DNF: The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
Series: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #1
Source: bought paperback
Publisher: Corgi
Publication Date: August 5th 2010
Age Genre: MG-YA

The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly seven hundred years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life.
The records show that he died in 1418.
But his tomb is empty.
The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects — the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world.
That's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it.
Sometimes legends are true.
And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time.

DNF

A part of me really wants to viciously rate this book one star, despite knowing how unfair that would be considering I only got to page 77 before calling it quits. And in all honesty, I know that would also be irrational because it's not like I can truly say this book is horrible.

It's just that I... I... I'm completely baffled. Why is this so popular? so loved? Why have most of my friends marked this three or higher? WHAT AM I MISSING, dammit?

I went into this expecting an awesome Riordan-ish adventure featuring the infinitely awesome Nicholas Flamel. What I got instead was just... one big mess. 

Let's start with the names - what's up with this book's tendency to call its character by their full names, all the time? Well, you're right. Not all the time. Occasionally it would use only the first name and you'd relax for a minute thinking it had finally stopped, but then it's back again to Josh Newman that, and Nicholas Flamel this, or Sophie Newman there...

We will not forget their last name that easily, Scott. Even if we did, they don't really matter that much. So you can relax and just call them by their first name. Especially considering that's a literature tactic to bring readers closer to the characters, while last names tend to do the opposite...

Speaking of all the above characters - I really couldn't discern any personality in them. I get it that maybe that would develop farther into the book, but I would like to point out that both Harry Potter and Percy Jackson were very clear, distinct characters by... well, by the end of the first chapter really. They kept developing throughout their stories, no doubt, but you already recognized them. That... was not the case here.

And the repetition! OMG, how much repetition can you have in seventy seven page!? I've heard they're twins more times than I can count. I heard that Nicholas is THE Alchemyst. I've seen scenes repeat from different povs without any additional info... enough is enough already.

And then there was the "action". The quotation marks are to indicate how I did not find it exciting. At all. Like, I was drifting away while there were fighting with Golems and rats and making floorboards into trees. That was the moment I decided to give up on this, really. If it couldn't peek my interest with that, there's really no hope for this book and I.

And, honestly, I have so many books to read that I've long gave up on forcing myself through mediocre, passable books that fail to grab me.

Especially ones where the writing fails to impress me on every possible level: 

"The rats meanwhile raced toward the open door at the end of the corridor. Most of them survived the scything blades..." 

anyone else finds this paragraph completely awkward and clumsy, or is it just me?... (that is the whole paragraph by the way. Including the three dots).

Maybe this is my fault, maybe I should've read this a few years ago. God knows I was less picky back then...

   Nitzan★

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

A Mosnter Calls by Patrick Ness
Source: bought hardover
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: Jan 1st, 2011
Age Genre: Middle Grade
Challenge: TBR - Cleaning my Shelves
Challenge: Flight of fantasy
Add on Leafmarks!
Check out the beautiful trailer!

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...
This monster, though, is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.
It wants the truth.

I know, I know. What the heck? How could you've given this book three stars!? Well, it's... complicated... I... I mean... I think... I think I missed something, with this whole book.

I love Patrick Ness. His Chaos Walking trilogy is one of my favorite series - and quite possibly the most gut-wrenching and painful series I've ever read. I know he can wreck havoc on someone's emotions, that he can totally tarnish and destroy your soul (and repair it with the same expertise). So, I had no trouble believing all those reviews saying how this book made them into a sobbing mess. I was even eagerly waiting for it to happen!

But then it didn't.

I know. I can't really wrap my head around it either, but the fact is... for most of the book, I felt nothing. Not toward Conor and his struggle, not toward the monster... I was just reading it, nothing else. Around the end, when his mother had The Talk with him, I finally felt a little wet in the eyes, and I was hopeful the ruthless sobbing will be coming next.

But it didn't. Thirty seconds later, my eyes were dry, and stayed that way. I honestly feel like I might've missed something. I mean, I should've felt something. Why didn't I?! The book was well written, and had the classic Ness imagery. And still... nothing!

Another thing that was hard for me is that this book is super short. It's only 205 pages, and that's while counting in all those wordless pages of illustrations. So, really, it's probably more around 160 pages, if that. It felt short, to me, too. Like, I didn't really have enough time to get to know everyone and everything. Maybe that's why I wasn't moved by the story.

