It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/1/15
Wow! What amazing books this week. Somehow I managed to finish four in seven days, which is definitely an accomplishment for me. Here’s what I finished:
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
This is a wonderful graphic novel perfect for middle grades. The graphics were colorful and had a good balance between realism and cartoon qualities. I loved the atypical protagonist, Astrid. She’s a tween who loves black and DESPISES shopping.
When Astrid goes to roller derby camp and her best friend goes to dance camp, Astrid has to make it on her own. This is such an important lesson for young people to learn. Friendships are hard especially when friends part ways, taking up different interests. I think that many readers can relate to Astrid’s situation while learning a little bit about roller derby.
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
Dios Mio! How have I not read this book before now?! I absolutely loved Gabi, a Girl in Pieces. Quintero touches on sensitive subjects while creating layers upon layers of thought-provoking material: self-image, weight issues, friendship, teenage pregnancy, drugs and the effects, suicide, gender hypocrisy, sexuality, sex, religion, and on and on. What a great young-adult novel. If you haven’t read it, you should.
Dave Ramsey’s Complete Guide to Money: The Handbook of Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey
My dad got me this book for graduation and boy am I glad he did. Dave covers EVERYTHING financial: insurance, budgeting, debt, giving, saving, investment options, negotiating better deals, selling and buying homes, etc.
I ate this book up. It was one of those books when I didn’t care what page I was on, and I wasn’t in a hurry to finish it. I think I’ll be rereading this one and using it as a reference for a long time.
Sway by Kat Spears
Let’s play a game. When you look at this book cover, what do you think this book will be about?
Possible answers: a cute love story, a boy who falls in love, an unreachable girl, high school love, etc.
Correct answer: A guy who squeezes money out of people by selling weed, ecstasy, fake IDs, kegs of beer, term papers, and dates with popular girls.
Jesse is the ultimate street king, a kid with more baggage than he knows what to do with. His mom ingested a few too many pills and his dad has a habit of frequently bringing new conquests home.
Not quite what the book cover conveys, huh.
Yes, there is a girl who charms the ultimate charmer, but that is absolutely not the focus of the book. Despite the deep issues the book touches on, the “love story” (if you could call it that) manages to keep the book on the edge of being over-the-top. Many of the GoodReads reviews I’ve read about the book are not favorable because it’s not what they were expecting.
Let me tell you, I’m so glad it’s not what I was expecting. My friend Maggie has pinpointed my reading habits: I pick girly-looking books, but I love boy books. (Noggin is a good example of this). Boy book to the core, Sway is my kind of book.
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Is Gabi awesome? There is just SO much here. Did you see Emily Meixner’s Nerdy Book Club post last week about Girls and Graphic Novels? Some really good recommendations from Emily and her niece. I just bought Phoebe and Her Unicorn–hoping it comes soon! Sway sooo doesn’t look like its content. Wow!
Gabi was so great! One of my best YA for the year. I loved the Girls and Graphic Novels on Nerdy. Now I need to check into some of those titles, too. I haven’t read about half of them!
Isn’t Roller Girl just fabulous! I’m hoping to get to another derby this coming Saturday with my niece. I was ‘swayed’ by your review and went to put the book on hold at our local library. It turned out to be available and is now waiting for me to finish what I’ve got on my readers and start it. Good grief! I’m not sure I have time for it.
I hope you like Sway as much as I did, Cheriee! It’s an interesting mix of good and bad, but somehow still remains lighthearted. I’d love your take on it.
My 6th graders loved graphic novels this year – especially Smile and Sisters. I have heard so many good things about Roller Girl that I am sure I will add that before the summer is over. I also want to get the GN The Babysitter’s Club. I think this is a brilliant way to get this series back into the hands of readers! I think Sway looks awesome! That is a book I would probably like.
I didn’t know The Babysitter’s Club is now in graphic novel format – how cool! Thanks for the tidbit. I would bet that your sixth graders will absolutely LOVE Roller Girl.