A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley

Charlie and her father come to the same small town where her grandparents live every summer from the city.  She writes songs, but has always been too scared to sing in front of anyone.  Charlie has always been envious of Rose and her two friends Luke and Dave, and wishes she were better friends with them.  Rose wants nothing more than to escape the town she's always lived in.  She secretly is accepted to a school in the city behind her parents' backs.  Charlie seems to be the ticket out of the town that keeps weighing on her back.  Get ready for a ride through the words of Charlie and Rose about this eventful summer. 

This book was one of the best i've read this summer.  Written in alternating chapters through the voices of Rose and Charlie, events from the past and present unfold.  The plot winds through friendships, betrayals, romance, and loss. 

5 stars

I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

I'll Be There is not your typical romance.  Romance is only part of the plot in this book about human nature.  Sam and his brother Riddle have been constantly uprooted by their unstable father since Sam was eleven and Riddle was a baby.  Emily is a collector of people's stories, and believes everything is connected.  So when she sees Sam at the back of her church while she is singing "I'll Be There", she feels a connection. The story that follows is beautifully written and shows just how much people can be connected. 

5 stars

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series By Rick Riordan

This series is a must read for kids ages ten and up. It follows our young hero Percy Jackson and his friends, Annabeth and Grover through a perilous journey to save the world on several different occasions. In the final book Percy endures a shocking showdown with the king of the evil Titans, Kronos. This series is amazing. Look for other books by this author.




Reviewed by Jacob Kowalski