Writing this review - giving the book this rating - was so hard. I really, really, really wanted to love it. But I don't regret getting this book. If anything, it's a gorgeous addition to my shelves - what with the stunning illustrations and the gorgeous second cover...

   Nitzan★

Summer Experiment by Cathie Pelletier

Summer Experiment by Cathie Pelletier
Series: N/A
Source: Netgalley (Thanks, Sourcebooks!)
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Publication Date: April 1, 2014

Award-winning author makes her children's book debut with an unforgettable character

A boring summer vacation turns unexpectedly interesting when mysterious lights appear over Roberta's hometown in northern Maine. Roberta is convinced she and her best friend Marillee can win the Maine State Science Fair if only they can find an amazing project to showcase. Communicating with aliens would certainly do the trick. But in order to win they'll need to defeat their chief competitor, "The 4H's of the Apocalypse": Henry Horton Harris Helmsby.

This is a story told in a distinctive voice that is by turns funny, exciting, and sometimes heartbreaking.

I hate to be a hater, but honestly - I didn't really care for this one. I was more interested in the alien abduction story that Summer Experiment was based on/with than the actual book. I even went so far as to research the Allagash Abductions on Wikipedia and everything - and they're still more interesting than this story.

I found the main character, Roberta, to be ridiculously pretentious and annoying. A know-it-all, if you will. And I hope that's not the kind of characters that middle grade readers are looking for... because, well, I'll feel slightly bad then. I didn't care for any of the characters, to tell you the truth. They were all a little too naive, or too annoying, etc.

The ending was okay, but I was just hoping for more from this book. There just wasn't enough detail to keep me interested, and the storyline, along with the characters killed me. All in all, Summer Experiment REALLY wasn't the book for me. Sorry you guys had to read this super awkward review!

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
Series: Heroes of Olympus, #2
Source: Bought
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: October 4, 2011

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call, 
To storm or fire the world must fall. 
An oath to keep with a final breath, 
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

Percy is confused. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth

Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem — when the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wished she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.

Frank is a klutz. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn't see it. He doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery — although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially infront of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely — enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.

Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven.

Honestly, I'm sure you all remember how much I missed Percy, so I won't go into details - but I missed him. A lot. But in The Son of Neptune, we get him back. And really... it was kind of strange.

Imagine knowing every detail of the characters background - while they don't know anything. You know every move that they make, and why they feel strange about certain things - always. And they don't - it's just very... trippy, I guess. When I said I missed Percy, I meant the one who remembered everything - and while it was great to have him back, even sans memories... I still missed him. He was there but he wasn't, you know?

And on top of that... Camp Jupiter is a totally different world than Camp Half-Blood. You can see the similarities, but Camp Jupiter is much more war driven (versus fun), and there was actually a city type set up. Once you're of age, you can stay. Interesting, but I think I'd still take Camp Half-Blood - they're a lot more chill about everything.

I liked Frank and Hazel. They both had very complicated histories, but they both show exciting promise. They're braver than anyone. I'm positive! I loved the sweet romance between the two, and I think that they're perfect together. Both of them are adorable in an underdog way, but especially Frank. He's just a big huggable bear! (hee hee)

Everything that happened in this book was interesting, but I'm just not completely sure at where I stand on this series. It feels like something very big is going to happen, and I don't know what. Which is killing me. All in all, The Son of Neptune is a good book. I'll definitely give it that.

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Series: Heroes of Olympus, #1
Source: Bought
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: October 12, 2010

Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper and a best friend named Leo. They’re all students at a boarding school for “bad kids.” What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly?

Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out.


Leo has a way with tools. When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a god.

My thoughts on The Lost Hero can pretty much be summed up like this: I CAN'T WAIT TO GET TO PERCY! Huh. Interesting, I like this Leo boy. Jason and Piper are okay, I guess. BUT I MISS PERCY. Wow. I'm in love with Coach Hedge. BUT IT DOES NOT CHANGE MY LOVE FOR PERCY.

