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Review: Twist My Charm: The Popularity Spell by Toni Gallagher

Sep21

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Twist My Charm: The Popularity Spell by Toni GallagherTwist My Charm: The Popularity Spell by Toni Gallagher
Series: Twist My Charm #1
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on September 22, 2015
Pages: 272
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
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four-stars

Magic and a little twist of mayhem will charm fans of Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Wendy Mass in this fresh, contemporary debut!

When a package arrives in the mail for Cleo Nelson, she can’t wait to open it. The birthday present is seven months late, but it’s from Uncle Arnie and that can only mean one thing: magic! Inside is a voodoo doll complete with instructions for making happy, wonderful things happen to Cleo and her friends—err, friend. Just one, really. But maybe the doll can change that. . . .

Cleo can’t wait to try out the magic with her friend, Samantha. They start small by wishing for treats (surprise pizza!), but then their spells start to grow. And when they wish for popularity, they accidentally get the popular girl in school in major trouble with the principal. Can happy spells be twisted into bad magic?

I don’t read much middle grade – Okay, I never read middle grade. But when this book was pitched to me, it sounded like a really fun, intriguing read. Plus, the author was a TV producer for Disney’s Bug Juice. So.. Umm.. I had no choice but to read it!!! And I ended up really enjoying it!

The characters in this book were extremely relatable and yet extremely hard to relate to. I know, those two statements are completely at odds. But let me explain – I’m used to reading books with older characters. And at times, it was really hard to remember that the characters in this book were only around eleven and twelve years old. Sometimes, I caught myself thinking, “Wow, that was REALLY childish and immature,” only to stop and remind myself that they ARE children, so of course they’re going to react and behave to certain things in certain ways.

That being said, Cleo was a fun, relatable character. She was the awkward new girl who didn’t have the right hair or clothes and who was bullied by the mean girl – things that anyone, at any age, can relate to. She’s dealing with living in a new place and going to a new school, along with the realization that her dad is starting to seriously date someone. That’s a lot for anyone to handle! I admired Cleo’s ability to realize she was in over her head and needed help a few times. She realized when things had gone too far and knew she had to put a stop to them. Overall, I loved her character and personality.

Samantha’s a tough character to talk about because I really didn’t like her, but the reasons why I didn’t like her.. Well, again, some of the things she did were really childish and mean. But, like I said earlier, I have to remember that she IS a child. On the other hand, her age is no excuse for the way she treated Cleo. She was a bad friend, plain and simple. I understand why she was upset and I understand why she did a lot of what she did, but still. I’m happy with where her story ended, though, and excited to see what happens with her and Cleo in the second book.

Madison’s another tough character to talk about. I very strongly disliked her in the beginning. She reminded me of every mean girl I’ve ever encountered – and tried to forget – in my life. Couple that with the things she did to Cleo and Sam and you can see why she wasn’t likable. Once we got to know her better, though, I understand her actions and where she was coming from. Her personality did a major 180, roughly half-way through the book and I started to feel sorry for her and like her more. I REALLY like how her story ended and can’t wait to see more of her in book two!

I really liked Terri. She tried so hard to be kind to Cleo, to get on her good side without overstepping her boundaries. But Cleo was very stubborn and unkind to Terri. I understand why – to a certain extent – but it still made me sad. I loved Cleo’s dad and Terri together – they were such a fun, cute couple! I was shocked by the way Terri’s story ended and I’m crossing my fingers that something will change for her and her story in book two.

The middle/end of this book was pretty crazy and intense. I was shocked and saddened by some of the things that happened. But, overall, I really liked the way it ended and I’m very excited to get my hands on book two and see what happens next for Cleo, Sam and Maddy, as well as Cleo’s dad and Terri. If you’re a fan of middle grade and magic, then you’re going to love this one!

four-stars

Review: srsly Hamlet by William Shakespeare and Courtney Carbone

Jun3

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: srsly Hamlet by William Shakespeare and Courtney Carbonesrsly Hamlet by Courtney Carbone, William Shakespeare
Series: OMG Shakespeare
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on May 26, 2015
Pages: 128
Format: Hardcover
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

Hamlet, one of the greatest stories ever told . . . in texts?!

