JustUsGirls
Member Since: April 25, 2012Reviews
Jumped In By Patrick Flores-Scott
Title: Jumped In By: Patrick Flores-Scott Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. Publication Date: August 27, 2013 ISBN: 9781466837157 Pages: 224 Sam has the rules of slackerhood down: Don't be late to class. Don't ever look the teacher in the eye... +
Title: Jumped In
By: Patrick Flores-Scott
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: August 27, 2013
ISBN: 9781466837157
Pages: 224
Sam has the rules of slackerhood down: Don't be late to class. Don't ever look the teacher in the eye. Develop your blank stare. Since his mom left, he has become an expert in the art of slacking, especially since no one at his new school gets his intense passion for the music of the Pacific Northwest-Nirvana, Hole, Sleater-Kinney. Then his English teacher begins a slam poetry unit and Sam gets paired up with the daunting, scarred, clearly-a-gang-member Luis, who happens to sit next to him in every one of his classes. Slacking is no longer an option-Luis will destroy him. Told in Sam's raw voice and interspersed with vivid poems, this is a stunning debut novel about differences, friendship, loss, and the power of words.
MY REVIEW
I don't know what to really say about this story. I would recommend reading it. It makes you think and leaves you wondering if you loved it or hated it.
Love it… because there is inspiration and belief that simple decisions can make a world of difference, individual actions and choices affect others and that is easy to forget when those choices are hard.
Hate it… because you wish those hardships and life difficulties would never touch the youth of the world, that children shouldn't have to have gloomy outlooks or have to make adult decisions before their minds are fully developed.
All in all I ended up concluding this is a good book and a good read. I was on the fence on whether or not to have my children read it. I grew up in a city where gangs, broken homes, damaged abusive parents, poverty and hard choices were as routine as breathing these things were not occasionally witnessed but considered normal (and that was on the outskirts of the inner city.) My children have had the luxury of those things being rare and usually isolated occurrences due to a small town move while still very young. I think I will be having them read this book to broaden their horizons sometimes a protective bubble is just as deadly as giving into the belief that fear and violence is just a normal and acceptable part of life.
Note:
There is swearing in this book so if you censor violence, language and adult situations out of your children's reading…I would advise reading before allowing them to. I limit censorship of my children's reading especially if the message of the book outweighs the language or violence in the story.
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A Trick Of The Light by Lois Metzger
Title: A Trick Of The Light By: Lois Metzger Publisher: Balzer & Bray Publication Date: June 18, 2013 ISBN: 9780062133083 Pages: 208 Mike Welles had everything under control. But that was before. Now things are rough at home, and they’re getting... +
Title: A Trick Of The Light
By: Lois Metzger
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Publication Date: June 18, 2013
ISBN: 9780062133083
Pages: 208
Mike Welles had everything under control. But that was before. Now things are rough at home, and they’re getting confusing at school. He’s losing his sense of direction, and he feels like he’s a mess.
Then there’s a voice in his head. A friend, who’s trying to help him get control again. More than that—the voice can guide him to become faster and stronger than he was before, to rid his life of everything that’s holding him back. To figure out who he is again. If only Mike will listen.
MY REVIEW
This was definitely a different and unique story, unlike most. The narrator isn't the main character like you would normally think, instead, it's told by the disorder and the voice in his head, anorexia. This is definitely a some what weird story, that kept me interested and kept me reading and flipping the pages making sure I followed and knew and understood exactly what was going on.
Metzger did a fantastic job with this story and the uniqueness of it having it one, being told by the disorder and two having the main character being a male battling this disorder. There aren't many books out there that have a male dealing with this disorder, but guys deal with disorders too.
It definitely touches a subject that some teens go through and could relate to. Although this was a short story, it definitely was a powerful read and would be able to help a lot of people that struggle and go through the same thing as Mike. I also liked that even though the story focused on Mike that we were able to have a few more characters in this story that we got to know and love.
This is such a great read and one that I think should be available for all teens/young adults that struggle to read.
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Playtex Smart Cool Bottle Tote On-the-Go
Having a newborn in the Summer also means that I've been traveling a lot always on the go. We've been going to barbecues, birthday parties and trips out of town with my husband and step son. I recently just took a road trip about two hours away... +
Having a newborn in the Summer also means that I've been traveling a lot always on the go. We've been going to barbecues, birthday parties and trips out of town with my husband and step son.
I recently just took a road trip about two hours away from where we live and I thought this was the perfect time to try out the new Playtex Smart Cool Bottle Tote On-the-Go that I received a couple weeks ago.
I was very happy and satisfied with the Smart Cool Bottle Tote On-The-Go. It's designed to keep bottles cool for up to 14 hours. The tote itself holes up to three bottles. It also has a small compartment for your child's pacifier or nipples for your bottle and it also comes with two full size removable freezer gel packs.