Basically, I missed Percy. I think that's a little bit on the expectations of a spinoff - you want to love it just as much as the original, but.... you miss the original characters. It's kind of a let down, honestly. I absolutely missed Percy throughout every second of this book, and I kept waiting for him to just... pop up or something. His character being missing... it just takes a little bit of life out of the series. He's obviously my favorite, and I felt so bad for Annabeth! (BTW, I'm totally waiting for Annabeth's POV.)

Honestly, I'm not sure that multiple points of view was the right way to go with this. It's not that I didn't like it, but... I don't know. It didn't really grab me. The characters were all good in their own ways, but I really think that the only reason I liked Jason is kind of dumb... he reminded me of Percy. And Piper? I didn't care for her very much. I can't trust the girl, that's for sure. Leo was a fun character, but sometimes... he annoyed me a little bit.

The one character that I loved to death? Well, that would definitely be Gleeson Hedge. The love that I feel for this faun is absolutely ridiculous - and well deserved! His sense of humor was freaking amazing - he's like a really old version of Grover! I really liked him!

All in all, The Lost Hero really wasn't bad. It just wasn't Percy Jackson, you know? I'll still be continuing the series, because I know that Percy does show up soon, but I'm not sure what my end thoughts on this series will be.

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson & the Olympians, #5
Source: Bought
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: May 12, 2009

All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of a victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows.

While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy’s sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

"You'll do well, Percy. Just remember your strengths and beware your weaknesses."

I've been putting off this review, and to be honest with you, I'm not really sure why. I mean, I liked the book... so I guess I'll just chalk it up to pure laziness on my part, and a serious book hangover. This is the FIRST series to ever make me miss the characters when I closed the book - I kind of wanted to go back and read it all again, just because it was so good! And I don't ever say that lightly.

At first, I was a little hesitant, of course - the ending book of a favorite series is always a little bit rough. I mean, what if it has a terrible ending, or it's *gasp* boring? Thankfully, The Last Olympian was neither of those. There was a fear near the beginning that we might have a "Perachel" situation, but MINOR spoiler, NOPE. (Megan cheers, yes!, then starts chanting "Percabeth! Percabeth! Percabeth!")

Then came a minor issue with Nico, but it's no deal - I actually like the kid. He's so haunted, and maybe his moral compass doesn't always point North, but he's a good kid. I like him, at least!

I also enjoyed the feel of this one - it was a lot different than the other books. Which was... fun. I liked seeing the different atmosphere, what with the war and the sense of impending doom. I never thought that these kids could be very serious, but they really, really showed me! AND Percy really showed me too, because I was starting to doubt that our boy had it in him - but he's got more courage than it seems.

Maybe stupid courage. But courage all the same. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. I WAS SMILING LIKE A MADWOMAN AND REREADING.

I'm always surprised by the twists that Riordan throws in, but this one really took the cake! I mean, a few things crossed my mind... BUT I NEVER EXPECTED THEM TO HAPPEN. *fans self* This book almost killed me, to tell you the truth. It was worth it.

All in all, I really think that The Last Olympian was a fitting end to the series - and I'm scared to read the spinoff. But I've been assured that it's amazing...

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson & the Olympians, #3
Source: Bought
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: April 8, 2008

IT'S NOT EVERYDAY YOU FIND YOURSELF IN COMBAT WITH A HALF-LION, HALF-HUMAN.

But when you're the son of a Greek god, it happens. And now my friend Annabeth is missing, a goddess is in chains and only five half-blood heroes can join the quest to defeat the doomsday monster.

Oh and guess what. The Oracle has predicted that not all of us will survive...

I'm going to come right out and say that The Titan's Curse was probably my least favorite of the series. I think I have a little something called "third book syndrome" because the third is always my least favorite. I mean, it would make perfect sense. I skipped the "second book syndrome" gene... I got something much worse. But enough about me and my genes.

We came here to talk about the book, so I'll begin. Probably my biggest problem with this one was that there was no precursor. I felt like the beginning was lacking - just thrown into a secret mission I know nothing about? Jeez, I'm confused now. All of the others at least had some hint of what was going on. Not to mention the fact that Annabeth goes missing about a chapter in... and Percy without Annabeth? Well, he's a little bit off. I think that Annabeth really balances Percy out, so without her around to mediate, he was kind of... impetuous, but also... a bit sad.

