Beezus and Ramona. Beverly Cleary. 1955. HarperCollins. 208 pages. [Source: Library] [Star rating: 5/5] First sentence: Beezus felt that the biggest trouble with four-year-old Ramona was that she was just plain exasperating. If Ramona drank lemonade through a straw, she blew into the straw as hard as she could to see what would happen. Unlike other books in the Ramona series, this one is narrated by Beezus. Like all other books in the Ramona series, it has a just-right feel about it. Beverly Cleary's greatest talent may be in her capturing what it feels like to be a kid. Beezus, as you proba ..read more

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. J.K. Rowling. 1997. 345 pages. [Source: Library] First sentence: Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense. Premise/plot: Harry Potter, our protagonist, is an orphan destined for adventures--and misadventures. Raised by muggles, his aunt and uncle, he is clueless that his parents were involved in magic--witch and warlock. Both attended ..read more

The Hunger Games #1 Suzanne Collins. 2008. 374 pages. [Source: Library] First sentence: When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. I have seen the movie more than I've read the book. I *believe* that this is my third time to read the novel. And it appears that the last time I actually read the book was October of 2012! I'm surprised by that.  This has been 'the year' for me revisiting this series. I've reread The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. I've seen that movie adaptation twice. I've binged my way through the original movie trilogy. I've been intending to actually read th ..read more

Quality not quantity? Maybe. Mostly. I read twenty-four books in June. Books reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews: 50. Maria. Michelle Moran. 2024. 320 pages. [Source: Review copy]  51. Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine. Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin. 1958. 141 pages. [Source: Library] 52, Operation: Happy. Jenni L. Walsh. 2024. 240 pages. [Source: Library] [j historical fiction, mg historical fiction, animal fantasy]  53. My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story. Georege Takei. 2024. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [Nonfiction picture book, World War II] 54. Tre ..read more

Tree. Table. Book. Lois Lowry. 2024. 208 pages. [Source: Review copy] First sentence: I am going to tell you three words. I'm choosing them at random. Listen carefully. This will be important. House. Umbrella. Apple. Remember those. I'll explain later. My thoughts (preview): I kept this one waiting. I have absolutely loved Lois Lowry's work in the past. I have. Yet the title was odd--for me (though trust me, it works). The cover was not one that made me want to drop everything and read it. I wasn't quite sure what this one was about. I thought it would likely be worth reading...at some point ..read more

My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story. George Takei. 2024. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [Nonfiction picture book, World War II] First sentence: Hi, I'm George Takei, an eighty-seven-year-old actor. Premise/plot: My Lost Freedom is a picture book biography for older readers. It is an autobiographical picture book of George Takei's time in several Japanese Internment camps during the Second World War. He was a young child--a very young child, just four years old. His earliest memories, his core memories, if you will, were formed in these war years. The picture book shares about ..read more

Operation: Happy. Jenni L. Walsh. 2024. 240 pages. [Source: Library] [j historical fiction, mg historical fiction, animal fantasy] First sentence: A dog is at the top of my wish list. I unwrap number three: a Monopoly board game. Then I pluck number five from under the Christmas tree: a Shirley Temple doll. And number two: a new Nancy Drew book. But number one is still very much missing.  Operation: Happy is historical fiction--set around the Second World War--narrated by a girl, Jody, and her dog, Happy. Jody is used to moving frequently; her dad is a marine. Happy will be a constant i ..read more

Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine. Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin. 1958. 141 pages. [Source: Library] First sentence: Danny Dunn bent over a strange device that hung from the ceiling of his bedroom, directly over his desk. Premise/plot: Danny Dunn loves to learn, experiment, invent. He's driven by curiosity. However Danny Dunn and his friends--new and old--don't like doing homework. In this "vintage" children's book Danny programs the Professor's computer [large, bulky, not user-friendly computer] to do their homework. This requires a LOT of programming, a LOT of extra work. He first h ..read more

In May I read twenty-one books.  Books reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews 44. Fifty-Four Pigs (Dr. Bannerman Vet Mystery #1) Philipp Schott. 2022. 256 pages. [Source: Library] [adult mystery] 45. South of Somewhere. Kalena Miller. 2024. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Realistic fiction]   46. Unhappy  Camper (Graphic Novel) Lily LaMotte. Illustrated by Ann Xu. 2024. 208 pages. [Source: Library] [Middle grade graphic novel]  47. The One and Only Family. Katherine Applegate. 2024. 272 pages. [Source: Library]  48. Olivetti. Allie Millington. 202 ..read more

The Kill Factor. Ben Oliver. 2024. 368 pages. [Source: Library] First sentence: Emerson Ness had not been scared in a very long time. Now she was terrified. Premise/plot: YA dystopia is not as prevalent [abundant] as it used to be ten years ago. The Kill Factor IS YA dystopia with a unique premise. Fifty contestants for a brand new television game show that are facing varying sentences for crimes they've committed. They will face challenges from the Producer [the powers that be] and one another. The winner will essentially be acquitted and have the charges dropped. The losers, well, the lose ..read more