Tag: #LittleBrownBooksYoungReaders

Review: Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse

Review: Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse

Posted on by Cindy
Review: Seven Days of You by Cecilia VinesseSeven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse
Format: ARC
Published by Little Brown Books on January 1st 1970
Pages: 325
Goodreads

Sophia has seven days left in Tokyo before she moves back to the States. Seven days to say good-bye to the electric city, her wild best friend, and the boy she’s harbored a semi-secret crush on for years. Seven perfect days…until Jamie Foster-Collins moves back to Japan and ruins everything.
Jamie and Sophia have a history of heartbreak, and the last thing Sophia wants is for him to steal her leaving thunder with his stupid arriving thunder. Yet as the week counts down, the relationships she thought were stable begin to explode around her. And Jamie is the one who helps her pick up the pieces. Sophia is forced to admit she may have misjudged Jamie, but can their seven short days of Tokyo adventures end in anything but good-bye?

I received this book for free from publisher/pr firm in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

One of the best things about working with a publishing house or with a rep is hearing about new books that you might not have heard about and this was the case with this one. I didn’t hear about the book until I was pitched and after reading the description I knew I had to read to read it.

Seven Days of You is about Sophia who currently lives in Tokyo but only has seven days left until she moves back to the USA. Seven days is not really a lot of time to say good bye to friends you have made that you love and especially a city you have grown to love.

Sophia has known for a little while she was moving back to the USA and when she found out Jamie was moving back to Tokyo she couldn’t be more happier to be leaving because the two didn’t exactly part of good terms. She only wishes that she wouldn’t have to see him before leaving but we all know that it wouldn’t be a story if that happened right?

When Sophia and Jamie meet up you can almost sense the awkwardness but yet there is a connection still there between the two of them. I have to admit I kind of liked Jamie because he always just seemed to be there and know what to say at the exact right moment.

I loved how Sophia and Jamie were opening up to each other and it just feels wrong that they didn’t have more time to explore those feelings for each other. Hmm perhaps that is for another book….

One of the things that I thought was just not needed was the drama she was having with her friends. I felt like that wasn’t really needed for the book to progress or perhaps I just wanted more of Sophia and Jamie.

I loved how Sophia was trying to figure out ways so that she could be much closer, she even reached out to her father who is know living in London with his new family and basically told her that she couldn’t go there and I just wondered how a father could do that to his daughter. I felt bad and wished that could be fixed  before the book ended.

I love the concept of books that take place within a set period of time such as over a course of a day, a week, etc they are always fun to read and they never feel rushed is that makes sense.

This is Cecilia’s debut novel and I look forward to reading future books from her because I really enjoyed this one.

Review/ I Will Always Write Back

Posted on by Cindy
Review/ I Will Always Write BackI will Always Write Back Format: eARC
on April 14, 2015
Pages: 400
Buy on Amazon

The true story of an all-American girl and a boy from an impoverished city in Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever.

It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin's class wrote to an unknown student somewhere in a distant place. All the other kids picked countries like France or Germany, but when Caitlin saw Zimbabwe writer on the board, it sounded like the most exotic place she had ever heard of--so she chose it.

Martin was lucky to even receive a pen pal letter. There were only ten letters, and forty kids in his class. But he was the top student, so he got the first one.That letter was the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two lives.

In this compelling dual memoir, Caitlin and Martin recount how they became best friends --and better people--through letters. Their story will inspire readers to look beyond their own lives and wonder about the world at large and their place in it.

I received this book for free from publisher/pr firm in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

You know  when you get an email about a book and after reading the synopsis you know that you really need to get your hands on the book ASAP well that was the case with this book. Thankfully I was lucky and I was able to nab and ARC to read and review.

Growing up I have always had two pen pals. One was from England and the other was Italy. We wrote each other constantly and sadly once we were all done with high school and proceeded to university/college we ended up loosing touch but there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t stop and think of those two special friends.

