GreenBeanTeenQueen

Well, we're halfway through the #YesWeCrab reading challenge that several of my friends and I decided to do for February. I'm doing OK-not reading as much as I wanted and not posting what I wanted at all, but that's fine-I can catch up! You can see what Abby the Librarian has been reading as well-she's got a great update! And you can follow the hashtag #yeswecrab on Twitter and see what others are up to! Here's what I've read so far this month:     Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older -I listened to the audio version of this one and it was fantastic! A magical anthropological fantasy-such a great combination and so unique! I loved the characters and it made me think about cultural appropriation in the name of research which was fantastic.    Passenger by Alexandra Bracken -Another audiobook, this time for review for AudioFile. Perfect for time travel fans-I loved the thought and detail put into the time travel elements in this one. Al...

I've been working my way through the state book award lists over the past few months and luckily by library has lots of the nominated titles on audiobook. Here are some of my recent favorites from the state list in audiobook format:                                   Variant by Robinson Wells   Rating: 4/5 Stars When Benson gets a full scholarship to Maxfield Academy, he doesn't think twice about it. But once he arrives he realizes this is no ordinary school. A strange boarding school, no adults, and weird rules? I was sold from the start. The narrator does a great job of building the suspense and the author excels at keeping the reader (or listener in this case) guessing. It's a twisty mystery that was a blast to listen to. And trust me, there's an ending you'll never see coming and when you get there, you'll be s...

I love to listen to audiobooks (I'm seriously addicted to Audible!). So when I realized I had listened to a ton of audiobooks but never  reviewed them, I thought I'd do some audiobook flash reviews. Have any audiobooks I should check out? I'd love suggestions!! Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta Rating: 5/5 Stars About the Book: Taylor was abandoned by her mother years ago on the Jellicoe Road. Now at seventeen, the one adult Taylor could trust, Hannah, has disappeared. Taylor searches for answers about who she is and her story is interwoven with a group of teens who lived on the Jellicoe Road years before. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I remember when this book won the Printz-I didn't know much about it. And I'm embarrassed that it took me so long to read it! Jellicoe Road is one of my new favorite YA novels-it's emotional and beautifully written and everything I want a book to be. The audiobook narrator does a fantastic job keeping the reader engaged-...

In committee news, committee reading is kicking my butt! And I can't share what I've read, which makes it hard to post. I'm going to be posting a lot more audiobook reviews though! :) Flash reviews are short reviews of lots of titles. I have an audiobook addiction which means I have a lot of audiobooks to review! I don't read a lot of adult titles, but I sneak some in sometimes, so here's what I've listened to recently: Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen Rating: 3/5 Stars The Waverley family has always been eccentric. Their garden has rumored prophetic fruit that will show you the greatest moment of your life. Claire avoids the fruit trees, but uses her family's mystical garden and her talent in the kitchen to create a catering company. When Claire's estranged sister Sydney returns home after escaping their small town years ago, Claire's carefully constructed life comes crashing down. And a new neighbor who has shown an interest in Clai...

Blink and Caution by Tim Wynne Jones Rating: 2/5 Stars Oh, how I wanted to like this one! I listened to it on audio since it's narrated by a narrator I normally love, MacLeod Andrews. (Really, he's awesome-listen to Will Grayson,Will Grayson ) But this one just didn't pull me in. The mystery was a bit over the top and felt a bit too "bad guys are such doofuses and teens can outwit them easily" which never seemed to fit with the depth the author was trying to give the characters. Both Blink and Caution have troubled pasts that they are trying to deal with, but I felt this was downplayed because of the hokey mystery. I also was very bored by the narration, which I think made me dislike the book more. The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin Rating: 3.75/5 I listened to this book for a couple of reasons. 1) It was compared to Downton Abbey , which I loved, and 2) because it's narrated by one of my all time favorite narrators, Katherine Kellgren. Kellgren...

I've always enjoyed picture books, but taking on a job as a youth services manager where I now work with ages birth-18 means I get to read a lot more picture books! I've been reviewing them at work, but I decided it's time I started putting those reviews up on GreenBeanTeenQueen as well! Because you're never too old for picture books, right?:) Crabby Pants by Julie Gassman, illustrated by Richard Watson About the Book: A little kitten is very crabby and finds himself in the naughty chair. But then he thinks about his crabby pants problem and comes up with a way to solve it for good. Only his solution won't make anyone else very happy. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I picked this one up on the title alone. I was called crabby pants many times as a kid (and OK, even as an adult sometimes) and the cover with the crabby kitten just made me laugh. The story is as much for parents as it is for kids-both will get a kick out of the creative solution to the cr...

Flash Reviews are short, quick, mini-reviews of multiple titles. More committee reading this time around, so here are my thoughts: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson Rating: 5/5 Stars GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I love a good road trip novel and this one is pretty much perfect! I love Amy and Roger, their individual storylines and issues to work through as well as how their storylines connect and weave together. I loved how they ended up needing each other, and an epic detour road trip, to work through life, fears, and emotions. And of course, the romance is wonderful-I want them to stay together forever. They totally will, right?:) Suspect by Kristin Wolden Nitz Rating: 2.5/5 Stars GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: This one starts out with a great mystery premise-girl trying to find the truth about her long-missing mother during a murder mystery weekend hosted at her grandmother's bed and breakfast. Unfortunately, it quickly looses any of the mystery. The mystery falls flat, ...

I've been doing a ton of reading lately, so instead of posting a lot of reviews, I decided to post another Flash Review post. Basically, these are mini reviews on lots of titles all in one post. And as always, they are in no way reflective of any committee I'm on, but are my opinion about the book. :) Bruiser by Neal Shusterman Rating: 4/5 Stars I'm a big fan of Neal Shusterman's books and I love how they always make you think. This is a hard one to talk about without giving away some of the plot twists. I really enjoyed it and I liked the varying points of view. It raises some interesting points about emotions, fear, and responsibility. I do wish there would have been some more explanation about Bruiser-everyone seemed to accept his story, no questions asked. I also hated that Cody's voice on the audiobook was narrated by a female when he's supposed to be a tween boy. To me, this made him sound even more childish. But other than that, a decent audiobook and a g...

I've finished up my Gateway Committee reading and am now moving on to the list for next year (which already has about 40 books on it!) So here are a few more of my flash reviews on some of the Gateway titles I read (and again, this is just my opinion and not the opinion of the committee). Writing these short reviews help me formulate my thoughts so I can figure out what to rate each title. You can see my first Flash Review List here. Rating: 3/5 Hmm...not sure what to say about this one. I liked it and I didn't. It was very much a middle of the road book for me. The story was interesting enough-the main character's friend begins to loose control after an accident with his brother and the bullying at school begins to push him to the edge. The story is told from the "witness" point of view-how he sees things happen and unfold. It just didn't really stand out to me, but I thought it was a book worth reading. Rating: 2.5/5 Well, this one makes me feel like I don...

Our newest state booklist will be released soon-our ratings for the books on the shortlist are due December 1st! I'm compiling my thoughts on some of the Gateway Award Nominees since our ratings are due soon. These will be shorter than normal reviews aka "flash reviews." While these books are shortlisted on the Gateway Award List and I am a reader selector for the list, these reviews reflect my own personal opinion and not that of the committee or the Missouri School Library Association. (And this isn't all of the books-I'm still working on several and I've reviewed many others already on this blog!) I'll keep you updated on the final list and try and post more of my reviews as I read. If you've read any, I'd love to know your thoughts! Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas Rating: 3/5 I really wanted to like this book since I typically love novels in verse. But this one fell short for me. The characterization was lacking-there were seve...