Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Today is the first time I'm participating in MMGM. I've enjoyed all the MMGM posts I've come across and hope to be a regular since I love reading MG. Here goes.

Anastasia at This Address (Anastasia Krupnik #8)
by Lois Lowry

From Goodreads: Anastasia Krupnik answers a personal ad, and by stretching the truth, finds herself in quite a predicament when the special "he" wants to meet her.

My review: An ad in a personal column captivates Anastasia Krupnik. Single White Male. Her friends have sworn off boys since they’re so immature, but this grown man sounds irresistible. How is a middle school girl supposed to get the attention of a man, especially one who’s receiving hundreds of letters from single women all over the country? Anastasia doesn’t lie, or so she tells herself. Yes, she owns her own boat since she bought a toy boat from her brother. She goes to school, which makes her a scholar. She does have friends and goes out, so she is busy with social engagements. Of course she'll send a picture...of someone older.

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Anastasia is long-winded and tries too hard in her letters, which is all a part of her inexperience and naiveté. As one would expect, she makes a mess out of things. SWM wants to meet her after reading all her letters and appreciating the picture she sent. This is a fun book and the ending had a twist I didn’t expect.

Reading other reviews and seeing how some people had issues with this book, the time it was published has to be taken into consideration. This book was written years ago with a tone of humor and innocence. It would be something else if it were written today with all the internet criminality one sees in the news. That aside, I’d love to read more from this series.

Books Recently Read

DARTH PAPER STRIKES BACK - Tom Angleberger

Dwight, the creator of Origami Yoda, is in a bind. Yoda gave advice and was helpful, but there’s a new finger puppet in town. Darth Paper. He and his creator, Harvey, are spreading darkness throughout the school, particularly by getting Dwight and Yoda in trouble. Dwight is suspended and may be expelled because of his finger puppet and his alleged disruptive behavior. Classmates can’t forget what a great guy he is and the endless wisdom given by Yoda. They make a case file to present to the school board to save Dwight from expulsion. I loved the characters, situations, and doodles across the pages. The speculation on whether Yoda was real and magical or just a piece of paper on a boy’s finger was interesting.

THE SECRET OF THE FORTUNE WOOKIEE - Tom Angleberger

Dwight is normal and boring? Is Origami Yoda no more? There's a new finger puppet in town, Fortune Wookiee, that's too good to be true. Here's another fantastic case file about McQuarrie Middle and Star Wars themed origami and kirigami. I loved the characters and middle grade voice in this book. This series keeps getting better and better. I enjoyed the first two books, but this was my favorite. Maybe I'll say the same about the next installment.

DOPE SICK - Walter Dean Myers

Lil J is on the run after a drug deal gone bad. If he’s caught, he’s in a whole lot of trouble since an injured police officer is involved. He hides out in a stranger’s apartment. The stranger, Kelly, knows a lot about him. He has a freaky remote control and TV that shows snippets of Lil J’s life. Lil J can leave the apartment as either a doomed or changed man. The two men are compelling characters and it was fascinating to see Lil J’s life, both past and present, unfold the way it did.

GO ASK ALICE - Anonymous

I read this in middle school and loved it. Rereading it as an adult, I still enjoyed the diary format, but was disappointed when I looked up the author and saw reports that this was fiction when ages ago I thought it was real. In addition, the ebook has quite a few typos. But if you’re interested in reading an account of a young lady spiraling out of control with drugs and sex in the 60’s, this is a great read. The way the character redeems herself is uplifting, while the bullying she undergoes in the last half of the book is alarming. I wanted the ending, in regards to how she died, to be more concrete.

THE GIRL WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE - April Henry 

The story begins with a teenage girl who wakes up with no memory of who she is and how she got to where she is. Two of her fingernails have been pulled out, one of her teeth is loose, and there are two men nearby. One of them tells the other to finish her off. She manages to escape and life on the run is difficult.

The strangers who are after her know her location, frame her for a serious crime, and take on her online identity to post fake status updates. She learns her name is Cady. She meets a boy, Ty, who wants to help her since he’s been in bad situations himself. The mystery organization now pursues the both of them.

I don’t want to give away anything else since that would spoil the story. One of the things that made this book great were all the unexpected twists and turns. I read this in two sittings. It’s a fast and intense read. I couldn’t wait to see what happened with Cady’s memories and her plans to foil the bad guys. NetGalley and the publisher provided the review copy.

What's Up Wednesday

Hosted by Jaime Morrow and
Erin Funk

What I'm Reading

THE GIRL WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE by April Henry.

This is a YA thriller and it's amazing. It hooked me from the first page and won't let go. I'm almost done and will share a review soon.

What I'm Writing

I'm working on a historical and fantasy MG that I hope to get out to beta readers by the beginning of next month. I have two other projects for this summer, but the MG is the main one for now since I want it beta read.

What Else I've Been Up To

My vacation started a few days ago. I've been feeling lazy, but I'm still getting things done. I've been able to clear some movies out of my DVR, either by watching them or deleting the ones that didn't grab my attention in the beginning. I watched Charade yesterday. Anyone else love Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn?

What Inspires Me Right Now

I was looking through a journal I kept last summer. It doesn't have many entries, but what I wrote back then resonates with me now. I can't be specific since some of it is personal, but I like how I can gain insight from something  I scribbled in haste and emotion. Some of what I wrote included goals and rereading them motivates me.