I was pretty happy that the bottles I made before leaving didn't spoil as the weather was very warm the day we went away. I was also happy that I didn't waste money on the milk from being spoiled. Thank goodness for those gel packs in the tote.
I loved that the cooler kept the milk cool. I only used one gel pack instead of two, I didn't want the milk to be too cold, it was just right by the time we got to our destination. The only little disappointment about the tote, which isn't too big of a deal, was that the tote was a bit too small and I would like it to be a bit bigger to pack a bit more for my little boy if we were traveling further, but since it was only a two hour trip each way, it was perfect.
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Nicole by OPI Modern Family Collection
One thing that every girl needs to go with her new school outfits is a beautifully colored nail polish, like, the Modern Family Collection from Nicole by OPI! Not only can you wear your favorite character, but you can look good doing it too. I was... +
One thing that every girl needs to go with her new school outfits is a beautifully colored nail polish, like, the Modern Family Collection from Nicole by OPI! Not only can you wear your favorite character, but you can look good doing it too.
I was sent three polishes from the Modern Family Collection, Haley Good Lookin, I Do De-Clare and Alex by the Books. My favorite has to be Haley Good Lookin, I just love the way it sparkles and shines. And if you put it over a coat of I Do De-Clare your nails are sure to pop and make a beautiful and bold statement. I actually had tried Alex by the Books before and do like it, but anything with a sparkle will always be on the top. What I love most about Nicole by OPI is that each bottle has formulas that are long-lasting, fast-drying, with salon-quality.
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OPI San Francisco Collection
The San Francisco Collection not only comes with a twelve different new polishes with colors that range from blue, red, brown and grays.but three of the twelve are liquid sand. Another great thing about this collection is three out of the twelve... +
The San Francisco Collection not only comes with a twelve different new polishes with colors that range from blue, red, brown and grays.but three of the twelve are liquid sand. Another great thing about this collection is three out of the twelve polishes are liquid sand. I absolutely love their liquid sand polish, they give your nails a bit of a pop and different look. Plus I love that you don't have to add a top coat in order for the liquid sand polish to look good, it looks great without it!
I had the opportunity to have a few from this collection sent to me. The colors I got were A-Piers To Be Tan, In The Cable Car-Pool Lane and Wharf! Wharf! Wharf! which was one of their liquid sand colors. The liquid sand polish was very easy to apply and I didn't even notice the texture while I applied it to my nail until a couple seconds later as my nail was drying.
Out of the three I was sent, my favorite had to be Wharf! Wharf! Wharf! I loved how my nails looked after they were dry and I loved how the texture felt when touching my nails. The liquid sand polish made my nails stand out, but wasn't too distracting. You definitely can see the difference in textures and it looks beautiful!
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Dove Advanced Care Antiperspirant Stick Original
Using this deodorant, I noticed softer and smoother underarms. The deodorant also provides over 24 hour odor and wetness protection, which I have to say did its job, especially when odor was concerned. All last week I was getting ready for my son's... +
Using this deodorant, I noticed softer and smoother underarms. The deodorant also provides over 24 hour odor and wetness protection, which I have to say did its job, especially when odor was concerned. All last week I was getting ready for my son's birthday party doing yard work and although I was sweating, under my arms still smelled pretty great. Dove has always provided me with dry and odor free underarms while still smelling great.
I definitely noticed a difference and am still wearing the deodorant even after the five days. When applying the deodorant on, I loved how smooth and easy it went on. This is because Dove combined both a moisturizer and antiperspirant together and the moisturizer acts as a lotion which provides you with smoother underarms.
Dove's Go Sleeveless is a great deodorant for us all, especially around this time of year. With how the weather has been from dry and hot to rainy and humid out, this is definitely a great deodorant to have and wear during the Summer months!
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Oz The Great and Powerful
I was really impressed with this movie. It was simply well cast and well written. I honestly didn't know how this movie would turn out or if would do, The Wizard of Oz any justice. It certainly did. From beginning to end this movie was great... +
I was really impressed with this movie. It was simply well cast and well written. I honestly didn't know how this movie would turn out or if would do, The Wizard of Oz any justice. It certainly did. From beginning to end this movie was great. Although the beginning went a bit slow, but it picked right up. Both my kids absolutely loved it and my husband was impressed as well. James Franco did an amazing job as the Wonderful Wizard.
Filled with not only a great story letting us viewers know just how the great Wizard came to be, it's also filled with lots of humor to keep everyone entertained as well. Let me just say Finley won our entire household over being our favorite character with his witty and hilarious personality. I was also glad to see that Theodora (played by Mila Kunis) the evil witch, was not always bad. How they wrote that was pretty awesome.
This is definitely a great movie that needs to be watched and also a perfect way to introduce your kiddos to the amazing movie, The Wizard of Oz in case they haven't seen it yet.
