Mundie Moms

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Book Review: Change of Heart

Published by: WestSide Books
Released on: April 28th, 2010
Source: ARC from author
3.5 stars: It was a good read
Purchase from: Barnes & Noble

In a world where the most stressful thing seems to be winning a soccer game or what to wear in the morning, you take some really basic things for granted.

Like the love of your parents.Or hanging with your friends.Or the beating of your heart.When you’re 16 years old, it never occurs to you that you might die. Emmi Miller’s got a fabulous life. She has tons of friends, does great in school and is an all-star soccer player who played in Europe last summer. It even looks like Sam Hunter, a totally cute baseball player, might be interested in her. And then she gets a virus. No biggy, right? Until the virus goes to her heart and weakens it so much that, without a transplant, Emmi will die.Will Emmi get a heart in time? Is Sam too good to be true? What about her new friend Abe, who has also had a transplant and guides her through these scary times — is he just being supportive or is there more going on between them? And will Emmi realize it before it’s too late? - quoted from Goodreads

Change of Heart is a book that's been sitting on my shelf longer than I intended it to be. I'm glad I finally picked it up. It's one of those reads that kind of took me by surprise in terms of the story and how I felt about it. I started off really liking Emmi. She's the star soccer play, she's a typical teenager who loves her family, but gets annoyed with them, has great friends, does well at school etc. Than out of the blink of an eye, everything changes for Emmi. Through the course of some testing from her doctors Emmi learns she needs a heart transplant.

I liked the way Shari created Emmi's story. It was very realistic in the way they uncovered the cause of Emmi's heath problems. I also liked how Shari incorporated the vast arrange of emotions that not only Emmi felt and deals with, but her family and friends. Anger, frustration, hope, dread, worry, hopelessness, "why me" and faith that things will work out. In dealing with something on this magnitude it was nice seeing both the support system Emmi had with her family & friends and the way it effected everyone. I admire Emmi for wanting to just get back to her "normal life", being the soccer star, hanging out with her friends, getting to school, and her first love, despite having to deal with a life threatening situation.

The story is at time moving, and it gives a realistic portrayal into the lives of transplant patients. Sometimes the wait is years, sometimes months, and sometimes, sadly it never happens. Like Emmi, sometimes when the call comes and you rush to get to the hospital and start to get prepped, the surgery is canceled because the organ wasn't the right fight. One of the things I really liked about this story was the statics and the information Shari gives at the end of the story for transplants in the US. This story is powerful in the awareness it gives the reader for organ donations, and at the same time reads like a YA contemporary. There is the mention of underage drinking and a mention of non graphic sex scene.

Exciting Book News!


Yesterday Harlequin Teen treated Iron Fey Fans with the long awaited made of AWESOME book trailer for Julie's last installment in the Iron Fey Series, The Iron Knight. Go HERE to watch it!



Only a few more days and this book will be out! I can't wait to read it. Yesterday Becca tweeted that both Walmart and Sam's Club would be carrying a special edition of Silence that contains bonus content from Patch's pov! Today USA Today posted the 1st Chapter from Silent

Read Chapter 1 of Silence:

Even before I opened my eyes, I knew I was in danger.

I stirred at the soft crunch of footsteps drawing closer. A dim flicker of sleep remained, dulling my focus. I was flat on my back, a chill seeping through my shirt.

My neck was crooked at a painful angle, and I opened my eyes. Thin stones loomed out of the blue-black fog. For a strange suspended moment, an image of crooked teeth came to mind, and then I saw them for what they really were. Gravestones.

I tried to push myself up to sitting, but my hands slipped on the wet grass. Fighting the haze of sleep still curled around my mind, I rolled sideways off a half-sunken grave, feeling my way through the vapor. The knees of my pants soaked up dew as I crawled between the haphazardly placed graves and monuments. Mild recognition hovered, but it was a side thought; I couldn't bring myself to focus through the excruciating pain radiating inside my skull.

I crawled along a wrought-iron fence, tamping down a layer of decaying leaves that had been years in the making. A ghoulish howl drifted down from above, and while it sent a shudder through me, it wasn't the sound I was most frightened of. The footsteps trampled over the grass behind me, but whether they were near or far I couldn't tell. A shout of pursuit cut through the mist, and I hurried my pace. I knew instinctively that I had to hide, but I was disoriented; it was too dark to see clearly, the eerie blue fog casting spells before my eyes.

