And the Trees Crept In

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for the arc of And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich! The story opens in the 1980’s when three girls playfully make a protector out of cloth, clay and other items they find around the house. Then, the story jumps to 2013 and a thirteen year-old teenage girl (Silla) and her four year-old sister (Nori) walk a long distance to live with their Aunt Cath in Blood Manor. They enjoy their time with Cath, until she becomes irrationally upset when Nori almost goes into the woods; the woods Cath has warned them to NEVER enter. After that, she lives in the attic while the house deteriorates and the food dwindles. In the meantime, Silla and Nori meet Gowan, a young man who claims to know Cath personally. As time passes, Silla slips further into confusion and madness. The woods keep moving closer and the manor seems to be sinking, while Silla and Nori grow hungrier. This book is creepy and mysterious and sometimes confusing, but then the author shines the light on the twisted story and it makes the confusion worth it. It makes sense in the wonderful ending and this book is proof of why I always finish the books I start reading because there is always the hope that it will turn out to be a good book! I also enjoyed the use of typography to portray emotion. Impressive – 4.5 stars!

Brainwalker

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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I received a free copy of this book, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Benard lives with his dad and their dog, Milo. His mother passed away the day after she got the dog to look out for them. Bernard wants to do his required science project on wormholes, but no one is impressed. He gets in trouble at school, so his dad takes him to his work office. Bernard runs because he thinks he’s in trouble and inadvertently ends up in a scientific machine. His brain enters a wormhole and is transported inside his father’s brain where everything is dying because his father needs something called Energeia to rejuvenate. Energeia is produced when a person is happy, content and functioning well. Bernard’s dad has been depressed because of losing his wife and he and his son struggle to get along with each other. Therefore, his Energeia is low and is causing his brain to slow down. Brainwalker is like a science fiction version of Never Ending Story or a Magic School Bus Episode. An adventure full of learning opportunities with creativity- 3.5 stars!

Sidelined

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Wow! I absolutely loved reading Sidelined by Kendra C. Highley! I can see my library students enjoying this story also. Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the arc and the opportunity to read and review this amazing book! It has everything a realistic fiction reader could want: sports, romance, struggles, inspiration and overcoming extreme obstacles.

Genna is a basketball player with sports scholarships on the horizon. A supportive father and a controlling, pushy mother make up her family. Jake Butler and Genna have been secretly crushing on each other and now began to have a relationship. Genna injures her leg during a playoff game and then her life seems to spiral out of her control. Highly recommended!