Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur

The story Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur is about an 11-year-old girl who has survived a tragic accident.  She is alone with as many SpaghettiOs as she could eat and her pet fish, Sammy.  Aubrey is perfectly happy, but then her loving grandmother intervenes. She must take the steps that will help her heal, and at the moment, only writing letters feels right.  She learns that even in tragedy, we can learn to start over with baby steps and loyal friends that are always there for us.


I picked up the book at a book fair last Friday and finished it on Sunday.  It is a quick, easy read, but worth the while.  For some reason, the story that Aubrey tells profoundly affected me.  There were many parts that made me want to cry and give her a hug as she endured on.  The story moved along at a good pace, and although it wasn’t an action-packed read, it had enough of a storyline to make me want to keep reading page after page.  The characters were surprisingly well developed, and they had depth to them unlike those in many other books that I have read.  I would recommend the book to anyone who wants a short read that is a little bit of a sad story, but has a satisfying ending.  It’s age appropriate for elementary schoolers, so anyone that age and above could read it.  I definitely enjoyed reading Love, Aubrey and look forward to letting other people read it as well.

Blood Red Horse by K. M. Grant

Two boys.  One girl.  The adventure of a lifetime.  Blood Red Horse by K. M. Grant is a historical fiction novel starring the de Granville brothers Gavin and William, a fair maiden called Ellie, and a red horse named Hosanna.  King Richard calls for a crusade to retake the Holy Land, and Gavin and Will go with their father to fight the Saracens.  They all have dreamed of glory and a chance to prove themselves in battle.  This is their chance.  However, the road to victory is paved with trials, and the de Granvilles must face more than just death in order to bring honor for their king.

I first picked up this book after it was recommended to me by a friend, and I must say that it is now on my list of favorite books.  It seemed like something up my alley: Medieval fiction with a bit of adventure, romance, and an intriguing horse story thrown into the mix.  By the fourth chapter I was hooked.  I couldn’t put it down.  It had a similar effect on me that The Hunger Games did.  I wanted to keep reading to follow the adventures as the characters risked life and limb for what they believed in.  

Along with its romping good plot, I appreciate the book for its historical content as well.  The author did a splendid job of researching the time period (which happened to be the Third Crusade in 1191) and she presented it in such a way that the reader couldn’t help but want to know more.  I look up to authors who are able to do this.  The characters she created are as real and alive as if they are in the room with you.  They have real-life emotions and real-life reactions to real-life problems.  I couldn’t help but fall in love with them.

I would recommend the book to pretty much anyone.  If you like historical fiction, if you like a fast paced adventure, if you love horses (I fit into this category), then Blood Red Horse would appeal to you.  It’s age appropriate for anyone in upper elementary and on through the retirement homes.  Don’t miss the chance to get hooked on a true work of literary genius.

Also, don't miss the second book in the series, Green Jasper!

Toes by Tor Seidler

The story starts out with a mother cat who has her kittens to a loving family of five.  The children are delighted, and they care for them well.  A month after the kittens are born, however, the mother cat dies and leaves them alone.  Socks, Spots, Ferdinand, and Toes get along without her just fine, at least, that's what it seems.  Toes is shunned by his brothers because, as his apt name suggests, he has seven toes on each foot, although her proves to be the smartest of the bunch.  He ends up running away to find a better life, and he lands among the boxes and crates in a violinist's basement on Halloween night.  Toes lives in the basement for months until he is forced to request the assistance of the violinist for food.  The person, Sebastian, takes to Toes immediately and accepts him into his home.  Sebastian needs help though, and it's up to Toes to do something.

I absolutely loved this book from beginning to end.  The plot and characters all work together in a seamless fashion and the ending has a feel-good way about it.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes cats or fiction or even just a good book.  Any age could read it; it's a thin, easy read written for elementary schoolers, but adults shouldn't shy away because of that.  It's worth a second look at least on the library shelf.