33. Ferris
Becky's Book Reviews
by Becky
5d ago
Ferris. Kate DiCamillo. 2024. 240 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Fiction, J Fiction, Realistic, Historical] First sentence: It was the summer before Emma Phineas Wilkey (who everyone called Ferris) went into fifth grade. It was the summer that the ghost appeared to Charisse, the summer that Ferris's sister, Pinky Wilkey, devoted herself to becoming an outlaw, and the summer that Uncle Ted left Aunt Shirley and moved into the Wilkey basement to paint a history of the world. It was the summer that Ferris's best friend, Billy Jackson, played a song called "Mysterious Barricades" over and over aga ..read more
Visit website
32. The Girl Who Sang
Becky's Book Reviews
by Becky
1w ago
The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival. Estelle Nadel. Illustrated by Sammy Savos. 2024. 272 pages. [Source: Library] [graphic novel; graphic memoir; Jewish/Holocaust] First sentence: Will I ever be free? Premise/plot: The Girl Who Sang is a MEMOIR [nonfiction autobiography] in graphic novel format. It is set primarily during the Second World War, but the memoir continues through some turbulent aftermath years. After the war, the family of siblings emigrate to the United States. But there is no magical, warm and fuzzy happily ever after story. Love sometimes isn't enough ..read more
Visit website
31. Across So Many Seas
Becky's Book Reviews
by Becky
1w ago
Across So Many Seas. Ruth Behar. 2024. 272 pages. [Source: Library] [interconnected stories; novellas; historical fiction; mg] First sentence: The sound of trumpets coming from the direction of our town gates tears me from sleep, my dreams forgotten as I jolt out of bed. Premise/plot: Across So Many Seas contains four interconnected (three super-connected) historical stories or novellas. The time periods are 1492 (Spain), 1923 (Turkey), 1961 (Cuba), and 2003 (Miami, Florida).  The novel opens with Benvenida, our twelve-year-old narrator, learning of a new decree. ALL Jews must either a ..read more
Visit website
30. Everyone On This Train is a Suspect
Becky's Book Reviews
by Becky
1w ago
Everyone On This Train is A Suspect. Benjamin Stevenson. 2023. 335 pages. [Source: Library] First sentence:  Hi <Redacted>, It's a hard no on the prologue, I'm afraid. I know it's the done thing in crime novels, to hook the reader in and all that, but it just feels a bit cheap here. I know how to do it, of course, the scene you want me to write. Premise/plot: A handful of mystery writers board a train on their way to the Australian Mystery Writers' Festival. But not everyone who boards the train exits the train....still breathing. Hence, everyone on this train is a suspect.  ..read more
Visit website
29. A Murder in Hollywood
Becky's Book Reviews
by Becky
2w ago
A Murder in Hollywood: The Untold Story of Tinseltown's Most Shocking Crime. Casey Sherman. 2024. 304 pages. [Source: Library] First sentence: Lana Turner paced the pink carpeted floor with a cigarette gripped tightly between her fingers. She took a deep drag into her lungs and blew out a cloud of smoke toward the ceiling of her spacious bedroom. Her fourteen-year-old daughter, Cheryl, was in her own bedroom, sobbing hysterically.  Premise/plot: Nonfiction with a gossipy twist--that is how I would describe this one. It gives brief biographies of Lana Turner and her immediate family (her ..read more
Visit website
February Reflections
Becky's Book Reviews
by Becky
2w ago
In February, I read thirty-eight books.  Books reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews 14. Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir. Pedro Martin. 2023. 320 pages. [Source: Library] [Nonfiction Graphic Novel; MG Graphic Novel; Newbery Honor] 15. Little House on the Prairie. Laura Ingalls Wilder. 1935. 335 pages. [Source: Bought] [children's classic]  16. Not Quite a Ghost. Anne Ursu. 2024. [January] 288 pages. [Source: Library]  17. The Frozen River. Ariel Lawhon. 2023. [December] 432 pages. [Source: Library] [adult historical fiction]  18. Fighting With Love: The Lega ..read more
Visit website
28. What was the Children's Blizzard of 1888?
Becky's Book Reviews
by Becky
2w ago
What was the Children's Blizzard of 1888? Steve Korte. 2023. [November] 112 pages. [Source: Library] First sentence: January 12, 1888, started out as an unusually warm and sunny winter day in much of the central and midwestern parts of the United States. This area was known as the Great Plains. Premise/plot: This nonfiction book for young readers answers the question, What was the Children's Blizzard of 1888. It is part of the WhoHQ series of books. This book focuses--though not narrowly--on an event. It provides different "snapshots" of what happened. There are small stories--vignettes--fro ..read more
Visit website
27. Who Is Nathan Chen?
Becky's Book Reviews
by Becky
2w ago
Who is Nathan Chen? (Who Was? Series) Joseph Liu. 2023. 56 pages. [Source: Library] First sentence: During the 2022 Winter Olympics, Nathan Chen stood alone in the middle of the ice rink in Beijing (say: BAY-jing), China. His legs were spread apart and his arms were relaxed at his side. He was dressed in black pants and a red shirt covered in stars. The stars were not like those you see on a flag. These were more like stars you see in space. Premise/plot: Who is Nathan Chen? is a biography for young readers--think elementary aged. It is part of the Who HQ series. Who is Nathan Chen? A figure ..read more
Visit website
24. Nothing Else But Miracles
Becky's Book Reviews
by Becky
3w ago
Nothing Else But Miracles. Kate Albus. 2023. 288 pages. [Source: Library] First sentence:  If you were looking for Dory Byrne--not that there's any reason you would be--you'd most likely find her at the Castle. Which makes it sound as if this is a story about a princess. It isn't. Castle Clinton, as it was known to most people, wasn't actually a castle at all. It was--or had been--at various points in its history: 1) a fort, 2) a restaurant and opera house, 3) an immigration processing center, 4) an aquarium, 5) a ruin. Which is what it was now. An empty place, half-demolished. Derelict ..read more
Visit website
23. All-of-a-Kind Family
Becky's Book Reviews
by Becky
1M ago
All-of-A-Kind-Family. Sydney Taylor. 1951. 192 pages. [Source: Library] First sentence: "That slowpoke Sarah1" Henny cried. "She's making us late!" Mama's girls were going to the library, and Henny was impatient. Premise/plot: Ella (12), Henny (10), Sarah (8), Charlotte (6) and Gertie (4) are sisters that make up [part of] an "all-of-a-kind family."  The book is set in the Lower East Side of New York City at the turn of the twentieth century. It chronicles the adventures of a Jewish family in the course of a year (or most of a year). The book opens with a bittersweet library visit and e ..read more
Visit website

Follow Becky's Book Reviews on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR