Penelope Bailey Takes the Stage by Susanna Reich. YYY The story of a girl who dreams of being an actress, but her aunt thinks it is not appropriate to "act" in front of strangers. It was a fun, fast read. Penelope stays true to her dream and remains a nice girl despite her difficult circumstances. It made me want to be nice to my kids and try not to judge them too much. This author has a number of other books I can't wait to check out.


The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull. YYYY Susan introduced me to this book. Thank you Susan. I am always amazed by authors who come up with new ideas. In this book a group of kids fall in with some dangerous magicians who use candy to give the kids super powers. The kids have to be careful not to be outsmarted by the adults trying to use them as pawns. Good luck kids! While I was reading I couldn't wait to see how it turned out!


A House of Tailors by Patricia Reilly Giff. YYYYY I really loved this book! My favorite was the note by the author at the end of the book that this book was based on her great-grandmother Dina from Germany. As a young girl she was a bit of a spitfire, getting herself into many a scrape. She works hard as a seamstress, even though she hates sewing, she must help make a living to keep food on the table. It is a fantastic look at immigration, early US history, family and determination. Loved it!