Skip to main content

ENCHANTED STORIES: The Next Great Jane

Image
By
The Next Great Jane
By K.L. Going
New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2020. Fiction.

Jane Brannen aspires to be the "next great Jane" -- following in the literary footsteps of Jane Austen. Unfortunately, that's easier said than done. So when famous romance novelist J.E. Fairfax moves to the tiny town of Whickett Harbor, Maine, Jane is keen to learn her secret of literary success. Too bad J.E. Fairfax also brings with her Devon, her annoying and snobbish son, who happens to be Jane's new lab partner. And, if things weren't bad enough, Jane's absentee mother has returned from Hollywood with her new fiance to sue for custody and bring Jane back to California with her. The only solution to all this drama is for Jane to spin a matchmaking plot worthy of the great J. Austen herself and set up her plankton-obsessed oceanographer father with J.E. Fairfax.

This well-balanced story features a fiery main character, a supporting cast of interesting characters, a lot of ocean facts, and a charming (if obvious) romantic twist. This is a good, squeaky-clean contemporary romance for older middle grade readers not quite ready for Jenny Han or Becky Albertalli. And, if readers are anything like me, it will inspire a deep need to re-watch and re-read all things Austen which is never a bad thing.




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dragon Run

By
Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013.  336 pgs.  Fantasy      Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life.  He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines.  Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...
1 comment
Read more

Painting for Peace in Ferguson

By
Painting for Peace in Ferguson By Carol Swartout Klein Treehouse Publishing Group, 2015. Nonfiction. When the city of Ferguson was overrun with so much hate and despair that homes and businesses had to be boarded up to protect property, citizens of the community decided to bring a message of hope by painting the boarded windows. Klein’s rhyming text supports the photographs of the hundreds of artists and volunteers and their artwork as they bring the messages of peace, hope, love, and that by being united they can make a difference. A great book to show children how a community rallied to make a positive change and that even a small gesture can make a huge difference. A great discussion opener on how we should treat each other.
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: We're All Gonna Die-Nosaur!

By
We’re All Gonna Die-nosaur! By Kon Tan  New York: Disney Hyperion, 2025. Intermediate. 157 pages.  Pterry (the “p” is silent) pterodactyl is a worry wart. Pterry is worried about flying (he doesn’t how to fly yet), dinosaurs going extinct (he had a scary dream), and how to protect his family (he has a little brother who hasn’t fully hatched from an egg yet). Even though there is a lot of feels for Pterry, this is actually quite a funny book. Pterry tries to learn how to fly with kites as his “training wheels” and his brother who is inside an egg is quite the adventurer.  This is a funny, heart-felt comic-like intermediate fiction book that will be great for many readers. If kids love dinosaurs, this book is for them. If kids like funny graphic novels, this book is for them. If kids want to read something about facing fears and doing things even though they don’t always want to, this book is for them. Plus, even though Pterry does a lot of things on his own, he still has s...
Post a Comment
Read more