January is Walk Your Dog Month!

January is Walk Your Dog Month and what better way to kick start your New Years Resolutions by reading some great YA books that feature dogs?  If you are like me, you love dogs and want to spend more time with them because they just get you.  This awareness month is a great way to help dust off the January blues, read a few good books, maybe go out and adopt a new dog, or if you already have one start taking him/her out for more walks.  It's a fun way to get out of the house and your dog will love you for it!

Here is a list of YA books that will have you begging for more!

Last Chance by Norah McClintock

In this charming YA novel by Norah McClintock, the main character Robyn is scared of dogs—like, really scared. But she agrees to spend her summer working at an animal shelter anyway. (It's a long story.) Robyn soon discovers that many juvenile offenders also volunteer at the shelter—including Nick D'Angelo, a boy from Robyn's past. A boy she hoped to never see again. Nick has a talent for getting into trouble, but after his latest arrest, Robyn suspects that he just might be innocent. And she sets out to prove it...

The Way to Game the Walk of Shame by Jenn P. Nguyen

A 2017 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, this witty and entertaining contemporary debut deftly combines high school drama with pitch-perfect flirty banter.

Taylor Simmons is not in a good place. Everyone called her the Ice Queen because she always put her studies first. After she got drunk at a party and woke up next to bad boy surfer Evan McKinley, the entire school seemed intent on tearing Taylor down with mockery and gossip. Taylor's faithful sidekick and loyal pup Oreo is there to help her decide if Evan is a good guy or not.  

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Sweet with fur flying fun!  Andie must learn to embrace the beauty in chaos in this New York Times bestselling novel about friendship, finding yourself, and all the joys in life that happen while you’re busy making other plans.

Andie has a plan. And she always sticks to her plan. The only thing is that she never planned to become a dog walker.  In this adorable coming of age story, you'll see how Andie changes her points of view and how a half a dozen or so doggos can make a world of difference in the direction you are going in life.  

Suitors and Sabotage by Cindy Anstey

Two young people must hide their true feelings for each other while figuring out who means them harm in this cheeky Regency romance from the author of Love, Lies and Spies and Duels & Deception.

Shy aspiring artist Imogene Chively has just had a successful Season in London, complete with a suitor of her father's approval. Imogene is ambivalent about the young gentleman until he comes to visit her at the Chively estate with his younger brother in tow. This is where things get interesting.  Here we meet Jasper, Imogene's water dog and he may hold the secret to love, well you'll just have to read to find out what happens to this daring young couple.

Marley & Me by John Grogan

Of course, we can't forget Marley, he is one of the most loveable and sweet puppers out there and this book is based on the true story of his life.  Through the telling of this story, we get to see how it is possible for humans to discover the key to happiness through a bigger-than-life, trouble-making, silly but sweet!

John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy. And from that moment on, seriously, life would never be the same.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Let's face it, Lara Jean's little sister's dog Jamie Fox-Pickle has one of the best fictional pet names ever! He's a Wheaton Terrier and his name fits him perfectly, he's sassy but also very sweet.  This book is great because it has love, romance, mystery, and playfulness that will pull on your heartstrings. 

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life. Until the day her sister mails her secret letters, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes out of control.

Rotten by Michael Northrup

A troubled teen. A rescued Rottweiler. An unlikely friendship. Jimmer "JD" Dobbs is back in town after spending the summer "upstate." No one believes his story about visiting his aunt, and it's pretty clear that he has something to hide. It's also pretty clear that his mom made a new friend while he was away---a rescued Rottweiler that JD immediately renames Johnny Rotten (yes, after that guy in the Sex Pistols). Both tough but damaged, JD and Johnny slowly learn to trust each other, but their newfound bond is threatened and JD must come to terms with his secrets and face the truth, which is the very thing that he is scared of. This book is a must-read!

Whipoorwill by Joseph Monninger

Sixteen-year-old Clair Taylor has neighbors who are what locals call whippoorwills, the kind of people who fill their yards with rusty junk. Clair tries to ignore her surroundings, choosing instead to dream of a future beyond her rural New Hampshire town. But, when a black dog named Wally is chained up to a pole next door, Clair can’t look the other way. Clair decides to save Wally, and the immediate connection she has with the lovable dog catches her off-guard, but even more surprising is her bond with eighteen-year-old Danny Stewart, the boy next door.

