Mini Reviews - A New Tween Edition

My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer

by Jennifer Gennart

 

Twelve-year-old June Farrell is sure of one thing—she’s great at making pies—and she plans to prove it by winning a blue ribbon in the Champlain Valley Fair pie competition. But a backlash against Vermont’s civil union law threatens her family’s security and their business. Even when faced with bullying, June won’t give up on winning the blue ribbon; more importantly, she won’t give up on her family. (description from Amazon.com) 

I really enjoyed this title. I think it's a lot more serious than the cover leads readers to believe. It handles the issue of families with homosexual parents very well. I'm glad I read it.

Dying to Meet You

by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise

43 Old Cemetary Road, book one

 

This is the story of the churlish, child-hating sixty-year-old children’s book author Ignatius B. Grumply, who rents an old Victorian mansion in Ghastly, Illinois, for the summer . . . only to find it already inhabited. Enter eleven-year-old Seymour Hope and the vivacious, “old as dirt” writer-ghost Olive C. Spence. The ensuing tale of unlikely roommates is cleverly, seamlessly told in letters, newspaper articles, Grumply’s work-in-progress “Ghost Tamer” manuscript, and winning illustrations by M. Sarah Klise.  (description from Amazon.com)

Cute. I love all the different "media" used to tell the story.  The letters, the newspaper articles, etc.  It was a fun read.

Full disclosure: Both books borrowed from my Library