Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen

I confess that I struggled to finish Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen. It took me a very long time to get into the book. It didn't help that I read it at night and only a chapter at a time. That doesn't reflect on my thoughts at the end of the book though.

The story is about Colie. She's fifteen years old and spent her childhood as the fat girl. She'd recently lost weight with her fitness/nutrition guru mother but never got over the trauma of being teased. Colie's mother heads to Europe on a promotional tour and sends Colie to live with her eccentric aunt.

While at her aunt's house, Colie makes friends for the first time in her life. She is taught how to feel beautiful and gains confidence. She even learns that being different is not always a bad thing.

By the end of the book, Colie has evolved and I can imagine that she goes home stronger and more confident than ever before. This is a great story for girls with body image issues. It may focus a bit too much on being thin, but I think it leans toward being healthy.

Keeper by Kathi Appelt

Keeper, by Kathi Appelt, is a children's novel that probably will mean more to adults.  I don't think I would have understood the meaning behind the story as a ten-year-old.  As a thirty -something adult, I "got it".  Or at least I understood my version of the story.  I wonder if my thoughts line up with the intention of the author? 

Keeper is a ten-year-old girl who lives on a little stretch of land on the Gulf of Mexico.  It is the World Unto Itself according to her neighbor Mr. Beauchamp.  Keeper lives with Signe, who is like her mother but isn't.  She works for Dogie, who is like her father but isn't.  Next door is Mr. Beauchamp who whittles her figurines and tells her stories.  He is like her grandfather but isn't.  Along with the adults who watch over her, she has BD (Best Dog), Captain the seagull, Too (another dog), and Sinbad the one-eyed cat.

Keeper believes that her mother was a mermaid who left her with Signe when she was a toddler.  When the perfect day goes completely wrong, she sets out in a boat to try to find her mother.  She truly believes that Meggie Marie, her mermaid mother will make things right.

I thought this story was beautiful.  It's all about figuring out that you have exactly what you need, even when you don't realize it.  It is perfectly appropriate for the audience it was meant for although there are hints of homosexuality between two characters.  That's only a small caution in a lovely story.  Like I mentioned above, children may not understand the deeper meanings so it's a great book to read and discuss with your kids.

Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler

I happened upon Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler in a very random way. I was on the hunt for a book that started with a "K" for the A to Z Challenge. I decided not to re-read the book that I had planned and wanted something new. I'm glad I did.

The book I have is a three- in - one. The original trilogy, released in 1995, was combined into one big book. At first thought, I would read the first book and then just put the book away for a while. Yeah. That didn't happen. The story wasn't close to being over at the end of the first book, it wasn't even close to having closure. And then there was the end of the second book. Wow. Talk about a cliff hanger! There was no possible way I could have just put the book back on the shelf without finishing all three stories.

The stories are good. They are young adult books and are a very easy read. The story caught my attention and kept me going. The books revolve around Ivy, a new girl in school, who falls for the star swimmer, Tristan. Besides her crush, she is trying to make friends, and deal with her mother's new marriage, her young brother, and her step-brother Gregory. After a horrible car accident kills Tristan, he becomes an angel watching over Ivy. She needs a lot of watching out for. The car crash wasn't an accident and strange things keep happening. Slowly she begins to put the pieces of Tristan's murder together and she wonders if she was the intended victim.

While not everyone will enjoy the simplicity of this young adult novel, I do recommend it to those who like a little mystery, a little fantasy, and a little romance. It has all three.