Insurgent by Veronica Roth

I love, love, love this series.  This series is a favorite for me.

This is a contiunuation of the book Divergent.  This sequel is every bit as good as the first book.  I couldn't keep my hands off the book.  I was going to read it slowly but I couldn't keep away from it long enough to do so.  I just LOVE this series.  I liked the Hunger Games series but I must say that this is just as good if not better.  I love the way it is written.  The characters are well written and I am very attached to them.



Tris has just had a tramatic experience in the last book of seeing many die.  In this continuation she finds that the Erudite faction is up to no good.  She had to figure out what that is and use her resources to do something about it.  She is physically, emotionally, and socially tested in everyway in this book.  I LOVE it!!!! 

I had to remember a few things before I picked up this book.



This book is about a Dystopian Society.  In this society there are 5 Different Factions:

1. Candor (the Honest)
2. Abnegation (the Selfless)
3. Dauntless (the Brave)
4. Amity (the Peaceful)
5. Erudite (the Intelligent)

I also had to remember some of the characters that I had forgotten since reading Divergent:  (if you haven't finished Divergent, I would recommend not reading the character descriptions because there could be spoilers for you but I think it will help me when I read the next book in the series to review these names.)

1.  Beatrice Prior (later shortens her name to Tris)
2.  Will (part of the Dauntless faction--she has a lot of guilt concerning him which is in residual of the last book.  They were very close in the last book)
3.  Tobias--you think that I'd remember him!  It starts out talking about him and I couldn't remember if he was the brother or what.  Tobias is the guy Beatrice was trained by.  He has another name that most know him by and that name is FOUR. 
4.  Caleb--her brother that had to choose which faction to go to at the same time she did in the last book.
5.  Marcus--Tobias' father.
6.  Peter--part of the dauntless.  Tris and Peter do not get along.
7.  Johanna Reyes, representative of Amity.
8.  Edith Prior--Tris' mom.
9.  Evelyn--Tobias' mom (factionless society leader)
10.  Tori--tattoo artist.
11.  Christina--Tris' great friend from Dauntless
12.  Lynn--another Dauntless
13.  Shauna--Dauntless.
14.  Hector--Dauntless.
15.  Uriah--Dauntless. (I like this character a lot.  Light hearted amidst much going on).
16.  Jeanine--Erudite Leader

This is a thick book but it goes quickly.  I would love to read both of these books again and I am anxious for the next in the series)

The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm

This book is Young Adult Fiction but I am not sure if it is Historical Fiction or not. Some of the stories and things that happen in the book are from Jennifer Holm’s great grandfather. There is a little bit of history in it but, mostly it is a great spellbinding story.

This is the sequel to “Our Only May Amelia.” This book doesn’t lose any of the flow of the previous book. Just like “Our Only May Amelia” the author doesn’t distinguish conversation from any other part of the book. There are no quotes. It makes one really have to think about if it is conversation or just one of May Amelia’s thoughts but, I think it is one of the things that makes this book unique.

This book has the same wonderful characters as the last book, plus a few more. It is a book that still infuriates a bit when things unjustly happen to May Amelia. Yet, the book has warmth and love too. It’s all about living in a family where things don’t always go as expected. It’s where injustices happen. It’s where love abounds. I was impressed with this book and liked it every bit as much as the first one.

Ballad of Lucy Whipple, the by Karen Cushman

California isn’t happy to be going to California. She’d rather be in Massachusetts with her Grams. Her mom has taken her to California with her brother and sister. She tells everyone that her name isn’t California anymore she wants to be called Lucy because she doesn’t want any part of California even though it was a dream of her mother and late father’s. Lucy does what she can to try to earn money to go back home. Not everything happens according to her plans.

This is a good book. It is Historical fiction based on the California Gold Rush. It’s hard to believe it is historical fiction because it is easy to get lost in the story. I liked and enjoyed this book. It made me want to be content with wherever and whoever I am.

Alternative covers:

Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Catherine is quite the interesting girl. She would be the typical everyday girl in this period in England (1290). She lives in a manor. It is a small manor but she helps her mother to tend to sicknesses and embroiders a lot. She is not too happy with her lot in life. She is especially not excited to be told she has to marry who her father choses for her. This is a story of her defiance and her dreams of her own life.

I like this book. I thought it was most unique. Some parts could be a little crude such as talking about relieving one’s bladder and body parts but I think it helped to understand the crudeness of this period of time. This is not a lady like girl. The book is also written like a diary which is a fun way to get the idea across.

I learned much about this period of time especially about how their homes worked in regards to the king. I love how the author adds notes at the end. I didn’t realize what a Historical Fiction kind of person I am. This book is right along those lines.

Alternate covers:

Rodzina by Karen Cushman

I enjoyed learning a bit while I read this fun little novel. It talks of orphans being transported to the West by trains from the overly orphaned populated Chicago. The interesting part is that this really happened in America. It helped me to think about what it would be like to be one of those orphans.


This book is about a 12 year old girl named Rodzina. Rodzina is a big girl for her age. She doesn’t describe herself as pretty either. She has been well taken care of as she’s grown up but suddenly she finds herself without family when her mother passes away. She’d like to stay in Chicago but the orphanage doesn’t give her an option. This is her adventure with the train of orphans headed West.

I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more of Cushman’s books. I like the way she writes. This book helped me want to treat people better. It makes me want to think about how the children around me are treated and to remember that they are people too. It made me ponder a different day and relate it to my own. I’d definitely recommend this book.

Alternate covers:

Hoarders, the by Jean Stringam

Amazing kids...just AMAZING!!!

This is a book about two boys, Cheyenne and Joaquin Walker.  Joaquin sounds like Walking when you say it and so his name is Walking Walker.  I thought that was a pretty fun name.  There's a lot about this book that I really, really liked.  These two boys are very worried that they will not have any food in the future.  So they start saving food in their backpacks and hiding the backpacks.  One week their mom will shop and the next week there will be no food in the house.  Their Aunt Amy helps them with advice and feeding them when she is around but that isn't nearly enough.  The book has twists and turns that I just loved.  It ends in a place that I did not foresee.  I love it when a book can surprise me like that.

One of my favorite things is about two characters in the book that were twins.  Their family called them all sorts of things like: Ketchup & Mustard, Salt & Pepper, Ham & Cheese, Stars & Stripes, Bread & Butter etc.  Each time they were referred to they had a different name.  I liked that and wondered what they would be called next.  That just made the story so fun.

I would highly recommend this quick, fun, well written book.  It is an amazing book!

Carnival Girl by Sonja Herbert

The author of this book had a rough childhood. She lived in a carnival growing up and she traveled from town to town in Germany. Her mother was part Jewish and had escaped the Nazi’s by joining the circus and then later her mother and father (who owned a carnival) married.

Sonja tells many stories. Some stories make me sad and a bit disturbed but the over-all story is of survival and getting through tough times. It is a memoir and sometimes real life isn’t so glamorous. To me this was an eye opener of how hard someone’s life can be. I had a lot of sympathy for her and I am glad she is doing well now.