Karen Kingsbury 

Publisher's Description:
Could they change the world before the world changes them? Filmmakers Chase Ryan and Keith Ellison left the mission field of Indonesia for the mission field of Hollywood with a dream bigger than both of them. Now they have done the impossible: raised enough money to produce a feature film with a message that could change the world. But as Chase and Keith begin shooting, their well-laid plans begin to unravel. With millions of dollars on the line, they make a desperate attempt to keep the film from falling apart even as a temperamental actress, a botched production schedule, and their own insecurities leave little room for the creative and spiritual passion that once motivated them. Was God really behind this movie after all? A chance meeting and friendship with John Baxter could bring the encouragement they need to stay on mission and produce a movie that will actually change people s lives. In the midst of the questions and the cameras, is it possible to keep things above the line and make a movie unlike anything done before or is the risk too great for everyone?"

MrsK's Review:
With summer around the corner, this read was perfect.  Karen's stories are always comfortable, endearing, and welcoming.  I wasn't sure I was going to like the story line.  The making of movies can be fun and entertaining, but I wasn't sure if I wanted a lot of behind the scenes drama as a story.  She proved her gift as a story teller, weaving with perfection the plot, characters, challenges, and faith-filled problem solving perspectives.

Chase and Keith have returned from a mission field in Indonesia.  They have decided to answer the call of filming a movie that would change lives.  Not only does their faith get tested with all of the onslaughts of attacks (everything that can cause a movie to shut down), but within the movie making process the characters are facing decisions that could just change their pathway and threaten their goals.

It was refreshing to read a story that could give you moments to ponder what choice you might have made.  It was great to celebrate the moments in which many would stand in faith for those in need of wisdom, guidance, and/or healing.  It was a blessing to share in the determination to deny temptation and seek a higher ground with peace, courage, and boldness.

It was a surprise to discover just how quickly these characters found a place into my heart.  Given there this is a series, I know which titles I will grab when it's a cool morning or a hot evening.... add the Above the Line titles to your summer reading.... you will be welcoming the comfort of these literary friends.

Enjoy, MrsK

Amazing read
Added to my shelf

Puppy Powers#1: A Wishbone Come True

Puppy Powers #1: A Wishbone Come True

Kristin Earhart

 ISBN: 9780545617598

Kindle ebook

Lexi Torres has to face the cold, hard truth-her parents are never going to relent on the NO DOGS ALLOWED rule.

Or are they? When a mysterious pet store comes to town, Lexi suddenly has reason to hope. There's something special about the animals at Power's Pets. . . something downright magical!

Getting a Kindle book to review is still a bit new for me.  This fun story had me hooked as soon as Lexi showed up to the toy store and witnessed the cat turning on the light and the dog taking down the "For Rent" sign.  Lexi's unbelief about the Toy, Toy, Toy store leaving town was an emotional literary connection.  I know the sadness when a favorite and safe spot is no longer a place to find adventures.  And yet, Lexi was not prepared for the adventures that were waiting for her within this new pet store.

With an invitation to come and meet the pets, Lexi is surprised by the cute little puppy named Luna.  Mr. Power is positive that Luna is the dog for Lexi.  Lexi is sure, yet her parents just wouldn't allow her to have another dog.  As Luna does her delightful trick, her parents agree that it is time for her to get another dog.  What could have happened that changed their minds?

Once home, Lexi discovers that Luna's trick creates sparkles to whirl around those who are watching.  Why do so many decide to tell the truth to her once those sparkles appear?  Why does Mr. Power only take in animals that need a certain family?  Could Luna help her make peace with her best friend before he moves?  Can she really help Mr. Power after school?

If you have a special pet, this is a great new series.  The storyline will hook you into returning the Power's Pet Store again and again.  It is a great chapter book for independent readers whom are just beginning choosing their book adventures (Gr 1-2).

Enjoy meeting Lexi, Luna, and Mr. Power,
MrsK

 
Enjoyable reading for everyone... Will be adding to our Library shelves!

"I received this ebook for free from Net Galley for this review."

Scholastic

Scholastic Paperbacks

Kat McGee Saves America

Kat McGee Saves America by Kristin Riddick 

ISBN: 9781497492073

Net Galley Description: 

The Fourth of July. Parades, fireworks, apple pie--and an amazing history of American freedom and revolution. Kat McGee doesn't know what she'd do without her favorite summery celebration of all things patriotic... but if she doesn't travel back in time to work her holiday-saving magic, she's going to find out--and fast. It's 1776. Thomas Jefferson has been kidnapped. The Declaration of Independence is gone. And the country's brilliant past rests on a young woman from the future, aided only by (the Statue of) Liberty, a young John Quincy Adams, and a whole lot of summer holiday spirit.

MrsK's Review:
While browsing for my next reviewing journey, I was immediately attracted to the bold "American" colors and the delightful illustration of Kat McGee.  What a cutie, I wonder who is this delightful character?  Why have I not heard of her before?  Whether its a title or the book's cover... if it calls to you, you have to follow by opening its cover. Once opened, the next greeting I received was the title "Summer Bummer."  How could this sweet little charmer have a bummed summer.  As an educator, I am always right on the tales of our students.

