Top Ten Tuesday: Books up next

 This week's topic is the books up next in my TBR.

Here they are:

Have you read any of these? Which one should I read next?

Middle Grade Book Review: Something Like Home

 

Lauren goes to live with her aunt after her parents are required to enter rehab. They can't stop using drugs and neglecting Lauren. Lauren called the police and feels responsible for their time in rehab.

Lauren's aunt isn't the most welcoming. She just wants to go home, but that's not an option. Moving to her aunts means moving to a new school. It's not easy being the new girl in school. How is Lauren supposed to make friends when she's going to be back with her parents before too long?

When she finds a puppy who needs recusing, Lauren comes up with a plan. If she can train Sparrow to become a therapy dog, they can visit her parents. She misses them more than she can say. 

My Thoughts: A wonderful heart wrenching story about Lauren's family life. She feels heartbroken that she's responsible for splitting up her family. I love how she became a family with Sparrow. She trained him. Even though she rescues him, they saved each other. Because of Sparrow, Lauren makes a friend. Together, they train Sparrow to become a therapy dog. I wanted to wrap Lauren up in a hug. For me, the ending, was a little too good to be true, but it did wrap everything up nicely. 

Cover Thoughts: Adorable

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A great novel in verse for middle graders. 

* Nothing bad happens to the dog after it's rescued. 

Taylor Swift Pop-Up Party Recap

 At work, we've been missing the boat on celebrating Taylor Swift's new albums. But we decided to do a pop-up party (not advertised in our newsletter only on social media and in the library) 

We hosted one for teens and one for kids

Both made friendship bracelets. We had coloring sheets for everyone.

The teens had trivia questions:

What are the names of Taylor Swift's parents?

What was Taylor's job at the Christmas tree farm?

We read this book for the kids:

this is a super cute story with great illustrations! 

The kids had finish the lyrics like this one:

We handed out stickers and bookmarks

How it went:

It went really well - everyone seemed to have a great time. Everyone went home with goodies. We had a mix of people who knew all the trivia and lyrics and people who didn't know too many. I had such a good time. The only complaint was - next time make it longer!

TikTok: Taylor Merch

Happy Taylor Swift Day to all those who celebrate.

While everyone is listening to TTPD on repeat,

here is a video of some of my Taylor Merch 

@yabooknerdlibrarian Happy Taylor day! New music is finally here!!! I’m showcasing some merch here. #merch #ttpd #taylorswift #swiftie #booktok #bookbags #swag ♬ original sound - Jennifer @YA Book Nerd 📚📚📚

Review: Out Of Our League

 

If you're a sports reader - this one is for you!

There are 16 sports short stories - all different sports from YA lit. While they are all wildly different, some do connect with names from other stories. 

The one problem I have with short stories is that I want more; I want them to become books.

In addition to sports, there is romance, friendship, and family drama.

There truly is something for everyone in this book. 

Picture Book Wednesday: The Reflection in Me

A person chats with themselves in the mirror - and they are VERY complimentary. They like themselves.

It's never too early to start practicing self-care. There's so much negativity in the world, that it's important to remember to be kind to yourself. Starting off every day with what you like about yourself is a perfect way to start the day. And of course, the illustrations are from the marvelous Peter H. Reynolds. This is a great book to share with everyone! 

* F&G sent for review

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Characters

 This week's topic is book characters we'd like to go on vacation with. Of course, if the book is good, you always want to spend more time with these characters. 

Emily and Kieran - anywhere bookish

Noah's sisters would be a hoot on vacation

A ball with Sophia, Polly, and Tirzah

on a day hike with Jo

Laurel, Paris, and Cassie to a winery