Insurgent Feeds My Soul

I was so excited to see Insurgent in 3D this last weekend! The movie was totally amazing and I was surprised because it was even better than Divergent. It seems like the first movie had a lot of setting up to do and there was like this secret romance going on between Tris and Four. But... in Insurgent the cat was out of the bag and the romance was full on baby! They fought some too and that was cool, but their love shines through all the way. I think Tris and Four are my favorite fictional couple, which is why I am so not looking forward to the next movie Allegiant. I am sorry I won't give anything away, but it is going to be a super cry fest for me for sure. Here is one of my favorite pictures I've seen around on the net that shows the awesome dynamic duo Tris and Four!!!

Take a Chance - Read Between the Lines - Samantha van Leer

February Book of the Month!


Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

In this delightful companion novel to Off the Page, #1 New York Times bestselling authors Jodi Picoult and her daughter and cowriter, Samantha van Leer, present the YA novel that started it all! Filled with romance, adventure, and humor, the magic jumps off the page (literally) in a story you’ll never forget.

What happens when happily ever after…isn’t?

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

A romantic and charming story, this companion novel to Off the Page will make every reader believe in the fantastical power of fairy tales. Book-lovers have been escaping into a good book for ever and ever. Have you ever wondered if when you closed the cover of a book that the characters you loved might stop acting out their designated roles like they were in a play?

Between the Lines will have you guessing to the very end and devouring each page at great speed. With gorgeous illustrations dotted around the pages, it is the kind of book you can escape into, just like Delilah. A delight!

Happy reading to you!!
Mrs. Librarian Lady

Mixed Up Names, Holidays & Love

I absolutely loved this little novella! I read it on my Galaxy! It was so cute, funny, sweet and definitely got me ready for the holidays. I thought it was very adorable that the two main characters had the same name only flipped around Ty McKenzie and Mackenzie Tyler . This brought me closer to the characters and helped me to see that they really had something in common. Ty was super awesome and would be the guy that I would want my daughter to date and fall in love with, sweet, thoughtful and pretty cute. Kenzie was great because she helped to heal a bond that had been broken between Ty and his mom and that meant everything in the world to both of them. I love the holidays, but sometimes I feel like I can bogged down in all of the commercialism. This story helped me to get excited about decorating, shopping, baking, and even ice skating. It was short, but I don't really have a whole lot of time to read, so I really loved that too! I'm going to see if I can read some more from the ALL I WANT anthology.




Mrs. Librarian Lady is a cool cat who loves to read!

Love, Laughter & Loss + Forgiveness = Real Life

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker (named
after John Lennon), bookworm and band
geek, plays second clarinet and spends her
time tucked safely and happily in the shadow
of her fiery sister Bailey. But when Bailey
dies suddenly, Lennie is catapulted to center
stage of her own life—and, despite her
nonexistent history with boys, finds herself
struggling to balance two. Toby was
Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s
own. Joe is the new boy in town, a
transplant from Paris whose nearly magical
grin is matched only by his musical talent.
For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon;
one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the
other comforts her in it. But just like their
celestial counterparts, they can’t collide
without the whole wide world exploding.
I can safely say The Sky is Everywhere
is one of my favorite books ever. I have never
finished a book and felt this emotional before,
last night when I turned the last page I felt like
crying, laughing, writing and running in a field
to nowhere in particular, and all at the same
time. It’s now been almost 12 hours and I can’t
stop thinking about this book!
I wasn’t really looking for a serious book I just
chose this one because it was sitting on the
shelf in the YA room looking a bit lonely. From
start to finish, my heart broke and got glued
back together more than once and I feel like
the cast of characters are now permanently
stuck to my life. The things from this book that
really stuck with me are how close Lennie and
her sister Bailey were, Joe’s eyelashes (bat,
bat, bat), Toby’s sad eyes and Gram’s
garden.

Beautifully written, The Sky is Everywhere
is about loss, grief, pain, healing, hoping and
love. The sudden death of Bailey a vibrant
nineteen-year-old is at the center of the story,
and her family’s struggle to cope is
heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same
time. Bailey and Lennie have been raised by
their grandmother and uncle, as their mother
abandoned them years before. The girls talk
about their mother as if she is on a journey
around the world and she’ll be back someday
to stay. The love stories in this book are
many and multi-layered. They include the
love between sisters, the mother-like love
between grandmother and granddaughter,
and breathtaking head-over-heels first love.
Music and poetry bring together the
instruments of healing for Lennie and her
family in this wonderful story about loss, love
and forgiveness.

