Reviews – Page 124 – Sincerely Karen Jo

Click’d

4 ★ – Entertaining and Inspiring

Published by Disney Hyperion September 5, 2017

Genre(s): Middle-Grade, Contemporary

Pages: Hardcover 208

Allie Navarro can’t wait to show her best friends the app she built at CodeGirls summer camp. CLICK’D pairs users based on common interests and sends them on a fun (and occasionally rule-breaking) scavenger hunt to find each other. And it’s a hit. By the second day of school, everyone is talking about CLICK’D.

Watching her app go viral is amazing. Leaderboards are filling up! Everyone’s making new friends. And with all the data Allie is collecting, she has an even better shot at beating her archenemy, Nathan, at the upcoming youth coding competition. But when Allie discovers a glitch that threatens to expose everyone’s secrets, she has to figure out how to make things right, even if that means sharing the computer lab with Nathan. Can Allie fix her app, stop it from doing any more damage, and win back the friends it hurt-all before she steps on stage to present CLICK’D to the judges?

Click’d is a such a delightful coming of age story. I’ve never read anything by Tamara Ireland Stone, but that’s definitely going to change.

The plot is fast-paced, easy to read, and so much fun. For a middle grade book, I was surprisingly very entertained.. but beyond that, Click’d also has heart. Stone delivers empowering messages that apply not only to children or tweens, but to also to adults like me. That’s what I truly love about this book…that I can walk away with something more than just a few laughs here and there. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I love stories that seem simple, but definitely packs a punch. Being successful does not mean winning, but working through your failures and never giving up. It’s about taking a leap and really believing in yourself to achieve whatever goals you have.

I really love the idea of creating Apps and using technology to do some good and make the world a better place. We definitely need more of that right now. Allie and Nathan are such great role models. I absolutely admired them for being creative, passionate, and determined. I don’t have any experience with coding, but it must take a lot of hard work and patience to be able to do what they did. Their commitment and enthusiasm with their projects was absolutely inspiring. I also loved the growing friendship between them and it was so adorable to watch them work together and become great friends. I liked the side characters too. Allie’s friends and everyone seemed genuine and realistic.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story – it’s heartwarming, beautifully written, engaging, and inspiring.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Follow and Connect with Tamara Ireland Stone: Wesbite / Instagram / Twitter / Facebook

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Sincerely Karen Jo

No Ordinary Star #1

M.C. Frank

5 ★ – EXTRA ORDINARY SHINING STARS

PUBLISHED BY CREATESPACE NOVEMBER 15, 2015

GENRE(S): YOUNG ADULT, SCI-FI, FANTASY, DYSTOPIA,

PAGES: PAPERBACK 150

BUY AMAZON, BARNES AND NOBLE, BOOK DEPOSITORY

A SOLDIER IS SUMMONED TO THE NORTH POLE, DAYS BEFORE THE YEAR CHANGES, TOLD TO FIX THE GREAT CLOCK FOR A CELEBRATION. HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT TO DO.

A GIRL, HUNTED FOR THE CRIME OF BEING BORN, ALMOST DIES OUT ON THE ICE. SHE IS RESCUED BY THE LAST POLAR BEAR LEFT ALIVE.

A LIBRARY WAITS FOR THEM BOTH, A LIBRARY BUILT OVER A SPAN OF A HUNDRED YEARS, FORGOTTEN IN THE BASEMENT OF AN ICE SHACK.

THE WORLD HASN’T KNOWN HUNGER OR SICKNESS IN HUNDREDS OF YEARS. IT HAS ALSO FORGOTTEN LOVE AND BEAUTY. THE YEAR IS 2525.

Inspired by the short stories of Ray Bradbury, this futuristic novel is set in a world where Christmas -among other things- is obsolete and a Clock is what keeps the fragile balance of peace.

No Ordinary Star by M.C. Frank is unique and just so lovely! Gorgeous storytelling, wonderful world building, fantastic characters, and a fast paced intriguing plot that had me hooked from the very first page.

I absolutely love the concept of this book and the world building is so fascinating. People live longer. No more hunger. No more sickness. Sounds pretty great so far right? But would you be willing to have all that in exchange of never knowing love, compassion, and beauty? There are no families, no mothers and fathers, and men and women are forbidden to touch. Bit by bit, Frank reveals the horrendous and ugliest parts of this new world. It’s completely messed-up, disturbing, and downright terrifying. But through Felix and Astra and their many discoveries whether it’s from their surrounding or each other, the author shows that there are so much worth fighting for.

I really enjoyed the dual POV from the “tin solider” and “match girl.” Both Felix and Astra experienced different lives and it was interesting getting to know them. I thought I would be more sympathetic towards Astra because she had a very dark and heartbreaking past, but I found myself caring about Felix just as much. I connected with them. I felt for them. And I absolutely adored watching them challenge and learn from each other as their relationship slowly developed to some kind of friendship (and maybe something even more).

This book is probably one of the shortest book I’ve read, but it’s definitely not lacking. It’s beautifully written – elegant, poetic, and affecting. I’m completely enthralled by this story and can’t wait to see what happens in the next two installments. I’m already missing Felix and Astra…Oh and I really hope the hint of “romance” becomes stronger because I’m totally shipping tin soldier and match girl.