El Deafo by Cece Bell

7 and up

This graphic novel stars Cece and her life. And it’s not an easy life because Cece is deaf. It’s not easy to make friends at school when you have a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest. She’s sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that helps her hear her teacher.

Then Cece makes a starling discovery. With the Phonic ear she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom, but also anywhere in the school – in the hallway…in the teacher’s lounge…in the bathroom!

This is power. Maybe even a superpower! Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most, a true friend?

I haven’t read many books about someone being deaf. It was really interesting learning about the life and struggles of someone who’s deaf. There are so many ways for someone to become deaf and many ways to overcome it.

What I love most about this book is that it’s based on the author’s real life. I love stories like that.

Be sure to read the ‘Note from the Author’ at the end of this book.

The Girl Who Could Not Dream by Sarah Beth Durst

4th Grade to 8th Grade

Sophie loves the hidden shop below her parents’ bookstore, where dreams are secretly bought and sold. Sophie is fascinated by dreams – from good dreams to nightmares – because she has never had a single dream of her own.
When the dream shop is robbed and her parents go missing, Sophie must discover the truth to save them. Together with her best friend – a wisecracking loyal monster named Monster – she must decide whom to trust with her family’s secrets.

I want the Dreamchatcher Bookshop to be a real place. Not only do they sell books, they sell cupcakes. Those are my two favorite things. You can sit and read a book while eating a cupcake. How great is that?!

I feel like this book could be made into a Disney/Pixar movie. It’s sweet but heart wrenching at the same time.

This book features another one of my favorite things: Dreams. Dreams are great. This story has every sort of dream you can think of and a few you wouldn’t think of.

With that I will know tell you about my top 3 dreams.

Dream #1: I’m driving down the street very badly, running into stuff and people. And my dad is running behind me yelling, “YOU’RE GOOD! YOU’RE GOOD!”        

Dream #2: I’m flying at the beach. I’ve maybe had three different flying dreams but this is the one I remember the most vividly. When you have a flying dream it feels so real that when you wake up you feel like you can really fly. But you never can.

Dream #3: I’m in a warehouse and I’m eating ice cream out of industrial sized barrels. I’m scooping it into my mouth with my hands. And somehow I get my hands on a cookie the size of a Frisbee and I use the cookie to scoop up some ice cream and somehow am able to stuff the whole cookie in my mouth. BEST DREAM EVER!

If you have had any amazing, interesting, or just plain weird dreams, post a comment about your dream below.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves dreams, even the scary ones.

Confessions of an Imaginary Friend as told by Michelle Cuevas

For Kids 6 and Up

This story is about Jacques, an imaginary friend who doesn’t know he’s imaginary.

All his life, he’s been by his sister Fleur’s side. But when he discovers that he’s actually Fluer’s imaginary friend he’s crushed. So he goes off on a quest to find out who he truly is.

This is a very interesting book. I love all of the imaginary friends. If you are a fan of ‘Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends’ you should read this book.

My favorite imaginary friend is the roller-staking cowgirl. She wears cowgirl gear but instead of boots she wears roller skates with spurs on the sides. Personally I would read a whole book just about her.

All the places Jacques goes in his journey are hilarious and so imaginative. I feel like this book had to be written by a child because I don’t think it’s possible for an adult to have come up with all this. Unless that adult is a child at heart.