Happy Reading To You!!!
Mrs. Librarian Lady

Mockingjay is Amazingly Awesome!!

This is the best book ever! I just finished it today and I'm still reeling from the action, excitement and thrills of it all. I am a huge fan of the Hunger Games and I am sad that this is the last book in the series, but this book did it all for me. Katniss is an awesome character and I absolutely love her courage and drive in all three books. I don't want to give away the ending, but Mockingjay ended just the way that I wanted it to end. Collins is a brilliant writer and she had me going through so many different emotions in this story. I was laughing at jokes between Katniss and her friends and crying when my favorite characters were in trouble. Who will Katniss choose? Is it the rugged and woodsy Gale, or is it the thoughtful blue eyed Peeta? Well I can't tell you that, you will have to find out for yourself. If you haven't read this trilogy yet, I recommend that you go and get it right now and read it!! It is amazingly awesome!!

The Stronger the Woman, The Better

Hello Mrs. Librarian Lady,

You have been talking about Women’s History Month for the last few weeks and I really like the books you talked about. I was wondering if you know of any fiction books that you could recommend to me? I really like fiction and would be interested in something that is kind of sweet or romantic too. I love all of the books that you have recommended to me so far, so I know that you help me with this one too!

Thanks,
LUnaCee

Hi there LUnaCee,

I’m so glad that you have been tuning in to see my Women’s History Month selections! Every year I can’t wait for March because I love talking about all of the great women that have done so many incredible things all over the world. I want to thank you for your compliment and for having so much confidence in me. I really like to read books and then talk about them with others. I have a few books that I think you will just adore. One is The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti, which will take you on a journey of a young woman’s search to find her inner strength and the other is Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer, which features a very strong young woman named Bella who must fight to save and protect the people she loves. Hope you enjoy reading these books!

Happy reading to you!

Mrs. Librarian Lady


The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti

CCBC Choices Award Winner 2010, ABA IndieBound Spring Pick 2010

Review: Readers will be completely surprised by the unfolding of Quinn’s tale. Quinn has had it with all the annoying male figures in her life. She decides to contact her long lost half sister and after they speak on the phone they concoct a plan that their father will most likely never forgive them for. Quinn is really a breath of fresh air and her voice speaks from the heart. There is a myriad of women that voice their stories on the men they have known in their lives and how that affected them throughout their lives and in their current relationships. The women were all very strong and had endured many difficult hardships in their lives. This was very meaningful and offered a strong display of depth in Caletti’s characters. What was interesting is that all these women could be traced back to Quinn's father, who was the catalyst for the journey in this story. This is an excellent book for those who are romantic at heart and also for those who just love a happy ending.

I had never read anything by Deb Caletti before so I was very happily surprised by this novel. I was moved by her ability to weave a story so well. She added very lovable and enjoyable characters to the story. This book offers so much more than a story though. It’s an emotional journey that is multi-generational as well as multi-faceted. Caletti is a really gifted writer.



Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Children’s Book of the Year Galaxy Award 2009

Review: In Breaking Dawn our beloved Bella finally is forced to make the most ultimate and final choice in her life. She and Edward are married in old world style with the help of her true friend Alice. While Bella and Edward are honeymooning Bella begins to feel very ill and their trip is cut short when she feels that there is something growing inside of her. The tension of the story grows as that something grows larger and larger itself. The chain of events from this point on lead up to the most amazing transformation I have ever seen in a character. Let’s just say that Bella becomes the main focus of the story and her drive to protect not only Edward and her family but any other vampires that support her family is truly incredible. Will Bella’s dream of spending an eternal life with Edward finally come true? I can’t tell you that! It’s up to you to read this book to draw the conclusions yourself.

I had heard a ton of negative reviews for this book, and after reading it I do not agree with those reviews. I think that Twilight fans will find all that they have been waiting for in this final installment of the series. There is a complete and solid ending and everyone in this story does end up happy and that's what I had really wanted for all of Twilight's wonderful characters. I have an idea and would like to do a booktalk on the whole Twilight series. That way I can talk about how Twilight begins and how Edward and Bella fall in love and move on through each book and pull out the key points of the story. Then really spotlight this book because it is probably the best one in the series and has the most exciting plot and action. And of course the Twilight book club is still going strong!!