As our students are rolling out of the parking lot, I too am filled with joy at the prospects for an amazing adventure. Kat's summer offered, "Aqua Thrillway, Flag Day in June, three weeks at Camp, family vacations...even all the way to Seattle to see Gram!  She also loved lazy days spent reading by Lake Micmac....most of all, Kat loved the 4th of July."  Until Kat was 5 minutes late for the POFF's student ambassador meeting.
  
Prior to those fatal 5 minutes, Kat was sure she would be voted in, which of course meant that she would be allowed to "...design the floats, help order the fireworks and decide on the parade lineup..."  After all, the one teacher on the committee was Miss Libby.  Hadn't Miss Libby been the one teacher who helped turn her social studies grades around when she encouraged Kat, "I promise, one day it will CLICK!"  Miss Libby claims, "...history is so exciting that if Kat learned the dates and events that changed America, Kat would feel as if she was magically traveling back to that time."
   
With that backdrop, Kat arrives home with such despair that those 5 minutes cost her all of her hopes and dreams for the 4th of July.  And yet, Gram was there!  During dinner, Gram asked, "...what do you think of when you think of the 4th of July?"  "...who was the father of the Declaration of Independence?"  Once Gram realizes that they are missing its full meaning, Gram decides that a road trip was needed.  A museum trip? 

Kat couldn't imagined that things could get any worse. As they entered the museum, Gram informed Kat that she trusted her to help when needed.  She gave Kat a sparkling ticket and reminded her, "...magic is not on demand.  It's thoughtfully crafted for a necessary reason, a willing giver, and a deserving recipient."  Just then a commotion begins and Kat discovers a door with a sparkling, star-shaped doorknob.  Looking closer Kat realizes "...that there is a slit in the center that looked like a ticket slot."  Suddenly Kat is yanked off the ground and finds herself looking into deep hazel eyes of a lady who is green and stating, "Kat! Finally! What took you so long? I was beginning to think Gram had forgotten about us..."  Bewildered, Kat begins her journey in Libertyland and helping to locate Mr. Jefferson and the most important document of time, the Declaration of Independence. How will Kat comprehend a living museum, time travel back to 1776, and righting the injustice of forgetting what the 4th July truly means for all?  Will the chalkboard of change allow her access to 1776?  Join Kat as she meets a young John Q Adams.  Time travel will require new clothing, and Mrs. Ross is the best seamstress for the job.  If you are looking for a quick ride to save the Constitution, who else but Paul Revere would you trust.  


Don't wait, take this adventure before the 4th passes you by,
MrsK 

Kristin Riddick doesn't look good in hats, but she seems to wear a lot of them. Her voice has been heard on shows such as One Tree Hill, The OC, Everybody Hates Chris, and Chuck, and on-camera she recently played opposite Megan Mullally on Fox's Breaking In. She's written a screenplay, a pilot, a middle-grade book, and a lot of memorable thank you notes... so she's told. She teaches Pilates and spinning to stay sane, may have a super power or two, and takes a lot of chances riding her bike all over Los Angeles because she gets road rage when driving. A native of Corpus Christi, Texas, Kristin graduated from The University of Virginia and currently divides her time between LA and Austin with her multi-talented producer husband David Kirkwood

Enjoyable reading for everyone... Will be adding to our Library shelves!

"I received this ebook for free from Net Galley for this review."

FEED YOUR READERS

Publicist: Saira Rao saira@inthistogethermedia.com

The Language of Flowers

 

Vanessa Diffenbaugh

A Booked To Dine book club choice

Good Reads Description:
The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings.

Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what’s been missing in her life, and when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

MrsK's Review: 
I so enjoyed this book.  Given the theme, the flower connection, the month of May gathering, and all things connected to beauty... our book club chose this book from rave reviews from our friends.

At first, meeting Victoria was a bit like a leap of faith.  I wasn't sure that I would connect with this character.  I had students that would have adored a younger version of her, and yet as I continued my reading I found a variety of connections.  Just like Victoria in choosing which flowers would bless her customers, I discovered aspects of myself within the bouquet of these pages.

Right up front, I must thank the author for her desire to help me as a reader/gardener...  for I was thrilled to discover there was a flower dictionary at the back of the book which provided freedom to enjoy Victoria's story without worrying about how I would remember the numerous definitions (I never/ever look at the back pages... I do not like spoilers taking anything away from my literary journey).

Our book club discussion was filled with connections, ideas, and a few debates.  We discussed what are hopes for Victoria would be, how we would enjoy knowing more about Grant's upbringing and thoughts about the past secret, what Elizabeth would be like as a Grandparent, and why Victoria chose the decisions she made that created such a long road to happiness.  We celebrated the moment when Renata gave Victoria a chance, we were happy when Victoria allowed Grant into her life, we were very relieved when Mother Ruby arrived, and we dismayed when Victoria decided to build her life apart from those that mattered the most.  We were frustrated that the "secret" took so long in unfolding and yet, we would not have chosen the finale to bloom any quicker than it did.

