The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson

 Junior historical/fantasy fiction. In 1927 fifty-eight handmade dolls from Japan were sent to the United States as ambassadors of friendship. In this fictional account one of the dolls, Miss Kanagawa, interacts with four different children in many time periods from New York to Oregon. In each case she helps these children by putting thoughts into their minds to help them through some tough times they are experiencing. 

This was an easy quick read that I enjoyed. Each story gave a taste of what it was like for a child to live during the Depression, in the hollers of Kentucky, and traveling from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl days to California. It was a great way to spend part of my Memorial Weekend.

Recommend: Yes. 

Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande

 Teen realistic fiction. As I was browsing what to listen to as I was working I saw this title and remembered reading another book by the same author, Fat Cat, that I enjoyed and so I downloaded it and started to listen. This story starts out with some major fallout that is happening to a freshman girl, Mena. All of her friends from the church she attends hate her and her own parents are very upset with her. It takes at least halfway through the book to find out why, although there are hints thrown along the way. Without spoiling the plot Mena and her family attend a church whose tenets are very restrictive to the point of bullying those who do not follow said tenets. This comes to a head when the high school science teacher starts the unit on evolution. The pastor of Mena's church and the youth stage a protest against the curriculum.  Mena ends up in the middle of it all and for most of the book is completely at a loss as to how to fix her life and find happiness again with her faith, her church, her parents, her friends. 

This narrative was frustrating to listen to at times as I was trying to see each situation from multiple points of view, i.e. Mena's former friends in her church, her parents, her science teacher, her new friends, and Mena herself. The situation seemed impossible to resolve, but did somewhat in the end, although not completely. It had me thinking how I react to different viewpoints as Mena seemed to give everyone the benefit of the doubt even when she herself was being bullied. Many of the characters beliefs where complicated and multi-layered, which is how all of us are I believe. 

Recommend: Yes

Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman

 Realistic Teen Fiction, romance. I picked up this book while I was spending a week or so with my daughter and husband and their brand new baby boy. It has the hallmarks of a typical teen romance, but has some good character development. It took a bit to get me interested in it, but I pushed through to see the ending. I liked the teen characters a lot, but the parents were a little irritatingly clueless. In spite of that it wasn't a bad read. 

Recommend: maybe

Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eager

 Junior Fiction. Seeing family members age and lose some of their abilities can be difficult. It's even more difficult when you meet them for the first time at the end of their life. Carol meets her grandfather when they spend a few months in the summer on his New Mexico ranch getting him ready to move into an assisted living facility. She has an immediate connection with him and is drawn into the stories he tells about bees and the draught and his lovely wife Rosa who has passed away. Carol thinks his stories are just the dementia talking, but maybe they are true!  Such a good story with a wonderful ending!

Recommend: yes

Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Blinking Eye by Kathryn Kenny

 Junior Mystery Fiction. The Trixie Belden mysteries were published in the 1960s, the first six were written by Julie Campbell. After that various writers wrote installments under the name of Kathryn Kenny. The books follow a group of young teens who form a club called the Bob-Whites. They find mysteries wherever they go and end up solving them when the local police cannot. These books are very formulaic and predictable. Yet, they are always enjoyable to read, perhaps their predictability is what makes them one of my comfort books!  

Recommend: Yes

The Unteachables by Gordon Korman

 Junior Realistic Fiction. I've enjoyed other books by Korman so I was excited to try this new one that was published in 2019.  It tells the story of a group of middle school kids who are considered "unteachable" and are lumped into a classroom together and forgot about. The teacher that is assigned to these kids is at first as disengaged as his students. Through some unexpected chance encounters both the teacher and the students see past the labels that have been applied to them and surprise everyone, most importantly themselves. 

Recommend: Yes!