Phoebe Stone

"Mr. Bathburn, you have forgotten. Has it slipped your mind. Mr. Bathburn, this is war."

With this adorable cover, I had assumed this would be a light & cute love story. This is really a book about the war and how it bleeds into this tween's life. Fissy is a 12 year old that seems young for her age - she still skips, has teddy bears and is confused after being left by her parents at an "uncle's" house in the US that is actually her biological father. Phew, that got deep and complicated fast.

I think I would have liked this more if the writing had been more connected to the characters. It was part written like a journal and part.....scattered. There was a lot of "and then" or "later, I went" - a lot of describing and time gaps with little description. I found the amount of war that was brought into this young girl's life laughable and a bit silly.

Maybe I would have liked this one more if I'd read the first in the series - but I don't have any plan to do that now.… (more)

A very interesting story told by Louise who is no longer Louise and is instead Thumblina - due to her heigth.

I thought the banter between her and her friends was cute. I loved that her friend's family always answered the phone "hey ho." Henderson is cute and funny and is so sweet. I love his crazy ideas, his crazy history and his little 2 cents he adds to everything!

Her grandparents are equally cute and I love the grandpa's cute little quirky remarks!

Even though it was a tough topic - and one very close to the author's heart, the overall of the book felt very young and I think that kept me from enoying it more.… (more)

{My thoughts} – An innocent story of a young girl with a crush on the popular boy in her class. Jessie Lou seems to have had a crush on Conrad Parker Smith for as long as she can remember. When he loses his popularity she helps him and becomes one of his closest friends.

I really enjoyed this story. It’s about the small town life. It’s about the importance of friends and family. It’s about being yourself, finding your place and showing others how great you are.

I recommend this book for any child trying to find their place in the world. That anyone growing up in a small town surrounded by the same individuals can relate. Any child just looking for a book to pass the day away will likely enjoy reading it as well.… (more)