Avenging the Owl, by Melissa Hart

I just finished this OBOB book last night, after taking WAYYYYYY too long to do so! It was good, and really interesting, especially if you have any interest in raptors...owls, falcons, etc. I have an interest, because last year a pair of Great Horned Owls built their nest and had 2 babies in the tree right behind my house!! As the babies got bigger and the momma looked harder for food to feed them, I became more and more frightened...she looked at me and my brother, Henry, for a long time one early morning...and she could have carried me away if she had wanted to! Yikes! Luckily, my human stayed close by and protected us while we took care of business...if you know what I mean!  ANYway, I haven't read anything by this Hart before, but I did find out that she lives here in Springfield, too! Cool! A good realistic fiction story about a boy whose is forced to move from his Southern California home to Oregon. He leaves his friend behind and quickly gets himself into serious trouble with the police when an owl grabs his new kitten and takes her away! Scary, right? He then tries to shoot the owl, and hits a neighbor boy instead, and ends up having to do community service at the local raptor center. If you like a good realistic fiction story, give this a try - 4 paws!

Patina, by Jason Reynolds

As I try to get things organized in this new school, new town, and new kennel, my posts are still a little behind...sorry about that! I finished Patina, by Jason Reynolds, a few weeks ago, and enjoyed it! This is book 2 to Ghost, which is now a 4-book series. I'll admit, Ghost is one of my favorite books of the year so far, and Patina was good, too, but not as good. Maybe because I know the author's style already, or...not sure. Again, I would still recommend it, especially if you liked Ghost, but I think I'd only give it 4 paws, not 5. This series is a realistic fiction series about a group of kids in a tough part of town who end up on the same after school track team. It's gritty and real, and Reynolds tells a great story every time!If you have not read any of his writing yet, you are missing out!

I Will Always Write Back, by Caitlin Alifirenka & Martin Ganda

Wow, it's been an entire summer since I read a book OR posted about it! It's good to be back...to both! I just finished this Oregon Battle of the Books book, and it brought tears to me eyes, I must say. What an incredible story! A true story about two people who became pen pals through a school project and became best friends, over 11 years, and a friendship that is still going strong today! Caitlin was a student in a Pennsylvania town, and Martin was a young student loving in Zimbambwe, Africa. They made a pen pal connection that turned into a life-changing story for both of them AND their families! Makes me want to find a pen pal...or do something really kind for someone I may not yet know...or both! If you like memoirs or biographies, or even heartwarming stories that will surely make you happy and sad and hopeful, try this! I give it 5 pugs!