Middle Grade Monday: The Time-Traveling Fashionista

Hey! Welcome to Middle Grade Monday, a weekly feature I started to talk about anything middle grade bookish related! I never thought I would really enjoy middle grade novels but after reading my first one this year, I was hooked! Since I review mainly YA on this blog, I didn't want the middle grade reviews to get shuffled in with the YA books so I decided to create this feature!

Title: The Time-Traveling Fashionista
Author: Bianca Turetsky
Publisher: Poppy
Find it here: B&N, Goodreads, Mysterious Galaxy
Source: Library

What if a beautiful vintage dress could take you back in time?

Louise Lambert has always dreamed of movie starlets and exquisite gowns and longs for the day when she can fill the closet of her normal suburban home with stylish treasures. But when she receives a mysterious invitation to a vintage fashion sale in the mail, her once painfully average life is magically transformed into a time-travel adventure.

Suddenly onboard a luxurious cruise ship a hundred years ago, Louise relishes the glamorous life of this opulent era and slips into a life of secrets, drama, and decadence. . . .

Dreamy and imaginative, The Time-Traveling Fashionista features thirty full-color fashion illustrations to show gorgeous dresses and styles throughout history.

My thoughts:

I've been hearing about The Time-Traveling Fashionista since it first came out and literally been wanting to read it since then as well! But I had no idea it was a middle grade book! A few months ago I spotted a copy of it at the bookstore and when I flipped through it I was shocked to find such beautiful illustrations and I knew that I had to read it! 

I loved the characterization of Louise! She's this girl who is born into a wealthy family whose mom would buy her whatever clothing she wanted but she always chooses to search endlessly though thrift stores and vintage shop because she is obsessed with fashion.  She's a somewhat geeky seventh grader who hasn't grown into her body yet.  Even though she enjoys her life she wishes that there was a little more adventure. She gets invited to a traveling vintage sale her whole world changes! 

I loved the part when she was on the Titanic! I loved the mix of historical fiction and modern touches throughout the story.  I love everything about the Titanic so this book was especially fun for me! The famous, glamorous people, beautiful, old fashioned dressed and not enough life boats for everyone. As much as Louise was trying to be the famous actress that everyone thought she was she was also very much herself.  She formed a friendship with her maid and possibly saved her life in the end.  It was a very fun story and I'm so glad that the series is going to continue! I give The Time-Traveling Fashionista 4 hearts because who doesn't want to read about a teenager who time travels just by putting on a vintage dress! 

Middle Grade Monday: Framed & Dangerous by Kim Harrington

Hey! Welcome to Middle Grade Monday, a weekly feature I started to talk about anything middle grade bookish related! I never thought I would really enjoy middle grade novels but after reading my first one this year, I was hooked! Since I review mainly YA on this blog, I didn't want the middle grade reviews to get shuffled in with the YA books so I decided to create this feature!

Title: Framed & Dangerous
Author: Kim Harrington
Series: Sleuth or Dare #3
Publisher: Scholastic
Find it here: B&N, Goodreads, Mysterious Galaxy
Source: Purchased

Who's the culprit?

Norah and Darcy are still in a fight, but crime doesn't stop just because the girls aren't speaking. Someone has set fire to their school's brand-new field house. And the prime suspect is Zane Munro, the cute boy Norah can't help crushing on.

When Zane asks Partners in Crime for help, Norah and Darcy must band together to investigate. Norah knows Zane is innocent, but the clues are not in his favor. Can she and Darcy mend their friendship, crack the case, and clear Zane's name before it's too late?

My thoughts:

I love this really cute series! It's full of fun, adventure and two super smart girls who can kick butt and solve awesome mysteries! These are such great books for kids who are not yet teenagers but are looking for something a little more exciting to read! 

Norah and Darcy are one the scene again when the new field house at their school goes up in smokes.  Norah puts all her effort into the case when Zane, the boy she's been crushing on, is framed as the main suspect.  Partners in Crime is also trying to solve a case over fifty years old that turned into an urban legend called the Prom Killer. I love how they had to go into the library and look at the old newspaper clippings on the microfiche.  Digging into the past was one of my favorite parts of this book!

Norah and Darcy have a great friendship and are able to work through the bumps they experience.  They don't just throw their friendship away when they have a miss-communication but they talk about their differences. They're a great team and I love reading about the mysteries they solve! I give Framed & Dangerous 4 hearts!

