GreenBeanTeenQueen

Add to Goodreads About the Book: After an accident leaves Samantha homeless and fatherless, she's not sure what to do. It's Missouri, 1849 and her dreams of being a musician are not going to be easy-she's a girl and she's Chinese American. Without a place to go, she's invited to a local hotel run by her landlord. But he has other plans for Samantha in mind-namely working in his brothel. Samantha fights back and finds herself needing to escape and fearing for her life. She meets a slave who works at the hotel named Annamae, who is also planning to run. So together they disguise themselves as boys and set off on the Oregon Trail to find Annamae's brother and and a new life for Samantha. As Sammy and Andy, they meet up with a group of cowboys who become unexpected allies. But if they knew the truth, the group could be in trouble-Annamae and Samantha are both wanted by the law. A powerful story of friendship and family. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Who knew the wo...

The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett and Jory John Add to Goodreads About the Book:  Miles is not excited to be moving to Yawnee Valley-how exciting can a place be when there's a yawn right in the name? Miles was known as the best prankster in his old town, always pulling stunts on his friends. When he discovers that Yawnee Valley already has a prankster, Miles has to figure out who it is-and take the prankster down. Each one tries to one up each other, leading to more epic pranks and jokes in a hilarious prank war. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: This book is sure to inspire tween pranksters everywhere! The Terrible Two  is the hilarious tale of two epic pranksters had me cracking up. I listened to the audiobook, so while I'm sure the book itself is great (there are illustrations inside making a perfect book to give kids who are enjoying chapter books with illustrations) I loved the audiobook so very much. Adam Verner, the narrator , offers up a variety of voices for the characte...

Add to Goodreads Visit Sharon Biggs Waller Online About the Book: In 1909 London, girls are expected to follow the rules, behave, and marry well. But Victoria Darling wants none of those things-she wants to be an artist. Her passion for art takes a turn when she scandalizes her family by posing nude at her secret art class. She is pulled from her finishing school and returned home where her parents arrange a marriage for her to the wealthy  Edmund Carrick-Humphrey. But Vicky wants other things for her future-she wants to attend the Royal Academy of Art and she knows she can make it-but she has to finish her portfolio. She befriends a local policeman who becomes her muse and gets caught up in the burgeoning suffragette movement. Vicky wants to choose her own path and she is determined to make that happen. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says:  I love historical drama set in this time period anyway, so I was sure to fall for this book, but there was so much happening and V...

Add to Goodreads Audible Audiobook Preview About the Book: Nate is off to New York City to start auditions for E. T.: The Broadway Musical! The show is full of child actors, a director who no one thinks can actually pull this off, and understudies who are even crazier in person! Will the show make it to previews? Will Nate make his Broadway debut? GreenBeanTeenQueen Says:  I adored Better Nate Than Ever    so very much. so I was thrilled to have Nate back and enjoy more of his naive optimism when it comes to show tunes, Broadway, and people and life in general. As usual, Nate sees the good in everything around him and that makes him a very charming character. While the rest of the cast isn't sure this show is going to take off and just doing it for a job, Nate is there because he's living his dream and his belief that the show is magical makes it magical. He also could make Jordan, the lead child actor who is playing the role of Elliot into his nemesis, and wh...

Add to Goodreads About the Book: Felicity Pickle is tired of moving around is hoping that Midnight Gulch will finally be the place where her momma's wandering heart will settle down. Felicity is a word collector and she sees words floating all around the people and places of Midnight Gulch. It used to be a magical place, but the magic is long gone. But Felicity and her newfound friend Jonah just might be able to stir some of that magic back into Midnight Gulch-and into everyone who lives there. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says :  Sometimes a narrator and a book were just made for each other and I think that's the case of Cassandra Morris and A Snicker of Magic . I mean, there's a reason that this book is an Odyssey Honor Book! Just listen to the preview from Audible ! Natalie Lloyd's debut novel oozes charm in such a good way that you want to curl up with Snicker, a bowl of delicious ice cream and read (or listen) all night long. This book has magic in it and it's t...

Did you know June is Audiobook Month? I don't remember exactly when I first started listening to audiobooks. Most likely from the time I was very, very young. I remember checking out book and cassette tape sets from my local library. You know, the ones that had a beep to tell you when to turn the page. Then as I got older, I checked out chapter books. I would listen to them at night before I would go to bed and then I'd have to remember where I left off and rewind the book in the morning! My most favorite audiobook to listen to as a kid was From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler -I listened to it so much I had parts of the book memorized. I'm sure most of the check outs on that audiobook from the library were from me! I didn't listen to audiobooks after elementary school much and didn't give them much thought for a long time. Then when it turned out we were moving and it would be a 9 hour car ride, my mother-in-law suggested that we listen to...

Rating: 5/5 Genre: Adventure Release Date: 9/10/2013 Add to Goodreads About the Book:  Hilary Westfield has always dreamed of being a pirate. But when her application to The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates is rejected because she's a girl and Hilary discovers that her parents will be sending her off to Miss Pimm's Finishing School to become a proper lady, Hilary knows she must do something! When she sees an ad for a pirate crew, Hilary knows she must apply! Hilary and her talking gargoyle set out on an adventure on the high seas looking for treasure and encounter a terrible villain of the high seas! GreenBeanTeenQueen Says : I love a good rollicking fun filled adventure and The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates  is the start to an adventurous series that is sure to delight middle grade readers. Hilary is a spunky main character-just the sort of girl you would expect to sneak her way out of finishing school and join up with pirates. She's joined b...

