Sofia’s Kids’ Corner

Sofia’s YA Book Nook: Thin Air by Kellie M. Parker

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Sofia is a 13-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select Saturdays, Sofia shares her favorite books with other young people her age! She is one of the most well-read youth that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Dear readers,
Hello and welcome to a deadly competition on a plane, Thin Air by Kellie M. Parker! This captivating thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time you are reading! Just make sure you don’t read this while on a plane because like I mentioned earlier, the killer could be anywhere on the plane! I am currently enjoying thrillers quite a bit, and this is probably one of my favorites so far!

Goodreads Summary

Eight hours. Twelve contestants. A flight none of them might survive. A flight to Paris full of teenagers seeking opportunity turns deadly in this suspenseful, locked-door YA thriller. Perfect for fans of Diana Urban, Karen McManus, and Jessica Goodman. Seventeen-year-old boarding school student Emily Walters is selected for an opportunity of a lifetime—she’ll compete abroad for a cash prize that will cover not only tuition to the college of her choice, but will lift her mother and her out of poverty. But almost from the moment she and 11 other contestants board a private jet to Europe, Emily realizes somebody is willing to do anything to win. Between keeping an eye on her best friend’s flirty boyfriend and hiding her own dark secrets, she’s not sure how she’ll survive the contest, much less the flight. Especially when people start dying… As loyalties shift and secrets are revealed, Emily must figure out who to trust, and who’s trying to kill them all, before she becomes the next victim.

My Thoughts
There are many reasons why I enjoyed this book including just being into thrillers right now and the plot. I liked how each of the characters had their own complex backstory and even though it might be hard to follow at the beginning, each person ends up having a “defining trait” which makes them easier to tell apart. Another reason I really enjoyed this book was because there weren’t a lot of gory details. I like it when I can know when a person is dead and maybe how they died but I don’t like when they talk about tons of little details about the death. Overall, I think this is definitely an underrated YA thriller that more people should check out!

For the age rating, Amazon rates it for ages 12-17 and I agree even though I think most adults would like this too. Some trigger warnings for this book are that a couple of people die via murder and that there is blood.

**Thanks so much, Sofia!**

Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

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Sofia is a 12-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select Saturdays, Sofia shares her favorite books with other kids! She is one of the most well-read middle schoolers that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Dear readers,
Hello, my name is Sofia and today I will present to you, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. I read this book a couple of months ago (before I went back to writing book reviews) and it is probably one of my favorite books that I have ever read so I really wanted to review it, even if it wasn’t fresh in my mind. This book was so good that I will be reading another of the author’s books with my mom for our book club, so a review of it might pop up soon!

Goodreads Summary

The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.

But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?

My Thoughts

There are many reasons why I rated A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder 5 stars like the way it just kept me reading. I feel like all good books have chapters that end in a cliffhanger, or else what is making you read more? I read this book in one day, you heard me right, ONE DAY! That is extremely unusual for me, especially for a 400 page book! Another thing that didn’t really add to my rating but also kept me reading was that the title was so unique. When I read it during school I felt kind of cool because A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is such an unusual and kind of suspicious title! Another reason why I loved it so much was because of Pippa! She perseveres even though tons of people tell her she can’t look further into the murder. She still does and that inspires me. I feel like Holly Jackson’s writing was top notch and I just enjoyed this book so much! If you still aren’t convinced, take a look at the Goodreads page for the book. The reviews speak for themselves! Happy reading!

On Amazon, this book is recommended for ages 14-17 and this is most likely because of the whole murder solving situation. It talks about violence and that is likely the only thing that is stopping it from being advertised for younger readers.

**Thanks so much, Sofia!**

Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

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Sofia is a 12-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select Saturdays, Sofia shares her favorite books with other kids! She is one of the most well-read middle schoolers that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Dear readers,

Hi, I’m Sofia and today I am bringing to you, You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao. This highly emotional book is about losing somebody extremely close to you. I usually don’t gravitate towards sad books but the cover looked so pretty and the book didn’t disappoint. This heartstring tugging book is about a girl who loses her boyfriend to a car accident which everyone thinks is her fault. That causes her to lock herself into her room and isolate herself. We join her on her journey to find herself again and heal from her loss. The only thing I didn’t love about this book was the main character, I just found her to be a little rude and even a little selfish.

