Monday Book Review: An Unexpected Role by Leslea Wahl

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Today I am so excited to talk with you about the next book from Leslea Wahl. Leslea and I met online through the Catholic Writers Guild, and then this past summer we got to meet in person when we met up in Rome for dinner!

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I knew from reading Leslea’s first book The Perfect Blindside that we would be kindred spirits. Her main character in that book employs the same sort of “Jesus, please help me not to make a fool of myself today” kind of prayers that I’ve been wont to make. 🙂

Anyway, today I get to tell you about her next book, which releases tomorrow!

Monday Book Review: An Unexpected Role by Leslea Wahl. Check out this YA book with romance, mystery, and adventure!Title: An Unexpected Role

Author: Leslea Wahl

Genre: contemporary romance with a little mystery

Age group: young adult

Synopsis: High school student and theater geek Josie just wanted to enjoy the perfect summer before becoming an upperclassman. She dreamed of afternoons at the pool and weekends at the lake. But just as the school year is ending, her mother’s latest young adult novel releases, and everyone at school seems to have read it and believes that the terribly embarrassing moments that happen to the main character are based on things that actually happened to Josie. She becomes the target of ridicule at school and is teased mercilessly.

To get away from it all, Josie leaves her Minnesota hometown to spend the summer with her artsy Aunt Lily who lives in a small beach town in South Carolina. Unfortunately, one of the “tier one” baseball superstar athletes from Josie’s school is playing for a baseball team in South Carolina for the summer, and he’s staying in the same beach town. Josie knows he’ll remind her of all the ridicule back at home and make her summer miserable. Not to mention, she’s got her eye on a hot young Latino boy who’s working at the beach town so he can send money back home to his family in the Dominican Repulbic, and baseball star Ryan seems to keep getting in the way.

And if that weren’t enough, there’s been a string of robberies in the small town that no one is able to explain. Josie wants to stop the crime spree and have a little summer romance, but first she’ll have to discover who she really is.

How could I not enjoy this book with all its baseball and musical theater references? Anyone who’s read Angelhood would have no problem imagining Leslea’s main character Josie and my main character Nanette getting along really well!

What I really liked about this book was Leslea’s ability to bring up topics like caring for immigrants and refugees, respect for veterans, and a teen’s struggle to find herself amidst the bullying climate of high school–all without coming across as preachy or didactic. She easily weaves these topics into a tale that teens can enjoy from Josie’s attempts to find romance to her efforts to discover what’s really going on in this small island beach town.

Told with humor and heart, An Unexpected Role is a tale for any teen who enjoys a book with a little romance, mystery, and adventure!

Want a chance to win books for teens and tweens? Sign up for my Insiders Club by clicking here. Once a month, I’ll mail you updates on giveaways from me and my author friends as well as the inside scoop on my writing and some fun recipes I like to share!

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Monday Book Review: Ten Commandments for Kissing Gloria Jean by Britt Leigh

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I won this book in a giveaway and was happy to do so since it’s from one of my fellow authors from the Books for Catholic Teens Facebook group.

Monday Book Review: Ten Commandments for Kissing Gloria Jean by Britt LeighTitle: Ten Commandments for Kissing Gloria Jean

Author: Britt Leigh

Genre: contemporary romance

Age category: young adult (but on the young end, really more upper middle grade in terms of voice)

Synopsis: (from back cover) “Gloria Jean wants her first kiss more than anything in the world. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. Parents, friends, the sex ed teacher at school, and her Confirmation class catechists: everyone has opinions about what a fourteen-year-old girl should–and shouldn’t–do. Even Gloria’s own body adds to the confusion with troubles of its own. In a world of mixed messages, Gloria Jean wonders how she can find a way to listen to her own heart, and how she’s supposed to follow the rules if she isn’t even sure what they are.”

The book opens with eighth grader Gloria Jean going on her first movie date with a boy–although she swears to her mom it’s really just boys and girls hanging out as friends since her two female friends are also bringing guys as well. Secretly, Gloria Jean is hoping this date will end with her first kiss, but part way through the movie, she experiences “the Troubles” and needs to run to the bathroom. It takes her a long time to come back to her movie seat, and the “mood” is ruined by then.

