Matthew's Bookshelf

Hey there, readers! It's been quite awhile since I've posted something new on here. With that being said, today I am going to be sharing with you several children's and middle grade books for summer reading. As I've said before, I believe that there is great reward when you share the gift of reading with children. Books like the ones I'll be talking about can take children on fantastic adventures and help keep the boredom away. I'll be telling you a little bit about each book, as well as what my thoughts were and why you should read it. Let's get started, shall we? The Changelings by Christina Soontornvat  This story is centered around Izzy, a girl who just wants something to happen in her sleepy town. This wish ends up becoming true when a strange song lures her little sister Hen into the woods, where she mysteriously vanishes. A search leads Izzy to discover that Hen fell into a strange hole in the ground. This hole, however, isn...

Hey there, readers! Welcome back to another installment of Picks For Kids! Basically what I do here on this segment is give you all recommendations on some fun stories for young readers, as well as tell you a little bit about why I like them. There's nothing like sharing the gift of reading to children, and that's why I decided that I was going to do this segment (you can expect some more Picks For Kids posts like this one later). Anyway, I'm going to be talking about a fun story called The Voice, The Revolution, and The Key by Jenny L. Cote! After reading some of her fantastic stories in the past, I decided that I would check one her latest books out and tell you all about it. Once again, Jenny doesn't disappoint! So let's dive into my thoughts on this story, shall we? What's The Story? The Order of the Seven animal team split up and go on their next mission, and that is the birth of America. It's now up to Max, Liz, Kate, Al, and ...

If you're a big reader like me, you'd rather receive a good book from your Valentine instead of a box of chocolates. Well, getting both a good book and chocolates would be nice! Valentine's Day is the perfect time to dig into stories that have a more romantic tone to them. So I'm going to be doing something a little bit different today. I will be giving you a quick look at what are three YA romance picks that make for some great Valentine's Day reading. Let's get started, shall we? By Your Side by Kasie West The book starts with a girl named Autumn Collins, who finds herself accidentally trapped in the library. She doesn't think that things could get worse, until she realizes that Dax Miller, a boy who is rumored to have spent time in juvie, is stuck with her as well. Autumn hopes that her almost -boyfriend, Jeff, comes to pick her back up, but he never arrives. So she and Dax soon start to open up to each other during their time ...

Happy Halloween everyone! There's nothing quite like reading stories with a spooky side to them, and that's exactly what I'm going to be reviewing today. The book on today's agenda is The House by Christina Lauren! What's The Story? Delilah Blue is obsessed with all sorts of spooky things. Her second obsession, however, is a boy who goes by the name of Gavin Timothy. He was the reason that Delilah was sent away to boarding school, but Delilah can't stay away now that she's back in town. But a greater force tries to tear the two of them apart. As both Gavin grows closer to Delilah, he shares a secret that brings her both delight and fear. His house is far from ordinary, and it is not pleased with Delilah's presence. Likes I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into The House. I know that Christina Lauren is well-known for writing romance novels, but I'll admit that this is the first work I've read of her...

Summer might be coming to a close, but the season for reading is all year round! So I'd like to start the month of September off with a charming story. Today's book review is about Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella! What's The Story? Audrey is on her break from school, trying to recover from a horrible bullying incident that left her with panic attacks. Because of the effect this incident had on her, she no longer feels the urge to venture outside her house or make eye contact with others. Her therapist encourages her to film a documentary, recording the interactions between her and her parents and older brother. Not only does the documentary give Audrey a way to express herself, but it also gives her a chance to talk to Linus, her friend's brother who believes that she can get better. Likes This story is a wonderful tale on so many levels! Sophie Kinsella takes the deep topic of social anxiety and puts a heartwarming twist ...

WOW! That's about the most accurate word that I can use to start things off: Wow! I went into this story thinking that it was going to be nothing more than another YA novel, but I was totally wrong! This book ended delivering so much more than I was expecting and overall was just so surprisingly good. I knew immediately after reading that I needed to talk to you all about this author's wonderful work, and that's exactly what I'm doing right now! So without further ado, I'm going to tell you all about the amazing We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach! What's The Story? An asteroid named Ardor has been spotted within space, and now scientists are confirming that it would hit in two months and destroy large swarms of life in its path. Meanwhile, four high school seniors from Seattle are receiving the news about what is about to come. They all end up coming to the conclusion that they have been worrying about things that would be meaningless if ...

Hey everybody! Today's review is going to be about The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord. I haven't really reviewed many YA contemporary stories, so I thought now would be the right time to do one. So let's go! What's The Story? It has been one year since Paige Hancock's boyfriend died in a swimming accident. After practically shutting out the world for two years, she thinks that it's time to have a second chance at high school. She begins to form a plan, the first objective within it being to get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to go on a date with her. The second of her objective is joining a club, which in the beginning seems simple. But when Ryan's cousin, Max, comes to town and persuades Paige to join the school's QuizBowl team, the perfect plan totally backfires.  Likes While there was a couple things I didn't like as much with this story, I ended up liking The Start of Me and You a lot more th...