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...

  If you've read my blog, you know I love audiobooks. I'm an avid audiobook listener and have been for several years now. I recently was appointed to an audiobook assignment that will have me listening to a lot of audiobooks in the next few months and it got me thinking about how I can fit all this listening in. I've spent the last year spending every free minute of my time reading physical books, it feels a bit odd to switch over to listening.   I typically listen to audiobooks in my car, but with about a 10 minute drive to work each way, that doesn't give me a lot of listening time. I also listen as I get ready each morning-I have lots of audiobooks loaded onto my phone and listen as I eat breakfast, get dressed and do my makeup each morning. I also try to listen as I get ready for bed and I love the feature on my Audible App on my phone that lets me set a timer to fall asleep listening to one of my audiobooks. Sometimes I might have to rewind a little bit to...

I've come across some TV Tie-Ins that I've enjoyed so I thought I should share them with my fellow TV & book lovers! The Bro Code for Parents: What to Expect When You're Awesome by Barney Stinson Ok, so I was sold on this one because Neil Patrick Harris narrates the audiobook. Neil Patrick Harris really needs to narrate more because he is awesome. Thanks to Netflix, I've recently become a fan of How I Met Your Mother, which after a long marathon, I am caught up on. The book is written by Barney and narrated by Barney, so be prepared for lots of laughs and Barney-appropriate baby advice. It's sure to make you laugh and maybe roll your eyes, but it's all out of Barney love, right? He even has new versions of songs to sing with your kids, new bro-approved stories to tell, and lots of helpful bro advice like when is the best time to conceive your child so you don't miss the Game of Thrones premiere. A short, fun audiobook that would make a great g...

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...

Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Thriller/Mystery/Contemporary Release Date: 1/5/2010 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Michael is what's known as "boxman"-he has a talent for cracking safes. He was trained by The Ghost and works for a man in Detroit taking boxman jobs for hire. When he gets a call, he goes. As a kid, Michael survived a family tragedy during his childhood but hasn't uttered a word since, which makes him perfect as his job because he will never tell on anyone. Michael is passing his time by writing his story and recounting the journey that landed him in prison nine years ago. Told in alternating timelines, this is Michael's story of how he became a boxman and the strange events that followed. Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: This is a unique crime thriller. The book is told in alternating timelines-the first is the story leading up to Michael becoming a boxman (1992-1999) and the second is a narrative of the jobs he takes (2000). This adds to the suspense ...

Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 4/29/2010 Add to Goodreads 2011 Alex Award List About the Book: Eleven-year-old Kimberly Chang and her mother are brought to America by Kimberly's Aunt Paula. The transition from Hong Kong to American life is a long and frustrating road. Kimberly picks up on English quickly and adapts to American life easier than her mother. She begins to excel in school and is soon awarded a scholarship to a private school. Kimberly struggles with excelling in school but constantly being an outsider. She and her mother owe a debt to Aunt Paula for bringing them to America and they work in the skirt factory that Aunt Paula and Uncle Bob run and are barely able to make ends meet. They live in a terrible apartment with roaches and no heat. Kimberly tries to make a better life for herself and her mother by doing well in school. But her feelings for a fellow factory worker named Matt may threaten her future and Kimberly must decide what exactly her ...

I know it's Monday, but I've got a special post for Tuesday so Tween Tuesday is early this week!:) Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 8/1/2010 Add to Goodreads About the Book: In order to save their island schoolhouse, families on Bethsaida Island decide to take in foster children. Tess couldn't be more excited-she's hoping her new foster brother will be like Anne of Green Gables and love the island and her family and want to go out on the fishing boat with her. But when Aaron arrives the only thing he has in common with Anne is red hair. Aaron doesn't like the island, he knows nothing about fishing boats, and most days he just wants to be left alone. But Tess knows a lot about wishing and maybe with more wishing things will turn out the way Tess had hoped. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I was a big fan of Cynthia Lord's debut novel, Rules , so I had high hopes for Touch Blue. While I don't think it's as good as Rules , I still ...

I'm an audiobook fan and I'm always trying to get others to discover the joys of listening to a book! Why should having a book read to you have to stop just because you can read on your own? I listened to audiobooks as a kid, but then stopped listening to them until a few years ago. My husband and I were taking a long road trip and we decided to get one of the Harry Potter books on CD. Since then I've been hooked on audiobooks! I listen to them in my car, on my iPhone, and on my computer. I can end up reading more books this way because I've got one to listen to and one I'm reading. But as much as I praise audiobooks, I still encounter readers who aren't quite sure about audio. So I'm going to help you out and give you a list of audiobooks and narrators that I think all readers should listen to! And the titles are linked to Audible, so you can get a preview of each one! - Katherine Kellgren -Katherine Kellgren is the audiobook queen! If you're shy about ...