Jo Whittemore. FRONT PAGE FACE-OFF

Delilah begins her 7th grade year with high hopes. She’s the lead reporter on the school paper and plans to stay that way, since the editor has a crush on her. This year she dreams of becoming a Junior Global Journalist, the honor her late father earned when he was a teen. When school starts, she’s thrown for a loop for several reasons. She gets an unusual invitation to join the Debutantes, an elite clique (that she refers to as the "Little Debbies" since they're flaky, artificial and hard to stomach). She's so not Little Debbie material.
Then Ben, the editor who used to have a crush on her now has an actual girlfriend. A sophisticated girlfriend from France! Plus Ben had really grown into a cute guy over the summer. To top it all off, this French girl is going to write for the newspaper too. So, not only is it too late for her to return Ben’s crush on her, but her lead reporter status is in jeopardy also. But with the Little Debbie invitation in hand,  Delilah begins to imagine a scheme that might help her hold onto her job and maybe even win back Ben.
This grabbed me from the first page! Delilah is a hoot! I totally related with her and her determination, even when I could see her headed for a huge mistake. Her friend Jenner is quirky and funny. In fact, I loved all the characters! I laughed out loud multiple times! I really enjoyed this and look forward to more from the author (who happens to be an Aggie like me!)

One thing I'm curious about = the cover. It appears to have Ava & some girl named Paige facing off, when really shouldn't the names be Ava & Delilah? Hmmm...

More about the author here.
Check out the book trailer:

Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout. GIRL v. BOY

Luisa Perez feels invisible at her high school. The fact that nine other girls have her exact name only increases her generic-ness. But this year, everything changes. Her school begins to participate in a fundraising contest to raise money for literacy. The principal makes the boys compete against the girls in the school to see who can raise the most money. When her English teacher gives her an assignment to write an anonymous column in the school paper to represent the girls she's reluctant, but gives it a shot. He also assigns an anonymous boy to write from their point of view. Their assignment is to talk about the contest, but a battle of the sexes begins and the readers love it. The column becomes hugely popular and even gets syndicated and printed at five other schools. In the meantime, Lu begins dating a boy she really likes, but he doesn't know she writes the column. She's a little afraid of what will happen when he finds out, since she has mentioned him a few times in the paper. As the big fundraising gala approached, she realizes that she won't be invisible anymore when she is revealed as the anonymous writer. Will she be able to handle the spotlight? Will she lose her boyfriend?

This was so much fun! The characters were realistic and enjoyable. Some were even hysterical (Mariah Mendes). I loved the dynamic between Lu and her sister. The jealousy pitted against the "taking care of you" vibe was totally believable. Plus, Lu’s two friends Izzy and Rachel round out the cast of characters nicely. The only thing I wasn't sure about was the fact that the mayor could grant a school two weeks extra vacation. But hey, it's fiction! And frankly if some school could really raise that much money for literacy - maybe it could really happen!

This dynamic duo has written several other books together.

I reviewed THE BLACK SHEEP here. That was a really unique story! (the book has a new cover, but I kinda like this one still)

You can find out more about these authors and their books here.

I have this one on my "to read" list

Joan Bauer. PEELED

PEELED is the latest in a long line of awesome books by Joan Bauer. Hildy Biddle lives in a small orchard town in upstate New York called Banesville. She’s a reporter for the high school newspaper and waiting for the chance to prove herself as a real reporter when a mystery begins unfolding. Strange occurrences begin at the supposedly haunted Ludlow house. At first there were threatening signs posted on the front door, but when a man is found dead on the property, the community is frightened. People are afraid the ghosts in the Ludlow house are stirring and out to get them. The local newspaper in town does its best to work everyone up into a panic. They publish articles with witnesses declaring how they’ve been scared by the ghosts. Hildy and her friends at the school paper begin their own investigation. They feel like they have to combat their town paper, since it’s been acting more like the National Enquirer, than a real paper. But, as they get closer to the truth, they are being threatened by those who want to keep the truth hidden. Will they have the courage to keep fighting for the truth?
I loved being in Hildy’s world. I love being in a place so completely different from my own. The nickname of the town is Happy Apple Town, which is the best way to describe the atmosphere of this book. It felt so comfortable and simple. But not simplistic. It was fun to learn about the world of apple orchards while also solving a mystery with Hildy. The characters are well-developed, realistic and quirky. Along with the spunky Hildy, I enjoyed Zach and his scientific view on life and Elizabeth’s positive outlook. The adults were great too. Minska, a woman who lived through the revolution in Poland and Baker, a successful reporter, were both inspirations for Hildy and her friends. Definitely a fun and inspiring read. It makes me want to go uncover an injustice somewhere!

Other great ones by Joan Bauer (trust me, Ms. Bauer does not disappoint)

Her website is here

STAND TALL

RULES OF THE ROAD











HOPE WAS HERE