My Thoughts: I had so much fun reading about the main characters Katie, Emma, Alexis and Mia, as they take turns in each book of the series telling their accounts of seventh grade.

Personally, my favorite character is Mia, because like me she is a fashionista. But unlike me, though, (thankfully) her parents are divorced. That is what she deals with in her book, Mia In The Mix. She had a sympathetic story in the middle and resolved it in the end.

Katie and the Cupcake Cure and Mia in the Mix have recipes for cupcakes in them. I made the vanilla cupcakes with butter-cream frosting from Mia in the Mix. They were delicious!

My Thoughts: These wonderful books were originally written in the 40-50′s by Maud Hart Lovelace, but they have recently been republished by Harper Perennial Modern Classics.

These are beautiful, cozy books and I enjoyed reading about how the main characters Betsy, Tacy, and Tib grew up and had their exciting adventures.

It is also interesting to read about how big an achievement feels to them  when they were young, like how they felt so proud of going over a big neighborhood hill in Betsy-Tacy,the first book of the series. I found myself practically living in this book within the first chapter.

Summary: As talkies replaced silent film, silent star George  Valentin is forced into third-class living. Meanwhile, he watches the young actress he is fond of rise to fame.

My thoughts: This is a beautifully done movie, though there are some things you should be aware of first. Someone uses their middle finger in a very unfriendly way, there is a lot of smoking and a man does stick a gun in his mouth.

I think that it’s really cool how they made a silent film work so well, especially when we are all so used to loud, special effects movies. The movie makes you feel frustrated with George because he stopped trying. Just because a lot of things had changed he could have done so well if he kept trying. This is a black & white, silent, modern must-see.

My Thoughts: This is a breathtaking display of the real possibility of the existence of Aliens. I especially liked the interviews with Alien Witnesses such as Belinda Perdew  Taylor, because it’s interesting to hear what the alien/spacecraft looked like, and how the witnesses reacted. I also got to hear Kelly Milner Halls read at Spokane’s First Night, presented by Get Lit, and she gives an exciting presentation! For readers interested in intelligent life, this book will take them out of this world!

My Thoughts: This is a touching story, though there were a few differences between it and the play. For example, Emilie, the girl who takes care of the horses is frail and lives with her Grandfather, whereas in the play she was strong, and lived with her Mama. On the other hand, I especially liked Captain Nicholle’s death scene in the movie, because it was subtle but dramatic. I would recommend this to any one looking for a cry that makes you feel good. P.S. This is also based on a wonderful book by Michael Morpurgo.

Four children with uncontrollable fears are let in on a huge secret: SCHOOL OF FEAR. Hesitatingly, [ and with allot of force from parents,] dramatized Theo, sassy Lulu, sporty Garrison, and timid Madeline enter, but they have no idea what they’re in for.

My thought on this book:

This is a hilarious book, and readers will love the eccentric teacher, strange fears, and horrifying happenings. I especially liked the way way Gitty Daneshvari created a wonderful mix of weird and humorous. The only thing I didn’t like was that once or twice it got just a teeny bit too gross, or a tiny bit too weird. For example, once the teacher covered in a type of moss and was described in such a way it made my skin crawl. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good laugh, and I definitely enjoyed it myself.