Chomp by Carl Hiaasen

The Cray's wildlife refuge is slowly going broke after an injury prevents Wahoo's father, Mickey, from working. But soon he is hired to provide wild animals for reality star Derek Badger show. Derek isn't making friends with any of the animals especially when he decides to wrestle with an alligator, two snakes and a bat. After being chomped on by various animals, Derek finally runs away into Florida's everglades. Wahoo and his friend Tuna are now looking for the missing star. But how long a fake reality star survive in the wilderness by himself? And Tuna's father, who is chasing after them with his gun, isn't making it any easier on them.

Like Carl Hiaasen's other novels such as Hoot and Flush, Chomp shows great concern for the environment. The setting is wonderful, the everglades is known for its various and rather exotic animals. I loved reading the descriptions for the animals and the wilderness. This book has the perfect balance of seriousness and comedy. While the conflict between Tuna and her father is very serious, Derek Badger's  adventures by himself give the novel a fun and lighter feel. Especially when Derek thinks that he is turning into a vampire after he is bitten by a bat. It's definitely worth reading.

The characters are really important. Derek Badger is a hilarious and stereotypical reality star. You can clearly tell that he has no idea what he is doing by the way that he treats the animals. Wahoo and Tuna are very similar characters and not only because they both were named after fish. Wahoo is very heroic even though it doesn't seem like it at the beginning. But once he tries to help Tuna, you can tell that he is a really brave person.



The Time-Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky



One gown can really change your life. Louise always knew that vintage clothing had special powers but having the ability to take her to another time and place is more than she expected. A seemingly normal vintage clothing sale gives way to a journey that seems to be headed for disaster. Louise Lambert is whisked on board the Titanic and she knows how it ends. The drama in this glamorous era is almost as disastrous as what is to come if she doesn't convince everyone that the ship is going to sink. Louise's and the other passenger's lives are in danger. Can she really save them? Can she go back home?
My favorite parts of this book were the pictures that went along with Louise's outfits. The descriptions of her dresses were nice but the chance to actually see the vibrant colors and different fabrics really enhance the reader's experience. Quite a few of questions were left unanswered but there is a second book so I'm sure they will become more clear soon. At first I thought that this would be like other time-traveling books. But having it's roots in vintage clothing brought it a lot of originality. Overall, it is a great book to read in your free time.
Louise has an interesting point of view. Being an outsider witnessing all the events on the Titanic and knowing that it won't be like this for long is different. The climax was to be expected but the way that Louise handled it was clever and courageous. There was a lot of personal growth that she went through by the end of the book. Louise gained confident and knowledge. This was a great way to start off the series.

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen



Nothing will keep Jessica from running. Even after a bus accident, in which she loses her leg, Jessica is determined to keep running. Even after she manages to recover from this life changing event, Jessica might still not be able to run like she used to. With the help of her friends and family, Jessica gets a prosthetic leg so she can continue living her dream. Jessica's lucky to be alive but losing her dream is her biggest fear. Will she let her accident get in the way of the one thing she lives for?
Jessica's recovery portion of the story was the most interesting and powerful. This a touching and inspirational novel. It is about a sixteen-year-old girl who loses her leg and people with the same or slightly similar problems can definitely relate to this book as well. This book shows that if you love to do something, you can overcome nearly all obstacles. Wendelin Van Draanen paces the story perfectly with empathizes on how difficult this new adjustment is for Jessica. There is no question as to what happened in between the chapters. It felt like you were there for the entire novel. This is definitely one of my favorite books by Wendelin Van Draanen.
Jessica is resilient. No matter how bad things got for her, she was strong and determined. Everyone can look up to her and she makes a great role model. Her friends are super supportive and are one of the main reason why she recovered so quickly. Jessica is one of the most interesting and admirable characters ever in a book.

If you click here you'll be able to see my review of Swear to Howdy by Wendelin Van Draanen.

The Espressologist by Kristina Springer

Jane Turner has a theory. She believes that a person's coffee can tell you a lot about them therefore making it easier to find someone's perfect match. Jane can't believe that it actually works when she brings her best friends together. Her talent does not go unnoticed, soon her boss wants to use it to help promote the coffee shop. Espressology, what Jane calls matchmaking through coffee, is a bigger hit than she ever imagined. Soon, it starts to take up most of her time. With work and interviews, this seventeen-year-old cannot shake off a weird feeling in her stomach. She can find the perfect match for everyone around her yet she can't find the love of her life. Can Jane find love herself?
The concept of Espressology is the most interesting part of this novel. To me this book had a slight Emma feel to it with the matchmaking. But the two books are very different as well. The story was short and sweet. Each individual love story, whether it was a small one or the main one, was seemingly perfect. The climax was somewhat difficult to point out but eventually you could tell that it was more of a personal struggle for Jane. Of course, a more action-packed climax would build more suspense or had more of a  personal struggle. She had to make a pretty tough decision that most people wouldn't have been able to make under the same circumstances. Overall, it was a cute and simple book to read.
Jane is relatable and innovative. She is a clever girl with an idea and receives fame for it. Her ending is the kind that most people would dream of. Jane Turner is one of those characters that shows tremendous amounts of growth by the end of the book. Her best friends Em and Cam are also great but the story revolves around Jane so the supporting characters are given the same emphasize.