I admit I have looked on facebook to see if they are there but sadly they aren’t. Wouldn’t that have been fun to reconnect with them after all those years?

The story is told in alternating points of view of Caitlin (the American Girl) and Martin (the boy from Zimbabwe. The story begins September 1997 when Caitlin has a pen pal assignment to do. The kids are allowed to choose their countries and she picks Zimbabwe because she likes the sound of it and it sounds exotic. Martin is the lucky boy who gets Caitlin’s letter because he is in Group One in school.

Through the course of their letter writing it was nice to see Caitlin grow into the wonderful and caring person that she is today. She lives a privilaged life and never having to want for anything. She has a roof over her head, parents who love and support her, feed and cloth her. Through the course of writing Martin she begins to realize that not everyone has it like she does and she discovers how bad poverty is in other parts of the world.

Martin, tries to keep alot from Caitlin about his situation but gradually over the course of writing to each other she discovers how bad it is for Martin and his family and she begins to send him money. Which he truly appreciates it and lets her know how much she is saving him and his family.

Through the course of the book Martin realizes that he needs help to finish school and asks for Caitlin’s help. Through the generosity Caitlin and her family sponsor Martin so that he can finish school and then come to the USA to complete his education.

I picked up the book and I literally read it in two days. I had a hard time putting it down because it was so good and there was always a struggle that they had to over come. It was nice to see this book ended happy and that Martin achieved his goal. I loved the photos that were included at the end of the book because it made it seem that much more real.

I think if you had a pen pal growing up you will love this book. Did you have a pen pal? If so from where?

Review/ The Tapper Twins Go To War (With Each Other)

Posted on by Cindy
Review/ The Tapper Twins Go To War (With Each Other)The Tapper Twins Go to War (With Each Other) Series: #1

by Geoff Rodkey
Format: eARC
Published by Hachette Children's Group on April 7th 2015
Pages: 224
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
Genres: General, Young Adult

Wars are terrible things. I know this because I've read about a lot of them on Wikipedia. And also because I was just in one. It was me against my brother, Reese. That might not sound like a war to you. Trust me. It was. This is the oral history of the terrible war between twins, Reese and Claudia Tapper. It began with a cruel and senseless sneak attack in the school cafeteria on Monday, September 8th, at approximately 8:27 a.m. Or possibly it began in the Tapper family kitchen, earlier that morning, with the greedy guzzling of the last brown sugar cinnamon toaster pastry. What really happened? It depends on who you speak to... This is a hilarious middle-grade comedy that's both totally timeless and completely up-to-the-minute.

I received this book for free from publisher/pr firm in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This was such a fun and quick read. I think I managed to read this in two sittings. As an adult I enjoyed reading this and I think it’s a perfect read for the tweens and older.

Claudia and Reese are twelve-year-old twins. I think that Claudia and Reese were the perfect characters for the book as they were very believable and it makes you think the story is real and it could actually happen.

Claudia and Reese are your typical siblings we have been trying to one up each and to humiliate the other one. It makes you wonder who will get the upper hand?

I love the format of the book. Each chapter has a title which goes along with the dialog. Its sort of like a script which I have to say I enjoyed. Within chapters there is text messages, photos, hand written text, emails and so much more. Its very well done and it makes you want to continue reading it.

Claudia is the main voice of the book but other characters come out such as Reese, Sophie, Mom and Dad, Akash, Ashley and a few others. It was nice to see how each character plays an important part to the story line.

I loved the message behind the book and its one that kids can easily grasp. Even though Claudia and Reese were doing everything they could to humiliate their sibling they both realized that in the end everything they did has a consequence to it. Which kids need to realize.

This was such a fun read and it was nice to take a break in my regular reading. I think tweens and the little bit older ones would enjoy this. I know Michael plans on reading it especially once I mentioned Minecraft was in this.

This is also my first BEA Buzz Book for 2015.