Friday, November 22, 2013

Miracle on 49th Street by Mike Lupica

Miracle on 49th Street is a tale about a girl, Molly Parker, who has recently lost her mother and goes to connect with her father, who incidentally has no idea she exists.  To throw another wrench into the situation, Molly's father is the national basketball hero, Josh Cameron.  At first Josh is very skeptical of Molly's claim, but she convinces him to get to know her, and soon Josh's heart begins to warm to Molly.  Molly has some help along the way namely from her sidekick and best friend Sam, and Josh's housekeeper Mattie.  These two help Molly through some rough times, including Josh's selfishness, and skepticism.  Miracle on 49th Street is a heartwarming tale of friendship, trust, and realizing in order to reap big rewards, one must take huge risks.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

13 Little Blue Envelopes is a fantastic book about first love, self discovery, courage, family bonds,  and forgiveness.  Ginny is a seventeen year old young woman who has just lost her Aunt Peg to a brain tumor.  One day after her death Ginny receives a mysterious envelope with a thousand dollars and a letter from her Aunt, telling her to go to NYC to their favorite restaurant to receive further instructions.  Soon Ginny is off on an adventure, not knowing what the next day will hold.  Each time she completes a task, no matter how strange, she can open the next envelope which will contain a letter from her Aunt with instructions on completing yet another unique task.  Ginny is faithful to her Aunt and ends up completing a quest of self discovery and personal growth.  

This novel would be a fantastic read for anyone who loves traveling, adventures, and unpredictable stories.  It is a great novel for those who are perhaps feeling a little bit stuck in a rut, and looking for a book about self discovery and personal growth.  One will find through this book, that you do not have to travel around the world to learn new things about yourself.  I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and found myself both laughing and crying along with the characters in the book.