Aurora

I really didn't like Aurora.  At all!  Not one tiny bit!  I felt that her attitude was just terrible!  I mean, man, she just bugged me the whole time.  The only thing is, I loved So B. It and I love Sarah Weeks and I love this story so I couldn't give this less than five stars, but man...I would NEVER want to meet Aurora!  Haha!  Well...now that I look at the cover...and what it all means...and yeah...okay...Aurora, I do like you.  Soof. 

Unexpected

I hadn't read too much about Jumping the Scratch before I started it, but I knew it was by Sarah Weeks, of course and I find her books to be just so very, very good.  And this one was no exception.  Thoughtful, painful, beautiful.  Real.  Yeah.  Great, great book.  I didn't want to read it at first, because the cat dying and all, but the description of the book tells you that right up front.  I mean, man, if a cat is going to die, then that is the way to tell it.  Let us know first!  Excellent. 

Won't You Open that Door

Love Ricky Skaggs, Honey Won't You Open That Door kept running through my head while reading Honey by Sarah Weeks.  I wonder if "Honey" in the song is her name or a term of endearment.  I knew a lady named Bunny once.  

Anyway.  Sarah Weeks is becoming a favorite author of mine.  I don't know why, but it is surprising to me that the more I read, the more I discover that there are a lot of really great authors out there. Honey is the story of a young tween, Melody, whose mother died shortly after she was born.  Her dad is great.  And they get along super well.  But he may have fallen in love, Melody has heard him call someone "Honey" over the phone and while Melody has hoped that her father would find love, the woman Melody suspects him of loving is anything but her choice.  Good, short story.  Great supporting best friend.  Good good book.  

Sometimes? Often? Rarely?

As Simple as it Seems.  The title of this book made me ask the question, "How often are things as simple as they seem?"  I only gave this book 3 of 5 stars after I finished it, and I wonder if I should change it to 4.  I really did like this book.  The thing is, even though I love short books, I felt like this one was maybe a little too short?
Verbena learns a lot about herself during the summer before middle school.  She learns that she has been adopted, that she was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and that her birth father (her adoptive father's brother) is in prison for killing someone in a fight.
At the same time she is dealing with the regular growing pains, growing a part from friends, not being as "cool" or ready for boys as her best friend, and being embarrassed by her mother's appearance.  In Verbena's case her mom is very overweight.  It made me think that David Levithan would hate this girl's mother!
This really isn't a criticism of the book, it probably is a compliment, I would have liked to know more about Verbena.  She is an angry girl, but no more than any middle schooler, probably.  God knows what life is like being a middle schooler without all of the different complications that Verbena has.

Save Me a Seat, Please!

Save Me a Seat was such a fresh book!  From the cover to the first page to the last.  I really, really enjoyed this book!
It is told from alternating POVs, Joe, an American born kid going to the same school he has always gone to, dealing with the same stuff he has always had to deal with, like his Auditory Processing Disorder and the bullying behavior of Dillon Samreen; Ravi, an Indian born kid who has just moved into Joe and Dillon's class and is having a hard time figuring out who he is in this new country.  Middle school is hard for everyone!
Both Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan do an incredible, evenly awesome job bringing their characters to life.  And also the bully character and the supporting characters.  Just so great and so real.  I need to read more Weeks books and Varadarajan needs to write some more!  Highly recommended!

Another One I Finally Got Around To...

So B. It is another one of those books I picked up and put back down a million times.  I ended up with it because it was another one of those times I needed something to listen to and it was available from the library to download.  The narration, by Cherry Jones was awesome.  What a fantastic narrator she is.  The book is told from the POV of Heidi, the twelve year old daughter of a mentally disabled woman who says her name is So B. It.  She is homeschooled by a kind woman, Bernadette, who is agoraphobic and takes care of Heidi and her mom.  Heidi is a smart and good kid.  She wants to find her roots, as she knows nothing about where she came from or who she really is.  The story starts in Reno and travels to Liberty, NY, to a home for disabled folks, where So B. It lived for a short time.  Great story of love and home and who you are.  What a truly awesome book.