On Friday I shared a roundup of books perfect for summer reading for ages 10+ through young adult. (Note all last week I did roundups for varying ages of new books for summer reading. Ages 4-8 and Middle Grades) Four of them did not include reviews because I hadn't read them yet. Today I am reviewing two of them!! I decided to spend my free time this weekend reading the two middle school romance-comedy books. Both of these books are recommended for ages 10+ and both have characters in middle school. The first book is Meet Me at Wonderland by Julia DeVillers.
About the Book:
A girl with a summer job at her family’s amusement park crushes on a coworker who’d rather be working anywhere else in this fun and flirty middle grade rom-com.Fourteen-year-old Coco is Morty the Moose for the summer—the official mascot for her family’s business, Wonderland Adventure Park. Her first shift in the claustrophobic and stinky moose costume comes in the middle of a heatwave, and of course it’s when she emerges a sweaty mess that her manager introduces her to the new hire, Henry…the cutest boy Coco has ever seen.
Henry can’t believe his parents are forcing him to work at this dorky theme park. He’d much rather be hanging with his friends and working on his soccer game, but recovery from a bad injury would have kept him sidelined anyway. Being deathly afraid of heights, Henry hopes he can at least do his job without going on any of the rides.
After their first awkward meeting, Coco and Henry start to warm up to each other, and Coco confides in him about the park’s financial struggles. Soon, she thinks she like likes Henry…a lot. As the weeks go on, Henry’s dad starts asking oddly specific questions about his job, and Henry starts to suspect there’s more to his parents insisting on him working at the park than he thought. When a malfunctioning new ride leaves Henry and Coco stranded at the top, Henry’s worst nightmare comes true and secrets get revealed.
From Me:
This book is fun and an easy read. I can see kids loving it. It is definitely a boy meets girl kind of book and a bit of a coming-of-age story. Coco is so excited to work at her family's business officially for the summer. On her first day she meets a new employee who is the cutest boy she has ever seen. They have some rough starts, but both seem interested in the other. In fact, they become good friends but then Henry finds out his father wanted him to work there and had been asking questions about the amusement park because he wants to buy it from Coco's family.
I loved the economic twist in this story. I also loved how the father's girlfriend comes to Henry's side and helps show the father that he was not being fair to put Henry in the middle of this business deal without informing him of what he was doing. I also love seeing how Coco's family and the staff of the amusement park seem so close. The book is well written, and the characters are well developed. The story pulls you in and you want to know what is going to happen to Wonderland and Coco's family as well as Henry's soccer future. I can honestly say I think middle school kids of any gender will enjoy the story. It is a story about friendship, relationships and summertime fun!
Our second book is being released this week! It is another middle school rom-com and has some twists on the typical romance book. The book is What If You Fall for Me First? by G.F. Miller.
About the Book:
A girl determined to ditch her goody-two-shoes image and the cool guy classmate she enlists to help her get more than they bargained for in this relatable and swoon-worthy middle grade rom-com.Sofia has had enough of everyone thinking she’s sooo nice. “Sweet,” “innocent,” and “goody two-shoes” are how her classmates would describe her, but there’s more to her than that. She wants everyone—especially her forever crush, Mark Chen—to see that she has other sides.
To help her level up to Official Cool Girl, Sofia enlists trendy and confident Holden—the guy who everyone else has written off as a total player and a first-class jerk. Under Holden’s guidance, Sofia learns to revamp her style, ride a skateboard, and stand up for herself. At the same time, Holden learns that when he’s alone with Sofia, it’s safe to drop the cool guy act and just be himself.
When their efforts start to pay off, Sofia is faced with a choice. Should she stick with the plan—and risk losing herself in the process—or take a chance on the person everyone says will break her heart?
From Me:
This book has the old story of nonpopular kid wants popular kid to help her become popular and they fall in love. It has some twists in it that are not usually in these stories though. Sofia's family is her single mother. They just get by. She has a huge crush on a popular boy who once asked her to be his lab partner in science class. Ever since she has been obsessed with him. When she sees him and another girl flirting and not noticing her at a school event, she gets upset and runs outside crying. Outside is another popular boy who is trying to make it big online. He is practicing before he films the event for is podcast. He is known to be self-centered and a player. Sofia really doesn't want to spill her deepest feelings to him but there is no one else and he won't leave her alone. He suddenly seems to have gotten a conscience. Through their conversation they make a deal that he will up her glow up to be a fierce girl instead a mousey girl. She hopes she will catch her crush's eye, and he hopes to post the transformation on his social to gain more followers. However, during the transformation time, they become friends and even start falling for one another.
It is a fun and easy read. It is a little longer than the first book but pulls you in just the same. Kids will enjoy this story. It has some typical middle school issues as well as just relationships and friends. I love that both of the main characters as well as some of their friends realize that being nice and comfortable is more important than being popular. It also has the message that people can change. Middle school is a time when there is a lot of change in people, so this is an important message for this age group! It has moments of humor as well as moments of strong feelings. It is wonderfully written and will be enjoyed!
