The Loan Stars

Summary: Millie, a talented teen and aspiring actress has her heart set on an exclusive precollege clinic that happens to be across the country. When her dad rejects the idea and happens to leave an important browser window open, Millie formulates a plan to find her mom. The LiveJournal Millie saw in the browser gives 3 possibilities that include Steph, a still-aspiring stage actress and receptionist at a talent agency. There's Farrah, dance teacher who obviously has dance talent that Millie does not. And Beth, the kind stage enthusiast with an equally exuberant fifteen-year-old daughter . Millie enlists her lifelong friend Teddy in what she calls her "Mamma Mia" search. Through missteps and mistakes, Millie comes to learn that seeking a new life generally brings you back to what you already have. Criteria: I found this book when I searched YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) for a top ten book. It was published quite recently and I hadn't read it.  Schoo...

  "I had a poem in my pocket, but my pocket got a rip. Rhymes tumbled down my leg and trickled from my hip." Summary: A young writer is disappointed to realize that their ripped pocket allowed the words from a handwritten poem to fall out. The child tries to capture all of the dropped words, but the words get caught by the wind. The wind makes a mess of scrambled up words and some of them became puns or rhymes or mix up with nearby signs. The child finally realizes that this fiasco has ended up with the poem growing into something even better than first imagined. Criteria: This book fit the criteria for a book to be reviewed in that it was published in the last 10 years and I had not read it before. It also had positive reviews from both BookList and School Library Journal. Response:  Style and Language The poetry was delightful and not forced. It was appropriate for young children while not feeling as if the entire book was "dumbed down" for young readers, rather i...

  Summary: Genevieve spent the summer of 1939 in Alsace with Mémé, her stern grandmother. The plan was for 13-year-old Genevieve to return to America before the Germans invade France. Impulsively and at the last minute, she decides to stay and help Mémé on her farm. German soldiers occupy the area, deporting Jewish residents and housing an officer in Mémé’s farmhouse. Resistance is not a new idea to the people of Alsace, and Genevieve soon learns the ropes as well. Throughout the book we see Genevieve grow up, one might argue too quickly, amidst challenging times, and we witness Genevieve’s hostility for her stern grandmother evolve into empathy, respect, and love .  Criteria: Response: Character: Initially, I struggled to appreciate Genevieve. So impulsive. So reckless. So.... childish. Of course she is. She is a child. We got to see Genevieve grow from a selfish, impulsive child learning about the realities of war into a shrewd young woman capable of becoming a force with th...