Eventually, Gloria Jean learns that the “troubles” she’s been plagued with is actual celiac disease. She can’t have any gluten, and when she does it wrecks havoc with her digestive system, making her feel absolutely miserable, and it could have serious consequences later in life. This means she can’t receive Communion, which makes participating in her Confirmation retreat and regular Sunday Mass a matter of utter social awkwardness for Gloria Jean. Every young teen and preteen just wants to fit in, and Gloria Jean is standing out like a sore thumb when she can only receive from the chalice.

If you heard me on the Jennifer Fulwiler show last week, we were talking about good books for Catholic kids, some overtly Christian and others not. As you can probably guess, this book is very overtly Catholic. It’s essentially Theology of the Body told in novel form. Her Confirmation classes are set up in direct contrast to her sex ed classes at her public middle school. At times, some teens may feel this book gets a bit preachy.

However, if you’re a parent of a preteen who doesn’t know how to get started talking about your values with regard to sex, this book may be a good place to break into that conversation. Or if you’re a parent of a child with celiac disease, this book might make them feel less alone.

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Monday Book Review: The Phantom Bully by Jeffrey Brown

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I picked up this book thinking it would be cute for my nephew for his birthday, and I ended up reading it myself. What can I say? I’m a Star Wars geek through and through.

Monday Book Review: Star Wars: Jedi Academy #3: The Phanton BullyTitle: The Phantom Bully (Star Wars: Jedi Academy #3)

Author: Jeffrey Brown

Genre: sci-fi graphic novel

Age group: middle grade

I had no idea this was the third book in the series when I first picked it up, but the book is written in such a way that it’s okay if you didn’t read the first two. This book has main character Roan in his third year of middle school. His middle school just happens to be a Jedi training academy. He’s had a history of getting into trouble (in an oops-did-I-do-that kind of way), and now someone seems intent on making middle school miserable for him.

As a middle school teacher, I enjoyed how Brown incorporated typical middle school issues into his story (first “loves,” teachers who seem difficult but really just want the best for their students, friendship issues, and bullying). As a Star Wars geek, I love how he stayed true to the Star Wars world and added in jokes that Star Wars fans will appreciate. The characters are original yet still familiar. There are droids like C-3PO and R2-D2 who acts as chaperones when Roan and his friends want to “double date.”

One happy surprise was discovering that Brown finds engaging ways to bring some positive moral messages into the story. Not only does he tackle how to handle bullies well, but he also brings up ethical issues like the “right” way to use the Jedi mind trick.

Monday Book Review: The Phantom Bully (Star Wars: Jedi Academy #3)

Here is what Roan has learned about the ethical ways to use the Jedi mind trick.

So if you have any Star Wars fans in your house, check out the Star Wars: Jedi Academy series. Very fun reading with some nice messages!

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Monday Book Review: Footer Davis Probably Is Crazy by Susan Vaught

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Every year I try to read the Edgar Award nominees for juvenile and young adult fiction before the winners are announced. Due to time constraints with the doctorate program, I completely failed this year. However, I did manage to read the winner in the juvenile category recently, so here it is!

Footer DavisTitle: Footer Davis Probably Is Crazy

Author: Susan Vaught

Genre: mystery

Age group: middle grade

Synopsis: Footer Davis’s mother has bipolar disorder.  Sometimes she’s just fine–but not if she doesn’t take her pills. Prior to the opening of our story, there was a terrible fire on a neighbor’s farm. The two Abrams kids who live there haven’t been seen since. Were they so badly burned in the fire no one could find their remains? Or have they fled? Footer and her best friend Peavine decide to investigate, and what Footer finds scares her into thinking maybe she had something to do with the fire herself.

Author Susan Vaught works in the mental health field, so she’s definitely writing about something she has experience with here. The story is told in first-person from the perspective of young Footer Davis. Footer has a very unique voice. It’s one of the strengths of this story, but I’ll also admit it’s part of what made this story a little hard for me to get into at first. After all, Footer Davis “probably is crazy,” and her thoughts can be hard to follow. When are we being told the truth? When are we experiencing visions or a dream through Footer’s perspective? Or is she just remembering the past?

