined not to need anyone. Not again. Not after losing her mom at a young age, and losing her father to his grief. But things are finally looking up for her when she places in the top 10 of a prestigious art contest--she knows this is her big break. She is about to finally prove her haters wrong. Until she's headed home one day and wakes up in the hospital. Soon her whole life is thrown upside down and she has to rely on other's help more than ever before.

Oh. My. Goodness. Katherine Center does it again. I absolutely adore this book. This book is a lot more serious than some of the others I've read, but still light enough to definitely stay in the rom com category. Sadie is going through A LOT and I think having it any more lighthearted than it is would have detracted from her struggles. It was a perfect balance of reality and escapism.

I was completely invested in Sadie's story and I loved how it played out. My only complaint, and it's minor, is that I wanted this to be longer. Mostly to get to know Joe and Dr. Addison a little bit more. I feel like we barely scraped the surface of these guys and yet I still loved them. I think it would have been fun to have Joe and Dr. Addison's POV once they were introduced into the story. I think it would have given that extra layer. But that's easy for me to say. I just sat on the couch and read this work of art. I didn't have to figure out all the fun details.

All that to say, this is a book that was totally worth staying up until 2am to finish.

As with the other Center books I've read it is a closed door romance so keep that in mind going in. Not a lot of steam but a lot of sweet and swoony.

Thank you so much Net Galley and Katherine Center for the eARC. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy!

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The Book of Three

By Lloyd Alexander

Dedication: "For the Children who listened, The grown-ups who were patient, and especially for Ann Durell"

First paragraph: "Taran wanted to make a sword; but Coll, charged with the practical side of his education, decided on horseshoes. And so it had been horseshoes all morning long. Taran's arms ached, soot blackened his face. At last he dropped the hammer and turned to Coll, who was watching him critically."

Review: This is the first book in the Chronicles of Prydain and we quickly learn of Taran and his dreams of heroes and adventuring instead of being just a simple Assistant Pig Keeper. What Taran forgets to realize is that heroics is more than slaying dragons and saving damsels in distress. His first realization that it may be less glamorous than expected starts with a bad nights sleep on the ground and quickly becomes a tale of follies and one misadventure after another. But he his nothing if not determined to finish his quest to the end to find Hen Wen, the pig left in his charge.

Along the way he picks up one interesting companion after another and soon the band of travelers prove invaluable to Taran and all the land of Prydain. (One of which pays a marking resemblance to a certain creepy crawly fellow from the Lord of the Rings series).


I was asked to read this book to determine if it was appropriate for a nine or ten year old. Some of the parts are intense, and there is one quick scene where there is mention of men being burned alive inside wicker baskets, but overall it's not too graphic and it avoids going into any great detail about the death that comes with battles. Even the wicker basket scene only got mentioned in half a paragraph or less. As such, this story was definitely written for a younger audience but it was still enjoyable for me. Every good book, according to my husband, starts off with a map. And this book started off with a map so it must be good.

It only took a few hours to read and it was full of action and adventure from start to finish. Taran may have frustrated me at times but I absolutely loved Eilonwy. She was a bit of comic relief and made Taran so much more bearable while, at the same time, absolutely refusing to be a damsel for Taran to rescue. I can't help but love her for that.

I did have a hard time getting past the fact that certain aspects felt like they were stolen right from Lord of the Rings then dumbed down a bit for younger kids. For example, a Gollum character, along with some other situations that I'll avoid mentioning in order to keep from spoiling any of the plot. But if you do decide to read the story I'm sure you'll catch them as well. 

The next book in the Chronicles of Prydain series is The Black Cauldron.

The Swiss Family Robinson

by Johann Rudolf Wyss

First paragraph: "For six days the storm had raged wildly, and our situation became more dangerous every hour. Driven out of our course, we no longer knew our position, and the ship had lost her masts and was leaking."

Review: I don't plan on saying much about this book. Most people know the premise so I'm not even going to give a synopsis.

It's a classic but it's not interesting. I was bored. And I kept asking Ben if it would get interesting. Ben of course lied and said that indeed it would because he knew I would quit if he said no.

Let's just say that, as a girl, I have no interest in reading about people camping for 5 years and killing lots and lots and lots and lots of animals. Pretty much that's what I got out of this book.

Also, what was the point of having their housemaid, or whomever she was, with them if they only mention her around three times throughout the whole book? Even when they're *SPOILER* --- rescued, she's not mentioned. I doubt she'd want to stay on the island but they never do say she left.

Maybe she was eaten by that lion.

Anyway, this was much more of an assignment read than anything else I've started and finished since I graduated college. I'm more than ready for a book with a gripping and fun storyline.

The Magical Misadventures of Prunella Bogthistle

by Deva Fagan

Dedication: "To my parents, Paul and Cynthia, for their love, inspiration, and steadfast support"

First paragraph: "All I wanted was to charm a single stinking wart onto my face. Yes, onto, not off. A good bog-witch should have at least one. Grandmother had eleven, and a hooked nose to boot. Of course, there were rare witches who could pull off a certain dark and terrible beauty. My mother was one, according to Grandmother. Maybe that's how I got stuck the way I was."

