Bad News...

 Unfortunately, due to the limited time I have during the week, I cannot further continue this blog. I've learned a lot through my blogging, and even though it's only been two full years, I've had a lot of fun. I hope you all have enjoyed the book reviews, arts and crafts, and save the earth posts I've done. Thank you for being such fun readers! I always enjoy hearing from everyone with feedback! I will continue to leave this blog open, even though there isn't too much of a point to come back anyways. Here's to a fun two years!

- Not A Prima Donna Girl

P.S. April Fools! Got you, didn't I? Check back soon, this blog isn't over yet!

Book Review: Big Game by Stuart Gibbs

Big Game by Stuart Gibbs

Image Courtesy of Amazon

Amazon Synopsis: Teddy Fitzroy returns as FunJungle’s resident zoo sleuth when a rhinoceros is at risk in Big Game, a follow-up to Belly Up and Poached—which Kirkus Reviews called a “thrill-ride of a mystery.” When someone takes aim at Rhonda Rhino, FunJungle’s pregnant (and endangered) Asian greater one-horned rhinoceros, the zoo steps up security measures in order to protect this rare animal and her baby. But the extra security isn’t enough—someone is still getting too close for comfort. Teddy and company start to suspect that whoever is after Rhonda is really after her horn, which is worth a lot of money on the black market. For the first time ever, the head of the zoo enlists Teddy for help—for once, he doesn’t have to sneak around in order to investigate—and the results are even more wacky, and even more dangerous, than ever before.

My Review: I think the main problem with Big Game is that it too closely resembles Spy School. Teddy is pretty much the exact Ben, and Summer is Erica. I wasn't too crazy about the rest of the characters either. Marge was just really irritating and a bit immature, to be honest. No adult keeps accusing a child of being under arrest without proof and bawls like a baby. Teddy and Summer always spoke to the adults like equals, and vice verse, which was not always a good thing because it led to disrespect between the two age groups. There was also quite a bit of slang used between the adults and children, which was unrealistic, and seemed as if it was just to make the reader laugh. All the slang seems the same, and the plot style of a mystery also seems like Spy School. This disappointed me, because different series should not sound the same, which was completely the opposite in this case. The plot itself was okay, it just was blocked out because of the character resemblance. However, the ending was awesome. The real criminal is surprising and unexpected, so it definitely influenced my rating of the novel positively. I really enjoyed the setting of a zoo like FunJungle, as all of it seemed just like a real zoo and it was definitely a fun scene of the crime to explore. Overall, I give this novel 3.5 stars. It definitely could use some improvement to make it to four stars, but it was quite nice overall. Hopefully, Panda-monium is better!

Books I Received/Bought This Week

Here's a quick post today. I received an unusual amount of books this week, totaling to about 5 novels. I have my reading cut out for me :). I'm reading three books as of now, Big Game by Stuart Gibbs (it's okay so far, it seems a lot like the Spy School books, and I was hoping for something new in this series), Short by Holly Sloan (I like this one), and one I haven't quite started yet, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I was so, so excited to get the last one (thanks to my friend)! It was on my wishlist of classics last month. I can't wait to get started on reading it.

      

What books do you guys want to catch up on? Any reading plans for the week?

Book Review: The Whole Story of Half A Girl by Veera Hiranandani

Book Review: The Whole Story of Half A Girl by Veera Hiranandani

Goodreads Synopsis: After her father loses his job, Sonia Nadhamuni, half Indian and half Jewish American, finds herself yanked out of private school and thrown into the unfamiliar world of public education. For the first time, Sonia's mixed heritage makes her classmates ask questions—questions Sonia doesn't always know how to answer—as she navigates between a group of popular girls who want her to try out for the cheerleading squad and other students who aren't part of the "in" crowd. 

At the same time that Sonia is trying to make new friends, she's dealing with what it means to have an out-of-work parent—it's hard for her family to adjust to their changed circumstances. And then, one day, Sonia's father goes missing. Now Sonia wonders if she ever really knew him. As she begins to look for answers, she must decide what really matters and who her true friends are—and whether her two halves, no matter how different, can make her a whole.

     My Review: This book is a good MG read with more themes I would expect to see in a book for older readers. It mainly discusses themes of finding your way and staying true to one's self, also discussing where one belongs. This is surprising because the main character herself is in 6th grade. At first, I was kind of suspicious about such ideas in a book for younger MG readers, then I decided that the author incorporated them perfectly, explaining them from a 6th grader's point of view and not diving too deep. I would like to give a disclaimer, though, that this book did not show any preferences between skin color, but did involve Sonia thinking if she was "white" or "black". The main point, however, was just to go along with the theme of finding one's self, so I still approve of it for MG readers.
     Sonia herself is okay- I actually sometimes disliked her throughout the novel because of some of the stuff she said and did (like trying to become popular). She's confused between if she is Indian or Jewish because sometimes she feels as if she isn't one or the other. However, at the end it works out, so I guess the right message to younger readers is conveyed. 
     Other characters include Sonia's new "best friend", Kate, who actually seems like a better character to me. She accepts Sonia into her group without worrying how she looks, and treats her really nicely.  Sonia's mom is very supportive, her dad is not as much, going through depression (which is when I feel sorry for Sonia and her little sister, because they have been hit hard as well). To be honest, I think the part with her father was not really resolved as much, so I probably would have liked the story without her father going through depression.
      I didn't like the ending that much because of those reasons, and I feel as if Sonia took some things for granted after the story ended. However, the story was actually really well done for MG readers. Sonia really does change throughout the course of the story, with so many experiences hitting her at once, so there is no lacking character development and the lessons she learns. Also, she finally does find out who she is and who she wants to be friends with, which is good. I would rate this book as 4 stars. I would definitely recommend it for anyone wanting to read about prejudice issues and about being the new kid on the block, especially for children who haven't read about those themes very much. The cover from Amazon is above. Enjoy!

Guess What Day It Is???

#Today'sTheDay

P.S. Happy Saint Patrick's Day!