I Wish this Book had been around when I was a Kid

Summerlost by Ally Condie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This would be a delicious summer read for a kid. Yes, it's about loss, but it's also about finding a best friend and having adventures together and helping each other through hard times. There's a bit of mystery thrown in and some comedy, too. Even a bit of ghostliness. It might even spark a kid's interest in Shakespeare because of its vivid Shakespearean festival setting. A rich, heart-warming read.

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All Better Now

All Better Now by Emily Wing Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

All Better Now is a memoir, written for a YA audience, detailing Smith’s young life as the thank-God-she-got-hit-by-a-car girl. She uses episodic chapters to tell the story of her awkward and angry childhood and the aftermath of a car accident that was also a blessing. The chapters are interspersed with such things as pictures, medical records and letters from her imaginary boyfriend, “Rembrandt,” which serve as a reminder to the reader that this is not fiction, but a real person’s story. The narrative is so rich in detail that it reads like fiction and Smith’s voice so vivid on the page that she could be sitting next to the reader, telling her story as a good friend would tell secrets to another. She’s funny, quirky and real. A must read for anyone who’s ever felt broken, awkward or alone. I loved this book.

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