"Cliques, Hicks, and Ugly Sticks" Review

"Cliques, Hicks, and Ugly Sticks"
by K.D. McCrite

Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: Dec 6, 2011 
Source: sent by publisher

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:  

Just when April Grace thought the drama was over . . .
After an automobile accident, Isabel St. James-resident drama coach and drama queen-needs help putting together the church play. Mama insists April Grace and Myra Sue will help. April's fall is now devoted to spending every afternoon with Isabel and Myra Sue-if anyone is as big of a drama queen as Isabel, it's Myra Sue. Plus, she's dumb. (Okay, not dumb, but "older sister dumb.") If that's not enough, Isabel is wreaking havoc in the community trying to get Rough Creek Road paved, the new boy at school will not leave her alone, and then Mama drops the biggest bombshell of all . . . April Grace is no longer going to be the baby of the family . . .
Girls will completely relate to April and love her sense of humor as she deals with siblings, boys, and the many changes that come with growing up.

My Review:

This book was an adorable middle grade story, with some deep topics. April Grace's mother had some really tough times with her pregnancy. While it was really good storytelling, it put April Grace through a lot of stress and heartache, and since she's so young it was hard to read about sometimes. She was so strong and never wanted to add to her parents' stress over the baby, so she internalized a lot of own pain. Of course, the story isn't all heartache, there are lots of more typical everyday issues explored in the book. It's a nice balance of tough issues and everyday middle school problems, instead of all fluff.

I love how strong April Grace is, she is a great role model, especially at that tough age when boys and clothes and makeup start to take over common sense. She stands up for herself and doesn't let the cliques at school run her life. Her family has some very accurate observations on why cliques are the way they are.

There's one thing in book that I absolutely love when it's done right, and I really can't stand when it's done wrong, and that is the southern accent. When done wrong, it comes across as fake, and it can ruin a book for me. In this book, April Grace's southern drawl is written to perfection and I loved it. It really added to the story for me, and I don't think April Grace would have been as endearing to me without it.

April Grace goes to Church and Sunday School, but I wouldn't say this book is overly religious. There's just the basic message of treating others the way you would want to be treated.


Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: N/A
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 5/5 (love it)
Writing: 5/5


Bottom Line: I thoroughly enjoyed April Grace's story and I would love to read the other books in the series. Her authentic southern charm really won me over.

"Reasons to be Happy" Review

"Reasons to be Happy"
 by Katrina Kittle

Publisher: Sourcebooks
Release Date: Oct 1, 2011 
Source: sent by publisher

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:  

Hannah's parents are glamorous Hollywood royalty, and sometimes she feels like the ugly duckling in a family of swans. After her mother's tragic death, Hannah's grief is compounded by her desperate need to live up to her mother's image. She tries to control her weight through Bulimia, and her devastated father is too distracted to notice. The secret of her eating disorder weighs heavily on Hannah, but the new eighth grade Beverly Hills clique she's befriended only reinforces her desire to be beautiful. The only one who seems to notice, or care, that something is wrong is Jasper, the quirky mistfit.

My Review:

I usually consider it a spoiler to reveal too much more than what the back cover of a book delivers, but this book is about bulimia. I thought I knew what bulimia was before I read this book, but I realize now I barely knew anything. The author paints a gruesome look at all of the dirty, embarrassing details of the eating disorder, without sugar coating anything. She creates an honest, and still very compassionate, view of a young girl with bulimia.

I think this book could be really helpful if you know someone with this eating disorder. It really helps to understand what the disease is and what the person is going through. 

Hannah's relationship with her dad is so honest, especially since he is going through a disease that has many similar qualities. In the end when you can tell he finally understands, it is really bittersweet. 

When Hannah goes to Ghana with her aunt, it really puts her decisions into perspective for both Hannah and the reader. I thought this was a really interesting perspective on the disease.

Jasper was too adorable as a love interest. He was much more mature and accepting than most 8th grade boys in my opinion (and probably more mature than most adults for that matter). Sometimes, I felt like Hannah was a little older than 8th grade as well. The book felt more mature than a middle grade book, so I think I would classify it as YA instead of MG.



Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 3/5
Writing: 4/5


Bottom Line: There's so much to mention about this book and not enough space. But overall, it is an honest, compassionate look at the effects of bulimia.

