Completely Full Bookshelf

For MMGM, I am wholeheartedly recommending the graphic novel All Summer Long  by Hope Larson.           Bina, the protagonist of All Summer Long , loves listening to music and playing her guitar, but her plans for the summer consist mainly of spending time with her best friend, Austin. These plans are thrown into disarray when Austin leaves for soccer camp, leaving Bina alone to face summer boredom. She starts to sink into the inescapable spiral of binge-watching television, but her mom forces her to get out of the house, and she runs into Austin's older sister, Charlie. Bina and Charlie immediately start to befriend one another (they even like the same music), and Charlie invites Bina on trips to the local soda fountain or to the house where Charlie babysits. But nothing is perfect, and Bina struggles to enjoy her summer, especially once Austin returns from camp with a different idea of their friendship. It's up to Bina to balance her stressful frie...

For MMGM, I am recommending Nooks & Crannies  by Jessica Lawson.           There are three important things to note about Tabitha Crum, the main character of Nooks & Crannies . One: she loves reading mystery novels, especially the Inspector Pensive series (you will see excerpts from this "series" at the beginning of each chapter). Two: she has no friends except her pet mouse/investigative companion that lives in her pocket, Pemberley. Three: her narcissistic, self-absorbed parents despise her and ensure that she knows it. Tabitha's life is quite miserable until she receives an invitation to meet the secretive, wealthy, and charitable Countess of Windermere at her home, Hollingsworth Hall. Once there, she meets five other children who were invited as well: Oliver, the kind child of a rich family; Viola, well-known for the charitable donations she has made using her family's money; Edward, whose mind is filled to the brim with random facts; Fra...

I'm back! (With another graphic novel review—I promise I have at least one review of a book in prose coming up.) Today, I am reviewing one of the most bizarre books I have read in recent years: Making Friends  by Kristen Gudsnuk.           The first thing I want to mention about Making Friends  is that the publisher's description is not a very accurate depiction of what the book is. The description explains that the novel is about 7th-grader Danielle (or Dany), who feels lonely when her friends are placed in other classes during the new school year. The description goes on to explain that Dany inherits a special sketchbook that causes anything Dany draws in it to come to life. Dany decides to draw herself a friend named Madison (hence the double entendre of the title), but the description points out that, even if Dany has made herself a friend, she may be unable to keep her. The book sounded pretty interesting to me from this description, b...