the read feed

The Miracle Girls by Anne Dayton & May Vanderbilt

The Miracle Girls by Anne Dayton & May Vanderbilt, 292 pages.

You probably already know I'm not a fan of Christian fiction, and chick-lit is okay in a pinch. However, for some reason, I find myself periodically enjoying Christian chick-lit. I know, strange but true. This book falls in that category.

Ana Dominguez moves to Half Moon Bay and is having a hard time adjusting, until she ends of in detention with Riley, Christine and Zoe. They are not instantly friends, but find some common ground. Ana & Zoe team up with the mission to befriend R & C, but it's high school so there's many issues in the way.

I thought it did a good job of portraying the pressures of high school and what it would look like to try to live out your faith in that environment. And it isn't preachy, with a "perfect" heroine like so many Christian novels, these are teenage girls after all. So we see some of their struggles, and they don't live in a world without consequences (another peeve of mine).  I don't know if this is intended for teens, but I would have no qualms about sharing it with my niece (13) and would recommend it for that set, or just for a smutless quick read.

3.75 stars (yes, i broke out the quarter star)

The End.

Savvy by Ingrid Law

Savvy by Ingrid Law, 342 pages.

One of my favorite books of the year...I can tell already. Savvy is the story of Mibs Beaumont and the days surrounding her thirteenth birthday.You see, in her family the 13th birthday is when they receive their savvy - a unique gift/ability. One of her brothers creates electricity and the other causes hurricanes. For Mib, she is trying to figure out her savvy while leading a bus full of "misfits" on a journey to visit her Poppa in the hospital.

This is everything a story for kids should be - charming, funny, sad, honest, sweet, and a bit quirky. The absence of smut doesn't hurt either. Yeesh. A little bit of magic with a lot of heart makes this a wonderful book for everyone in the family. I'm going to start reading it aloud to the kiddos tonight.  And I can already tell this is my new Tale of Despereaux - meaning I'm going to nag everyone I know who has kids until they read it. You've been warned...

Here's the first line, which I already shared with Trish and think she may be hooked:

"When my brother Fish turned thirteen, we moved to the deepest part of inland because of the hurricane and, of course, the fact that he'd caused it."

This book was recommended to me by Staci, a goodreads & SIStv friend. And is just another example of how your friends, most likely, will not steer you wrong. Thanks S.

So like the old shampoo commercial where "she told two friends and they told two friends" (was that Prell or Breck or what?) and multiplied until the screen was full of heads...i'm telling you it's Good Stuff. So read it.

5 BIG FAT JUICY stars (how's that for a rating?)

The End.

PS - you can read the first chapter on the Walden Media website and check out the author at www.ingridlaw.com.