"The Warrior Sheep Go West" Review

"The Warrior Sheep Go West" 
by Christine and Christopher Russell

Publisher: Sourcebooks
Release Date: Aug 1, 2011 
Source: sent by publisher

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:  

When a strange monster called Red Tongue threatens rams, ewes, and lambs everywhere, the Warrior Sheep spring into action.
Now the five bravest sheep in the eweniverse must hoof it to Las Vegas to stop Red Tongue's rampage.
And so the Warrior Sheep Go West.
Can the warriors stop the mystery monster before it's too late?

My Review:

This book was so adorable! I really think kids are going to love this book. You can tell the authors have experience writing for tv because the story is so fast paced, just like a tv show.

All of the sheep have adorable personalities, but I have to say my favorite was Wills-the littlest and the smartest. He watched a lot of tv with his owner so knew about everything!

I liked that the sheep weren't so personified that they did things like drive a car. They hitched a ride or just snuck onto a bus. They only talked to each other, humans couldn't understand them. And the villain, Red Tongue, has a perfectly rational and funny explanation.

There was another villain besides Red Tongue, and sometimes her storyline got a little slow. But I never care much for the villain's point of view, so it might not bother others like it bothered me.

I think the book will appeal equally to boys and girls because there are great characters of both genders represented.


Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: n/a
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 5/5
Writing: 5/5


Bottom Line: I would recommend giving this fun-filled adventure to any elementary schoolers in your life, and I think you will overhear lots of laughter as they read it.

"Journal of a Schoolyard Bully" Review

"Journal of a Schoolyard Bully"
by Farley Katz


Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: Sep 13, 2011 
Source: ARC sent by publisher

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:  

In the tradition of the mega successful DIARY OF A WIMPY KID and DORK DIARIES comes Niko Taylor, a school bully who must keep a journal to right all the wrongs he has done, but Niko, being a habitual trouble-maker, has other ideas.   Niko Kaylor, the terror of his middle school, doles out wedgies and collects money he doesn’t need. When he is forced to begin keeping a journal of his activities to curb his bullying ways, he secretly turns his diary into a how-to guide for bullies.  Now, against the wishes of his peers, Niko plans to conquer his middle school and teach everyone a lesson in bullying, including his teachers.  

Blog tour exclusive! 

As part of the blog tour for "Journal of a Schoolyard Bully", I have two blog tour exclusive comics from the author! Click on the comics to enlarge and read them!

My Review:

I'm pretty sure I'm not the target audience for this book, so that might be part of why I didn't enjoy it so much. I just wasn't able to get past the message that celebrating bullies sends to kids.


There's an author's note at the beginning that detailed how the reader was supposed to be laughing at the bully not with him, but I'm not sure that came across in the story. Especially since it never really seemed like Niko got his just deserts in the end. The author's note seemed to be tacked on at the last minute to make the book politically correct, especially with the bullying epidemic lately in the news.


There were laugh out loud moments, like his grouchy neighbor telling him to "get off my lawnmower" instead of the typical "get off my lawn." But there were also many cringe worthy moments such as Niko calling the police and having the grouchy old man sent to the asylum. I thought bullying like this went way too far, and I preferred the sillier things like stinky paper airplanes and I thought they were more age-appropriate.

I think the book would have worked for me more if all of the bullying incidents had been sillier and  harmless, and I definitely would have liked it more if Niko had learned his lesson. It seemed like maybe he didn't stop bullying in the end so that there could be sequels.

Bottom Line: The book has it's funny moments, but overall it might not be the best book for kids in light of all the bullying that goes on in real life.

Giveaway and Review: "Aphrodite the Diva" Goddess Girls #6

Authors Joan Holub
and Suzanne Williams have generously provided awesome Aphrodite the Diva swag and an autographed copy of the book for one lucky reader of my blog!
See contest info after the review!

"Aphrodite the Diva" (Goddess Girls #6)



by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Publisher: Aladdin

Release Date: Aug 9, 2010
Source: sent by authors



My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars



Summary from goodreads.com:

In book 6, an exchange
student from Egypt, Isis, is encroaching on Aphrodite's match-making
turf. Will she also edge Aphrodite out of her group of friends?



These classic myths from the Greek pantheon are given a modern twist
that contemporary tweens can relate to, from dealing with bullies like
Medusa to a first crush on an unlikely boy.



Goddess Girls follows four goddesses-in-training: Athena,
Persephone, Aphrodite, and Artemis and their friends as they navigate
the ins and outs of divine social life at Mount Olympus Academy, where
the most privileged gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon hone their
mythical skills.

