A Pain Less Ordinary by L.V. Pires

Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

From Goodreads

Becca's life is anything but ordinary. 

At fifteen, she's already experienced her share of pain. With a mom who drinks too much, a revolving door of father figures, and struggles at school, Becca wonders if she'll ever have a chance at a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane is her little sister, Chloe; that is, until her mother's breakdown leads to her sister's disappearance.

A PAIN LESS ORDINARY follows Becca as she figures out life on her own while searching for her family and her new role in the world. 

In this powerfully moving novel, L.V. Pires explores Becca's struggle with abandonment, drug abuse, homelessness, relationships, and how pain connects her to others.

My Thoughts

This is an amazing book.  I kept thinking that Becca could be any one of my students. The problem is I could name some of them who have been in a situation similar.  As I was reading this story I thought back to two years ago when a student came and talked with me. She was extremely depressed.  She lived with her aunt and her mom was trying to re-establish contact. She didn’t know how to feel about it. Her mom had been an alcoholic and a drug user.  She and her younger sister, who was two years old,  were always hungry. Her younger sister tried to open the open the oven door. The stove was propped up in the back and was unstable enough it fell on her crushing her. This young girl spoke of trying to lift the stove off of her sister. She spoke of trying to wake her drunk mother up and hearing her mother blame her.  I had not thought of that until I read this book. There are so many Becca’s out there. Their story is just as heart-wrenching.  Yet there is hope for them. Sometimes it comes from the unexpected.  In this review, I am not going to speak more about the book.  This was one of those that caused me to make a connection to real life. Enough said.  I would highly recommend this book and will purchase it for my shelves at school. Like I said, there are other Becca’s out there or people who know Becca’s and they need to read this story.

Shadow Stalker by Renee Scattergood

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Brief Synopsis:

A young shadow stalker is destined to enslave the people of the Serpent Isles, and the Galvadi Empire want this child of prophecy dead. Auren Trasks perfectly normal life is disrupted when the Galvadi invade, and she learns a startling secret about her past. A secret that will change her life forever.

Auren has literally lived a fairly protected life. She has lived with her step-father Kato whose job was to protect her. Protect her from what?  Ahhh… there are so many secrets that slowly unfold.  Auren like a lot of teens rebels against her step-father. When their land is invaded Kato whisks her away where she learns who and what she truly is. He trains her harder. This of course makes the tension greater.  The author leaves you asking so many questions as she complicates Auren’s life.  The world building the author has done is extraordinary.  For me I loved the fact that this is written as a series.  I loved how real Auren’s character felt.  Her teen behavior is spot on.  This book grabs you from the very beginning. I am always telling my students that when they write, their hook must grab the reader or else they have lost them from the very beginning. Scattergood’s story hooks you so well you can’t help but go along for the ride. The pacing is nice. We watch Auren change and grow in so many ways. She had created characters that you both love and hate. Kato was one of those characters.  I loved how protective he was of her, but really hated the way he demonstrated his protection at times.  If describing this book to my students, which I will, I would tell them that the scenes are electrifying.  I could picture this book as a movie in my head. The tension is tight enough you want to hold your breath to see what will happen next.  Although I received a copy of this first book to review, I have purchased #2 and #3.  I can’t wait to read them.  Well done Renee Scattergood.

You can visit her author website here.

Five Charming PIcture Books

I have had the privilege of reading several children's books lately. Unfortunately, until tonight I had not had time to write their review.  Here is a handful of the books I have read recently.


Lulu and Lainey...a French yarn by Lois Petren
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

First, let me tell you how beautiful the watercolored pictures are in this book. It enhances the charming story of a young girl named Lulu who loves to visit with her grandmother. When they are together they knit. One day Lulu takes her favorite ball of yarn with her and loses it in the park. This is a cute book that children will love. They can try to predict what happened to her ball of yarn and then read the book to find out what adventure her ball of yarn had.

If You Was Me and Lived in Cuba by Carole P. Roman
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

For me, this book was very personal. I was introduced to the Cuban culture when I married my first husband. Reading Carole's book was like going home. The food and celebrations were taught to my children. I am still close to Popi we lost Mami a couple of years ago. She would visit family in Cuba every few years and then tell me all about her trip to her former country. Carole gives the reader a look at the lives and the cultures of the people of Cuba.



Oh, Susannah, Things that Go Bump by Carole P. Roman
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Susannah has been invited by her best friend to attend a slumber party at her friend's house. As much as Susannah would normally love to spend time with Lola, a large part of her doesn't want to spend the night. Lola lives in a very old house that makes all kinds of strange noises. Lola's brother Kai loves to tease Susannah. He tells her the house is haunted. This story reminded me of ghost stories I would tell my sisters and cousins scaring everyone including myself. We lived in a 100-year-old house. Susannah learned that children often fear the unknown when there truly is nothing to fear.

Oh Susannah, It's In the Bag by Carole P. Roman
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Susannah is having a terrible day. She didn't complete her homework because she didn't understand it. As her day goes on more things pile up. She handles things b cramming them into her backpack and ignoring them. susannah learns a valuable lesson. She learns you can't avoid unpleasant things . you must face them and if needed ask for help. Now if I could only get my middle school kids to understand this.





Navy Seals For Kids H.A.L.O - Eric Z
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

My students love Eric Z's books. They are middle school students who love to learn about many of the things Eric writes about. They just don't want to read 300 pages to get the information. This book gives readers a look at the Navy Seal's job. The books take you from the planning of a mission to its completion. It has actual pictures which makes it even more appealing.