Hello everybody, and welcome to another installment in my series of "Why I Loved" posts! Along with the fun of summertime, there comes a gigantic amount of stories to add to out reading lists. So with that being said, today I'm going to be sharing with you a cute and fun read that's perfect if you're in need of a happy summertime story. And that book is The Summer I Saved the World... in 65 Days by Michele Weber Hurwitz. Now the funny thing about this book is that I read it for the first time back in January. No kidding! I read it then even though it was a LONG time away from the peak of summer. But to celebrate the season I gave it a second read, and it is just awesome. That's the word I'd use if I was told to describe it in one word: Awesome. But there's so many others you can use: Cute, sweet, light-hearted, happy, joyful... That list goes on and on. Alright enough chit-chat from me, let's get into the review! What's...

Awhile back I reviewed The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, and ever since I've wanted to try out another one of his works. This time around I'm going to be talking about The Rest of Us Just Live Here, so here we go! What's The Story? Mikey is far from being one of The Chosen Ones. The only things on his mind are going to prom, graduating and heading off to college one day. But in his family arises issues as his mother starts a political campaign and his father sinks deeper into alcoholism. Not to mention what is going on with his sisters, and how his best friend is now super secretive. While Mikey guides himself through these issues, he notices that the "indie kids" with superpowers at his school are training for what appears to be some extraordinary event. So now he must witness what will occur in his town of ordinary people, when everything that took place there in the past has been everything but ordinary. Like...

Hey, everybody! Welcome to the first post in a new segment here called Picks For Kids. Within the time that I've been doing this blog, most of the literature I've talked about has been YA. So it's come to my attention that now would be a good time to review some good children's or middle grade stories. And thus Picks For Kids was born! There's nothing quite like the gift of good books, and there is great reward when you share the gift of reading with children. It can bring joy to kids of all ages and take them to worlds they never dreamed of. And that's the goal with this new segment: To find great stories for people to share with young ones. So without further ado, let me talk about a cute and fun adventure story: The Ark, The Reed, and the Fire Cloud by Jenny L. Cote! What's The Story? A Scottish terrier named Max is taking his usual trot around the lake when he hears a voice calling from the reeds, urging him to "follow...

Every now and then, you come across a book that just takes you by surprise. One that just blows you off your feet at how amazing it really is. And let me tell you,  Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirsten Bakis  is exactly that kind of book! I read it awhile back (at the beginning of the year, to be exact) and I still find myself thinking about it from time to time. So that's why today I'm going to be talking about it and giving you my thoughts on this one-of-a-kind novel. Today's book discussion is definitely one that's been the most exciting to write about. It should be assumed that this book is among my list of favorite stories. I might be doing a couple posts in the future to honor some of the great stories I read way before I started Matthew's Bookshelf, so you can expect some more content just like this. Anyway, that's enough chit-chat from me! Let's get started, shall we? What To Love About Lives of the Monster Dogs: This...

Whose ready to take a trip into a very distant future? I hope you are, because I just got back from the year 2575 after reading this book. So sit back as we travel into space and dive right into Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, the first book in The Illuminae Files! Now I don't know if I made this clear enough, but I'm gonna say it again: I'm a HUGE fan of all things sci-fi. So upon seeing this in the bookstore, I was instantly drawn towards it with its gripping premise. And let me tell you, Illuminae doesn't disappoint at creating a uniquely-written story. Anyway, that's enough babbling out of me. On with the review! What's The Story? The year is 2575, and two mega-corporations are at war for the remaining earth that is only a speck of what it used to be. At first, Kady Hunt thinks the worst thing is sitting in class next to her ex, Ezra Mason. But after a warship attacks, she ends up giving the ride that saves Ezra's life. Aft...

I'm back with a review on a book that's from the thriller genre. Today I'm gonna give you the scoop on Beware That Girl by Teresa Toten. Let's get started! What's The Story? Kate O'Brian's life has had a series of setbacks, some of which are very sinister to talk about. However, she has determination to both shake off her past and change everything. Having all of her work cut out for her, she is the scholarship student at Waverly School in NYC with big plans to get into Yale. She discovers Olivia Sumner, who appears to be extremely rich but also deeply damaged. Olivia considers Kate to be the best friend she needs and is practically the sister that she never had. However, a smart and handsome guy named Mark Redkin joins the administration and begins to charm his way to the lives of the students. He begins an extremely close relationship with Olivia, and it also becomes obvious that Redkin is posing a threat to Kate as well. But how close can...

Whew! It's been quite some time since I've posted a book review. So let's get started on a historical fantasy: Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman . What's The Story? Legacy of Kings tells several interconnected stories, all of them relating to the kingdom of Macedonia. Alexander, son of Phillip II and heir to the throne, is regent due to his father's absence. Having only a small army, he must learn how to navigate the kingdom from several threats of invasion. Katerina needs to learn her actual past, as well as avenge her mother's death. This leads her and her friend Jacob from their village all the way to King Phillip's castle. But just as Kat and Jacob's feelings for each other evolve, more details begin to unfold. Queen Olympias has many dark secrets and is using very dark magic. The fate of the empire then rests in these three characters to stop Olympias from pursuing her own agendas. Likes Okay, this boo...