Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson

From Goodreads,

"A timely and powerful story about a teen girl from a poor neighborhood striving for success, from acclaimed author Renée Watson.

Jade believes she must get out of her neighborhood if she’s ever going to succeed. Her mother says she has to take every opportunity. She has. She accepted a scholarship to a mostly-white private school and even Saturday morning test prep opportunities. But some opportunities feel more demeaning than helpful. Like an invitation to join Women to Women, a mentorship program for “at-risk” girls. Except really, it’s for black girls. From “bad” neighborhoods.

But Jade doesn’t need support. And just because her mentor is black doesn’t mean she understands Jade. And maybe there are some things Jade could show these successful women about the real world and finding ways to make a real difference.

Friendships, race, privilege, identity—this compelling and thoughtful story explores the issues young women face."

Goodreads - Piecing Me Together

Awards and Nominations:

• Los Angeles Times Book Prize Nominee for Young Adult Literature (2017)
• Newbery Medal Nominee (2018)
• Jane Addams Children's Book Award for Older Children Honor (2018)
• Coretta Scott King Award for Author (2018)
• Evergreen Teen Book Award Nominee for High School (2020)
• Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Nominee (2020)

I try to read as often as I can, but I have been struggling lately to sit down and read.  I am still working my way through several award-winning lists.  This book is on the Coretta Scot King Award list, which meant it was one more to check off my list. 

Piecing Me Together is told by Jade who is a young African-American girl trying to not be what people see when they look at her.  Jade hates that people think she is just a poor girl in need, which is why she is always offered opportunities that others aren't.  She ends up participating in Women to Women, where she receives a mentor who is supposed to help answer questions and guide her in the right direction.  Jade finds that she is going to have to figure out who she is and use her voice to stand out. 

I teach plot to my students and I tell students there are different types of plot.  There's the merry-go-round, the kiddie coaster, and the ultimate roller coaster.  The merry-go-round is just a story with very little happening and very little excitement.  The kiddie coaster has a few small ups and downs, but at the end of everything you are wishing there was more.  The ultimate roller coaster has a huge plot and has lots of big hills and lots of big drops.  This is the book that leaves you completely thrilled at the end of it and you wouldn't mind going back and doing it all over again.  This book was very much a merry-go-round book.  It was really slow and just going in circles.  There were no exciting twists or events.  There were multiple things in the book that could have been amplified and played up, but unfortunately, Watson didn't do that. 

While the book lacked a solid plot, it had really great messages.  Two of the topics were friendship and race, but I really loved the confidence that Jade gained throughout the book.  In the beginning, Jade kept her mouth shut and she tried not to act black.  She tried her hardest to blend in with the white crowd at her school.  The more time she spent with her mentor Maxine and with the other members of the Women to Women program, she started to gain confidence.  Jade started to stand up for herself in racially tense situations.  She stood up to her friend about the opportunities she gets because she is white and Jade is black.  Jade realized that she could be black and confident.  I can make a list of girls that would benefit from learning confidence and trusting in yourself.  I know that I would have benefited from learning that carrying myself and speaking up would give me confidence.  I didn't gain true confidence until I was in college giving campus tours.  I had to talk to strangers and completely sell the campus so they would want to attend the college at our university.  I learned that speaking up and standing up for what is right is often better than sitting and being silent.  Jade learned this kind of confidence and it was one of the most valuable pieces that I pulled away from this book.  

Overall, the book was just okay.  There were points that I wish would have been emphasized on and I definitely wish there had been a stronger plot.  However, it was great seeing Jade change and become a young lady who had confidence in herself.  I give this book just 3 stars.  It was a slow read and lacked a lot for me.  I recommend it to young girls needing a confidence boost or to find themselves.  

A Drop of Hope by Keith Calabrese

From Goodreads,

"A well. A wish. And a little drop of hope.

Times are tough. Jobs are scarce and miracles are in short supply. But something strange is happening in If Only, Ohio. An old well has suddenly, impossibly, begun to grant wishes. And three sixth graders are the only ones who know why.

Ernest Wilmette believes a good deed makes magic happen. Ryan Hardy thinks they should just mind their own business. Lizzy MacComber believes in facts, not fairy tales. Of course, you don't have to believe in wishes to make one.

As more wishes are made, the well's true secret gets harder and harder to keep. Ernest, Ryan, and Lizzy know they can't fix the world. But in their own little corner of it, they can give everyone a little hope... one wish at a time."

Goodreads - A Drop of Hope

I have so many books that sometimes I forget why I bought it.  Some books I have been recommended to me and some books just seemed interesting while I was shopping in a store or on Scholastic.  The moral of the entire story is that I have too many books.  This book was definitely one that I grabbed off the shelf and decided to read.  I am SO glad I did because this book was absolutely amazing.

A Drop of Hope follows three main characters: Ernest, Ryan, and Lizzy.  The three characters are in class together when their teacher talks about the well in town where people would throw in a coin and make a wish.  Ernest and Ryan accidentally end up at the bottom of the well and overhear a wish being made.  Ernest decides to do something about it.  The book continues as the three go on a quest to make wishes come true and heal the town of its emptiness. 

