Book Review:The Sorta Sisters by Adrian Fogelin

Hey everyone! It’s Monday and that means that Thanksgiving break is over and it’s back to school. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We all have a lot to be thankful for.

Name: The Sorta Sisters

Author: Adrian Fogelin

# of pages: 279

My rating: 4.5/5 stars

Goodreads Rating: 4/5 stars

Amazon Rating: 5/5 stars

 

Goodreads Summary:

Anna Casey likes living in North Florida with biology teacher Miss Johnette, her latest foster mother. Best of all, Miss J wants to adopt Anna. Still, it is hard grow into a new family, a new life, and a new school all at once, especially when you?ve been rootless nearly all of your life. Mica Delano likes living aboard her sailboat, the Martina, which is docked at a marina in the Florida Keys. Best of all, the marina’s owners, whom she calls Aunt Emma and Uncle Bert, try hard to make up for the sometimes inattentive parenting she gets from her marine biologist father. But Mica fears that her restless father will soon pull anchor, taking them away from the safety of Bert’s Marina. A chance correspondence between these two girls separated by the length of the state of Florida becomes a flourishing friendship. As they share their love of nature, each helps the other cope with uncertainty and loneliness and profound change. When her father gets a grant that will last a year, Mica enrolls in public school for the first time since first grade and suffers the agony of trying to fit in. When her beloved foster mother becomes serious about a suitor, Anna must make room in her heart for a possible rival. In the end, Anna and Mica save each other and themselves with hope, humor, and a shared love of the natural world.

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My Thoughts:

I loved this book so much! The ending is so sweet and was so touching. I recommend this book to anyone that loves adventure, family, and a strong friendship.

Thanks for reading and Stay tuned for more book reviews to come!

~Makayla the Bookworm 😀

 

 

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NaNoWriMo Final Stats!

Today is the last day of NaNoWriMo. I still technically have one more day but I gave up the first or second week. Here are the final stats for my barely started novel.

Novel Name: Secrets Unfolded

Cover: None

Genre: Adventure

# of words: 538

That’s all! I hope that I can eventually set aside a certain amount of time to continue on with my novel. I am going to stay positive and say that it’s a start.

How did your NaNo go if you participated? Did you give up or power through the whole month? Did you reach the 50,000 word goal? Let me know!

Happy Writing!

~Makayla the Bookworm 🙂

Source: wishestrumpet.com

My Life in Books Book Tag!

Hey everyone! It’s finally the weekend. It’s also finally another tag. I am going to try to do at least one a week if I can. Today I am doing the My Life in Books Tag. I’ve been wanting to do this for sometime now. I was nominated by the amazing Analee @ Book Snacks. You should check out her amazing blog with it’s unique set up 🙂 Without further ado, let’s get going.

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1) Find a Book For Each of Your Initials

(M)

(D)

2) Count Your Age Along Your Bookshelf. What book is it?

That would be 14 so Four by Veronica Roth

3) Pick a Book set in your City/State/Country

To Kill A Mockingbird is one of the hundreds of thousands of books set in the United States which is where I live. A famous/well known book is set in my state but I don’t want to give that away.

4) Pick a Book That Represents a Destination You Would Love To Travel To.

I want to go to many places so I will show three books and/or series.

1) The Harry Potter series is set in London, England. I want to go to London one day for several reasons.

2) Smile by Raina Telgemeier is set in California. Believe it or not, I have yet to go to California.

3) The Ask Amy Green series by Sarah Webb is set in Ireland. I really want to go to Ireland because I am some part Irish and would love to see the land and life.

5) Pick a Book That’s Your Favorite Color

I love most colors but these are my favorites:

I love the color Blue!

I love the color Purple!

6) Which Book Do You Have The Fondest Memory Of?

I have loved lots of books and book series. One of them is the Little Critter picture book series by Mercer Mayer. I can remember reading these many times and smiling at the Little Critter’s silly antics.

 

7) Which Book Did You Have The Most Difficulty Reading?

I can’t remember exactly when I read these but the A to Z mysteries really scared me for some reason. I’m a huge scaredy cat and didn’t end up finishing the series.

8) What Book In Your TBR Pile Will Give You The Biggest Sense of Accomplishment When You Finish It?

I will feel super accomplished when I finish the Divergent series. I have to finish the last two books.

