Fun book with onomanopeia (though I am awful at spelling that). The storyline was fun, the characters were clever, and the sounds the animals would make was really inventive. It could be a fun series book at some point. Love the illustrations.

Great book! Today's society glamorizes influencers and this book shows the dark side of what we consider influencing today. I felt connected to the characters. It was a very fast read, and I wish I could read it again for the first time. Highly recommend!

This was great. Jo is a Chinese-American girl living in the South. Her and her adoptive father, Old Gin, face rampant discrimination, especially considering the fact that they are treated as "in-between" - they are not colored, but they are not white, either. They are treated poorly, while also facing the realization that many segregation rules do not seem to specifically apply to them. When Jo is fired from her job, she takes up her previously position as lady's maid for a girl she grew up being mistreated by. At the same time, the newspaper shop they live under is at risk of going out of business if they don't come up with some great new idea to get a whole lot of subscribers. Enter Jo, who under the anonymous name of Miss Sweetie decides to start writing an advice column that challenges many of the racist and sexist ideas her society is filled with. Of course, this brings with it a whole host of problems - Jo's writing is a crime in and of itself, and she will be chased out of town if anyone finds out that she is Miss Sweetie. She also has to balance staying hidden underneath the printshop, bite her tongue when it comes to the cruel things her mistress says, and ignore the fact that Old Gin seems to be doing something sneaky that she worries may have to do with marrying her off to a stranger. And, of course, she's still curious about where she came from - who were her parents, and why did they abandon her with Old Gin to begin with? Jo is a great role model for young girls to look up to - she is spunky and has her own thoughts and opinions that she is not afraid to share with others. She is a big risk taker, and an absolute delight to read about.

I loved this book - juicy, edge-of-your-seat thriller was what I wanted and it delivered! I was nervous that I maybe wouldn't be able to sleep or something afterwards but it did not have that effect - just good, clean who-done-it. So happy I read it!

I really enjoy the Big Nate series. This one was really funny and I can’t wait to read more in the series. This is the third Big Nate book that I have read so far and I really really like it a lot. I recommend them to all of my friends at school. A++

Two sisters, Emily and Jessamine, are opposites in every way. Emily is the CEO of a large technology company. Jess is an environmental activist and a graduate student in philosophy. Emily is making a fortune. Jess is barely surviving financially. Emily is rational and driven, Jess is a dreamer. The novel tells of the changes in their lives due to the differences in their personalities. I loved the cookbook and food references that become a huge part of changing Jess' life and livelihood.

Book Eleven in the Maggie Hope series. Maggie sets out to 1943 Hollywood where she agrees to help her previous beau, John Sterling, solve the mystery of Gloria Hutton's death. It is here she encounters American Nazism, the Zoot Suit Riots, Segregation, and the glittery stars of Hollywood. There is also a great, highly anticipated (at least by this reader) foreshadowing of a storyline for Book 12! Love this series!!

The books centers around Catherine always wondering what would have happened if she had a baby with her teen love. She thinks she missed out on a life of love and happiness, but does not realize the extent of the betrayal by her lover and her friend carried on throughout their marriage. The books drags in the middle with way too much description about the music career of Jimmy and could have had more of a focus on the emotions Jimmy experiences during the loss of his marriage.

The 4th book in the Aloha Reef Series. Lani is on her aunt's coffee farm, and is shot. She lives but wakes up blind. A good friend Pam has died. Enter into the seen, ex-cop Ben who trains guiding eye dogs. Ben brings Fischer to help Lani adjust to her new blindness. Lani is insists she will get her sight back. In the meantime they have to find out who shot at her and Pam and why. Ben's brother is mixed up in this as well. Secrets from the past come back to haunt Lani's Aunt. Something that happened years and years ago is resurfacing.

In this book, Henry's parents went to the Sweetheart Dance. Henry and Mudge went to stay at Mrs. Hopper's house. While they were there they played with all her costumes. Henry dressed up like a man and Mudge was a poodle. They had so much fun. Henry's parents came back and were surprised to see them dressed up!