This book had SOOOO many good parts that I don't even know where to begin.  I think my favorite part of the entire thing was the way everything came together.  Throughout the book, the main characters will do something small that we later find out will impact other people.  The book is written so that we mainly follow the main characters, but we periodically get perspectives from the minor characters.  This writing style allows the entire story to come together uniquely.  It really shows how one small act can impact so many other people.  I think people really need to learn that a small act of kindness can change a person's life.  Over the summer I went to Wal-Mart early one morning and there was a guy on the corner asking for money.  I don't usually give money to panhandlers, but something told me to buy a gift card and give it to the man.  So I bought a Subway gift card for $15, and while I was pulling out of the parking lot I gave it to him.  He was so grateful.  I explained that that would get him 2 or 3 footlongs and that the Subway was just across the street.  Maybe that guy didn't really need money.  But maybe he did.  Either way, my small act of kindness made a difference in his day because he was guaranteed a meal.  Sometimes you have to follow your heart, and that is honestly what small acts of kindness are all about.

This is usually the paragraph where I share what I didn't like about the book.  Unfortunately, I don't have anything to put here, so I'm going to share something else I enjoyed.  This book has a character that everyone can relate to.  There was such a wide range of characters that everyone from the young to the old can relate.  You had the smart kid, the bully, the nerd, the tough on the outside and soft on the inside, the older lady, parents, etc.  I feel that this book would be a perfect read for a middle school class.  It has a range of characters and everyone can connect with at least one of the characters.  Sometimes with many characters in a book, they seem to lose depth.  Calabrese did an excellent job with this book and ensured that the main characters had plenty of depth and that the secondary characters had a fair amount of depth as well.  The minor characters who were just in the book for a passing chapter had a background and felt relatable. 

Overall, this book was wonderful.  It was a great read and I am truly hoping that I can get a class set of this into my classroom.  I see so many great teaching opportunities with this book.  I know that at the end of it we would definitely recreate the well just like in the book and we would add our own items to it.  This book deserves all of the stars because it was absolutely wonderful.  I recommend this to all readers.  It has plenty of adventure and excitement.  There wasn't a time during the entire book that I wanted to put it down.

Tight by Torrey Maldonado

From Goodreads,

"Tight: Lately, Bryan's been feeling it in all kinds of ways . . .

Bryan knows what's tight for him--reading comics, drawing superheroes, and hanging out with no drama. But drama is every day where he's from, and that gets him tight, wound up.

And now Bryan's friend Mike pressures him with ideas of fun that are crazy risky. At first, it's a rush following Mike, hopping turnstiles, subway surfing, and getting into all kinds of trouble. But Bryan never really feels right acting so wrong, and drama really isn't him. So which way will he go, especially when his dad tells him it's better to be hard and feared than liked?

But if there's one thing Bryan's gotten from his comic heroes, it's that he has power--to stand up for what he feels . . .

Torrey Maldonado delivers a fast-paced, insightful, dynamic story capturing urban community life. Readers will connect with Bryan's journey as he navigates a tough world with a heartfelt desire for a different life."

Goodreads - Tight

School is definitely underway, and I am in a new teaching position.  I teach Language Arts and have 65 kids.  Needless to say, I am really pushing reading and getting students to find a book they enjoy.  I've noticed that I really lack books that appeal to boys, and this book was one I purchased from Scholastic in hopes that a boy would enjoy it.

Tight is about a boy named Bryan who loves comics and staying out of the drama.  Bryan is growing up in the projects in New York and he doesn't have many friends.  Bryan's parents decide he should meet Mike who they think is a great kid and would be a wonderful friend for Bryan.  As they spend time together Bryan gets strange feelings about Mike, and before long they are getting into all kinds of trouble.  Bryan must decide if he is going to continue following Mike or stand up to him.

This book had a huge friendship and peer pressure message.  I feel like, at the middle school age, many boys are trying to find the group of friends they belong with.  Sometimes this means doing stupid stuff to fit in, and more often than not, it is peer pressure that pushes them to make the stupid decision.  Bryan really struggles with right and wrong and feeling like he needs to do what Mike does to fit in.  I think quite a few boys and some girls feel this way at this age.  Peer pressure is something that happens very subtly and by the time you realize that you were pushed into doing something, it is too late.  Bryan also struggles to find friends that he should be hanging out with, instead of the ones that are "cool".  I have seen so many kids hang with the wrong crowd because they wanted to fit in and be popular.  Sometimes the people they are hanging with are mean and can influence a good kid to do some terrible things.  This book really pushes learning that feeling in your gut of right and wrong.  It also has a strong message of finding friends that share common interests with you and are uplifting instead of trying to tear you down.  We all need positive people around us to keep us motivated and moving forward toward our best selves. 

