Category: Books

Jack Book Recommendations: The Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid Series

Source: Amazon.com

Many people have heard of the Jeff Kinney book series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It’s super popular with 16 books (so far) and centers around a middle schooler named Greg Heffley. It is written from the perspective of Greg writing in his diary and we’ve read a few of the books here and there (they are always available at the thrift store).

Well, Greg’s best friend got in on the action with his series: The Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid and we are HUGE fans!

Book #1: Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal by Jeff Kinney

Find it here: https://amzn.to/2YpBD7i

  • Recommended for ages 9 – 12
  • Grade level: 3 – 7
  • Lexile measure: 1020L

We started with this book and JACK LOVED IT! Every night before bed we read a chapter or two. Jack and I alternate pages reading out loud, which is great for keeping him engaged and on track with his reading practice. I actually MUCH prefer the Rowley books to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books… because Rowley is really innocent and nice. In fact, in many of his anecdotes about his friendship with Greg, Jack and I discuss how Greg isn’t actually a very good friend to Rowley. This makes for a great jumping off conversation about how you should treat others and what to do if someone isn’t treating you nicely.

I would HIGHLY recommend this book for grade levels 3 and 4. This would actually be a great stocking stuffer or gift for the kiddo in your life too!

Book #3: Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories

Find it here: https://amzn.to/3wkdpYp

  • Recommended for ages 9 – 12
  • Grade level: 3 – 7
  • Lexile measure: 1020L

You may have noticed, I skipped from book 1 to book 3. That’s because the third book in the series is spooky stories told by Rowley… which I thought would be fun for us to read around Halloween. I think Jack liked this book even more than the last and laughed out loud at some of the sillier bits. This totally is not stuck to spooky-season either and would be appropriate all year long. The best part is that the stories are NOT actually spooky at all for a 4th grader.

Book #2: Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure

Find it here: https://amzn.to/2ZXhtlU

  • Recommended for ages 9 – 12
  • Grade level: 3 – 7
  • Lexile measure: 1020L

Jack has been begging for me to buy this book and I just hit ‘order’ over on Amazon. He can’t wait to read the next Rowley adventure and I just love having a kid who wants to read!

You can purchase the all three books for a total of $22 (based on today’s pricing on Amazon) and we have really been loving this series. I’m crossing my fingers that more get published in the future!

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Summer Reading Recommendations

As I was updating my 2021 Book list with my 57th book of the year, I realized we are in perfect ‘summer reading’ territory. You know, that time of year where you like to grab a book for the beach, or snuggle up in the AC and read about beautiful people falling in love. Or kicking ass. You know, whichever genre you prefer!

A good place to start if you are looking for a book to read is my 2021 Book list. After I finish each book, I add it to the list along with a link and a mini review.

If you don’t feel like reviewing the whole list, here are a few of my favorites that I think would be perfect for summer reading:

Happy Reading!

Loving Right Now: Mhairi McFarlane

Source: Amazon.com

I’ve recently found a new (to me) author and I’ve been LOVING her writing so much. I’ve read two of her books so far and I’m now at the point where I am searching for anything by her I can get my hands on. Let’s talk about Mhairi McFarlane!

{Oh and for those of us who have no idea how to pronounce Mhairi, it is pronounced Vah-Ree. You can hear her adorable accent, as well as how to pronounce her name in this short video.}

A few weeks ago, I was poking around a Reddit page for book recommendations and added a bunch of books to my library hold list. One of the books was If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane and OHMYGOSH it sunk into my skin and stayed with me.

 If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane on Amazon

Synopsis: When her partner of over a decade suddenly ends things, Laurie is left reeling—not only because they work at the same law firm and she has to see him every day. Her once perfect life is in shambles and the thought of dating again in the age of Tinder is nothing short of horrifying. When news of her ex’s pregnant girlfriend hits the office grapevine, taking the humiliation lying down is not an option. Then a chance encounter in a broken-down elevator with the office playboy opens up a new possibility.

My Thoughts: YES, we know what’s going to happen. But the journey to get from Point A to Point B was just so fun. The characters were fleshed out and the banter was fabulous. I loved this book so much and I couldn’t put it down.

I loved that book so much that I immediately went onto my library website to see if they had any other books by the author. That is where I found Don’t You Forget About Me.

Don’t You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane on Amazon

Synopsis: If there’s anything worse than being fired from the worst restaurant in town, it’s coming home early to find your boyfriend in bed with someone else. Reeling from the humiliation of a double dumping in one day, Georgina takes the next job that comes her way—bartender in a newly opened pub. There’s only one problem: it’s run by the guy she fell in love with years ago. And—make that two problems—he doesn’t remember her. At all. But she has fabulous friends and her signature hot pink fur coat… what more could a girl really need?

My Thoughts: Another absolute winner from the author. There were great characters, some ridiculous ex-boyfriend hijinks and one of the best declaration of love monologues I’ve read… maybe ever.

Now that I’ve devoured these two, I’m hoping a few more come in quickly at my library. Otherwise, I’ll be buying them all off of Amazon… because they are just THAT good!

If you want to follow along with my 2021 Book List and mini reviews, you can find them here!

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.