Week 4: Summer Book Club ~ Ask my mood ring how I feel

We are officially more than 1/2 way through the 3rd Annual Middle Grade Summer Book Club. What are everyone's thoughts on this years Top Picks for the Summer Reading? Are they books you & your kids would be interested in?

 

Would love some thoughts....

 

Week 4: Ask my mood ring how I feel

by Diana Lopez

ISBN: 9780316209953

$12.00 (hardback)

$ 8.89 (kindle)  

About the book:

It's summer before eighth grade, and Erica "Chia" Montenegro is feeling so many things that she needs a mood ring to keep track of her emotions. She's happy when she hangs out with her best friends, the Robins. She's jealous that her genius little sister skipped two grades. And she's passionate about the crushes on her Boyfriend Wish list. And when Erica's mom is diagnosed with breast cancer, she feels worried and doesn't know what she can do to help.

When her family visits a cuarto de milagros, a miracle room in a famous church, Erica decides to make a promesa to God in exchange for her mom's health. As her mom gets sicker, Erica quickly learns that juggling family, friends, school, and fulfilling a promesa is stressful, but with a little bit of hope and a lot of love, she just might be able to figure it out.

Confetti Girl author Diana Lopez returns with this sweet, funny, and utterly honest story about being a girl in a world full of good (and bad) surprises.    My thoughts: Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel was another book I wasn't sure I wanted to read. This wonderful book came with another book that I had requested and I wasn't planning on including it with the Best of 2013 Middle Grade reads until I read it ~ it wasn't at all what I was expecting.
This book opens with your typical, everyday 7th grade, hyper boy vigilent teen ager focused on what all little 7th grade girls are aware of. You have boy/clothes/when am I going to reach the "close encounter of the #1, 2, 3 or 4th degree (involving boys - but you already figured that out right?)" crazy girls (plus one boy in their group who is just starting to be aware of Erica and she hasn't a clue (of course).

But then Erica's life changes - her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. I was very pleased with how the author didn't brush over the subject, worked through Erica's emotions, her dad's worry about his wife and Erica's little sister's almost OCD counting and need to clean. There is a LOT of information, emotions and kids are given some tools they can use with major events in their lives. Most of all I loved how Erica stepped forward and helped around the house - taking care of the cleaning and her little brother as best as a 13 year old can. In many ways she took over much of the organizing of their home - and the resulting consequence would be eye opening for kids & their families.

I was very impressed with this book all around. The only thing I was a little un-impressed about was the parents in the book take the kids to a "shrine" where people make promises to the "Virgen de San Juan del Valle" in order to heal the people in their lives. The parents in the book take the kids there and have their kids make a promesa but of course don't do a good job of making sure the girls understand that nothing they do can heal their mother. Instead of putting their fear and trust in God they turn to promises, the Virgin Mary and works to hopefully heal their mom.

Parents should take the time to read the book first or at least read it with their daughters. Talk about how God is there to support us and while He can heal us sometimes he doesn't choose to. Talk about how we can help others, support and encourage each other and how we can let our friends know we are there if they need us. I would of LOVED to see a list of discussion questions with this book. It's outstanding and should be on each library shelf & in each school.

There is a strong hispanic presence in this book and you'll find some cultural references throughout the book, not just in language, but in religion and this provides a great opportunity to discuss cultural differences and different beliefs and thoughts as well.

About the author:
Diana López is the author of the adult novella, Sofia’s Saints and the middle grade novels, Confetti Girl and Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel (to be released in 2013).   Her new young adult novel, CHOKE, will be published by Scholastic in July 2012. 

Learn more about the author @ http://www.dianalopezbooks.com/

Read on:

Be sure to check out the other books in this years Middle Grade Book Club. They have all been donated by either the authors or publishers as some of the best of the best Middle Grade Fiction that has come out this year!

Week 1: The Cats of Tanglewood Forest (order) (my review)
Week 2: Leviathan (order) (my review)
Week 3: The Lily Series: Lily Robbins, MD (order) (my review)
Week 4: Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel (order) (my review)
Week 5: The Phoenix Files (order) (my review)

Week 6: Unleashed (order) (my review)

 

 
The annual Summer Book Club Giveaway! You can enter our great Summer Book Club Giveaway which will be drawn on August 1st - just in time for the last few weeks of summer when kids start to get bored and need something new to do. This year we will be running it a little different since I am officially without a computer (thanks to Malware & a nasty virus which wiped out my registry) -   ***The Giveaway has officially ended - and the winners notified***     Disclaimer: I was offered a copy of the book to read and review on CCB. I was not required to post a positive review and no $ exchanged hands. Thanks for reading CCB!