11 Birthdays

"What do you call it when every tomorrow is both tomorrow and today? And every today is both today and yesterday?"

I just finished 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass. What a quick, fun read.

"Amanda's eleventh birthday should be a happy occasion. Instead she's dressed in an itchy costume her mother picked out for her boring Hollywood-themed party while, across town, her ex-best friend, Leo, is celebrating their joint birthday with a huge bash including a hypnotist, a football star, a giant iguana, and a rock band. SO not fair!

Amanda can't wait for the day AFTER her birthday so she can stop thinking about the fight that led her and Leo to have separate parties for the first time in their lives. There's just one problem. The next day is her birthday all over again.

In this hilarious and touching adventure, Amanda must figure out how to get unstuck, in more ways than one."

I enjoyed this book. Living the same day over and over again is a plot that I have seen in a movie before, and I was interested to see how Wendy Mass would approach the same topic in this book. I believe she was successful. I kept reading to see how Amanda was going to get out of the repeating situation.

Pick this book up and give it a try!

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

The Secret Science Alliance

The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook by Eleanor Davis is one cool graphic novel! Ever since I read this one and book talked it, I have not seen it on my shelf! You guys are passing this one around like crazy!

Eleven year-old Julian Calendar feels like he never fits in at school. So when his parents announce that they are moving which means a new school, he is thrilled beyond belief. A new start! He will have a chance to start fresh...to be ‘normal’ like everyone else. Soon, he befriends Greta who always wears her bicycle helmet and Ben who never seems to stop playing basketball. These three end up having a lot in common.

Julian, Greta, and Ben are all interested in science and creating their own wild inventions. They even have a hideout which at first seems like a plain wooden shed. Wait until your eyes feast on their real secret lair! The three of them form The Secret Science Alliance and begin to create their wild inventions.

But then a revered scientist steals their inventions. The Secret Science Alliance must use their smarts and science knowledge to stop the Copycat Crook.

This story is funny, inspiring, and filled with science and wacky inventions. I thoroughly enjoyed the most detailed drawings in the book. There were several that were so intricate that I spent several minutes looking and reading and finding the pertinent information located in each one.

I think this book will be one that will fall into the hands of readers of all interests. It is one that makes the reader root for the underdog…and don’t we all love an underdog!

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

The Magician's Elephant

I just finished a magical book. It was dark, yet warm. It was sad, yet hopeful. It was The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo.

Peter Augustus Duchene lives with his guardian, an old soldier named Vilna Lutz. Peter is sent to the market for fish and bread. Instead of spending his money as he has been told, Peter spends his coin at the fortuneteller's tent.

Peter knows his question: Does his sister live? And if so, how can he find her? The fortuneteller's answer involves an elephant!

Kate DiCamillo writes this story poetically. She uses descriptive and haunting vocabulary....words such as...entrusted, excruciating, audacity, sullen, unobtrusive, perpetually, reciprocal, austere, cataclysmic.

I was drawn into the magical telling of this story. I wanted to read more to discover if Peter finds his sister. I wanted to know how the elephant would lead Peter to her. I wanted to figure out how all the other stories Kate DiCamillo was weaving into Peter's tale were connected to finding his sister.

Those of you who love magic and fantasy would enjoy this book as well as those who enjoy a story about love and family. Put this one on your TBR list and enjoy!

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!