Goodreads Summary

Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out – move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city, spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes. Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his things, and tries everything to forget him and the tragic way he died. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces back memories. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cellphone just to listen to his voicemail. And Sam picks up the phone. In a miraculous turn of events, Julie’s been given a second chance at goodbye. The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam’s voice makes her fall for him all over again, and with each call it becomes harder to let him go. However, keeping her otherworldly calls with Sam a secret isn’t easy, especially when Julie witnesses the suffering Sam’s family is going through. Unable to stand by the sidelines and watch their shared loved ones in pain, Julie is torn between spilling the truth about her calls with Sam and risking their connection and losing him forever.

My Thoughts

I think this is a beautiful book that will definitely make you shed a few tears and is a must read for anybody (but especially anybody coping with loss). I also found that there was quite a bit of grieving advice from all of the characters and I feel like this can apply to people going through a hard time in real life. This is just so beautifully written and teaches you so much about grief. Other than the whole grief part of it, I like the story even though it is a little slow-paced for me but I definitely think it is highly enjoyable. Enjoy!

Amazon says this book is for ages 12-18 and I mostly agree. I personally feel like people over the ages of 18 would still be very much interested in this and you could even read it with a parent or friend to have a deeper conversation about grief. 

**Thanks so much, Sofia! This is such a thoughtful review!**

Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

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Sofia is a 12-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select Saturdays, Sofia shares her favorite books with other kids! She is one of the most well-read middle schoolers that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Dear readers,

Hello and welcome to this rollercoaster of emotions, They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera! This is an amazing book about a dystopian version of New York where everybody gets a call on the day they die, from this organization called Death-Cast, basically telling them they will die. You follow Mateo and Rufus on their last day to live and get to experience their regrets in life and what they would have done differently. It also features LGBTQ+ people in it so that could be another reason to read it! This book has won countless awards including being a #1 New York Times bestseller, a Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the Year, and many more.

Goodreads Summary

On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure – to live a lifetime in a single day. Adam Silvera reminds us that there’s no life without death and no love without loss in this devastating yet uplifting story about two people whose lives change over the course of one unforgettable day.

My Thoughts

There were a lot of factors that made this book so enjoyable and amazing! Firstly, I am a sucker for dystopian worlds, and this book summed up just about everything I love about them and made it 10 times better! The fact that people get calls on the day they die but don’t know how they die is pretty exciting (in a book, of course) and I enjoyed that. I also loved the different perspectives! They were mostly switching between Rufus and Mateo but sometimes there were their friends’ or family members’ perspectives and occasionally even views into the lives of the people that work at Death-Cast! I love the layer of complexity that multiple viewpoints add to the book and just think it is a nice touch. I also liked how there were a lot of inspirational quotes in this story like “Sometimes the truth is a secret you’re keeping from yourself because living a lie is easier,” and “you definitely don’t need the same blood to lose a part of yourself when someone dies.” 

On Amazon, They Both Die in the End is recommended for ages 13-17. The only thing really to warn about while reading this is that there is a lot of talk about death and living your life to the fullest before you die. If this is too sad for you, then this book isn’t for you.

**Thanks so much, Sofia! We love this book, too!**

Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban

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Sofia is a 12-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select Saturdays, Sofia shares her favorite books with other kids! She is one of the most well-read middle schoolers that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Dear readers,

Hello again, it is me, Sofia, and I am coming to you with an amazing book that I finished just minutes ago! Let me introduce Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban!!!! This YA thriller is a spectacular story with just the right amounts of murder, love, and plot.

Goodreads Summary
A juicy mystery of jealousy, love, and betrayal set on a Semester at Sea-inspired cruise ship, with a diverse cast of delightfully suspicious characters who’ll leave you guessing with every jaw-dropping twist. After being jilted by her ex-boyfriend and best friend, Jade couldn’t be more ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime-11 countries in 4 months, all from the luxurious Campus on Board ship-and to wedge an entire globe between her and the people who broke her heart. But when Jade discovers the backstabbing couple are also setting sail, her obsession with them grows and festers, leading to a shocking murder. And as their friends begin to drop like flies, Jade and her new crush must race to clear her name and find the killer they’re trapped at sea with….before anyone else winds up in body bags. Perfect for readers of Natalie D. Richards, E. Lockhart, and Karen McManus!