Middle Grade Monday: Little Magic Shop of Horrors

Hey! Welcome to Middle Grade Monday, a weekly feature I started to talk about anything middle grade bookish related! I never thought I would really enjoy middle grade novels but after reading my first one this year, I was hooked! Since I review mainly YA on this blog, I didn't want the middle grade reviews to get shuffled in with the YA books so I decided to create this feature!

Title: Little Magic Shop of Horrors
Author: Gina and Annette Cascone
Series: Deadtime Stories
Publisher: Starscape
Find it here: Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, Mysterious Galaxy
Source: ARC from ALA

The Deadtime Stories by “Twisted Sisters” Annette and Gina Cascone—they’ll scare you silly and give you giggles at the same time.
Peter Newman really wants a twenty-one-speed mountain bike. That’s the grand prize for his school’s talent competition. And Peter’s pretty sure he can win it. All he needs is a talent….

When he and his best friend Bo see an ad for the Little Magic Shop of Horrors, they rush right over. For only $9.95, Peter buys a magic kit and becomes “Peter the Great.” Now he can do tricks even Houdini couldn’t perform!

The only problem is Peter can’t undo the tricks. But that doesn’t bother him too much. Until he wins the talent contest—by taking off Bo’s head! Will Peter be able to save his headless best friend?

My thoughts:

I knew that when I sat down to read this book, I would finish it in one sitting. It kind of reminded me of those Goosebump books I was so fond of when I was younger. Coming in at just around one hundred and fifty pages, Little Magic Shop of Horrors is a fun and entertaining read to pass a little time!

Peter and Bo want to win the school talent show. They decide to do a magic act so they look up a magic store in their local phone book. After several attempts to find this little magic shop with no luck, it mysteriously appears out of nowhere! The shop owner does some really weird magic tricks that make the boys even more excited about learning magic and they can’t believe it when he practically gives them a huge starter kit for less than ten dollars! Disaster ensues when Peter starts trying all these magic tricks without any kind of instruction manual.

Peter and Bo make a good team. Peter is so determined to become a great magician and to win the talent show that he sometimes loses sight what happening in reality. Bo is definitely his voice of reason and seems to understand that magic is not worth risking your life for. I have to say that my favorite character is Peter’s grandma! She is the crazy, nutty old lady who is convinced that she flew a bomber plane in WWII and that she was Houdini’s assistant. So when all this magic ensues, she gets really excited!

I love middle grade reads like this that are super fun and so easy to read! This book is only the first of the Deadtime Stories series that I've read but I can definitely say that I will be reading more of them. I give Little Magic Shop of Horrors 4 hearts because it is a book that middle grade readers will love especially around Halloween time!

Middle Grade Monday- Spooky Creepy Reads

Hey! Welcome to Middle Grade Monday, a weekly feature I started to talk about anything middle grade bookish related! I never thought I would really enjoy middle grade novels but after reading my first one this year, I was hooked! Since I review mainly YA on this blog, I didn't want the middle grade reviews to get shuffled in with the YA books so I decided to create this feature!

Halloween reads are some of my favorite and they're always best when read at this time of year! YA horror reads are few and far between but I've found that middle grade has an abundance of horror books! Here are a few of my favorites.

Skary Chidlrin and the Carousel of Sorrows by Katy Towell

Grave Secrets by Annette and Gine Cascone

Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman

Middle grade is a great place to get some really fun, creepy reads! They're usually not too scary but they're just spooky enough to get you in the Halloween mood! What books are you reading for Halloween?

Middle Grade Monday (2) Why I Love Harry Potter!

Hey! Welcome to Middle Grade Monday, a weekly feature I started to talk about anything middle grade bookish related! I never thought I would really enjoy middle grade novels but after reading my first one this year, I was hooked! Since I review mainly YA on this blog, I didn't want the middle grade reviews to get shuffled in with the YA books so I decided to create this feature!

The Harry Potter series has always played an important role in my life because I feel like I've experienced the journey with these beloved characters. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was published in the United States when I was in the 9th grade and it didn't take me very long to get lost in the adventure. I can honestly say that Harry Potter was the first epic reading adventure that I embarked on. It unlocked the reader that I am today!

