Ruthie is just a young girl living in New York City, trying to achieve the American dream until those dreams are put on the line after a car accident that leaves her very injured. The story follows Ruthie's journey to recovery, forgiveness, hope, and love. I loved this book so so much for not only the thought provoking bits and life lessons, but for the melting pots of cultures that were conveyed. Because this is largely based off of the author's own experience, it has a personal touch that couldn't have been added otherwise. First of all, the life lessons and thought provoking bits. I loved Ruthie and I think anyone could sympathize with her hopefulness and kindness. I also loved how her recovery process was used in such a way that Ruthie had to grow up fast and learned so many life lessons like forgiveness, following your dreams, etc. The one complaint I would have is that I felt that sometimes, because Ruthie was bedridden, the story dragged a little. I also loved the other main component I took away from the book, which is that America is a melting pot. One of her friends was Indian, another was fluent in French and English and was from Belgium, their apartment neighbor was from Mexico, and Ruthie's extended family (all Cuban) were featured heavily. I also loved how whenever these cultures were brought up, they were always very warm and celebrated their culture (her parents dancing, their culture of food, her friend's mother making pastries, etc.) and I felt like I learned something about each of the cultures. Ultimately, this book showed one girl's story of recovery while learning about forgiveness and hope, and was able to celebrate cultures from all over the world without making the book all about culture/religion. The book shows that you should always follow your dreams because in America, it's a melting pot- anyone can achieve anything.

Ruthie is just a young girl living in New York City, trying to achieve the American dream until those dreams are put on the line after a car accident that leaves her very injured. The story follows Ruthie's journey to recovery, forgiveness, hope, and love. I loved this book so so much for not only the thought provoking bits and life lessons, but for the melting pots of cultures that were conveyed. Because this is largely based off of the author's own experience, it has a personal touch that couldn't have been added otherwise. First of all, the life lessons and thought provoking bits. I loved Ruthie and I think anyone could sympathize with her hopefulness and kindness. I also loved how her recovery process was used in such a way that Ruthie had to grow up fast and learned so many life lessons like forgiveness, following your dreams, etc. The one complaint I would have is that I felt that sometimes, because Ruthie was bedridden, the story dragged a little. I also loved the other main component I took away from the book, which is that America is a melting pot. One of her friends was Indian, another was fluent in French and English and was from Belgium, their apartment neighbor was from Mexico, and Ruthie's extended family (all Cuban) were featured heavily. I also loved how whenever these cultures were brought up, they were always very warm and celebrated their culture (her parents dancing, their culture of food, her friend's mother making pastries, etc.) and I felt like I learned something about each of the cultures. Ultimately, this book showed one girl's story of recovery while learning about forgiveness and hope, and was able to celebrate cultures from all over the world without making the book all about culture/religion. The book shows that you should always follow your dreams because in America, it's a melting pot- anyone can achieve anything.

This book really intrigued me because it reminds me of Peter Pan and involves some of my favorite elements of a story combined, astrology and magic!

This was an excellent, quick, enthralling read. The main character, Connor, was pragmatic, skilled, charming and likable. You could definitely tell the intricate research the author brought into the book. The side characters were all multifaceted and my feelings shifted for them over time. I read the book over a few hours, unable to put it down. I loved reading about the inside world of the White House and the antics of the first daughter. It was impossible to be bored while reading this book. In conclusion, this made an fantastic beginning to what is sure to be a fascinating series.

Bloody Jack was a totally unique and thrilling story of an orphan girl abandoned on London's streets to fend for herself. Her name was always "Jack". It used to be Mary. But that was before her mother and sister died and she was cast out onto the streets and found and sheltered by Charlie's Roosters. Then she became "Little Mary". When Charlie is brutally murdered, Mary runs away. She's always dreamed of a life at sea. But girls aren't exactly allowed on His Majesty's royal Navy, so Mary becomes Jacky and so begins The Deception. I absolutely adored reading every coarse and breathtaking adventure Jacky experiences and I highly reccomend this book to teens who love a good journey at sea.

Horizon was...omoshiroi. That means "interesting" in Japanese. The word "omoshiroi" is used a lot in Horizon, because of the two Japanese sisters, Kira and Akiko, who are two of the eight survivors of the mysterious plane crash. The other six passengers are Molly, an optimistic engineer, Javi, a member of Team Killbot, Anna, a twelve year old who sometimes doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut, Yoshi, a thief, Oliver, a guy whose mother had to be persuaded to let him come, and Caleb, a headstrong teen. After anticipating reading Horizon for WEEKS, I was really disappointed. The writing feels bland in most chapters, and the characters feel more like empty, soulless robots. There isn't any raw emotion expressed in the writing; it feels like I just opened a flat soda. There are a few rare chapters spread out in the book that genuinely caught my interest, but most were just "meh". The concept itself is pretty omoshiroi, but the execution really fell short in character development. I'll check out the second book, Deadzone, when it's published, but for now, 3 stars.