My Thoughts

I loved Lying in the Deep so much and there are many things that contributed to that. First of all, I love myself some good murder mystery vibes and this book served! I was constantly trying to figure out who did it and whenever I thought somebody did it, I was wrong! Secondly, there was a little bit of romance in there which I liked. I feel like it was the perfect amount so that the main focus was still on the mystery but there were some romantic scenes where the characters felt close to each other but nothing overwhelming. Thirdly, I really liked the character development that occurred during the story. Jade is definitely not the same person she was before the trip. Finally, the setting(s) were spectacular! Like having a book happen on a cruise ship while stopping in a place like London, just amazing in my opinion! I like to see some international settings or characters in a book and I liked the settings.

On Amazon, the age rating for Lying in the Deep is 14-17 years old. This is probably because there is murder in the book. Additionally, three of the characters talk about taking meth and there is some romance.

**Thanks so much, Sofia! We are really excited to read this book!

Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Forever Twelve by Stacy McAnulty

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Sofia is a 12-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select Saturdays, Sofia shares her favorite books with other kids! She is one of the most well-read middle schoolers that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Dear readers,

Hey, it’s me again, Sofia! I love reviewing YA and sometimes children’s books! Today I will be reviewing Forever Twelve by Stacy McAnulty, an amazing story about kids who, can you believe it, stay twelve forever! I loved this book and loved the way it was told. It was funny at some points and sad at others and always mysterious. Another really cool thing about Forever Twelve is that it is written from different perspectives which I thought added more to the story. As soon as I saw it was coming out, I scrambled to get it, because I have read other books by the same author (Millionaires for the Month and The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl) and they were all great. I also feel like the fact that there were some kind of time travel-y elements in it was super fun, even though I usually don’t gravitate towards sci-fi. I rated this book 4 stars on Goodreads and the average is 3.99 stars (as of writing this).

Goodreads Summary

What if you were twelve for all of eternity? From the award-winning author of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl comes a magical mystery about a group of kids who have been alive for hundreds of years. At the elite West Archer Academy, all the students are gifted, but four are exceptional. Though the Evers look twelve, they’re actually centuries old, possessing knowledge and talents that make them extraordinary. And boarding school is the perfect cover for their brilliance — and their secret. It’s supposed to be a typical year in the anything-but-typical lives of these “kids” … until Ivy Stewart shows up. She resembles an Ever who went missing more than seventy years ago. And Ivy could be the key to unlocking their curse. But ambitious Ivy is at West Archer to achieve her own extraordinary goals, and nothing will distract her. Or so she thinks! With the desperate Evers determined to find answers, and her former classmate — and laid-back cool guy –Ronan determined to protect her, Ivy soon finds herself swept up in a mystery only she can solve. Will her life be changed forever … and ever?

My Thoughts

I liked this book a lot because of the characters! I felt like each character had their own personality and it was very interesting. For example, Ivy seemed very straightforward, trying to achieve her goals, but she also was curious about the Evers and how that related to her family’s past. Abigail seemed a little more innocent than everybody else but was also very set on something when she wanted to achieve it. I also liked, like I mentioned in the beginning, the time traveling/time warp element to the book and enjoyed when the Evers would talk about the past that they experienced!

I would recommend this book for ages 8-13 because the time elements are not that hard to understand and this book can be found in the children’s section at the library.

**Thanks so much, Sofia! We are really excited to read this book!

Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: A Few Books that I Read Recently that were Amazing!

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Sofia is a 12-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select Saturdays, Sofia shares her favorite books with other kids! She is one of the most well-read middle schoolers that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Dear readers,

Hi, my name is Sofia and today I am bringing to you a list of a couple of books that I have read recently that were amazing! The reason why I am not doing individual book reviews for all of these is because I have read a lot of good books recently and just wanted to cover all of them in one review. Also, fun fact, all of the books on this list other than Thieves Gambit are told from two different perspectives! These are all young adult books!

