Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genre: Contemporary

Release Date: September 1, 2009 (re-print)

About the Book: Anna Bloom has just been checked in to a mental hospital. Her parents think she's depressed, maybe even suicidal, and overweight. Anna doesn't really know why she's there, she's got a roommate with a fake baby doll baby, a demon-possessed teen in her group, and a cute boy she can't stop thinking about. Mental hospital's are not the place to make friends and find love...are they??

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: When I first started my job as a teen librarian one of my teens told me she had just read this book and enjoyed it. I always kept it in the back of my head as something to read, but never got around to it. When I found out Julie Halpern was going to be at ALA, I knew I had to read it before then!

I'm so glad I picked it up. Anna gets through her mental hospital stay by writing letters to her friend, so you really get to see the whole experience through Anna's eyes. Some novels work for me in letter/diary format and others don't. This one works wonderfully. It's a coming of age novel in an unusual setting and I found it totally engaging.

I love Anna's voice-she's smart, sassy, and totally empathetic. I felt her pain, got frustrated with her doctors, and fell in love right along with her.

I really liked the cast of characters Anna is surrounded by. You get to understand where these teens are coming from, why they ended up where they did, and are drawn into their stories, even if there's not much information given. I think that's where Ms. Halpern excels-she doesn't need to give you an entire background story of each character to get you to really care about them. I didn't want to leave them, or Anna herself, when the novel was finished.

And there's romance-I love the romance in this book!! Again, it's not your typical romance, but I think that's what makes it so sweet and wonderful. I was sighing and smiling.

A great read-for fans of quirky books, humor and romance. (I've seen it recommended for fans of Carolyn Mackler as well)

And yes, I did get to meet Julie Halpern at ALA and not only is she an awesome author, she's a very cool librarian too!! She totally rocks!

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Rating: 5/5 Stars Genre: Realistic Fiction Release Date: 2/26/2013 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Eleanor and Park are both misfits. When new girl Eleanor sits next to Park on the bus, they don't want anything to do with each other. But over the course of the school year, things change. It starts with comic books and becomes a friendship and a romance that the two will never forget. You never forget your first love. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Have you ever had a book sit on your shelf that you've heard so much hype about? And you think that books sounds like it would be right up your alley, but you're in a reading slump and you're afraid to give it a try unless it fails? I knew Eleanor and Park sounded like my perfect book, but I was in such an after committee slump that I even though I knew this book would help, I just didn't want to be disappointed. I should have known better because Eleanor and Park was perfect and everything that I had hoped it wou

Post Downton Abbey Reading List

Downton Abbey is over (with a shocking and frustrating ending!) and now I'm suffering Downton Abbey withdrawal. I've got a reading list full of books that I hope will satisfy my post-Downton Abbey cravings and I thought I'd share what's in my pile and get suggestions for other after Downton reads. Here's what I hope to be reading this year (a mix of YA and adult titles): A couple Julian Fellowes reads: And a few re-reads: Edited to add: What's on your Post-Downton Abbey reading list?

Tween Tuesday: Drizzle by Kathleen Van Cleve

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars Genre: Magical Realism Release Date: 3/4/2010 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Polly Peabody lives on a magical farm. They grow chocolate rhubarb, it rains every Monday at exactly 1:00, and her best friend is a plant named Harry. When the rain stops, Polly's brother falls ill, and her aunt wants to sell the farm, Polly must figure out a way to save her beloved home. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Drizzle is on our state book list and one of our Chat & Chew book club picks. The kids reviews were mixed on this one and sadly, it was my least favorite of all the books we read for Chat & Chew. The kids that liked it said it had action, but for me the plot was slow and dragged too much. The book could have been edited down and I lost interest in the story. I liked the magical farm that Polly lived on, but the magic wasn't enough to hold my interest. I felt like the plot went around in circles too much and never got going. The ending was also a bit

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