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The Strangers Review

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  ...and by one of my favorite authors, too! Funny enough, I realized this book also fits the prompt from Middle Grade March of reading from an author with three names. The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix is about three siblings: Finn, Emma, and Chess. They have a relatively normal live in their small town in Ohio with their single mother. That is, until one day news come out that three kids identical to them--down to the same first names and birthdays--are kidnapped several states away in Arizona. The three are shocked at these news--but when these news break out, their mother starts to act really strange. Then all of a sudden, their mother says she'll be going away and don't know when she will return. She leaves them in the care of Ms. Morales, one of her friends. The three siblings befriend Ms. Morale's daughter, Natalie, and they all try to figure out what's the deal with their mom. It leads to them finding out something they never knew about their own house.....

Kilala Princess 1, 2, and 3 Review

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Who's your favorite Disney princess? Mine is a tie between Tiana and Rapunzel! Kilala Princess by Rika Tanaka is about Kilala, a girl who loves all things princessy. One day she comes across a mysterious boy named Rei, and he happens to be the prince of a faraway kingdom. He is looking for a magical tiara and the princess who will help save his kingdom. At first, Kilala thinks that her best friend Erica might be who Rei is looking for, as she just won a princess contest. But then Erica gets kidnapped by some mysterious men, so Kilala goes and saves her. Along the way she magically ends up in the world of Snow White. After stopping the Evil Queen, Kilala learns some valuable lessons from Snow White. After that, Kilala and Rei continue to encounter more troubles, and meet more princesses and their lessons. She meets Ariel, and at the end of volume 3 we leave off on a cliffhanger where she meets Cinderella after almost dying when trying to protect Rei from someone he thought he could...

Middle Grade March #1: Part of a Series

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So this is the first book I read for Middle Grade March. It is the second book of the Amari series by BB Alston . I read the first book, Amari and the Night Brothers last month. You can read the review for that here . I can't get too into detail with this second book, Amari and the Great Game , because it's a sequel. I will say though this book was way more intense than the second one! I really love the way BB Alston writes. The story had me on the edge of my seat. I love Amari and her friends. The worldbuilding is cool, too. The mystery was mind blowing. I can't wait to read book 3!

I Will Be Participating in Middle Grade March!

  I've known about this challenge for years but only now I decided to partcipate in it.  So here are the prompts for this year's middle grade March and the books I have decided to read for each: 1. Part of a series: For this I chose book two of the Amari series by BB Alston . I already read book one last month (review for that here). Book two is titled Amari and the Great Game . 2. An author with three names. I chose Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones . I will also be comparing it with the Studio Ghibli movie.  3. Include travel: Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver 4. Flowers on the cover: Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder 5. Published in the 1900s: The Railway Children by E. Nesbit I am so excited to read all these books! I love middle grade fiction. 

February Wrap Up!

  I read a total of 12 books and I DNF 7 . Reviews are linked when applicable.   The following books got 5 stars from me: 1.  Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston . Full review here . 2. Basil and Oregano by Melissa Caprigione . Full review here . 3. Moment of Truth by Kasie West . Full review here . 4. Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo . Full review here . 5. Witch Hat Kitchen Volume 4 by Kamome Shirahama 6. The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Volumes 4 and 5 by Saki Mikami 7. Neighborhood Story Volumes 1 and 2 by Ai Yazawa . Full review here .   The following books got 4.5 stars: 1. I Hope this Doesn't Find You by Ann Liang . Full review here . 2. A Sign of Affection Volume 8 by Suu Morishita .   This book got 4 stars: Greenglass House by Kate Milford . Full review here .   The following books I DNF because I thought the story was bad/didn't enjoy them: 1. When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin 2. Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls 3. Don't...

Experiencing Neighborhood Story again through the manga

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  OK y'all, this is my favorite series so far from Ai Yazawa . I've never really been a fan of Nana (gasp! I know. Unpopular opinion) and I couldn't get into Paradise Kiss (also another unpopular opinion) but Neighborhood Story is an underrated masterpiece! Here's the thing I first experienced Neighborhood Story through its anime. I watched the anime with fansubs several years ago on YouTube. When I heard that Viz Media was going to be releasing the manga in English, I was very excited. Now Neighborhood Story has so many new fans! What is Neighborhood Story about? Well, in general it’s about a group of teenage friends who go to a high school specializing in liberal arts, and each have something they specialize in. Their friend group name is Akindo, and they use it when they sell their stuff at flea markets. Mikako, our main character, focuses on teenage girls’ fashion, her friend Risa focuses on children's clothes, and her other friend P-chan focuses on stuf...

Underrated Books Part 14

  This series will keep getting longer and longer as I keep finding more books that need more love. 1. Seance Tea Party by Reimena Yee-- Full description here . A middle grade graphic novel of a girl that performs a seance and befriends a ghost, but this ghost has secrets of her own. 2. The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke --Full description here . A middle grade novel of two brothers escaping from their terrible aunt and uncle and form a close knit bond with some other runaway kids in an abandoned movie theatre in Venice, Italy. They are then tasked to perform a heist that involves a merry go round rumored to be magical. 3. The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang --Full description here . A cute historical fiction graphic novel of a girl tasked to design clothes for the prince of the kingdom. Great queer representation! 4. Bicycling with Butterflies by Sara Dykman --Full description here . A memoir of the author's journey following monarch butterflies on their migration path from M...