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Goddess Girls by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

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Goddess Girls by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

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This series is one of my all-time favorite series. Joan Holub takes the Greek Goddess and Gods and re-tells their stories for middle schoolers to understand and relate to. Although the series focuses on four main Goddesses, Artemis, Athena, Aphrodite, and Persephone, Holub has started branching out and writing about lesser-known Goddesses of Ancient Greece.

Although the series is mainly about the girls, the male Gods are featured thoroughly throughout the books. Aphrodite the Fair (Book #15 of Goddess Girls) shares the story between Aphrodite and Ares, with each chapter switching between the two. Holub does have a series about the males from Greek mythology called Heroes in Training. 26 books have been released for the series (and one super special).

Although the focus is on Greek Mythology, the series introduces other mythologies, including Egyptian, Chinese, and Norse. Holub has another series similar to this, starring the Goddess girls of Norse Mythology.

For reviews of the book series, one can find them at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15803093-goddess-girls-books-1-4

To visit the author's website, one can find it at https://www.joanholub.com

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Goddess Girls series middle grade books for girls Joan Holub

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Thunder Girls by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

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Thunder Girls by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

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Like her first series Goddess Girls, Thunder Girls follows four Norse Goddesses' stories as they navigate middle school. It is more recent than the Goddess Girls series, having been published in the last few years.

I have always been interested in the different mythologies worldwide, and Joan Holub's series is an excellent introduction. If children enjoy the Thor comics, they may enjoy this series. One of the main differences of this series compared to the comics is that Loki and Thor are not brothers. This added addition may surprise some people, but it is faithful to Norse Mythology.

Here is a review from one blog about the first book https://momreadit.com/2018/04/23/make-way-for-the-thunder-girls/

Here is the author's website: https://www.joanholub.com

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Betty Ford : First Lady, Women's Advocate, Survivor, Trailblazer / Lisa McCubbin ; foreword by Susan Ford Bales.

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Betty Ford : First Lady, Women's Advocate, Survivor, Trailblazer / Lisa McCubbin ; foreword by Susan Ford Bales.

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Reading about First Ladies is one of my favorite topics to read. I mostly prefer books on Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, but I loved this book on Betty Ford. I have known a few things about Betty Ford in my life:

1. Her breast cancer diagnosis and surgery changed how people looked at cancer.

2. She battled alcoholism and began the Betty Ford Center.

3. Despite passing away in 2011, I do not remember the coverage of this amazing woman's life.

I saw this book on display in our library and decided to read it to learn more about Betty Ford. And it was just incredible to read. Like I said earlier, I had not known much about her, but my impression of her changed. She is someone who deserves more recognition than what she is credited for.

This book is better because Betty Ford's daughter, Susan Ford, wrote the book's introduction and praised it. Her daughter acknowledging the book made me more curious about Betty Ford.

Betty Ford does not seem to have as many books written about her when compared to such First Ladies as Eleanore Roosevelt and Jackie Kennedy. Still, she is one who changed the position more than generations realize.

Here are some reviews for the book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38532149-betty-ford?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Q3rdoGhTEi&rank=1

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Wings of Fire is a fascinating series that focuses on dragons. The series takes place in an entirely fictional world, which is very fun to dive into. There is the main series, a "Legends" one, and a "Winglets" section.

I think one of my favorite aspects of the world is the dragons themselves. There are many types of dragons, and each has different characteristics from each breed of dragon. One example is the Icewing dragons. The Icewing's do not spout fire but instead shoot ice that can kill another dragon rapidly. It is similar to instant hyperthermia.

Sutherland continues to expand the world of dragons to add different types of dragons in later series. The series has also taken an exciting turn in representation as the newer arcs introduce LGBT representation with lesbian dragons.

The series Wings of Fire is a creative world that is fun to dive into. Each character is different from the last one introduced. And a series about dragons is always a win.

Here is a list of the different books in the series and the different reviews for them https://www.goodreads.com/series/92037

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Shadow of the Batgirl by Sarah Kuhn is one of my favorite comic books about one of my favorite characters. Cassandra Cain is one of the unique characters created by DC Comics who has unfortunately been sidelined.

Cassandra Cain is born to assassin parents and taught to be the world's best fighter. Because of this, Cassandra cannot read. Cassandra kills someone as a child and runs away from her father. Compared to most DC Comics, Cassandra's comics can be violent, so this comic is a nice break from that.

This story takes place in a library where Cassandra meets Barbara Gordon, who works at the library. Barbara being a librarian was a joy to see as initially, the character was a librarian, but that storyline dropped in recent decades.

Cassandra was not taught how to read by her father. Her inability to read is one reason I loved Cassandra growing up, as I had a reading disability as a child. She was one of the few characters I could relate to.

Seeing this comic brings me joy because others can now be introduced to Cassandra Cain and learn to love her. That it also takes place in a library makes it more fun.

For a review of this comic, visit this website: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49803373-shadow-of-the-batgirl?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=GDxIbIjqRU&rank=1

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As a child, this particular book made me repeatedly cry when I first read it.