And I just missed Annabeth - she's a big part of the books for me, so with out her there it kind of fell apart. I did like the introduction of new characters, though. Nico, Bianca and Thalia all have a great part to play, and each has a distinctly different personality. I enjoyed Thalia's fiery attitude and headstrong ways; a few times I was even sure that her and Percy were going to outright battle over something!

There were several unexpected twists, and a few expected ones. I had my suspicions about Bianca and Nico - it turns out that in the end, I was right. All in all, The Titan's Curse is my least favorite of all the Percy books, but obviously it holds information that is important to me.

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson & The Olympians, #4
Source: Bought
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: March 6, 2008

Percy Jackson isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse.
In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth - a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn

So, The Battle of the Labyrinth. I'm sure you're all expecting me to have something either completely bad or completely awesome to say about this one, considering the fact that this was one of my personal favorites of the series - but words... fail me. I don't even really know what to say! I was going to say that this was my ultimate favorite of the series, but since I've already read The Last Olympian, that's not true. I think that they're tied for my favorite.

I really loved the beginning of this one - it somehow made a bigger impression on me than all of the others - there was immediately something big going on. It was interesting to have Rachel back, after the part that she played in the third book, but I wasn't really sure what to think of her. (By the fifth book, though... I didn't want her around. PERACHEL SHALL NOT HAPPEN ON MY WATCH!)

Since that little outburst is out of the way... I was feeling kind of... I don't know. Sad because I knew that there was no way that everything I wanted could happen in the last two books? It was making me nervous. But in spite of all that, I REALLY love this series.

The Battle of the Labyrinth was the first book where Percy started to realize that Annabeth was a girl - and OMG, I almost died at the adorableness of that! There was some new developments between Annabeth and Percy, with a little bit of tension and GAH it was amazing.

I love the fact that as Percy gets older, it's shown in the books. He makes more mature decisions, and he has an older voice. I like that. It's not something that really happens very often.

I really liked the new twists and plot devices - there's always something super fun going on in this series, and I LOVE IT. Everyone had a part to play, and it was lovely to see everything playing out. I didn't see the ending coming, and it kind of left me stunned!

All in all, The Battle of the Labyrinth was a great continuation of the Percy Jackson series, and since I've read the fifth book, I can tell you that I'm sorry to see these characters go. (Especially Percy and Annabeth! And Nico. I have a soft spot for the little guy.)

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson & The Olympians, #2
Source: Bought
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: April 1, 2006

The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second must-read installment of Rick Riordan's amazing young readers series. Starring Percy Jackson, a "half blood" whose mother is human and whose father is the God of the Sea, Riordan's series combines cliffhanger adventure and Greek mythology lessons that results in true page-turners that get better with each installment. In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book's drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come

My happiness with this series continued right into this book - once again, we start out with a wonderfully action-packed beginning that thrusts us right back into Percy's world. And I loved it! Immediately, stuff was happening and the plot was twisting and Percy was Percy...

Speaking of Percy, I really do like him. There's something sweet about his personality, and I like the fact that he's so loyal to all of his friends. He would do anything to save them all, and I just think that he's a brave boy. I also like that he seems older in this one - he's growing throughout the books, and there's nothing better than that in my opinion.

I also liked that we get to meet a new character in this one - be prepared for Tyson, y'all. You will fall for his sweet little cyclops self. He's just so precious! There is a bit of drama associated with him, but believe me it's barely a blip - and he overcomes it with his adorable big puppy dog-ish-ness.

I loved the new quest - it seems like every book is going to have a different quest, and I'm not gonna lie - I'm super excited about this! It's like the perfect blend of nerdiness + fantasy for me. I mean, Greek mythology AND quests? There will never come a time when that isn't awesome!!

Let's talk about Percabeth, though. Let's really talk about it - nothing has really happened, but OMG. I want it to happen so bad, it's like I'm dying for it! I definitely definitely ship it, and I'd be the kind of person to push it on them. IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN. Like, really.

AND THE ENDING. It's a cliffy, y'all. Be prepared to immediately reach for the next book, because you're going to need it!