Thankfully, once you get used to Footer’s unique voice, the story moves along very rapidly. The author also does a great job with the ending. Often in middle grade mysteries, I can guess where the author is headed. It took almost until the surprising ending for me to figure out where this was all headed. And then once I figured it out, I wanted to shout at Footer, “Hey! Don’t you see what’s going on here?!?”

Some might wonder with all of this talk of mental illness if this is appropriate for middle grade readers. Yes, it’s definitely told with a middle grade voice, not a YA voice. I would put it a little akin to the great story So B. It by Sarah Weeks which deals with a character whose mother is mentally challenged.

So if you’re into middle grade mysteries with unique main characters, check out Footer Davis Probably Is Crazy.

Monday Book Review: Life-Changing Love by Theresa Linden

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I had a chance to read an advanced copy of Theresa Linden’s new release (officially, it comes out on May 26), and I’m happy to share a bit about it now!

Life Changing Love by Theresa LindenTitle: Life-Changing Love

Author: Theresa Linden

Genre: contemporary romance

Age group: YA

Synopsis: There are several “love stories” going on here, but the main character is Caitlyn, who is about to turn 15 and is being introduced to the idea of old-fashioned courtship. There’s no dating without parental involvement, and things must be taken slowly. Caitlyn would like to try out this way of getting to know someone with her crush, Roland West, but Caitlyn’s not the only girl with her eye on Roland. Another girl’s interested, too, and her parents aren’t holding her to any courtship rules. How can Caitlyn compete? To complicate matters, another girl she knows is pregnant, and the boyfriend’s pushing for an abortion. Then Caitlyn learns something about her own parents and their dating mistakes that makes her question everything she’s learned.

Theresa Linden is one of my fellow Catholic Writers Guild members, so she does a nice job of weaving Theology of the Body into her story. This book has a strong pro-life message and would be a great way to talk about difficult dating and sex topics with your teenager. Theresa keeps the story engaging and realistic (this is not a saccharine love story nor are the characters all goody-two shoes).

Plus, there are some scenes in Italy. Enough said. 😉

You can pre-order it on Amazon here.

Monday Book Review: The Sign of The Carved Cross by Lisa Hendey

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The Sign of the Carved Cross is the second book in the Chime Travelers series. I suppose I really should have read the first book in the series before diving into book 2, but luckily, Lisa Hendey fills in enough details that if you missed book 1, you can still read book 2!

The Chime Travelers series is about a brother and sister who travel back in time and visit with saints. Their time-travel journeys start with the chiming of church bells.

Monday Book Review: Sign of the Carved Cross--second book in the Chima Travelers series by Lisa HendeyTitle: The Sign of the Carved Cross

Author: Lisa Hendey

Genre: Mystery

Age group: chapter book (grades 2-4)

Synopsis: When a new girl starts at Katie’s school, Katie joins her friends in excluding her from all their fun. But when Katie and her family help clean the church and the bells begin to chime, Katie is suddenly transported back to 1675. Tossed into a Native American village, Katie gets a sense of what it’s like to be “the new girl.” Luckily, she finds a friend in Tekakwitha, a young woman who knows what it’s like to be an outsider. Tekakwitha has scars on her face from a terrible disease, and her uncle’s family looks down on her for being a Christian. While Tekakwitha and Katie bond, things become worse in the village for Tekakwitha, and soon the girls are forced to run away in the middle of the night.

You may have guessed that Tekakwitha turns out to be St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American woman to be canonized. While I remember hearing about St. Kateri in school and I remember her being canonized in 2012, I really didn’t know too much about her. This book is a delightful introduction to this beautiful saint. Not only is this a lovely, intimate way to learn about St. Kateri, but it’s a fun read as well. Hendey keeps the story  moving along quickly, and young people will enjoy getting to know Katie and her family through this series. I love that the very “real life” problems of bullying and exclusion are worked so nicely into this story and in ways that children can easily relate to.

The book also includes discussion questions, a prayer in honor of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, and a prayer before receiving Communion. There are at least four books in the series out now. You can check them out here.

For news on my upcoming middle grade mystery and a chance to win a free copy, be sure to join my Insiders Club here.