While this book had some wonderful messages about friendship and peer pressure, I really struggled with the slang in this book.  I am from a small town in Arkansas and we definitely have an accent and we definitely say some words weird.  This book was loaded with slang that was completely foreign to me.  The book used words and acronyms like "OD" or "moms" or "stuck on stupid".  I felt SOOOO old while I was reading this book.  I had no idea what the majority of the slang meant.  I'm hoping that it is really just a geographical thing and not that I'm getting old.  I honestly feel like some of my students would be questioning what some of the words meant.  I know I was.

All in all, this book was just okay.  It didn't resonate with me and leave a big lasting impression.  It wasn't terrible, and it had some really good messages.  I have to give this 2 stars.  I will be putting this in my classroom library.  Only time will tell if it becomes a popular read.

Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater

From Goodreads,

"found.
Cole St. Clair has come to California for one reason: to get Isabel Culpeper back. She fled from his damaged, drained life, and damaged and drained it even more. He doesn't just want her. He needs her. 

lost. 
Isabel is trying to build herself a life in Los Angeles. It's not really working. She can play the game as well as all the other fakes...but what's the point? What is there to win?

sinner.
Cole and Isabel share a past that never seemed to have a future. They have the power to save each other and the power to tear each other apart. The only thing for certain is that they cannot let go."

Goodreads - Sinner

This journey with the Wolves of Mercy Falls is finally coming to a close.  Sinner is the last book in this series and it is finally time to give it a proper review after reading it.

Sinner takes place in California following the rockstar Cole St.Clair.  Cole is madly in love with Isabel and he is trying to fix his mistakes and win her over.  Isabel is busy trying to create a new life in California while she works at a boutique and goes to school to be a doctor.  Everything is centered around their relationship and if they can finally make it work.

This was the first time that I had read this book and frankly, I wish I hadn't.  I'm not entirely sure why Sinner was included as a part of the Wolves of Mercy Falls series because it had no connections except for the crossover of characters Cole and Isabel.  The entire book is from their rotating perspectives, and Grace and Sam were only briefly mentioned.  I absolutely hated this book.  I really thought there would be strong tie-ins to the original three books, but Cole randomly turned into a wolf to get a sort of high from it.  This book should not have ever been written.

I also hated that this book had no plot.  The plot is all about the roller coaster that the characters and the reader go on.  This book was like being on a merry go round.  It was in a circle with no excitement.  There were no climactic points in the book that made me unable to put the book down.  It was quite the opposite and I struggled to pick it up and read it.  The characters were secondary characters in the main series, and they were forced into being the main characters, but there wasn't enough dimension to them to keep them interesting.  Every aspect of this book was lacking. 

I absolutely hated this book and wish that I hadn't read it.  I also wish I hadn't wasted my money purchasing it.  The book was so flat and boring that it took me two months to read it.  I honestly don't recommend this book, even if you have read the other three in the series.  It is not worth the time and effort.  I give it one sad star because this book was awful. 

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

From Goodreads,

"then.
When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their love moved from curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.

now.
That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be killed in one final, spectacular hunt.

forever.
Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment--a moment of death or life, farewell or forever."

Goodreads - Forever

Awards and Nominations:

• Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2011)
• Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Favorite Book (2011)
• Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Goodreads Author (2011)

Welcome back to a third week with the wolves of Mercy Falls.  I read through the first two books fairly quickly, but I really struggled with this book.  It took me exactly a month to get through it and finally say that I was done.  That being said, let's move forward into the review part of this post.

Forever picks up with Grace as a wolf in the woods and with Sam as a human in Beck's house.  Sam soon finds out that the wolves will officially be hunted and killed by helicopter.  Sam must work with Cole and Isabel to figure out a way to save the wolves, especially Grace. 

This book moved very slowly for me.  It took a lot of willpower and forcing myself to finish it.  I felt like this book was thrown together at the last minute.  The chapters felt choppy and scattered.  I also felt like there wasn't a solid plot to this book, and trust me when I say I know plot.  Books need to have up and down movements.  Things to excite the reader and keep them reading.  Things that will keep hurtling the reader toward a fantastic finale.  This book just puttered along until it finally reached the hunt on the wolves.  Everything before that was completely anticlimactic. 

Aside from the book being terribly boring, I felt like there was too much focus on Isabel and Cole and not enough on the main characters Sam and Grace.  Shiver started with the love story between Sam and Grace and continued into Linger.  Linger really introduced Isabel and Cole into the series, and it was a perfect balance between all the characters.  However, I feel that Forever should have focused on Sam and Grace and what their forever meant.  Unfortunately, I read a lot about Isabel and Cole and their strange love-hate relationship.  I felt like Sam and Grace were somewhat put on the backburner.  I definitely feel like Stiefvater set this book up this way so that she could lead into the next book Sinner, which focuses on Cole and Isabel. 

Overall, I was really disappointed with this book.  I remember reading this book and absolutely loving the series.  I actually went back and looked at my past star rating on Goodreads and I gave it a whopping 5 stars.  Unfortunately, I just can't do that.  I have to give this 2 sad stars.  The book was a huge letdown and disappoint.  I feel like it didn't properly conclude the storyline with Sam and Grace.