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That’s all. I absolutely enjoyed this tag and hope more like it will surface. That is why I am tagging EVERYONE who wants to participate!

Thanks for reading and Stay tuned for more tags 🙂

~Makayla the Bookworm 😀

 

 

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving yesterday and an amazing Black Friday today! I’m bringing you another book review. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to be exact!

Name: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Author: J.K. Rowling

# of pages: 734

My rating: 5/5 stars

Goodreads Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Amazon Rating: 4.8/5 stars

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Goodreads Summary:

The summer holidays are dragging on and Harry Potter can’t wait for the start of the school year. It is his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and there are spells to be learnt and (unluckily) Potions and Divination lessons to be attended. But Harry can’t know that the atmosphere is darkening around him, and his worst enemy is preparing a fate that it seems will be inescapable …With characteristic wit, fast-paced humour and marvellous emotional depth, J.K. Rowling has proved herself yet again to be a master story-teller

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My Thoughts:

I could not believe how much action was packed into 734 pages. J.K. Rowling seems to love to add plot twists into the last few chapters. There were some pretty terrifying moments in this book. I won’t spoil anything for those who haven’t read it, but it gets intense. I was on edge most of the time wondering what was going to happen next. I absolutely recommend this book and series who loves amazing characters, plot twists, action, and lots of adventure!

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That wraps up my book review on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for many more book reviews to come.

~Makayla the Bookworm 😀

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi everyone!! For some, today is Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving! For others, it’s Thursday. Fox59 posted a list of facts titled “Thanksgiving by the numbers…” I 100% give them the credit for these surprising facts.

2 — The ranking of Thanksgiving on the list of America’s favorite holidays. Christmas is No. 1.
2 — The maximum number of days the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests keeping a fresh turkey before cooking it.

2.5 — The number in miles of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade available for public viewing.

4 — Americans celebrate Thanksgiving every year on the fourth Thursday of November.

5-5.5 — The number of hours it takes to cook a stuffed 22- to 24-pound turkey in an oven set to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

11-12 — The number of hours it takes to thaw a frozen 22- to 24-pound turkey in cold water. Compare that with the 5½ to six days it takes to thaw in the refrigerator.

17 — Ridges on a 14-ounce can of Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce.

36 — The number of years it took magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale to crusade for an annual Thanksgiving holiday. National and local days of thanksgiving had been celebrated over the years, but President Abraham Lincoln finally proclaimed the fourth Thursday in November Thanksgiving in 1863.

46 million — The estimated number of turkeys eaten in the United States on Thanksgiving 2012.

46.9 million — The estimated number of Americans who will be traveling more than 50 miles for Thanksgiving in 2015, according to AAA.

50 million — The approximate number of people who typically watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on television.

68 — The number of years between 1947, the first National Thanksgiving Turkey presentation at the White House, and Thanksgiving 2015.

74 — The number of years between 1941, when Congress decided that the fourth Thursday in November would be observed as Thanksgiving Day and a federal legal holiday, and Thanksgiving 2015.

79 — Percentage of Americans surveyed who said eating Thanksgiving leftovers is more important than eating their regular Thanksgiving meal.

88 — The approximate percentage of Americans who eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day, according to a National Turkey Federation survey.

91 — The number of years between 1924, when the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade took place, and Thanksgiving 2015. It was originally called the Macy’s Christmas Parade.

95 — The number of years between the first NFL Thanksgiving Day games in 1920 and Thanksgiving 2015.

152 — The number of years between October 3, 1863, when Lincoln proclaimed a national annual Thanksgiving Day, and Thanksgiving 2015.

226 — The number of years between 1789, when President George Washington issued a proclamation naming November 26 a day of national thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving 2015.

394 — The number of years between 1621, when the first Thanksgiving was observed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Thanksgiving 2015. A good harvest led Plymouth Colony Gov. William Bradford to plan a festival to give thanks. Around 90 Native Americans attended.

4,500 — The average number of calories you might consume on Thanksgiving, according to the Calorie Control Council. That’s 3,000 for the meal, and another 1,500 for snacking and nibbling.

100,000-plus — Questions typically answered by the Butterball Turkey hotline every November and December.

135.8 million — Estimated Thanksgiving weekend shoppers in 2015.

237.5 million — The number of turkeys raised in the United States in 2014.