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson & The Olympians
Source: Bought
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: March 21, 2006

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

I'm not going to lie here - the reason that I put off Percy for so long was because of the hype surrounding this series - I mean, we have buckets and buckets of fans. I don't even know if there's any haters, and let's be honest here - I tend to be a naysayer. But I'm super happy to tell you that I actually really enjoyed The Lightning Thief! But first, a quick backstory: Nitzan has been trying to get me to read Percy FOREVER. She was just telling me how awesome it was and everything else - and then, suddenly, whenever I looked at Pinterest, there were headcanons for Percy everywhere. And there were words on them, so I HAD to read them... and I became slightly obsessed. Then there was a discussion on Twitter, and the #PercyPowWow was born... that is the story of how I came to read Percy Jackson.

Now that I've cleared things up with y'all, let's start back at the beginning. I liked this more than I expected to! For some odd reason, I had this idea that I wouldn't really care for Percy as a character. Maybe because he's a guy, or because he's a pre-pubescent guy... whatever. Turns out that he's really great, though! Percy is just so snarky and lovable.

He loves his mom, and I actually think that he seems pretty smart. Flighty, yes. But still smart. I liked that he read like a twelve year old boy - it was nice that he matched up, and wasn't too mature or immature. I also liked the relationships that he formed with the other characters throughout. I loved his friendship with Annabeth & Grover, and I can't wait to see where those relationships will take him in the future!

Another thing that I liked about The Lightning Thief was the ridiculous jokes and the over-the-top plot twists throughout the book. I laughed out loud (hysterically) a few times, that's for sure. And every single plot twist - as ridiculous as they were - somehow made sense. Anyone who can fit pieces like that together most definitely gets my vote.

I liked the never-ending presence of the Greek gods, and the explanation for how they came to be in America. I, for one - have pretty much questioned every myth retelling ever, because of the fact that they all take place in America. It was WONDERFUL to have an explanation for once!

All in all, The Lightning Thief really was a fun read. I'm enjoying the series so far, and I can't wait for shipping Percy and Annabeth. Also, can't tell you how disappointed I am in the movie now.

The Dirt Diary by Anna Staniszewski + Guest Post

The Dirt Diary by Anna Staniszewski
Series: N/A
Source: Publisher for blog tour through Netgalley
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: January 7, 2014

Eighth grade never smelled so bad.

Rachel Lee didn't think anything could be worse than her parents splitting up. She was wrong. Working for her mom's new house-cleaning business puts Rachel in the dirty bathrooms of the most popular kids in the eighth grade. Which does not help her already loser-ish reputation. But her new job has surprising perks: enough dirt on the in-crowd to fill up her (until recently) boring diary. She never intended to reveal her secrets, but when the hottest guy in school pays her to spy on his girlfriend Rachel decides to get her hands dirty.

The Dirt Diary was a surprisingly cute read for me. Rachel was a sweet girl, but I'd like to say right off that she had some growing up to do. I definitely do think that she grew throughout the novel, which was a nice surprise. I was actually expecting her to just... not.

I liked that she had a hobby, cooking. I don't want to make you guys hungry or anything... but this book makes me so hungry! Brownies, brownies, brownies - all the time! And good sounding ones, like sea salt brownies, or triple chocolate. They sound so good and were described so well that I could literally taste it.

The dirt diary thing was just not as capitalized on as I expected it to be, though. There were a few things that made it out of the diary, but for the most part it stayed under lock and key. I liked the fact that Rachel made new friends through the course of the story.

All in all, The Dirt Diary was a cute read... but I really don't have much to say about it, unfortunately.

Guest Post: It might not surprise you that the author of a book about a shy, awkward 8th grade girl was once a shy, awkward 8th grade girl. If my character Rachel were to dig up a few secrets about middle-school me and put them in her Dirt Diary, here’s what she’d write.

1.The nerdy secret. I owned a pair of enormous purple glasses which I refused to wear because they were hideous. (And enormous.) That means I spent most of my time squinting and tripping over things. Anything was better than donning those purple monstrosities!

2.The embarrassing secret. Even though I was a self-proclaimed band and theater geek for most of middle and high school, I must admit that I often secretly wished I was one of the cheerleaders. They were pretty, popular, and seemed to have such easy lives. They definitely never had to worry about wearing ugly glasses!

3.The swoony secret. I had a crush on the same guy all through middle school—and no, I will not tell you his name! Of course, he didn’t know I existed. He probably still doesn’t. Don’t worry. I’m over it. :)

Okay, I’ve shared my middle school secrets. Now it’s your turn. What secrets would be in your middle school “dirt diary”?

