This month I read “Love and Olives” by Jenna Evans Welch. This story is about a teen girl named Liv. Liv’s mother wants her to go with her absent father to Greece. Her father claims that he needs her help with a project, and that she will have so much fun. He even called Liv by her old childhood nickname. Liv doesn’t know how to feel about her absent father suddenly trying to regain her trust, but at least she gets to go to Greece. Liv finds new possibilities, adventures, and even love.

I love this book because of the family drama. Liv has so much history with her father, and her father threw it all away to research for Atlantis- the lost city that Liv’s father cannot get rid of. I have read this book once, but it has definitely kept my heart beating in suspense! A couple of months ago, I read the first book of this series, and I will definitely read the last book!

“Olive,

Great news! I’m working on an exciting project, and I could really use your help here in Santorini, Indiana Olive. How does June 15th sound? I have already emailed your mother the plane ticket.

-Baba”

This is my favorite quote from this novel because it really brings the whole book together. It shows that Liv’s father is still in the past, acting like everything is okay, and the same as how it was when Liv was 7 years old. What her father doesn’t know is that Liv’s feelings about the past don’t match up with his.

My favorite character from this novel is definitely Liv’s mother, because she helped push Liv to reach the rest of the book. If it wasn’t for her, none of the stuff in the story would’ve happened!

“‘Liv, I know it’s very sudden, but I think it’s a good idea.’”

This quote shows that Liv’s mother is my favorite character because she knows deep in her heart that Liv needs this opportunity to change her life and mind forever.

This month I read the book Starfish by Lisa Fipps. This story is about a 12 year old girl named Ellie. She had struggled with body positivity for her whole life. Her mom and siblings had brought her down her whole life due to her weight. Her dad, on the other hand, had supported her and everything about her since she was born. In this book, Ellie tries to find her way out of the jail cell she calls school. With a lot of twists and turns, Ellie makes her way through middle school struggles.

I love this book because of the surprising climax’s throughout the story. A great example of this from the story includes Ellie’s bully being confronted. I wont spoil the rest for you, but it’s really juicy! You should definitely try this novel. I have read this novel it’s of times before and it never gets old.

“Every kid needs one place to escape to when life gets too much.” (Page 16)

This is my favorite quote from this novel because it shows how much kids really need alone time and a place to escape. Every kid always needs somewhere that they can let all of their stress go.

My favorite character from Starfish is definitely the librarian, Mrs. Pochon. She is such a sweet character that helps Ellie through her struggles and lets her be herself without judging her.

“She’s the first person to smile at me today. The first to make me feel wanted.”

This quote shows that Mrs. Pochon cares about Ellie and her struggles because she actually wants to let Ellie know that she’s wanted and okay. Mrs. Pochon wants nothing but the best for Ellie.

My dream job is to be a chef. One reason why I would want to be a chef as my dream job is because I can experiment with different flavors and textures. This would make it very fun and exciting to try new things and expand my pallet. Another reason my chef dream job is because cooking and baking is my hobby. Whenever I get to bake or cook, I always have the most fun. The last reason why my dream job is to be a chef is because I can make food for other people. I would like to have feedback on what I make, and let other people enjoy my food. Even if they disliked the food I made, I would make it better next time and take in the feedback.