Review: Prunella dreams of being a proper bog-witch but her curses always end up being a complete disaster. Take the time she chased off a mob of angry Uplanders with Alligator spoor and ended up giving them the best crops in years, for example. Things only get worse for Prunella when a thief, Barnaby, winds up in her Grandmother's garden and she can't turn him into a toad. Seeing this as Prunella's last chance, her grandmother kicks her out of the bog until she can prove she belongs. As Barnaby and Prunella set out across the Uplands to prove themselves to different people they're thrown into disaster, curses, and the like. But what they set out to accomplish changes as they learn the truth about the history of the Uplands and the story of Prunella's ancestor, Esmeralda.

This was a book written more for older children than young adults but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. The writing was simple but not to the point of boredom. The story was entertaining and it was easy to get attached to the characters as you read more about them.

I especially loved the underlying message of the story, just because something or someone is different doesn't mean it's bad. Several times it was mentioned that what you see is not always what is underneath. I like stories with wholesome uplifting messages like this one, but it's not so obvious that it distracts from the story itself.

This story was full of fantasy and magic and predictable yet surprising turns. It was gripping and once I got into the meat of the story I couldn't put it down for long. The best part was, once I finally got back in the reading groove I was thoroughly entertained despite the age group it was intended for. I think that alone says a lot about the book.

I would definitely suggest this book. And to think, it was found by my friend's 13 month old daughter at the library! Luckily the cover was cute enough that my friend ended up taking it home instead of just putting it back on the shelf.

For a better book Synopsis and more information about the book, click here.

The Beautiful Stories of Life: Six Greek Myths, Retold

by Cynthia Rylant

Illustrations by Carson Ellis

Dedication: "For Hermes -C.R." "For Colin and Hank -C.E."

First paragraph (of Pandora): "Zues was ruler of the universe, and if there were only one thing to remember about him, it was this: Never cross him. But someone did."

Review: This is a compilation of six short stories. It includes a simple retelling of Pandora, Persephone, Orpheus, Pygmalion, Narcissus, and Psyche.

This book is perfect if you want to brush up on a little Greek mythology. It was also written simply enough that it would work for some quick bedtime stories. As far as the stories themselves go, not my favorite. I guess it's hard to get the interesting details into a story when you're trying to write six different stories in such few pages.

If you're looking for something to read that will inform you of a few Greek myths or you just want something to read for a half hour or so to pass the time, this might be just the book for you. If you are looking for a book for your child to read, this wouldn't be a bad choice. If you want a detailed account of any of these six stories, however, I'd probably suggest looking elsewhere.

Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies

by Erin Dionne

Dedication: "For Frank, with all my love. You were right."

First paragraph: "'No way', I hissed through the slatted dressing room door. 'I am not coming out.'"

Review: Celeste Harris unexpectedly finds herself enrolled in the HuskyPeach modeling competition. The thought of being a plus sized model is almost too much for her twelve year old self to bear so she decides to purposely lose the competition. As she plots her own defeat she makes some startling discoveries about herself and who she wants to become.

I'll be honest, it was the Oreos on the front cover that drew me in to this book. And while it wasn't the most interesting, entertaining, or educational book ever read, I'm glad I read it. I thought this was a cute book that had an interesting and different story to tell.

Junior high is tough no matter who you are and being overweight makes for some easy jokes. There are some really mean characters in this book. At first I thought it might be a little far-fetched and then I thought back to my junior high days and realized it was probably a pretty good depiction.

This book is probably best suited for those around 12 years old but it wasn't written so simply that I was bored by it. It isn't a real deep read but I think it has a great overall message and focuses on doing things because they make you happy, not because of what people around you might say or think of you.

Click here for Erin Dionne's official website.

The Graveyard Book

by Neil Gaiman

First paragraph: "There was a hand in the darkness and it held a knife. The knife had a handle of polished black bone, and a blade finer and sharper than any razor. If it sliced you, you might not even know you had been cut, not immediately."

Review: Nobody, also known as Bod, Owens has been raised and educated by ghosts. His home is the graveyard and his parents are ghosts and his friends are ghosts and his life is surrounded by ghosts. He's learned to haunt, to dreamwalk, and to fade. Now he wants to learn about the living but it will come with all the dangers of the world - including the man who killed his family and wants to kill him as well.

I loved this book. It may be a little dark for younger children but the world that Neil Gaiman is able to create is imaginative, abnormal and completely unique. The things that popped up during Bod's adventures were unpredictable and enjoyable.

I think my favorite part about this book was how smart Bod was. He was afraid when the need arose but he was always so practical about things. He thought things through and seemed to have others' interests at heart in almost every adventure he went on.

If you or your kids are looking for a good book to read to get into the Halloween spirit this is definitely the one I would pick for you.

Click here for The Graveyard Book website.

The Lightning Thief

by Rick Riordan

Dedication: "To Haley, who heard the story first"

First Paragraph: "Look I didn't want to be a half-blood. If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life."

Review: Rick Riordan does a great job of bringing to life Greek Mythology and making it enjoyable for young readers. When I was in 6th grade I was fascinated by Greek Mythology. I spent hours at my local library checking out and reading books into the lore. Because of that I was drawn to this book.

This story takes you on adventures with Percy Jackson. He finds his life turned a bit topsy turvy when his teacher attacks him on a school field trip and things only get worse from there. He makes friends with other "half-bloods" and tries to stop WWIII from happening due to an argument between Zues, Poseidon, and Hades.

This book puts a 21st Century twist on a very old history, making it almost believeable.

Click Here for the Rick Riordan website.