The Healing Spell - Kimberley Griffiths Little - Blog Tour Review

Eleven-year-old Livie is keeping a secret, and it's crushing her. She knows she is responsible for her mother's coma, but she can't tell anyone. And it's up to her to find a way to wake her mamma before anyone uncovers the truth of what really happened. 

Added to the list of Livie's problems are being stuck in the middle of three sisters, trying to hide a forbidden pet alligator, and possibly disappointing her daddy, whom she loves more than anyone else. Livie feels like an outsider and prefers the solitude of the wild bayou to her ever-crowded home. But she can't run away from her troubles, and as she struggles to find her place within her family, Livie learns a lot about the powers of faith and redemption. Is her heart big enough to heal her mamma and bring her family back together? 

Kimberley Griffiths Little's beautiful, vivid writing brings Livie's lush world on the bayou to brilliant life, and depicts Livie's journey with a sensitivity and wisdom that's sure to resonate with readers of all ages. 

Title: The Healing Spell

Author: Kimberley Griffiths Little

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: July 1, 2010

Source: Received from author courtesy of Teen Book Scene. Many thanks goes to Kimberley Griffiths Little and Teen Book Scene for sending me this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. This review is part of the Teen Book Scene blog tour. Please click here or on the banner below the review to view the tour details. 

My rating: 5/5

Livie's summer is off to a horrible start. Her mother has been in the hospital for the last eleven days in a coma. No one but Livie knows what happened to cause her momma's accident. Her daddy brings her momma home to tend to her while she is still in a comatose state. Livie is scared, and feeling guilty, and is also feeling like an outsider in her own family. Will she come to terms with the new status of her family, or can she find a way to help cure her momma?

I have to say that this book is so atmospheric, and so vibrant. I connected with Livie right away, as I was a tomboy growing up too, (you could say I still am). She and her mother don't get along, and it seems like they are from two different worlds. Livie can't understand why anyone would want to dress up, or do anything girly, and so she relegates herself to exploring the bayou behind her family's house. She spends a lot of time with her daddy going frog hunting, and emptying the crawfish traps. She is wholeheartedly a daddy's girl. Her voice throughout is strong and pure. I couldn't help but commiserate with her feelings, and I hoped that things would work out for her and her family. I loved reading her interactions with various family members, and chuckled when things went awry. Most of all, I loved her realizations about  faith, and letting in the good memories while letting go of the bad. 

Livie's voice brings you into this world of bayou's and alligators, and from the first page I was hooked. The inflection in her voice, and the cadence of the words jumped out at me and enticed me into her world. It wasn't hard to imagine that I was on the bayou with her, making friends with a baby alligator, or getting into hot water with her family. The setting is so vivid, and so brilliant, I couldn't help but fall in love with it, and with Livie's story. I was immersed so deeply in Livie's world that I hated to stop reading. It's an easy and quick read, but I found myself slowing down to savour it. I can't stress enough how beautiful this book is. 

All in all, a gorgeous, vibrant, and beautiful tale about the journey one girl takes on the road to discovery and recovery. A family uniting, wild bayou countryside, hope and faith mesh together to create this warm, inviting, and beautifully descriptive read. I know that this one will definitely be a world that I re-visit. I'd highly recommend this one to people of all ages. Middle grade readers, and their parents as well as teens will enjoy The Healing Spell.

2011 Debut Author Challenge

I've decided to participate in the 2011 Debut Author Challenge hosted by the wonderful Kristi over at The Story Siren. Here is a link to the Challenge on The Story Siren if you want to participate as well. 

In Kristi's words...

2011 Debut Author Challenge participant information:

The objective of the DAC is to read at least twelve novels from Young Adult or Middle Grade Authors. While twelve is the minimum there is no maximum limit! I encourage readers who can read more than twelve to do so!

Anyone can join. You don't have to be a blogger, and you don't have to live in the United States.

You do not have to have an blog written in English to participate.

You can join at anytime. The challenge runs from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011.

Qualifying books:

Books must be a Young Adult or Middle Grade novel.

DO NOTE: Just because a book has a teen character or is about a teen, does not mean that it is necessarily a Young Adult novel.

This must be the authors debut with a release date in 2011.

If an author has a previous novel published under adult fiction/nonfiction or children's fiction/nonfiction, they can still qualify for the challenge if they are releasing their YA or MG debut.

More challenge guidelines:

Novels must be read between January 1, 2011- December 31, 2011. That means, those of you that have read arc forms of the titles early will not be able to count those toward your challenge totals.

You can use debuts from other countries, but the novel cannot be previously released in your county.

Okay. That doesn't sound too hard. I think the hardest choice I'm going to have to make is which books I will be reading for the challenge. This is my first time participating in this challenge and I think I'm going to be aiming high. 