  

My Review:



This was another funny, sweet, and romantic installment of one of my favorite series! In this book, Aphrodite finds out she may not be the only goddess of love when she meets Isis in Egypt. A friendly rivalry results where Aphrodite and Isis compete to be the first to find the perfect love match for Pygmalion.



I love that the girls aren't mean spirited in their competition, even though the mortals are spreading vicious rumors that they are literally fighting. There's a lot to learn about healthy competition, while respecting each other's differences.



Aphrodite, as the goddess of love, gets to play matchmaker a lot in this book. In fact, I would have loved to have seen more of her matchmaking and the results! The couples she chose to put together were just so adorable! It would have been so fun to see more of the love matches sprinkled throughout the book.



I'm glad we got to see some old favorites from "Aphrodite the Beauty", Hephaestus and Ares. It was great to see them back for another story.



As always, with the Goddess Girls series, there's a lot to love about this book, and I would definitely recommend it to all tween girls. While this wasn't the strongest of the series, it was definitely a welcome addition. All of the books are fun with lots of age-appropriate romance, and they also have a great message about friendship, doing the right thing, and girls being strong.





Main Characters: 4/5 


Supporting Characters: 5/5

Setting: 5/5

Romance: 4/5

Uniqueness: 5/5

Cover: 5/5

Writing: 5/5





Bottom Line: Another can't miss installment of the Goddess Girls series, this time with lots of love matches and some friendly rivalry. 

Check out my reviews for the first five books in the series:

"Athena the Brain"

"Persephone the Phony"

"Aphrodite the Beauty"

"Artemis the Brave"

"Athena the Wise"

More info on the series at:

http://www.joanholub.blogspot.com/

http://www.suzanne-williams.blogspot.com/

GIVEAWAY RULES:


Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams are generously providing one lucky reader an autographed copy of Aphrodite the Diva and swag!! The swag was carefully put together by the authors and includes:

* GODDESSGIRLS bead necklaces made by Joan and Suzanne.

Strung on colorful stretchy cord, they can be shortened into bracelets.
(Beads & cord packages purchased at Michaels say they're not for
under age 14. Actual colors will vary.)

* Aphrodite the Diva book signed by Joan and Suzanne

* Bookmark featuring six Goddess Girls books
  

All you have to do is follow my blog publicly and leave a comment on this review with your email address!Please
follow publicly or I can't tell that you are following :) Also,
if you aren't comfortable leaving your email here, go ahead and
leave a comment and then send me an email with your email addy.


Extra Entries:

• +1 Tweet this contest (leave link in comment)


• +1 Post link in sidebar of your blog (leave link in comment)

Rules:

• US only


• Must be a follower to enter


• Must be 18 to enter (you can have your parents enter :))


• Extra entries are optional and can all be left in the same comment


• Leave a comment with your email address


• Ends Monday August 15

Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!

Review and Giveaway! "Goddess Girls: Athena the Wise"

Authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams have generously provided an awesome Athena the Wise Swag Bag and a copy of the book for one lucky reader of my blog! See contest info after the review!

"Athena the Wise" (Goddess Girls #5)

by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Publisher: Aladdin
Release Date: April 5, 2010
Source: sent by author

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:

Join the class at Mount Olympus Academy with this new series that puts a modern spin on classic Greek myths!

Athena the Wise (April 2011): Zeus says Heracles has to do 12 tasks or get kicked out of MOA. Athena's not sure it's wise, but she agrees to help out.  

My Review: 

The Goddess Girls series is one of my favorites, and "Athena the Wise" is an especially sweet installment! As a romance fan, I love the cute romance blooming between Athena and Heracles. I also love Athena's relationship with her so embarrassing dad, Zeus. 


As with the previous Goddess Girls books, there's a subtle but important message woven throughout the story. The book takes a look a the varying shades of right and wrong. It also explores anger and revenge. The authors are never preachy but instead ask the reader how far is too far when it comes to revenge and retribution.


Readers of the series get to revisit all of our old friends from Mount Olympus Academy, including the animal companions. Athena's relationship with her dad, Zeus, the principal at MOA, was first explored in the first book in the series, and I loved the way it was developed here. You can tell he just embarrasses her so much in all the classic ways that parents can embarrass their kids. But she loves him so much no matter how embarrassing he gets. 


Heracles is a great mortal hero. His list of 12 labors that he must accomplish are pretty impressive for a 12-ish year old! I love that Heracles is a great guy but he's not perfect. Instead of fighting or arguing though, Athena and Heracles talk it out to understand their differences and learn about each other. 


