Unleashing Readers

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 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!