Even though I had read the books and loved them, it took me a while to get into the movies. I didn't see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone until after Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was released on DVD. But I obviously discovered the awesomeness and a fangirl was born! I was able to experience movies 4 through 8 in the movie theater and I’m still in awe when I see my favorite characters come to life.

The great thing about Harry Potter is that it appeals to so many various age groups. Even though the entire series is shelved in the children’s section, the maturity of the content grows with the maturity of the characters. We go from middle grade novels in to young adult that are filled with dark magic, evil villains and death.

Like most of the fandom, I was sad when the final movie came out. I felt like I was saying goodbye to an entire twelve years of my life. It was like the loss of a good friend. But the Harry Potter fandom continues and there is still so much to discuss! I never realized all the little details I missed when I read the series the first time. Now that I’m reading through them again, I can really appreciate how great of a writer Rowling is and how she planned everything out perfectly. We’re also getting new and exclusive content on Pottermore! To my great delight, and the nerdy fangirl inside me, Harry Potter continues!

I'm able to keep the Harry Potter magic alive in my life by participating in a global re-read and deep analysis of the series with Alohomora! The team of podcasters are super awesome, have read the series multiple times and point out things I would never have seen on my own.  Even though I consider myself a Harry Potter fangirl, I'm still learning so much about the Wizarding World that Rowling and Universal have created! As a true Ravenclaw, I look forward to reading essays and getting involved in more Harry Potter discussions in the future!

I believe that Harry Potter will remain a constant throughout my life. I’m always going to want to read the series again and if I ever have children, Harry Potter will be read to them. Now that Universal Studios is building a Wizarding World here in Los Angeles, I will probably be visiting it regularly! When I thought Harry Potter was coming to an end, it seem like its only beginning!

Middle Grade Monday (1)

Hey! Welcome to Middle Grade Monday, a weekly feature I started to talk about anything middle grade bookish related! I never thought I would really enjoy middle grade novels but after reading my first one this year, I was hooked! Since I review mainly YA on this blog, I didn't want the middle grade reviews to get shuffled in with the YA books so I decided to create this feature!

Title: Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrows
Author: Katy Towell
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

Twelve years ago, for 12 days straight, the town of Widowsbury suffered a terrible storm, which tore open a gate through which escaped all sorts of foul, rotten things. Strange things and strange people were no longer welcomed in Widowsbury, for one could never be sure of what secrets waited under the surface . . .

Adelaide Foss, Maggie Borland, and Beatrice Alfred are known by their classmates at Widowsbury's Madame Gertrude's School for Girls as "scary children." Unfairly targeted because of their peculiarities—Adelaide has an uncanny resemblance to a werewolf, Maggie is abnormally strong, and Beatrice claims to be able to see ghosts—the girls spend a good deal of time isolated in the school's inhospitable library facing detention. But when a number of people mysteriously begin to disappear in Widowsbury, the girls work together, along with Steffen Weller, son of the cook at Rudyard School for Boys, to find out who is behind the abductions. Will they be able to save Widowsbury from a 12-year-old curse?

My thoughts:

Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrows is a book that I purchased at ALA this year. What initially drew me to the book was not only the cover but the spelling of the title Skary Childrin. Right off the bat I knew this book would be a fun and slightly spooky read and great for my Middle Grade Monday feature! After flipping through the book I knew I had to purchase it because the illustrations are pretty awesome!

Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrows centers around the three main characters who are the “outcasts” of their private boarding school in a town that hates outsiders or anything new. Adelaide is believed to be a werewolf, Maggie has super-human strength and Beatrice says she can see and talk to ghosts. Everything that ever goes wrong at the school is always blamed on the three of them and they spend most of their days in detention. Weird things start to happen around town when a mysterious carousel appears and people start to go missing!

Even though this is a middle grade novel, I still didn't catch on to whom the villain was until he was revealed. After the villain tells his story, I found myself feeling sorry for him even though he was doing all these terrible things. He was a product of those who bullied him when he was a child.

I really enjoyed the overall message that the story gave. Be better than those who bully you because you still have a choice to make the right decision. The villain gave the three girls a chance to take revenge on those who bullied them and in the end they made the right decision. Even though they were still considered “outcasts” and not well liked, they had clean consciences.

The story got a little scary at parts but it was really fun to read! I give Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrows 4 hearts for being a little spooky but also sending out a great message to the younger audience!