Thieves Gambit by Kayvion Lewis

This is a spectacular book about 17 year old Ross Quest who is a thief. She lives in the Bahamas with her family that is the biggest thieving bloodline in North America. She eventually makes a plan to run away because she is unhappy but when that falls through, she finds herself entering the Thieves Gambit, a big competition with a couple other young thieves like herself including her arch-enemy. I highly enjoyed this book full of twists and turns, with nobody she feels she can trust, and a little bit of romance. I liked this book because of the thriller aspect of it and I just felt like the story flowed nicely. One of my book loving friends even saw me reading this and commented on how good it was! I loved this and definitely can’t wait for the second book, coming out in November of 2024. 

Happily Ever Island by Crystal Cestari

Oh, my gosh! I just finished reading this book and let me tell you, it was enchanting (while still being realistic fiction)! Happily Ever Island is one of those feel good books which just makes you feel so happy while reading it. It has lovable and relatable characters and the storyline is oh so fun!  This book is about Madison and Lanie, two friends with completely different personalities. It alternates perspectives by the way which I find pretty fun! Madison is the playful extrovert and Lanie is the academic introvert. Unlikely friends, am I right! Anyway, Madison is a hardcore Disney adult/teen and when the opportunity arises to visit Disney’s newest attraction (Happily Ever Island), she jumps at the chance to enter the lottery (to win the tickets) with her current girlfriend. But, soon afterwards, her girlfriend dumps her and right afterwards she gets the call, she is going to Happily Ever Island! She chooses Lanie to go with her, who has not seen very many Disney movies but is her best friend. They are both excited for the trip of a lifetime and will share many things along the way. 

The Statistical Probability of Falling in Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Holy guacamole, this is a heart twisting story! The Statistical Probability of Falling in Love at First Sight first caught my attention because I was looking for a relatively quick read and the title is really intriguing! There is also a Netflix movie (called Love at First Sight) interpretation which I have definitely added to my “To Watch” list! Anyway, this remarkable tale starts at JFK airport, with 17 year old Hadley having missed the flight that she didn’t really want to go on anyway. Why, you might ask and that is because she is flying to her dad’s wedding to a lady she hasn’t even met! So she rebooks her flight, unwillingly, and waits for the next plane, leaving in a couple of hours. While in the squished waiting area, she meets a boy named Oliver who happens to be in her row on the plane! They talk in the waiting area and on the plane and promise to see each other after going through immigrations but they lose track of each other. Hadley is distraught and spends the next day finding him and loses hope but when they meet again, she will realize her life isn’t that bad. 

My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth

Wow, was this interesting! I first picked this book up from my local library’s bookshelf because of the cover, the colors are so cute! Then, when I learned one of the main characters was a young woman in STEM, I knew I had to read it! This is also a double perspective book so that was pretty cool, to see what was going on in both of their lives. Bel is a girl who doesn’t like thinking about her future. Teo seemingly has it all planned out. He is an overachiever, taking all AP classes while Bel is just “normal” until a teacher sees her creativity in engineering and VERY strongly encourages her to join the robotics club. This is where she meets Teo and they start off well with her making the team but they soon start to butt heads. With them staying after school together and building a robot, they realize they are not as incompatible as they thought. 

This Day Changes Everything by Edward Underhill

I’m speechless, the way that Edward Underhill wrote this book will never cease to amaze me! This Day Changes Everything is a rom-com about two young people who are finding their queer place in this world. They are both part of different marching bands that are going to compete at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade that come from like the middle of nowhere. A little bit of backstory for each of them: Amy is a gay girl who is in love with her best friend Kat. Kat doesn’t know yet but Amy is planning to tell her in New York, where their favorite book is set. Leo is a transgender boy who has already come out to his parents and sister but they won’t let him come out to their extended family. Back to the plot, Leo and Amy both miss their train to the tour they are on for their marching band and decide to spend the day together, finding souvenirs to help Amy confess her love to Kat but along the way Amy realizes that she is slowly falling in love with the random boy she just met. 

**Thanks so much, Sofia! We loved these books, too!**