Rachel Reads & Reviews

Ranking The Popularity Papers

The Rocky Road Trip of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang: I love road trip stories so this one gets the top spot as Lydia and Julie get to spend the summer across the American West and East Coast encountering giant dinosaurs, mutant blueberries, and earthquakes. But more dangerous than the rattlesnake (possibly flat tire) they…

rachelbeerwoman

December 29, 2022

Rankings

#amyignatow, #loveandotherfiascoswithlydiagoldblattandjuliegrahamchang, #middlegrade, #rachelreads&reviews, #simon&schuster, #theawesomelyawfulmelodiesoflydiagoldblattandjuliegrahamchang, #thelessthanhiddensecretsandfinalrevelationsoflydiagoldblattandjuliegrahamchang, #thelongdistancedispatchbetweenlydiagoldblattandjuliegrahamchang, #thepopularitypapers, #therockyroadtripoflydiagoldblattandjuliegrahamchang, #wordsof(questionable)wisdomfromlydiagoldblattandjuliegrahamchang
Top 5 Vet Volunteers

Trapped: This one comes first for me because I love deer so the story of Brenna taking care of an injured fawn is just adorable. But what is also interesting is the focus on Brenna’s brother and his growing enviromental radicalism and how far he is willing to go to stop poachers. Anderson presents the…

rachelbeerwoman

December 28, 2022

Top 5

#fearoffalling, #fightforlife, #helpinghands, #lauriehalseanderson, #masks, #middlegrade, #penguinrandomhouse, #rachelreads&reviews, #trapped, #vetvolunteers
Ranking Wildflowers

Jade: Jade got number one mainly because I enjoy emotional turmoil and Jade has plenty of emotional turmoil as the pawn in her parent’s vicious divorce where both are utterly focused on climbing the corporate ladders that they neglect her. So she turns to internet chat rooms which leads to a traumatic kidnapping that is…

rachelbeerwoman

December 28, 2022

Rankings

#cat, #intothegarden, #jade, #misty, #pocketbooks, #rachelreads&reviews, #star, #vcandrews, #YA
Ranking Cheer!

1. Home for the Holidays: This got the number one spot because it brings the biggest plot twist and potential status quo changer in the form of Katie and Maddy bonding in New York. There’s also the possibility that she’ll move to NY permenantly to live with her father and boring Beth so Maddy really…

rachelbeerwoman

December 28, 2022

Rankings

#bevenvsevanandotherhighschoolrivalries, #cheer!, #confessionsofawannabecheerleader, #homefortheholidays, #middlegrade, #pyramidofone, #rachelreads&reviews, #revengeofthetitan, #simon&schuster, #zoeevans
Top 5 Cupcake Diaries

Mia’s Boiling Point: This takes a well-treaded upon subject. Mean girls. But there are different types of mean girls and Olivia Allen is lying, using drama queen. She’s the type whose charismatic so Mia is inadvertedly drawn to her web with their shared love of fashion and Mia understanding the perils of being a new…

rachelbeerwoman

December 28, 2022

Top 5

#cocosimon, #emmaallstirredup, #emmalightscameracupcakes, #katieandthecupcakecure, #mia'sboilingpoint, #miameasuresup, #middlegrade, #rachelreads&reviews, #simon&schuster, #thecupcakediaries
Top 5 Magic School Bus

Makes a Rainbow: Honestly this one was always my favorite was because I love rainbows. So man colors and Ms. Frizzle shares how the color spectrum interacts with the eye and how we perceive color. Which is a good thing too because they need to know their rainbow magic in order to help Ms. Frizzle…

rachelbeerwoman

December 27, 2022

Top 5

#getscoldfeet, #goingbatty, #joannacole, #lowergrade, #makearainbow, #rachelreads&reviews, #takesadive, #themagicschoolbus, #wetallover
Top 5 Series of Unfortunate Events

1. The Slippery Slope This gets number one spot for not only having the suspense of Sunny’s second kidnapping (or perhaps third) but placed in very real danger on the aforementioned slippery slopes. Not to mention, finally seeing the Quagmire triplets again with a rather sweet, censored interaction between Violet and Quigley allowing some happiness…

rachelbeerwoman

December 27, 2022

Top 5

#lemonysnicket, #middlegrade, #rachelreads&reviews, #seriesofunfortunateevents, #theaustureacademy, #theerastzelevator, #thegrimgrotto, #thepenultimateperil, #theslipperyslope
Top 5 Camp Confidential

1. Charmed Forces: As a super special, this one gets number one as it provides double the fun and some magical surprises when Alyssa, my favorite of the campers, finds a crystal that really does seem to gift her with prophetic dreams. I enjoy the bit of magical realism as well as putting the spotlight…

rachelbeerwoman

December 26, 2022

Top 5

#bestboyfriend, #campconfidential, #charmedforces, #grace'stwist, #melissamorgan, #middlegrade, #rachelreads&reviews, #rsvp, #wishyouweren'there
Ranking Drama!

1. Everyone’s a Critic: This book comes at number one because of the major shift in character development and aspirations for the series’ protagonist, Bryan Stark. And it’s only the second episode! Bryan has always wanted to be an actor, not on Meryl Streap-level, that’s his best friend’s Sam’s perogative but he is fine with…

rachelbeerwoman

December 26, 2022

Rankings

#drama!, #entrancesandexits, #everyone'sacritic, #paulruditis, #rachelreads&reviews, #showdon'ttell, #simon&schuster, #thefourdorothys, #YA
Winter Nonfiction

Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescues by Laurie Zeleski This lovely memoir combines the thoughtful examination of ‘s life with her mother after she escaped her abusive husband with her kids to create an animal rescue with stories of the animal residents that occupy her farm. I enjoy the narrative she weaves around…

rachelbeerwoman

December 25, 2022

Book Suggestions

#andrewnette, #dangerousvisionsandnewworlds, #drawnandquarterly, #enoughalready, #funnyfarm, #gabriellemoss, #graphicnovel, #ianmcintyre, #issarae, #julieleung, #lauriezeleski, #memoir, #nonfiction, #paperbackcrush, #quirkbooks, #rachelreads&reviews, #simon&schuster, #st.martinspress, #themisadventuresofawkwardblackgirl, #tianveasna, #valeriebertinelli, #whenthelightsarebrightagain, #whodiditfirst, #yearoftherabbit