Monday Book Review: The Fantastic Frame #1 (Danger! Tiger Crossing)

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A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Lin Oliver, the author of the Fantastic Frame series, at an SCBWI meeting. (SCBWI stands for Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators.) In fact, Lin is one of the co-founders of SCBWI, so it was cool to hear how the group came to be and how Lin has worked in the television and film industry all the while hoping to become a children’s book author. If you recognize her name, it may be because she’s co-authored a ton of children’s books with Henry Winkler, a.k.a. the Fonz.

Fantastic FrameTitle: Danger! Tiger Crossing (The Fantastic Frame #1)

Author: Lin Oliver

Genre: fantasy

Age group: chapter book (grades 1-3)

Synopsis: Ten-year-old Tiger Brooks has just moved into a new neighborhood. He lives on the lower level of a duplex with a friendly girl named Luna Lopez living upstairs and a “crazy” old lady named Viola Dots living next door. When Tiger sees a talking, top-hat wearing Pig disappear into Viola’s house, he and Luna decide to investigate. Inside, they discover that many years ago Viola’s thirteen-year-old son disappeared inside a painting that had been hung in a fantastical frame. Tiger soon discovers that the frame has an “hour of power,” during which you can step inside whatever painting is inside that frame. Before long, he and Luna are sucked into the same painting that Viola’s son disappeared into. Now they need to find Viola’s son and bring him back home to his distraught mother.

Art lovers will probably really enjoy this series as Lin Oliver introduces a new famous painting into each book in the series. As you can imagine, Tiger and Luna head into each painting in order to find Viola’s son, but something always keeps them from bringing him back.

IMG_2633This story is cute and a very fast read. I think I read it in a half hour. As someone who reads and writes middle grade and young adult, I’m afraid I just don’t know enough about chapter books to do any kind of fair comparison for you, but the concept behind this series is a fantastic one, and art lovers will definitely enjoy it!

It was great fun meeting Lin, and I wish her the best of luck with this series!

 

 

Monday Book Review: The Perfect Blindside by Leslea Wahl

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Leslea Wahl is one of my fellow Catholic Writers Guild members, and I was thrilled when I won a copy of her award-winning YA novel The Perfect Blindside in a recent giveaway. Since the grad school spring semester has now winded down, I was able to delve into this book–and once I did, I was hooked. Leslea’s got a very engaging story here!

The Perfect BlindsideTitle: The Perfect Blindside

Author: Leslea Wahl

Genre: contemporary fiction

Age group: YA

Synopsis: Jake Taylor surprises everyone when he wins a silver medal in snowboarding at the Winter Olympics, but his parents aren’t thrilled at the sudden rush of attention their son is getting. Seeking a more normal high school experience for their son, Jake’s parents whisk him off to a small town in the mountains of Colorado–not too far from snowboarding training ground, but far enough away from the paparazzi.  Most of the people in town are thrilled to have an Olympic silver medalist move in, but not honors student Sophie Metcalf. She’s got a theory about cute guys like Jake: they can’t be trusted because their good looks make it too easy for them to get what they want. But when trouble starts brewing in their small town in the form of slashed tires, rumored ghosts in old coal mines, and false accusations, the egotistical snowboarder and the judgmental honors student may just need to team up to uncover what’s really going on in this not-so-sleepy little town.

Leslea Wahl does an amazing job of making her characters realistic while still infusing faith into her story. I love the way she has Sophie pray throughout the book. Her prayers aren’t overly pious long epistles; they are quick, in-the-moment, down-to-earth (“Seriously, Jesus, help me shut my trap”) kind of prayers. Basically, the way I pray! 🙂

The pitfall in a lot of Christian fiction is to make the characters either holier-than-thou saints or really, really terrible sinners who suddenly do a 180. I enjoyed how Leslea gives her characters realistic flaws (you’d expect a boy who’d just won an Olympic silver medal to be a bit egotistical) and then let’s them have some character development without swinging the pendulum between sinner and saint too far or too fast.

Not only are the characters enjoyable, but the story line is very engaging as well. I’ll admit I kind of guessed what was going on fairly early in the story, but I think teens and their parents will still find this story to be a fun, fast read.

You can find The Perfect Blindside for purchase here.

