Ashleigh's Bookshelf

Down with the Dance by C. T. Walsh Nerdy Austin just wants to survive middle school. Unfortunately, with his popular older brother in his grade and a new principal who has marked him as a troublemaker, surviving is easier said than done. When the Halloween dance is put in jeopardy--more than once--Austin starts to take matters into his own hands to save his school year. I enjoyed this story, finding it perfect for middle grade readers and even found myself laughing at times. However, this book is poorly edited, full of many typographical errors that make it difficult to read. Additionally, there were some scenes that were split between chapters or scene break characters, while other times scenes flowed from one to another when symbols or chapter breaks should have been used. I was also not thrilled with the constant changing of tense and voice, although it did at least make the narrator feel as if he were speaking directly to me. ...

A Knit Before Dying by Sadie Hartwell NYC fashion designer Josie is settling into her new life in rural Connecticut as the owner of a yarn shop and landlord. Hopefully, her new tenant, an antiques dealer, will help bring some life to the sleepy downtown. However, when an unexpected death calls up memories of a unsolved missing persons case, yarn is the last thing on her mind. It will be difficult for me to review this book without giving away too many spoilers, but I will try. While the first chapter helps set up the scene, it almost wasn't enough to engage me enough to keep reading. Honestly, if I weren't reading this for a Book Bingo square, I might not have continued past that first chapter. As the book continued, I did grow more interested in the story. However, it felt as if the main character was a little too focused on the cold case than the current mystery. Her obsession made me think early on that the two might be connected. There were also sever...

Worth the Effort: Ella's Story by Kai Strand When Ella encounters a homeless teen behind the coffee shop where she works, she struggles to overcome her fear of him. Curious about how he ended up on the streets, she learns more about herself than his story. I found this story very enjoyable. I liked learning about Ayden and watching Ella grow. I would have liked to have learned a little more about Ella's world. Why was she working at the coffee shop. Did she have any close friends? I didn't get the impression she did. Overall, I found this a cute story and look forward to reading Ayden's side. I would rate this story four quills and place it on my middle shelf.

Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal On a paddling journey, a young boy and his mother discover the plants and animals that call the pond their home. My family and I stumbled upon this story when a hike through a local wooded trail turned out to be a neighborhood story walk. This was not our first story walk and my children were excited to read the new (to us) book. My husband was surprised to learn that dragonfly larvae live underwater. My seven-year-old loved this book because "she learned what different animals ate". Overall, the book was a cute way to educate young readers on some of the plant and animal life found in a pond. Many of the organisms were those found near us, so we were familiar with them. However, although the facts were interesting, the pages didn't always feel like they flowed together to create a story. Even two facing pages sometimes felt disjointed. I would have liked to...