Kirsten and her family immigrated from Sweden to America. On the journey, one of her friends travels with her. During the trip, Kirsten's friend becomes ill and, during the night, ends up dying. As a child, this broke my heart and made me cry horribly. Years later, I would re-read it and still cry. Which shows the power the book has.

Currently, the book I can relate to more than I did when I was younger. One of my best friends died in June from Covid-19, and I honestly relate to Kirsten in this way more than I ever wanted to.

A review of this book can be found on https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/508211.Meet_Kirsten?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=wCMTfIEGdb&rank=1

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Eunice : the Kennedy who changed the world by Eileen McNamara

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Eunice : the Kennedy who changed the world by Eileen McNamara

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EEunice Kennedy Shriver comes from one of the most famous political families, particularly for the 20th century, and yet there are not many books written about her. Most people focus on her father, mother, or famous brothers President John F. Kennedy and Senators Robert and Ted Kennedy. Yet, Shriver is one of the ones from her generation who changed the world.

I have found individual members of the Kennedy Family interesting to read about, and Eunice is one of them. My other favorite one is Rosemary Kennedy, the sister who inspired Eunice to help those who are developmentally disabled. Eunice spent decades with her husband and family to help people less fortunate than herself have a place to be. Using her name, she forever helped change how we view mentally disabled people with the Special Olympics.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver is an incredible woman who, had she been born a man, most likely would have become President (a quote from her father). She accomplished many things in her life without seeking out the limelight and helped change the world. Sadly, not enough is written about Eunice Kennedy Shriver, one of the Kennedy's who changed the world. I hope to see more written about her and her family, as they work a lot to help people with disabilities.

Here are reviews on the book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35297694-eunice?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=fm1IW9s2fi&rank=1

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Spirit Animals is a series and computer game. The books are written by more than one writer and have been broken into two parts.

One thing I love about the book is the diversity of the cast. If we looked at the book by our standards, the world seems to be broken into European, African, Asian, Native American, and Pacific region. I always have liked the concept of having an animal companion. In many ways, the series reminds me a little of His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. However, these animals do not speak to their humans, nor does every human get a spirit animal.

Although each book focuses on one of the four main characters, each of the four protagonists still receives chapters not about them. Book Five was the book that got me into the series as it had a plot twist I did not see coming. The book afterward had another plot twist that made the book surprising. The plot twist paid off in the end.

I find this series to be overlooked and should be recommended more often. Mainly when people talk about books on diversity. It may not be the diversity we think of when trying to help people look for books. I sometimes feel the books represent what our world could have looked like instead of how it looks now.

For reviews on this series, here is a link https://www.goodreads.com/series/96069

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No bookshelf is complete when the Harry Potter series is missing from them. Like many children of the 1990s and early 2000s, I grew up reading Harry Potter and have been a fan ever since. When I had my reading difficulties, this series was one I read while listening to it on cassette tape to help improve my reading skills. I think it is because of this I have a special place in my heart for it.

Harry Potter gave us a world that we could escape to, which is slightly ironic since it takes place on Earth. It also did something odd by having children want to go to school because it was a wizarding school.

As we grew, the series grew with us. The books got darker as more time went on, similar to how life seems to get darker the more we age.

The series also has given me one of the greatest gifts it could, friendship. I have made friends who also have loved the series as I do. Like the Meet Kirsten book, I treasure this series because it was something my friend and I loved. The losses felt in this book are helping me through my friend's loss and helping to keep her alive.

For some reviews on the series, visit https://www.goodreads.com/series/45175

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I chose this series as this one helped get me interested in history. Each of the books is heart-wrenching to read, but the last one has a happy ending.

The first book, Meet Addy, begins with Addy as a slave on a southern plantation. In one of the chapters, Addy's father and brother are sold to another plantation. Addy is, of course, devastated and holds onto her father. Because of this action, Addy's slave master whips her a few times to remove her from her father. As a child, this scene was shocking to read and helps children understand the horrors of slavery. Addy and her mother decide to run to freedom in Philadelphia. The next kicker in the story is that they cannot bring Addy's younger sister with them, and she has to stay on the plantation. Addy's younger sister is a toddler, which makes the book more heart-wrenching.

Addy does make it north to freedom and is later reunited with her family. However, her family is not the same as it was. Her brother that was sold lost his arm fighting in the Civil War, and her younger sister does not remember them.

This series does not get the credit it should and should be suggested more.

For some reviews on this series, here is a link https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200930.Addy

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Looking through all the books I have read through the years, I have concluded that most of the books that have shaped me are mostly considered "children's" books. Only a few on this list are older than middle school. Some of this is because I work in the children's section of our library, so I need to keep up with titles inclined to that clientele.

I have also seen that my choices are more related to worlds that are massive escapes than dealing with real life. Or sometimes, it realizes you do not have it as bad as others.

If I do look for "older" books, I seem to lean towards biographies. Reading biographies gives us a better understanding of why events happen or why a person reacted that way.

With this class, I am now having time to read YA stories I have wanted to read but did not get the chance to, and that I cannot wait to add to my reading autobiography.