(Source)

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These facts are mindblowing! I am thankful for my family, friends, fellow book bloggers and other bloggers, and so much more 🙂

What are you thankful for?

Thanks for reading! Whether it’s a regular Thursday or Thanksgiving, I hope you have an amazing day!

~Makayla the Bookworm 😀

WWW Wednesday (#6)

 

 

 

HI everyone! It’s Wednesday and tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I will most likely do a post for those of you who love interetsung facts or don’t know much about the holiday. WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by the wonderful Samannelizabeth. To participate, all you have to do is answer three questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What are you going to read next?

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What are you currently reading?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: This book is amazing so far! I started it last night and am not disappointed. So much has happened already and I can’t wait to see what is it store!

The  Renegade: This book is so amazing. Whether you’re horse crazy or not really into horses like me, I recommend this series 🙂

Ask Amy Green Dancing Daze: I started this book last night and am not disappointed. It is a shorter book and meant most likely for 6th grade and below but it is still a great book within a series.

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What did you recently finish reading?

The Sorta Sisters: This was such an amazing and touching book. I’ll have a review up sometime next week, so stay tuned for that 😀

The Swap: This was such a wonderful and amazing book. I recently reviewed it. You can check out the review here. I definitely recommend it!

Dark Sunshine: I loved this book so much! You should check out this series if you’re interested in horses or not.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: I loved this book! There were so many moments where I was like “Holy macaroni and cheese!” I am going to put up a review in a few days so stay tuned for that!

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What do you want to read next?

Both of these are the next books in either the Harry Potter or Phantom Stallion series. I can’t wait to see what happens next 😀

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That’s a wrap! As you can tell, I’ve been reading a ton lately. It definitely helps that I’m on Thanksgiving break 🙂

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for next week’s WWW Wednesday.

~Makayla the Bookworm 😛

 

Top Ten Tuesday’s: Thanksgiving Freebie

Hi everyone! It’s been at least a week since I’ve participated in Top Ten Tuesday’s. This weekly meme is hosted by the amazing people at The Broke and the Bookish. You should definitely check out their blog! Today’s topic is a Thanksgiving freebie. They gave us many ideas such as authors we are thankful for and fictional families we would want to spend Thanksgiving with. I can’t pick between these two so I will do five of each 🙂

Top Ten Tuesday’s Authors and Fictional Families:

1) J.K. Rowling

Of course this outstanding author is at the top of this list! She wrote the amazing Harry Potter series. I am currently about to start book number 5 and can’t believe how many plot twists and    suspenseful moments there are!

2) John Green

It’s a given that John Green is on this list. I have raved countless times about Paper Towns and The Fault in Our Stars. John Green is definitely an incredible author 🙂

3) James Patterson

His books always make me laugh and smile. His Treasure Hunters series has so much adventure and suspense. The Middle School series features a silly and mischievous boy named Rafe. You should check out his books.

4)Beverly Cleary

She is such an amazing author! I have grown up with Ramona, Beezus, Henry, and more. Her books are an easy and fun read.

5) Suzanne Collins

Suzanne wrote the Hunger Games series. Without her, we wouldn’t be  able to volunteer tribute, have Peeta Bread, and many more puns and references. Mockingjay Part 2 recently came out in theaters. Have you seen it?

 

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5 Fictional Families I would love to spend Thanksgiving with:

1. The Weasleys!

This is obviously at the top of the list. The Weasleys each have their own unique personality and Mrs. Weasley is so kind and caring. They also all have bright red hair and freckles 😀

2) Miss J and Anna

They aren’t a biological family. Anna is a foster child and Miss J is her foster parent. They have a bond that’s as tight knit like a mother and daughter. These amazing characters are in the book I finished today. I will be reviewing that ASAP.

3) The  O’Briens

The O’Briens consist of Summer and her daughter Ellie. Ellie’s father left quite a while ago. Summer and Ellie have the cutest mother-daughter relationship. They are one of the families in The Swap that I recently reviewed.

4) The Malloys

Not the Malfoys  XD The Malloys are Jack Malloy, his brothers Stryker, Gunner and Jett, and the Captain who is their father. They are a different kind of family but are very close. All of them are super althetic and exercise attics. The Malloys are another family in The Swap.

 

5) The Everdeens

I’m hoping I spelled that correctly.. The Everdeens stick together. Katniss provides food for the family by hunting in an illegal area. I honestly haven’t read the Hunger Games series in a long time.