The romance in this book is oh-so-sweet! I couldn't help but get a serious case of the warm fuzzies when I finished the book. The romance will keep the most boy crazy goddessgirl interested while still being completely age appropriate.

Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Romance: 5/5 (love it)
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 5/5 (LOVE all the covers!!)
Writing: 5/5



Bottom Line: Another wonderful book in the Goddess Girls series, "Athena the Wise" is not to be missed!

Check out my reviews for the first four books in the series:

"Athena the Brain"
"Persephone the Phony"
"Aphrodite the Beauty"

"Artemis the Brave"

More info on the series at: http://www.joanholub.blogspot.com/

GIVEAWAY RULES:
Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams are generously providing one lucky reader an Athena the Wise Swag Bag!! The swag bag was carefully put together by the authors and includes:

* GODDESSGIRLS bead necklaces made by Joan and Suzanne.
Strung on colorful stretchy cord, they can be shortened into bracelets. (Beads & cord packages purchased at Michaels say they're not for under age 14. Actual colors will vary.)
* Plush lion (Heracles comes up against a fierce lion in the book!)
* Athena the Wise book signed by Joan and Suzanne
* Bookmark featuring six Goddess Girls books

All you have to do is follow my blog publicly and leave a comment on this review with your email address!Please follow publicly or I can't tell that you are following :) Also, if you aren't comfortable leaving your email here, go ahead and leave a comment and then send me an email with your email addy.

Extra Entries:

• +1 Tweet this contest (leave link in comment)
• +1 Post link in sidebar of your blog (leave link in comment)

Rules:

• US only
• Must be a follower to enter
• Extra entries are optional and can all be left in the same comment
• Leave a comment with your email address
• Ends Sunday May 1

Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!

"Kat, Incorrigible" Review

"Kat, Incorrigible"
by Stephanie Burgis

Publisher: Atheneum
Release Date: April 5, 2011

Source: sent by publisher

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:

Twelve-year-old Kat Stephenson may be the despair of her social-climbing Step-Mama, but she was born to be a magical Guardian and protector of Society--if she can ever find true acceptance in the secret Order that expelled her own mother. She’s ready to turn the hidebound Order of the Guardians inside-out, whether the older members like it or not. And in a society where magic is the greatest scandal of all, Kat is determined to use all her powers to help her three older siblings--saintly Elissa, practicing-witch Angeline, and hopelessly foolish Charles--find their own true loves, even if she has to turn highwayman, battle wild magic, and confront real ghosts along the way!

My Review: 

I remember wanting to read this one under it's original title "A Most Improper Magick." As a huge fan of historical romance, I thought it was great fun to see the Regency Era with it's ballrooms, carriages, and adorable suitors, from the eyes of a twelve year old.


There was a slight Cinderella slant to the story, with Kat's at times annoying two sisters, and her almost evil stepmama. I think this element will greatly appeal to younger girls. Sometimes the magical element seemed a little overdone and slightly confusing, but I liked the general idea of Kat having magical powers.


The two boys who Kat encourages to court her sisters are just too adorable for words. Mr. Carlyle was especially cute as a love potion victim. And Kat's exasperation with Mr. Collingswood's various shortcomings was quite entertaining. 


Kat was a super heroine and she had so much self-confidence! She was so confident and sure of herself that it was a little funny sometimes, but still, I think this is a fantastic trait to nurture in girls that age. Kat knows what she wants and she doesn't even think twice before going after it.


The door is wide open for a sequel, I can't imagine what Kat will be up to next! 



Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 5/5 
Setting: 5/5
Romance: 4/5 (Kat's sisters)
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Writing: 4/5


Bottom Line: This is a fun historical romp that is perfect for middle grade girls and I think older fans of Regency book will get a kick out of Kat's story too.

 

Review and Giveaway! "Goddess Girls: Artemis the Brave"

Authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams have generously provided an awesome Artemis the Brave Swag Bag and a copy of the book for one lucky reader of my blog! See contest info after the review!

"Artemis the Brave" (Goddess Girls #4)
by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Publisher: Aladdin
Release Date: Dec 7, 2010

Source: sent by author

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:

The Goddess Girls by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams put a modern spin on classic Greek myths!

My review:

"Artemis the Brave" is book #4 in the awesome age 8-12 series "The Goddess Girls." When I received this book, I was so excited to see that it's longer than the previous books-more to read, more to love!