In the distance, trapped between two walls of spindly and overgrown trees, a white stone mausoleum glowed through the night. Rising to my feet, I ran toward it.

I slipped between two marble monuments, and when I came out on the other side, he was waiting for me. A towering silhouette, his arm raised to strike. I tripped backward. As I fell, I realized my mistake: He was made of stone. An angel raised on a pediment, guarding the dead. I might have smothered a nervous laugh, but my head collided against something hard, jarring the world sideways. Darkness encroached on my vision.


Visit USA Today to read the rest of the 1st Chapter!

GO VISIT HOLLYWOOD CRUSH to watch the trailer!!

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Last Rite by Lisa Desrochers



Good Morning Sunshines! We have a wonderful little treat to share with you guys, the cover to Lisa Desrochers Last Rite and WOW is this hot little cover! I think this is the best cover out of the series.



Seeing Luc and Gabe, or, really just Luc this early in the morning isn't your only treat from Lisa. Today we're giving away an ARC to Last Rite to 1 lucky follower! AND that's not all. There's also a scavenger hunt/giveaway Lisa is hosting on her blog! So, be sure to stop this list of bloggers and collect code words.


Once you collect the words and piece them together, go HERE to fill out the form and enter for your chance to win an iPod shuffle w/ the entire playlist for the TRILOGY!!! Don't forget to collect both of my words (hint they're in bold and red).

Giveaway Time:

I love the cover, and I want to know what you guys think of it. Leave me a comment letting me know your thoughts about the cover! Then fill out the form below to enter to win an ARC of Last Rite!

- 1 entry per person
- US residents only
- You must be 13 yrs & older to enter
- This giveaway ends on 10/14/11

Thoughtful Thursday: Banned Books Week Celebration,


My next feature is again from the 2010 banned books list, and this book was listed as #2 on that list. This is a story I first read back in 2008 after Stephenie Meyer recommended it as part of the Twilight Moms book of the month club.

Published by: Little Brown
Released on: september 12th, 2007
4 stars- It's A Good Read
Purchase from: Amazon| Indie Bound

This story was based on Sherman's own experiences while growing up on a reservation in Spokane, WA, and he isn't afraid to lay it all out there for kids to get a look at what it's like to go up in poverty, deal with going to an all white school, death, growing up, racism and being bullied. What Junior deals with isn't much different from what a variety of teens deal with each day.

Sherman's writing of Junior's story allow readers the chance to see inside Junior's life. It's heartbreaking, it's moving, it made me cry and it made me laugh. Sherman has a way for creating humor and heart-retching scenes all on one engaging page. He introduced me to a character who's strong, witty, and lovable. I've never wanted to cry and laugh all at the same time with a character before, like I did with Junior. I'm in awe at all Junior has to deal with.

This story not only had me cheering Junior on, it made me think and it moved me. It's a great modern day story, and I admire Sherman for writing it and sharing it with others. There's something that at least every reader can take away from it, and I can see how Sherman's writing can have a powerful effect on teen readers, especially Native American youth who's YA selection is mostly made up of Sherman's book. I could be wrong, but when I started searching for Native American YA books, I found hardly any. Which makes me ask the question, why ban a book that 1) is based on the authors experiences growing up on a reservation and 2) is one of only a few YA books that's found that that's geared towards Native American youth. This book won't be for everyone, but it's definitely a read some teens will need.

Word of warning to those who don't like swear words- there's swearing in this book and the f word is mentioned more than a few times. This book is written from the mind set of a 14 yr. old male, so "things" are mentioned that teenage boys think about (not saying girls don't either, but you know what I mean).
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To date, this book has won I believe 5 different awards between 2007-2010 and yet, like many of it's other fellow banners, this book is still on banned book lists. The surprising think about this story, is that back in July of this year the Richland School Board REVERSED it's ban because, "none of the board members had read it" and yet it was banned (scratches head). You can read more about that here. Kudos to them for admitting their mistake and fixing it. I liked the quote from one of the board members who says, "When I'm voting a book out of the classroom, I'm denying parents the right to choose to have that book read by their students." *clasps* Exactly!! Which is why this week is such an important week.

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