Not really so simple

As Simple as It Seems by Sarah Weeks is not really simple at all.  It is compelling and touching in dealing with the life of Verbena and the problems she faces.  

Verbena is growing up in the mountains out east, the only child of parents who dote on her, especially her mom, who sometimes treats her like a baby.  Verbena is not only embarrassed of the way her mom treats her, but, unfortunately, also about how she looks.  Her mother is very obese and Verbena can't stand that classmates laugh at her.  Add to that her trouble reading and terrible vision.... Verbie's problems are very real.

She is hoping for a fabulous summer until she discovers a terrible family secret, that has her worried.  Are her sudden angry reactions a sign that she is like her Uncle Mike?  He was just plain mean, and she has cause to believe she may have closer ties to him than she thought.

Her summer starts rocky when her best friend heads off to camp for the summer.  Enter Pooch, a "low lander" spending time in the house next door.  They become friends, even though Pooch initially believes her to be a ghost.  They both have to face fears and come to grips with their own realities, as well as with the truth of family.

Well-written, engaging, serious, and funny all at the same time.  It truly isn't so simple....

More to it than meets the eye

Looking at the title and cover of Cinderella Smith by Stephanie Barden, I was expecting a silly little read for third and fourth grade girls about a girl that can't keep track of her shoes.  I was pleasantly surprised, however, that there was more to it.

The title character, actually named Josephine-Kathryn, is called Cinderella because she manages to lose one shoe.....regularly.  As she enters third grade she faces a best friend that is suddenly not treating her so kindly.  Then, there's a new girl.  The new girl mistakenly believes that Cinderella has insight on evil step-sisters and approaches her to help determine if her soon-to-be step-sisters might be evil.  While a bit naive, they manage to approach very real fears of a blended family.  This book also takes on the sneaky ways in which young girls can bully, when Cinderella is competing with her former best friend over a coveted role in the upcoming dance recital.  And, of course, Cinderella has lost her brand-new tap shoe.

I appreciate Cinderella's optimism, and that there are friends who respond in a supportive way to help their friends through the troubles of growing up.

The fault in this book

OK....I seem to be the only person in the world that isn't raving about the The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  It is a typical angst-riddled teen romance...oh, and there's the cancer thing.  Our lovely "Juliet" is terribly sick, struggling to breath, while our brave "Romeo" has beat bone cancer, only losing part of one leg.  What could be more romantic?  You have to know that, when our heroes meet in a group session for sufferers/survivors of cancer, someone isn't going to make it.  The book was saved from being completely schlocky by the snarky sense of humor throughout.  It also has very real moments of speculation about life, the universe, and everything.  I can also say that as a teen, I would have LOVED it.  The dark, mopey tone would have been exactly what sucked me in.  Not anymore, sorry.