Random Musings of a Bibliophile

I tend to not be able to resist books that feature teens on summer adventures in Europe (especially if they promise a bit of romance). I've been burned by a lot of these books, but Love & Gelato  by Jenna Evans Welch is one that didn't disappoint on any level and left me fully satisfied at the end. Lina is spending the summer in Florence with the father she has never met. It was the dying wish of her mother who died of cancer a few months before Lina arrives. Determined to only be there for the summer and then return to the  US, Lina is not at all excited about forced bonding time with Howard and definitely doesn't want to settle in. She is here only for her mother. When an old friend of her dad's gives her the journal her mother kept during her time in Italy, Lina knows she has to read it no matter how sad it makes her feel. Armed with the journal and the help of her new friend Lorenzo, Lina sets out to follow her mother's footsteps from all those years ago ...

F uzzy is the latest offering  from Tom Angleberger (author of the Origami Yoda series) and was cowritten by Paul Dellinger. It is a humorous school story that is full of intrigue,  humor, and robots. Fifty years in the future schools are controlled by a strict Federal School Board. The students take tests every week to prove that they are "upgrading" well enough. In one school Max (Maxine) is having a rough time. Her test scores are falling even though she studies hard and knows the answers. The computer vice-principal known as Barbara is also constantly giving her discipline tags. But Max has something to be excited about because her school is about to get the first robot to be integrated with humans. The handlers of "Fuzzy" choose Max as the robot's guide and soon the robot and the girl are connecting. When Fuzzy figures out that Barbara has developed a mind of her own and is changing students' test scores. Fuzzy, Max, and their other friends have to t...

This is next week's Top Ten Tuesday topic, but it inspired me to do a bigger one. I haven't made one in a couple of years and so will feature books published in the past couple year. The categories are inspired by my favorites from this year. I've added a "tried and true" recommendation for each category that is a bit older. These are books I've recommended over and over with success. I by no means intend to be reductive with the categories. No teen fits just one and the books could all straddle several as well. It is just meant to be a guide. Links are to my reviews. Feel free to comment, email, or tweet at me if you have questions about any particular book. Take note of disclaimer at bottom for asterisked books. You can find the MG list here . Teen Gift Guide (for ages about 13 and up) For Teens Who Like to Read About Friend Groups and Their Antics Rebel Bully Geek Pariah  by Erin Jade Lang (contemporary realistic; 2016)* Top Ten Clues You...

This is next week's Top Ten Tuesday topic, but it inspired me to do a bigger one. I haven't made one in a couple of years and so will feature books published in the past several years but the categories are inspired by my favorites from this year. I've added a "tried and true" recommendation for each category that is a bit older. These are books I've recommended over and over with success. I by no means intend to be reductive with the categories. No child fits just one and the books could all straddle several as well. It is just meant to be a guide. Links are to my reviews. Feel free to comment, email, or tweet at me if you have questions about any particular book. I will post a YA one tomorrow! For MG Readers (ages about 9 to about 12) For the Introspective Kid Some Kind of Happiness  by Claire Legrand (realistic fiction; 2016) The Firefly Code  by Megan Frazer Blakemore (science fiction; 2016) Tried and True Rec: The Wednesday Wars   by ...