Imagine: What if Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, and the tragic Ophelia had smartphones? A classic is reborn in this fun and funny adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays!

A kingdom on the brink of war.
A stolen throne.
A boy seeking revenge.

and h8. The classics just got a whole lot more interesting. ;)

tl;dr A Shakespeare play told through its characters texting with emojis, checking in at certain locations, and updating their relationship statuses. The perfect gift for hip theater lovers and teens.

A glossary and cast of characters are included for those who need it. For example: tl;dr means too long; didn’t read.

I’ve always been fascinated by Shakespeare’s plays. But, like many, I find them confusing and hard to understand. I’ve taken classes on Shakespeare, purchased “Shakespeare for Dummies,” Googled translations and even watched the movies. But I still have a hard time grasping the language. srsly Hamlet broke the play down into its most basic elements, making it less confusing and highly entertaining.

When I first went to read srsly Hamlet, I felt a little overwhelmed; I remembered a lot of Romeo & Juliet, but not a lot of Hamlet. Mostly, I had some trouble remembering all the different characters, so I was grateful for the character descriptions in the beginning of the book. I definitely had to reference that a few times! But once I got into the book, I sped through it in roughly an hour and a half. For some reason, I was even more entertained by srsly Hamlet than I was by YOLO Juliet. While YOLO Juliet was great, I found myself laughing out loud at srsly Hamlet. Shakespeare characters cursing autocorrect? Too funny for words! Breaking down these famous, epic monologues into notes with emojis? Epic and hilarious! Apparently, emoji’s turn a tragedy into a comedy!

Like with YOLO Juliet, srly Hamlet took something complex and broke it down into an easy-to-understand language that teens today will be able to connect with. It made Hamlet fun (and hilarious) to read, even with the tragic events that take place in the play. I LOL’d (see what I did there?!?) more times during srsly Hamlet than I can count! My brother teaches English and he definitely wants to add these to his classroom library – something I think every teacher should do!

So, whether you want to learn Shakespeare or teach Shakespeare, I highly recommend this book. You’ll never view Hamlet in the same way, ever again! And you’ll enjoy reading it!

five-stars

Review: YOLO Juliet by William Shakespeare and Brett Wright

Jun3

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: YOLO Juliet by William Shakespeare and Brett WrightYOLO Juliet by Brett Wright, William Shakespeare
Series: OMG Shakespeare
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on May 26, 2015
Pages: 112
Format: Hardcover
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

Romeo and Juliet, one of the greatest love stories ever told . . . in texts?!

Imagine: What if those star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet had smartphones? A classic is reborn in this fun and funny adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays!

Two families at war.
A boy and a girl in love.
A secret marriage gone oh-so-wrong.

and h8. The classics just got a whole lot more interesting. ;)

tl;dr A Shakespeare play told through its characters texting with emojis, checking in at certain locations, and updating their relationship statuses. The perfect gift for hip theater lovers and teens.

A glossary and cast of characters are included for those who need it. For example: tl;dr means too long; didn’t read.

I’ve always been fascinated by Shakespeare’s plays. But, like many, I find them confusing and hard to understand. I’ve taken classes on Shakespeare, purchased “Shakespeare for Dummies,” Googled translations and even watched the movies. But I still have a hard time grasping the language. And Romeo & Juliet is by far one of the most well-known of Shakespeare’s plays. There are so many retellings and adaptions based off it – not to mention the fact that the concept of “star-crossed lovers” pretty much originated with Romeo & Juliet and can now be found all over the place in books, movies/TV shows and plays.

With that said, YOLO Juliet was hilarious and entertaining. I sped through it in roughly an hour and a half. It took something complex and broke it down into an easy-to-understand language that teens today will be able to connect with. It made Romeo & Juliet fun to read, even with the tragic events that take place in the play. My brother teaches English and he definitely wants to add these to his classroom library – something I think every teacher should do! It will make teens WANT to read the classics because they’ll be entertained and amused, rather than bored and confused.

Also, can we talk about how hilarious and ironic that title is, considering how the play ends?

So, whether you want to learn Shakespeare or teach Shakespeare, I highly recommend this book. You’ll never view Romeo & Juliet in the same way, ever again! And you’ll enjoy reading it!

five-stars