Haha, that's something for another day. But I'd love to know everyone else's! ;)


About the Author:

Born in Poland and raised in the United States, Anna Staniszewski grew up loving stories in both Polish and English. She was named the 2006-2007 Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library and a winner of the 2009 PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award. When she’s not writing, Anna spends her time teaching, reading, and challenging unicorns to games of hopscotch. She is the author of My Very UnFairy Tale Life series, published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. Look for the first book in Anna’s next tween series, The Dirt Diary, in January 2014, and visit her at www.annastan.com.

Connect: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Spelling Troubles by Frank Cammuso

Spelling Troubles by Frank Cammuso
Series: The Misadventures of Salem Hyde, #1
Source: Publisher for Review
Publisher: Abrams
Publication Date: October 1, 2012

Salem Hyde just isn’t like other kids. For one thing, she’s stubborn, independent, and impulsive. For another, she’s a witch. Salem acts first and thinks later—which means most of her thinking involves coming up with excuses!

Good thing she’s been assigned an animal companion, Lord Percival J. Whamsford III. This over-anxious cat doesn’t like Salem calling him "Whammy,” and Salem doesn’t like listening to his long-winded explanations as to why she shouldn’t do something . . . like enter the class spelling bee.

Salem knows she can beat all her classmates at spells, no problem. Too late, she realizes the competition is about spelling words, not magic. And there’s nothing like a misspelled spell to cause all kinds of havoc!

All of my thoughts on Spelling Trouble are really short, but I think that's okay, because it's really short. So anyway, let's get started.

To tell you the truth, I didn't really like Spelling Trouble. It was cute, yes. But...it didn't have anything else going for it, and on top of that I'm way too old for it anyway-- but I believe that a good book (no matter what age group it's for) is a good book. So. I read it. And it disappointed me immensely. I felt like it was too convoluted-- it was very hard for me to focus on it and follow the story.

It was also way too short, and the comics left a little to be desired. But on the plus side, I've heard that the final version will be printed in colored ink! All in all, Spelling Trouble was very sweet, but it just didn't click with me as a good children's book. I encourage you to give it a shot, though!

Doll Bones by Holly Black

Doll Bones by Holly Black
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: May 7, 2013

Zach, Poppy and Alice have been friends for ever. They love playing with their action figure toys, imagining a magical world of adventure and heroism. But disaster strikes when, without warning, Zach’s father throws out all his toys, declaring he’s too old for them. Zach is furious, confused and embarrassed, deciding that the only way to cope is to stop playing . . . and stop being friends with Poppy and Alice. But one night the girls pay Zach a visit, and tell him about a series of mysterious occurrences. Poppy swears that she is now being haunted by a china doll – who claims that it is made from the ground-up bones of a murdered girl. They must return the doll to where the girl lived, and bury it. Otherwise the three children will be cursed for eternity . . .

Doll Bones was something I just picked up. I had no prior interest in it, and honestly, I don't particularly have any interest in it now. My only real interest in it was the scare factor. How scary could a MG book be? But then I started it. And realized, that, well, yes, as expected, it wasn't that scary. But first, let's get this out of the way-- I am deathly afraid of some of those porcelain dolls. They just freak me out, and that being said, well, this one didn't. Ouch, that's pretty sad.

The doll's story was actually fairly mediocre. That may have just been because I was expecting to have the wits scared out of me, but I can't discount the fact that it just wasn't scary. But I need to move on.

I don't very often read books with male narrators, so Doll Bones was unique in that way. Zach was kind of a funny kid, but the more I read from his point of view, the more I realized...he's like twelve. Maybe 13, and they're playing with "dolls"? That was a slight character flaw in itself. I mean, I realize that some people are more mature than others, but does a twelve year old boy really play with dolls? Not in this day and age. You'd be lucky to find a twelve year old that hasn't already had a girlfriend.

But aside from that, I did enjoy Zach and his friends, Alice and Poppy. Their adventure was awesome, and I liked the way that they were around each other. They were just simply friends.

All in all, Doll Bones was neither creepy enough, mature enough or interesting enough to have me hooked, but it was an okay read.