All of the Goddess Girls have their own vivid personalities and Artemis is no exception. Artemis is very into her sport, archery, which she and her twin brother, Apollo, excel at. I loved seeing Artemis's great relationship with her brother. She really feels terrible when they argue because they are so close.

I love that all of the girls are so different but they all respect and appreciate their differences. None of the girls try to change each other, they accept that they're all different. Artemis's friends aren't into archery or sports, but they value her skills and never try to change her.

As with the other Goddess Girl books, there's a healthy dose of girl power. Artemis quickly learns that Orion's handsome face isn't all it's cracked up to be. Artemis also learns about her inner bravery. Everyone thinks she's very brave, but she has to work hard in order to actually feel brave herself.

This book would be great for girls who love animals because Artemis has three dogs who go with her everywhere.

Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 5/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 4/5 (perfectly age appropriate)
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 5/5 (LOVE all the covers!!)
Writing: 5/5

Bottom Line: Another fantastic installment of the Goddess Girls series, with lots of friendship, fun, and a great message.

Check out my reviews for the first three books in the series:

"Athena the Brain"
"Persephone the Phony"
"Aphrodite the Beauty"

More info on the series at: http://www.joanholub.blogspot.com/

GIVEAWAY RULES:
Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams are generously providing one lucky reader an Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bag!! The swag bag was carefully put together by the authors and includes:


* Artemis's puppy! An 8 1/2 inch plush dog named Amby--short for ambrosia, food of the gods! (Yomiko)
* Nail polishes (Sally) * Bangle bracelets (mudd)
* Goddess Girls bookmark
* Autographed copy of Artemis the Brave

All you have to do is follow my blog publicly and leave a comment on this review with your email address!

Please follow publicly or I can't tell that you are following :) Also, if you aren't comfortable leaving your email here, go ahead and leave a comment and then send me an email with your email addy.

Extra Entries:

• +1 Tweet this contest (leave link in comment)
  
• +1 Post link in sidebar of your blog (leave link in comment)
  

Rules:

• US only
  
• Must be a follower to enter
  
• Extra entries are optional and can all be left in the same comment
  
• Leave a comment with your email address
• Ends Sunday Dec 19
  

How cute is that puppy?? Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!

"Athena the Brain" Review

To celebrate the "Aphrodite the Beauty" Swag Bag Contest, here is my review of the first book in the Goddess Girls series!! Don't forget to enter the contest!

"Athena the Brain" (Goddess Girls #1)
by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Publisher: Aladdin
Release Date: Apr 6, 2010

Source: sent by author

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

My review:

The first installment in the Goddess Girls books is a great introduction to the series. The reader is introduced to the school at Mt. Olympus at the same time that Athena first sees it. We are thrust into this brand new world of immortality and magic just like Athena is.

The book has a great message for girls about dealing with mean girls and also how to deal with boys. I loved Athena's attitude towards the cocky Poseidon as she realizes he's not so crush-worthy after all.

Book lovers will love Athena's brainy personality, and how she's always carrying around tons of scrolls (books). Her relationship with her dad, Zeus, is played out with love and comedy.

The only reason I marked this one 4.5 stars instead of 5 is because I really liked books 2 and 3 a lot better than this one. But sometimes that's what happens in the first book of a series, because the world has to be set up and introductions to the characters need to be made.

The covers of these books are fantastic. The bright colors and cartoony girls are so eye-catching, but the beauty is really in the details. Each cover has many small elements from the book that are woven into the picture. It's so fun to see Persephone's missing ball of yarn or Athena's pile of homework scrolls that she's never seen without. It's so nice to see a cover where the artist has clearly read the book instead of using a stock photo.


Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 5/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 5/5 (LOVE all the covers!!)
Writing: 5/5


Bottom Line: This is another great installment of the Goddess Girls series, fun, sweet stories for girls with a fantastic message!

"Goddess Girls: Persephone the Phony" Review

To celebrate the "Aphrodite the Beauty" Swag Bag Contest, here is my review of the second book in the Goddess Girls series!! Don't forget to enter the contest!

"Persephone the Phony" (Goddess Girls #2)
by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Publisher: Aladdin
Release Date: Apr 6, 2010

Source: sent by author

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My review:

I really loved this installment of the series. I think it deals with a really important tween issue for girls-standing up for yourself. This is an age where girls really start to feel pressure to be like everyone else and it's hard to remember to speak up.

