River Readers

The Butler entered Carter Jones's life on a really bad day. It was the first day of school and his mom was having a melt down. The jeep wouldn't start, the milk was bad and his little sisters were being "pains in the gluts". Suddenly the doorbell rang and as if by magic, the Butler appeared.

Young Kano Murasaki's nickname is Risuko (Squirrel), earned by the strength of her climbing abilities. When the rich, elderly Lady Chiyome arrives at her village, Risuko is whisked away to be trained to be kunoichi, a term the girl doesn't understand. Put to work with other trainees in the kitchen at Lady Chiyome's remote compound, Risuko balances work with her desire to discover her purpose for being there.

Rain's family is reeling after the death of her older brother. Her mom tries to keep busy to forget the pain and initiates the family moving to a big city away from their past. Her dad is so depressed that he can hardly get out of bed. And Rain blames herself for her brother's death.

The new neighborhood and school are a challenge because Rain is the only one with her skin color and she is afraid to open up to anyone about her family. Thru running and required community service, Rain realizes that she is not alone.

A captivating novel of family, fame, and religion that tells the story of the seventeen-year-old daughter of an evangelical preacher, star of the family's hit reality show, and the secret pregnancy that threatens to blow their entire world apart.

This was an interesting twist on the original story. A mixed race, blended family is at the heart of this rendition appropriate for a 150th anniversary. The graphics are good and the modernization doesn't take away from the original.

This was an intriguing listen and nothing like the story I grew up hearing. However, with the "evils" of gold, this telling makes perfect sense. The fact that Red is tied in to this story too, makes it a nice addition to the series.

While did enjoy this audiobook, I felt like a needed a "Clue" type score card to keep track of who was who, what day it was, and what happened when. When it all wrapped up it made perfect sense. I did like the way it ended with hope for the future. I was still a bit confused on what happened to some of the characters since there were multiple endings each day, but sometimes it better not to know for sure.

The Rules of Blackheath: Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m.
There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.

Jane Eyre was not one of my favorite stories, but I liked this updated graphic version of the story. When a small town girl dreams of New York and art school, she finds the big city and herself out of place. A job as a nanny leads to a romance with a man who is a member of the elite. She finds secrets and deceptions and has to decide who to trust.

According to ratings, sixteen-year-old Esther Ann Hicks-Essie is the most likeable member of her famous reality show, “Six for Hicks” family. Obsessed with the family’s public image, Essie’s mother, Celia, strives to keep their show’s ratings up and their audience engaged season after season. Between the family’s fundamentalist beliefs and strict on-camera schedule, Essie has little say in what happens in her own life. But when her mother discovers that Essie is pregnant, the power dynamic shifts and suddenly the carefully crafted “Six for Hicks” empire threatens to collapse.

As summer returns, Phoebe finds herself at summer camp with Max (her friend from school) and Sue (her friend from music camp). Marigold, however, has other plans. She is planning to spend some time with her sister and Phoebe is lonely.

I didn't like this one as well as the first volume. I guess I'm not as in to the group being crime busters instead of singers. There was more info on the pasts of Valerie and Melody and the relationship between Alex and Alexandra. Who knows what comes next.

Guero is a kid living on the border between the U.S. and Mexico. He is an American citizen but his mom is from Mexico. So they travel the border frequently. Guero tells the story of his family life and his friends at school through a series of poems. These poems show the connections he has to the area around him and to his family. They also illustrate the racism he faces on a daily basis. One of the more heartbreaking poems was called Playoff Game where the girls' basketball team is in the playoffs and the opposing crowd shouts racist slurs throughout the game.

2019 Pura Belpré Honor Book
2019 Walter Honor Book for Outstanding Children's Literature
ALSC Notable Children's Book, 2019
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2018, Middle Grade
Shelf Awareness 2018 Best Children's & Teen Books of the Year
NCTE 2019 Notable Verse Novels

Twelve-year-old Güero is Mexican American, at home with Spanish or English and on both sides of the river. He’s starting 7th grade with a woke English teacher who knows how to make poetry cool.

Merci Suarez attends Seaward Pines Academy on scholarship. She may not have the fancy houses, cars or go on exotic vacations like the other students at her school but she has her family. Merci, her parents and brother live in one of three houses in a row. The others are occupied by her aunt and twin cousins and her grandparents. They all pitch in and help one another and have each other's backs. When Lolo, Merci's grandfather, starts acting strange and having a lot of mishaps, the family tries to avoid facing the truth.

Nan Sparrow was a "climber" for a heinous chimney sweep named Wilkie Crudd. She had no choice since her mentor and protector "The Sweep" had mysteriously disappeared. All he left her was a chunk of char she kept with her always. When Nan got stuck in a chimney the truth about what the Sweep left her became known.