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Thats all! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is definitely longer than normal but I enjoyed writing it.

What are you thankful for? Tell me in the comments!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more Top Ten Tuesday’s!

~Makayla the Bookworm 😀

 

Book Review: The Swap by Megan Shull

Name: The Swap

Author: Megan Shull

# of pages: 382

My Rating: 5/5 stars

Goodreads Rating: 4.3/5 stars

Amazon Rating: 4.6/5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

“YOU BE ME…AND I’LL BE YOU.”

ELLIE spent the summer before seventh grade getting dropped by her best friend since forever. JACK spent it training in “The Cage” with his tough-as-nails brothers and hard-to-please dad. By the time middle school starts, they’re both ready for a change. And just as Jack’s thinking girls have it so easy, Ellie’s wishing she could be anyone but herself.

Then, BAM! They swap lives—and bodies!

Now Jack’s fending off mean girls at sleepover parties while Ellie’s reigning as the Prince of Thatcher Middle School. As their crazy weekend races on—and their feelings for each other grow—Ellie and Jack begin to realize that maybe the best way to learn how to be yourself is to spend a little time being someone else.

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My thoughts:

This is an amazing book that has lots of great characterization and adventure. It is directed at people 10 and up. Whether you’re 10 or 75,  you can read this book and hopefully enjoy it. You really get to know the characters and you start to feel like you’re actually there. Megan Shull is an outstanding author and I can’t wait to see what she will write next!

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Let me know what you think of the new set up. I realize that this is similar to many other book bloggers. Please let me know if you have a problem or suggestion about this set up. I personally love it ❤

Thanks for reading and Stay tuned for another book review towards the end of the week.

~Makayla the Bookworm 😀

 

 

Fall Time Cozy Book Tag

Hi everyone!

Today I am finally doing another tag. The Fall Time Cozy Book Tag! I was nominated by two amazing bloggers. The first one is @MyTinyObsessions. Her posts always make me smile and I love the variety of things they post about. The second one is Analee @ BookSnacks. Her posts are also make me smile. Her blog also has a very unique layout. Go check out their amazing blogs by clicking their names. Without further ado, let’s get going!

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Crunching Leaves: The world is full of color. Choose a book that has reds, oranges, and yellows on the cover.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins has lots of red, some orange and some yellow. If you haven’t read the Hunger Games series, I recommend it 100%.

Cozy Sweater: It’s finally cold enough to don warm cozy clothing. What book gives you the warm fuzzies?

Paper Towns by John Green gave me the warm fuzzies at many points. Quentin and Margo’s relationship was so unique and adorable.

Fall Storm: The wind is howling and the rain is pounding. Choose your favorite book OR genre that you like to read on a stormy day.

I love to read humor books because they keep me smiling and laughing through the bad weather.

Cool Crisp Air: Who’s the coolest character you’d want to trade places with?

I’m going to have to say Ron Weasley because he is so smart and funny. I am also going to say Dumbledore because he is so wise and understanding.

 

Hot Apple Cider: What under hyped book do you want to see become the next biggest hottest thing?

I honestly can’t think of a book off the top of my head.

Coats, Scarves and Mittens: The weather has turned cold and it’s time to cover up. What’s the most embarrassing book cover you own that you like to keep hidden in public?

I don’t take these books in public but I like to hide my One Direction books. First it was Justin Bieber now It’s One Direction. Most people don’t know about my obsession that has lessened slowly.

Pumpkin Spice: What’s your favorite fall time comfort food(s)?

Lots of the comfort foods I love, I eat all year round. This time of year I especially love hot chocolate, candy canes, cookies, and pie.

That’s all. Since I know many have been tagged and have already participated, I tag EVERYONE  who wants to participate.

Thanks for reading and stay tune for more tags 🙂

~Makayla the Bookworm 😀

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100 Followers!!!!!

Hi everyone!

I’m sorry for not blogging all week. I am now on Thanksgiving break and will most likely be doing 2 posts every day next week 😀 Random Reads has reached 100 followers after almost 4 months of blogging. I couldn’t have done it with out all my amazing followers and fellow bloggers who have been supporting me all the way from June 23rd, 2015. Thank you. Here’s to many more milestones like this one 🙂

~Makayla the Bookworm ❤