Persephone is always agreeable, she wants to go along with everything just so she won't make anyone mad. She drags along to the mall when she would rather be home. She always agrees with her group of friends, even when she thinks differently. She even buys things she doesn't want in order to fit in and please others. For this reason, Persephone feels like a phony.

When she gets to know "bad boy" Hades, Persephone knows her friends and her mother don't approve. But for the first time, she wants to do what she wants, not what everyone else wants her to do. Persephone finds herself in danger by ignoring too many rules and she finally realizes there needs to be a balance between always agreeing and being too wild.

I think this age is when girls start submitting to peer pressure and start to lose themselves. This book could really be a helpful tool in teaching girls that they can still speak up for themselves and be an individual. Speaking up seems to be praised in boys but not girls, so I'm glad to see it addressed in a book targeted to girls. I can identify with Persephone even now and I hope I can learn to try to be less of a people-pleaser like she did.

Hades and Persephone's romance was just too adorable, and I enjoyed seeing their relationship continue to blossom in the third book.


Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 5/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 5/5 (so sweet!!)
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 5/5 (LOVE all the covers!!)
Writing: 5/5


Bottom Line:Persephone's story was another great addition to the Goddess Girls series, with fantastic elements of young love, friendship, family, and most of all learning about yourself.

Review and Giveaway! "Goddess Girls: Aphrodite the Beauty"

Contest is Closed
Authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams have generously provided an awesome Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bag for one lucky reader of my blog! See contest info after the review!

"Aphrodite the Beauty" (Goddess Girls #3)
by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Publisher: Aladdin
Release Date: Aug 3, 2010

Source: sent by author

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:
The Goddess Girls by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams put a modern spin on classic Greek myths!

Aphrodite, the goddess girl of love, can hardly believe she's jealous! But after giving her best friend, Athena, a makeover, she's definitely feeling a little green. It just doesn't seem fair that the god boys who usually fawn over Aphrodite, are now paying more attention to Athena, who doesn't even care. When Aphrodite finds out the nerdy Hephaestus has a crush on her, she learns that love comes in many forms.

My review:

I love reading about the Greek myths and the tales in this series are perfectly told for young readers to learn how fun and exciting the myths are. Each of the characters are lovingly crafted as a young, modern version of the classic figure. The modern twist is there, even while being fully contained on Mount Olympus. The books teach the ancient stories and also teach valuable life lessons to young girls.

After reading the first three books in the series, "Aphrodite the Beauty" was possibly my favorite in the series. It was so much fun while still containing a great message.

Aphrodite has all the boys in school wrapped around her finger. She especially loves the attention from handsome Atlas. Aphrodite decides to give her friend, Athena, a makeover but doesn't really enjoy the result-all of the boys giving Athena attention instead of her. The only boy who still talks to her is Hephaestus, who walks with a limp. She likes Hephaestus but when rumors swirl about them, she starts avoiding her friend. But Hephaestus may be the only one who can help her with a special project.

I loved how this book told the story of Atalanta's race with the golden apples, one of my favorite myths. Hephaestus was such a sweet character, I loved reading about him.

This story was so fun, with crushes on boys and jealousy over other girls getting attention. But the focus was on friendship and being true to yourself before falling for a boy who doesn't deserve your attention. I love the girl power message of these books.

Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 5/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 4/5 (perfectly age appropriate)
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 5/5 (LOVE all the covers!!)
Writing: 5/5

Bottom Line: I can't' recommend this series enough, both to young readers, fans of Greek myths, and those who want a sweet, fun read with a great message for girls.

Check out my blog for the rest of the week for reviews of the other two books in the series!

More info on the series at: http://www.joanholub.blogspot.com/

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Contest is Closed
Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams are generously providing one lucky reader an Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bag!! The swag bag was carefully put together by the authors and includes:

* 24-color eye shadow from Claire's
* 7 lip glosses with faux rhinestones
* Multi-color bracelet
* Goddess Girls bookmark
* Autographed copy of Aphrodite the Beauty

All you have to do is follow my blog publicly and leave a comment on this review with your email address!

Please follow publicly or I can't tell that you are following :) Also, if you aren't comfortable leaving your email here, go ahead and leave a comment and then send me an email with your email addy.

Extra Entries:

• +1 Tweet this contest (leave link in comment)
  
• +1 Post link in sidebar of your blog (leave link in comment)
  

Rules:

• US only
  
• Must be a follower to enter
  
• Extra entries are optional and can all be left in the same comment
  
• Leave a comment with your email address
• Ends Sunday Nov. 7
  

Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!