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Molson Canadian Cider
I love cider. I love the taste that it has and it absolutely reminds me of a beverage that's in between a beer and spritzer. Not too heavy, but not too sweet. It's light and refreshing and perfect for those of you who are not a fan of beer. This... +
I love cider. I love the taste that it has and it absolutely reminds me of a beverage that's in between a beer and spritzer. Not too heavy, but not too sweet. It's light and refreshing and perfect for those of you who are not a fan of beer. This drink is made with apples that are 100% Canadian grown.
Molson Canadian Cider was a big hit for me and the hubby.This wasn't the first time we've tried cider and we have to say this is one of our favorites. It's not as bitter as some ciders are, it has just a tad more sweetness to it. That's why I'm making Molson Canadian Cider the perfect drink for this week's Thirsty Thursday.
It's definitely a beverage you should try this Summer
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Mandarin Restaurant - London, Ontario
Over the weekend the hubby, kids and I took a trip to London. I absolutely love going to this beautiful city because there is so much to do and see. It's a couple hours away from where we live, so when we go to visit we try and make an entire day... +
Over the weekend the hubby, kids and I took a trip to London. I absolutely love going to this beautiful city because there is so much to do and see. It's a couple hours away from where we live, so when we go to visit we try and make an entire day out of it. We got to go shopping, visit a few friends and for dinner we headed on over to the Mandarin Restaurant, a restaurant that had some of the bests fresh food served there with over 100 different dishes, it was incredible.
When you first come in you are seated and then your server asks you if you've ever been to the restaurant before and continues to explain to you not only the different selections of the food they serve, but they also let you know where the rest rooms are and let you know that they are there if you need them, which they certainly were. They also handed us warm towels so that we could keep our hands clean, which was a great touch. I loved that they weren't too overbearing and always came around when you needed your plate removed or a refill on your beverage you were drinking. The room that we were in had three servers coming around to check on every table, Gayla, Andrew and Alice. They were very friendly and to be honest some of the best staff members I've ever interacted with at a restaurant. Another thing I noticed and loved about the Mandarin staff was that after a family was done eating and left, they not only just clean off the table, but replaced the table cloth as well.
Now let's get on to just how delicious the food there was. Not only was it fresh, but they had such a wonderful variety for any and everyone, this is definitely a place that the entire family can go and enjoy a night out together. From Sushi to Ribs, Friend Chicken and Crab Legs, there was definitely something for us all to enjoy, especially with our little picky eaters. I personally loved their Spicy Chicken. It was cooked to perfection. My hubby loved their ribs and the kiddos loved their chicken balls.
They also had a variety of drinks as well. And I absolutely loved that they had drinks that made my little ones feel special too. The hubby got to have a beer, I enjoyed a nice cocktail and the kids had blueberry lemonade, which was delicious!
The kids enjoyed one plate and soon wanted to hurry up to the huge selection of desserts the Mandarin had and as for the hubby and I, we enjoyed a couple plates before we took the kids to the dessert table. The different variety of desserts they have was just as big of a selection as the different dinner options. There was so much!
We had a great time there and I've already been letting friends and family know about the restaurant and how they need to try it. I definitely look forward to visiting the Mandarin again.
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The After Girls by Leah Konen
"Ella, Astrid, and Sydney were planning the perfect summer after high school graduation. But when Astrid commits suicide in a lonely cabin, the other girls' worlds are shattered. How could their best friend have done this--to herself and to them?... +
"Ella, Astrid, and Sydney were planning the perfect summer after high school graduation. But when Astrid commits suicide in a lonely cabin, the other girls' worlds are shattered. How could their best friend have done this--to herself and to them? They knew everything about Astrid. Shouldn't they have seen this coming? Couldn't they have saved her?
As Ella hunts for the truth, and Sydney tries to dull the pain, a chilling message from Astrid leaves them wondering whether their beloved friend is communicating from the after life. The girls embark on a journey to uncover Astrid's dark secrets. The answers to those questions--questions they never dreamed of asking--will change their lives forever."
MY REVIEW
This was an emotional yet powerful read. Dealing with suicide in any form is emotional. Whether you read about it, new someone who committed suicide or someone who is in a deep depression. I think I cried more than a care to share while reading this story, but let me just say it is 100% worth the read. I read this in one sitting. When you're reading, your hearing points of views from the two best friends, Sydney and Ella. They're in shock and mourning of the suicide of their best friend, Astrid. They wonder how they missed the signs and what lead up to these events.
What I loved about this story was how true it felt. Some times death happens and it can break a relationship or make you stronger. I think it made both girls a little bit stronger even knowing that their friendship wasn't how it use to be, the girls still were there for one another and that's what mattered.
This is definitely a page turner filled with lots of mystery and suspense and will have you not wanting to stop reading until you get to the last page and even when you do, you still want it to continue. I thought both main characters were portrayed very well with lots of details and even though we only heard about Astrid through both Sydney and Ella, I felt like in a way I knew her through their memories of her. A great book, filled with great characters and a great story line. I definitely can't wait to see what Leah Konen comes out with next!
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