Sophomore Year Is Greek to Me by Meredith Zeitlin - Fun, Fun, Fun

A laugh-out-loud high school adventure set in Greece, perfect for fans of Meg Cabot

High school sophomore Zona Lowell has lived in New York City her whole life, and plans to follow in the footsteps of her renowned-journalist father. But when he announces they’re moving to Athens for six months so he can work on an important new story, she's devastated— he must have an ulterior motive. See, when Zona's mother married an American, her huge Greek family cut off contact. But Zona never knew her mom, and now she’s supposed to uproot her entire life and meet possibly hostile relatives on their turf? Thanks... but no thanks.

In the vein of Anna and the French Kiss, Zona navigates a series of hilarious escapades, eye-opening revelations, and unexpected reunions in a foreign country—all while documenting the trip through one-of-a-kind commentary.

I loved this book! It is very funny, the characters are really charming and it made me really really want to travel to Greece it sounds like such a beautiful place! I am also a big fan of realistic fiction and this book has all of the best impression of the how real relationships work. I loved how the main character Zone goes on a journey to basically find herself and how she realizes just like many others do, that life is not perfect, but if you can trust in yourself and live life to the fullest things will always turn out to be just fine. Just like many teens, Zona finds out that life itself is a work in progress. I am a huge fan of authors like Meg Cabot, Sarah Dessen, and Jenny Han and Meredith Zeitlin is right up there with the best with this novel! I love her writing and can't wait to see if there will be more novels with Zona to come. I recommend Sophomore Year Is Greek To Me to anyone that loves a sweet coming of age story in a lovely setting. Very much like when Lena was in Greece in the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants.

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Librarian Lady

Wishes do explode... I mean come true

Spell Check by Julie Wright


I am so excited I finished this ebook on Halloween and I have to say that I loved it! It starts with a group of cheerleaders and their infamous leader Lisa Snoddy who you find to be an excellent “mean girl” are planning a prank on Allyson on her birthday, which just happens to be a few days before Halloween. Ally has no idea that the prank involves her hanging from a tree, and that Lisa and her clique are going to leave her there high and dry in the middle of the night all alone. She will soon find out though that every time she makes a wish something funny happens. Her wishes are awesome! Her best friend Kristin and Jake the hottest guy in school and the one who has stolen Allyson’s heart since 7th grade show up to rescue her. Later on, her Swedish grandmother shows up at her doorstep and tells her she has a magical family, LOL surprise! Allyson finally figures out what's been going on. After some totally hilarious situations arise she realizes that she has to get her head straight or she might spin out of control. My favorite part is at the end when she finally gets the wish she's always wanted to come true. Ooooooh Jake and Allyson possible love connection? I'll never tell. You'll just have to read Spell Check to find out!

Finding Meaning and Purpose in Your Life

The third book I have read on the YALSA Top Ten Nominees is "What Happened to Goodbye" by Sarah Dessen. I have been a long time fan of Ms. Dessen because I love Realistic Fiction. She writes with such passion and lets the reader dive right into the main characters life and problems. Hope you will read this one because it is very good! What Happened to Goodybye by Sarah Dessen (2011) McLean's parents are divorced and she is struggling to adapt to a life without her parents together. She goes with her dad each times he moves from town to town because he works a restaurant consultant. Each time she moves she changes her name and her persona, sometimes she a sweet prep girl, or a cheerleader or sometimes even a wanna be bad girl. However this new town she has just landed in has managed to reach out and grab her like no other town has before. This time she just might be able to work on becoming the real McLean and also figure out just where she belongs. As she learns more about herself, she realizes that Dave Wade the boy next door may have some excellent words of wisdom. He inspires McLean to search her soul and find out who her "2 a.m. person" will be. Dessen always create such interesting and diverse characters in her books. I loved the deep conversations that McLean has with Dave and with herself. Finding yourself when you are in your teens is sometimes hard and going through divorce with custody issues, having axes to grind, and being stressed over family separations would only make it harder. I think this is a great book for teens to read, especially for those that enjoy realistic fiction! Happy Reading!! ♥ Mrs. Librarian Lady

Hex Hall X 3 = Awesome

Spell Bound (Hex Hall #3) by Rachel Hawkins Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident. Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late? If you haven't read this series yet you are definitely missing out! Check out the first book in the series called Hex Hall and you will be as hooked on Sophie Mercer and her adorably sweet witchy charm. Her love interest Archer Cross has a little something special going on too. I recommend this whole series if you are interested in Harry Potter but would like something on the little lighter side. Happy Reading to you!!

A Soldier, a Saint and a Teenager

My daughter was working on a school project in recognition of Women's History Month last week and the person she chose to write about was Joan of Arc. I learned so many things about Joan and I have to say that she was just an amazing young woman. Joan of Arc was born to a peasant family in Domremy, France in the year 1412. She was very poor and had to work in the fields. When she was 12 she saw a bright light and heard the voices of angels talking to her. Joan lived during the Hundred Years War, which was a war between France and England. In 1429, when Joan was 17 the English were about to take over France. Her voices told her to help France. Charles VII gave Joan some troops to command and she cut her hair, dressed in armor like a boy, and carried a white banner with the fleur-de-lis.

In May of 1429, after many battles, Joan’s troops stopped the English from taking over France. In 1430, Joan was captured and sold to the English. She was sent to Rouen where she went on trial for being a witch. After 12 months in prison, the English court charged Joan with the crime of wearing a boy’s outfit. First they sentenced her to death, but she signed a letter saying that she had been wrong and it was changed to life in prison. One problem was that Joan would not give up her boys clothing, so she was sent to the Catholic Church court and was sentenced again to death. On May 30, 1431 Joan was burned at the stake in the Old Market Square at Rouen.

25 years after Joan’s death, King Charles VII had a second trial to clear her name, and she was pronounced innocent. Joan’s name was forever cleared of any wrongdoing. My daughter chose Joan of Arc for this project because she is still admired for her strength and bravery by many people. Her life was short, but she was very brave and stayed true to her country. She is a good example of a courageous young woman who tried to help others and had many challenges in her way and that is why she is still remembered even today. In 1920, Pope Benedict XV of the Roman Catholic Church blessed Joan and she became a saint. Joan of Arc’s traditional feast day is May 30th.

For those of you who love Joan of Arc you will be delighted to hear that the author Michael Scott has written a short story in an online digital format called the Death of Joan of Arc.

Joan of Arc was not burned at the stake in Rouen, France in 1431. She was rescued from certain death by Scathach the Warrior. The truth about that day is revealed in the last will and testament of William of York, and it will leave you wondering: does Joan of Arc still walk the earth? Michael Scott’s first-ever exclusive e-book short story delves into the world of the bestselling series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel and offers readers a never-before-seen lost story—the story of two warriors who would become sisters!

You can find this at Barnes & Noble's Web site and if you have a Nook you it only costs 99 cents! It's also offered on Amazon for Kindle as well.

Happy Reading to you all!!