You can learn more about Leslea Wahl and her writing in the following places:

Website: http://lesleawahl.com/

Blog: http://lesleawahl.com/blog/

Facebook AuthorPage: https://www.facebook.com/LesleaWahlbooks/

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/14178590.Leslea_Wahl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LesleaWahl

Instagram: Leslea_Wahl

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/lesleawahl/

I’m linking this post up with the Open Book linky hosted by author Carolyn Astfalk and CatholicMom.com. Click on either link to see what others are reading this month!

Monday Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

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Cinder has been on my TBR pile for a couple of years, at least. Yes, that’s how long my to-be-read list is! I had started reading it last summer, but then my mom fell ill and grad school started up, and the book had to be returned to the library. Thank goodness for spring break and the chance to read something other than grad school work! I’m glad I found the time to read this book that a number of my coworkers have been talking about for a while. As I explained to some friends Saturday night, I feel like I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole. So immersed did I become in the world Marissa Meyer created that, that I can’t wait to read the rest of the Lunar Chronicles series.

Monday Book Review: Cinder by Marissa MeyerTitle: Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: dystopian/sci-fi/fairy tale retelling

Age group: YA

Synopsis: In this retelling of the classic Cinderella fairy tale, we meet Cinder. After a tragic accident at age eleven, Cinder is given a second chance at life by scientists who rebuild her. She’s now part human, part machine, but completed despised by anyone who knows she’s a cyborg. Shortly after her surgery, she’s adopted by a new family, but her adoptive father dies, leaving her with a stepmother and stepsisters who don’t have much use for a despicable cyborg. Cinder is left to do the only “chore” she understands–repairing machines.

While running her repair booth at the market in New Beijing, Cinder is surprised by an unlikely guest. The handsome Prince Kai has come to her booth undercover. He needs help repairing an old android . . . and maybe a maiden to marry. However, the Queen of the Lunars (not-quite-humans who live on the moon) wants to make a marriage alliance with the young prince–and that’s just the start of her plans.

Cinder is the kind of book where I fear saying too much for fear of ruining the delightful ways author Marissa Meyer puts a spin on this classic tale. If you’re a fan of dystopian novels, sci-fi, fairy tale retellings, or all three, you’ll enjoy this book! Good, clean fun that you won’t want to put down!

Monday Book Review: A Single Bead by Stephanie Engelman

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I met author Stephanie Engelman online through the Catholic Writers Guild and discovered that she writes YA just like I do! So, of course, I jumped at the chance to review her book, A Single Bead, when it released earlier this month.

A Single BeadTitle: A Single Bead

Author: Stephanie Engelman

Genre: contemporary realistic fiction

Age category: YA (but okay for middle grade, too)

Summary: (from Amazon) On the anniversary of the plane crash that took the life of her beloved grandmother and threw her own mother into deep depression, 16-year-old Katelyn Marie Roberts discovers a single bead from her grandmother’s rosary—a rosary lost in the crash. A chance encounter with a stranger, who tells Katelyn that a similar bead saved her friend’s life, launches Katelyn and her family on a quest to find the other missing beads. Their journey, filled with glimmers of hope, mystical events and unexplained grace helps Katelyn understand that faith, family and the help of others can restore what was lost.

A Single Bead by Stephanie Engelman and my mom's St. Therese of Lisieux rosary

A Single Bead by Stephanie Engelman and my mom’s St. Therese of Lisieux rosary

I found a lot I could relate to in this book. As many of you know, I lost my mother back in August, and the grandmother in this story reminded me a lot of my mom. And let’s just say I’m really thankful that I didn’t react to my mother’s death the way Katelyn’s mom reacts to her mother’s death.I think young teens who struggle with believing in prayer and maybe even believing in God’s ability to work in their lives will enjoy this book. Katelyn seems to be a pretty typical teen who has some faith but hasn’t gotten to the point of really making it a part of her everyday existence yet. Stephanie does a nice job of balancing out faith-filled characters with those who struggle with their faith.

This could make a great Confirmation present for a teen girl if you’re looking for something a little different to give.

You can follow Stephanie on her blog A Few Beads Short. (Don’t you just love that blog title? Personally, I think I’m more than a few beads short, but that’s another story. 😉 )

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