In no consequential order: 

1. Maurissa Guibord - Warped

2. Cynthia Hand - Unearthly

3. Terry Lynn Johnson - Dogsled Dreams

4. Julia Karr - XVI

5. Mariam Maarouf - Rosie

6. Alexandra Monir - Timeless

7. Eilis O'Neal - The False Princess

8. Beth Revis - Across the Universe

9. Jeff Sampson - Vesper

10. Elizabeth Woods - Choker

11. Courtney Allison Moulton - Angelfire

12. Sara Bennett Wealer - Rival

13. Leah Clifford - A Touch Mortal

14. Kristi Cook - Haven

15. Paige Harbison - Here Lies Bridget

16. Kelly Keaton - Darkness Becomes Her

17. Karen Mahoney - The Iron Witch

18. Kimberly Marcus - Exposed

19. Jana Oliver - The Demon Trapper's Daughter

20. Ty Roth - So Shelly

21. Lisa Cach - Wake Unto Me

22. Lauren DeStefano - Wither

23. Heather Dixon - Entwined

24. Kim Harrington - Clarity

25. Gwen Hayes - Falling Under

26. Kirsten Hubbard - Like Mandarin

27. C.C. Hunter - Born at Midnight

28. Lisa and Laura Roecker - The Liar Society

29. Ruta Sepetys - Between Shades of Gray

30. Ryan G. Van Cleave - Unlocked

31. Ann Aguirre - Enclave

32. Tessa Gratton - Blood Magic

33. Amy Holder - The Lipstick Laws

34. Lucy Jago - The Coven's Daughter

35. K. Ryer Breese - Future Imperfect

36. Josephine Angelini - Starcrossed

37. Tracy Deebs - Tempest Rising

38. Holly Goldberg Sloan - I'll Be There

39. Hannah Harrington - Saving June

40. Myra McEntire - Hourglass

41. Amy Plum - Die for Me

42. Veronica Roth - Divergent

43. Karyn Henley - Breath of Angel

44. Tara Hudson - Hereafter

45. Dawn Metcalf - Luminous

46. Carrie Harris - Bad Taste in Boys

47. Karsten Knight - Wildefire

48. Sarah Porter - Lost Voices

49. Victoria Schwab - The Near Witch

50. Kendare Blake - Anna Dressed in Blood

51. Kiki Hamilton - The Faerie Ring

52. Michelle Hodkin - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

53. Helen Landalf - Broken Wings

54. Caroline Starr Rose - May B.

55. Scott Tracey - Witch Eyes

56. Mary Lindsey - Shattered Souls

57. Marianna Baer - Frost

58. Megan Bostic - Never Eighteen

59. Rae Carson - The Girl of Fire and Thorns

60. Jocelyn Davies - A Beautiful Dark

So. 60 books. Who knows if I can read that many on top of all of the other books that I need to read, but I'll try. All of these sound so good, and I couldn't leave them off of the list.... 

Tell Me a Secret - Holly Cupala - Blog Tour Review

In the five years since her bad-girl sister Xanda's death, Miranda Mathison has wondered about the secret her sister took to the grave, and what really happened the night she died. Now, just as Miranda is on the cusp of her dreams--a best friend to unlock her sister's world, a ticket to art school, and a boyfriend to fly her away from it all--Miranda has a secret all her own. 

When two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears, Miranda is stripped of her former life. She must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister's demons and her own. 

In this powerful debut novel, stunning new talent Holly Cupala illuminates the dark struggle of a girl who must let go of her past to find a way into her own future. 

Title: Tell Me a Secret

Author: Holly Cupala

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: June 22, 2010

Source: Bought. This review is part of the Teen Book Scene blog tour. Tour details can be found here. 

My rating: 5/5

Miranda is trying to live her life as  close to normal as she possibly can. With her sister's death five years ago, everything changed, and she can't help but wonder what secrets her sister had been hiding. Now, Miranda's life is about to change again. When she finds out that she's pregnant, she'll need to make a choice. Will she be strong enough to weather the consequences of her decision? 

I was completely in awe while reading Tell Me a Secret. With rich and illustrious characters, to a well structured plot, it had everything and more. Cupala is an author to behold. With words racing across every page, enticing the reader in further, it isn't hard to become thoroughly enthralled in the world that Cupala weaves. Her characters are intense, full-bodied, and they jump out of the story. I was passionate in my feelings for them, in regards to outright hatred, and anger at some of the actions of her so-called friends and in the care and concern I felt for others. They brought the story to life in a way I wasn't expecting. Though this story may seem like it's about Miranda, and her having to make a choice about her pregnancy, it is also ultimately a tale of redemption as well. 

Miranda is such a realistic character. How many people have been in her place, making the same decision that she has to make. It shows just how hard her struggle is, and the ends that she'll go to to maintain her decision. Tied in with her pregnancy, is the ultimate reality of her facing her sister's death once and for all, and finding out what exactly happened to Xanda. With Xanda's secrets revealed, maybe Miranda can finally find closure. Though her family life is less than ideal, this book shows the poignancy of a family in times of crisis. I started this book outright hating some of the characters, and as I watched them evolve, I found myself reconsidering my feelings towards them. Cupala challenged her characters to show that they are human, and aren't perfect, and as that realization dawned on Miranda, it did the same to me. I can't stress enough how much I loved this book, and how much it challenged my perceptions. 

Overall, I can't recommend this book enough. The electricity within the pages sparks almost immediately, keeping the reader attentive as to the outcome. The characters test the boundaries given, but show that behind their masks, there is a depth of emotion, and valid reasons for their decisions. Cupala skillfully weaves a tale of life and death, and the journey one takes when struggling against overwhelming odds. She is an author to watch. With an astounding, inspiring, and solid debut, Cupala makes her mark, niching herself a place with the heavyweight contenders of the genre. Tell Me a Secret will resonate with me for a long time to come.