This is an excellent book choice.... 
Enjoy, MrsK

Amazing read
Added to my shelf

Victoria's Flower Dictionary

 
Click here for tips, ideas and advice on all things flowers.

Carly Keene Literary Detective: Braving the Brontes

 Braving the Brontes by Katherine Rue

 ISBN: 9780989816625

Net Galley Description: 
Spunky young Alaskan Carly Keene and her best friend Francesca have never met a book they didn't like. But they've never been in a book before.

Carly Keene: Braving the Brontes is the funny and heartwarming story of a young reader caught up in the adventure of a book lover's lifetime. A chance nap in a magical bookstore sends Carly spiraling back in time. When she wakes up, it's 1846, everyone thinks her name is Caroline, and a young woman named Charlotte Bronte is trying to compose one of the greatest books ever written... Jane Eyre.

And that's not all. Maria, the spirit of the Bronte sisters' dead sibling, is haunting Carly, telling her that Charlotte's got to finish her book--or else.

With literary history on the line, Carly Keene will battle foggy moors, ghostly apparitions, cholera epidemics, and the horror that is nineteenth-century homework: needlework, French, needlework, German, and more needlework. It's as much as a spunky 21st-century girl can handle, but if anyone can brave the Brontes, it's Carly Keene. 

MrsK's Review: 
Everyone knows that I love books.  I love books about books.  I adore mysteries, they are such a delight during storms or any other season.  As a young reader, there was nothing better than my moments with Nancy Drew.  I have just been introduced to Carly Keene (great name considering any of our connection to Miss Drew).

With such delightfully fun language like tickety-boo (nincompoops; balderdash; heebie-jeebies ) Carly and Francesca "don't want to waste adventures."  With their gift of imagination they know "There's no point in an adventure where the bad guys can zap you with phasers and disappear. How would we triumph and complete or quest?"

As the story begins to unfold, the girls experience "one lucky thing in a series of lucky things."  Their mystery begins on the way back from an errand to the store, you see as adventures they are always alert for the unexpected and that is just what begins to unfold once they discover a tiny side street that was never there before.  Of course these girls are dedicated sleuths with the knowledge that "only dull, foolish children ignore mysterious alleyways that appear from nowhere."  Yep, these girls know how to "Recognize a Mystery" when the see one, "weren't they always creating Mysterious Circumstances for their own amusement?"

Once embarking down the alley, there happens to be that inviting doorway.  You know the one, it beckons quietly while the visitor ponders the reality about a safe journey within it's portal.  The girls must enter... and once the bell over the door welcomes them they experience the joy of old bindings worn and cracked.  As any of us readers would do, they begin walking the aisles, touching the bindings, feeling their way amongst new friends just waiting to be taken off of the shelves.  With an inviting fireglow, a comfy armchair and an old-distracted book dealer, Carly has a first edition of Jane Eyre placed in to her hands (now gloved of course).  "How can you expect to look at an extremely rare and valuable old book if you aren't sitting down properly?  What are children coming to these days?" And with that brief encounter, Carly begins reading... just for a moment or so she thinks!  This is such a perfected hook.....

As Carly quickly discovers this is not just a rare first edition, it supposedly is the Charlotte Bronte's personal copy.  With that being disclosed, "his pleased look faded as he started to mutter again about the binding, but Carly wasn't paying attention."  Nope, she curls back and opens the cover....With firelight flickering over her face...she doesn't notice when the old man gave a satisfied smile and went back through the doorway..."  Now I was hooked!  I kept reading until the iPad shut down.

I will not share more, I must respect the nature of a great mystery.  And yet, I will entice you with these final or should I say beginning moments of Carly's mystery: "Almost immediately she heard it.  Tap-tap-tap at the window...Carly jumped out of bed and ran over to the window...The thin, pale face of a girl stared back at her...Save my sisters or you will not save yourself..."

The setting descriptions are enjoyable, stepping from the present into the Bronte's home is such a grand idea.  Descriptions filled with vivid language, life experiences of an romantic age, eloquent poetry musings, literary connections which brings a reader's memories back to life.... and best of all new literary hooks tempting an "oh, I've got to read that one," will keep a smile on any reader's face.

This is my second review for a  Kindle download.  Once again I found myself frustrated without the book in hand, when I'm reading a book for sharing (with students, in the library, or at book club) I am always adding comments or writing "ponderings" in the margins. So I had to learn how to mark on my iPad... new techniques are fun but frustrating at the same time.  I am so excited to share this story with my granddaughters... what fun we will have together.

 
Enjoyable reading for everyone... Will be adding to our Library shelves! 

Born and raised in Alaska, Katherine will happily tell you what to do in a variety of survival situations, including but not limited to: bear attacks, hypothermia, nettle stings, and how to start a fire in the rain. She received a B.A. in Classics from Dartmouth College and a Masters in Medieval History from The University of California, Berkeley. She lives against her better judgment in New York City (which she cordially dislikes) with her husband and sons (whom she likes, very much). This is her first book.

"I received this ebook for free from Net Galley for this review."

FEED YOUR READERS

Publicist: Saira Rao saira@inthistogethermedia.com