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To me, this book was like a soap opera from a child's point of view. Ginnie's mom passed away when she was very little.
She is, naturally, very curious about her mother so when she finds some old journals written by her mother she is desperate to read them. Ginnie's dad has other ideas though. He doesn't want to deal with all the secrets the journals hold. Meanwhile, Ginnie's uncle finds out he's a father and didn't know it, her aunt shows up to throw the whole family into an uproar, her best fr To me, this book was like a soap opera from a child's point of view.
Meanwhile, Ginnie's uncle finds out he's a father and didn't know it, her aunt shows up to throw the whole family into an uproar, her best friend has a complete meltdown which stems from the abuse she endured from her father, her brother gets hurt, her aunt is getting married. I'm telling you it's a family drama. Ginnie is a determined little girl.
She is stubborn and impatient but she does care about other people. She is right on the edge of child and growing up.
I really felt her desperation and need to know about her mother. Luckily Ginnie has lots of people surrounding her that love her. I guess that's the biggest message that I took away from this book.
Ginnie's dad took her deceased mom's journals away from her, because there was some secret he didn't want her to know about. March 18, Publisher: Ginnie is torn between helping her best friend and what could be the answer to her prayers. True West Publishing Pages: The only problem I had with the book..
No matter how that family comes together, blood bond or not. The people that love you can help you work through life's challenges. Simply West of Heaven was a good MG book with a contemporary setting that kids will be able to relate to. Nov 27, Valerie Steimle rated it really liked it. I started reading The Secret Sisters Club a few years ago and really loved it!! The story was a great example of parents helping their children with the trials of life and how two best friends forever BBF can become as close as sisters.
With Ginnie still dealing with the death of her mother and her Dad keeping I started reading The Secret Sisters Club a few years ago and really loved it!! With Ginnie still dealing with the death of her mother and her Dad keeping her mother's journals hidden away, Ginnie has to overcome the urge to wait patiently for her Dad to return those journals she so desperately wants to read.
There is something hiding in those pages and the secret of what happened so long ago before Ginnie could remember is driving her crazy. What is it that makes her Dad angry in those journals? These stories are age appropriate for pre-teens and teens and deal with the reality of death and divorce in a family. The compassion for those children who have to deal with these issues helps the reader come to love the characters and understand a life many teens must live.
Dec 20, Tonja Drecker rated it really liked it. In some ways, this story reminded me of a soap opera for young girls - Ginnie wants to feel closer to her deceased mother by reading her old journals.
Ginni's father, however, is afraid Ginnie might uncover some painful secrets, so he takes the journals away and refuses to let her read them. But secrets have a way of coming to the surface anyway as does this one. Again, the author takes a difficult theme and handles it with lots of love and a nice douse of humor.
The characters handle the situation in a realistic but caring way - true to a well formed family. Ginnie and her friends react very age appropriate and it's easy to understand why they do things even if Ginnie sometimes goes a bit over board - as is her character. This time, it took a few pages for me to get into the story, but when the plot once got going, it pulls into the pages and lets the emotions flow freely.
Nov 13, Spunky N Sassy rated it it was amazing. But secrets begin to unravel with the visit of a beautiful stranger. Tillie at one point has a meltdown that tugs at the heart strings. Near the end of the story, a beautiful surprise brought tears to my eyes. The book is well written, filled with honest emotions of confusion, pain, hope, joy and especially love.
The cliffhanger at the end is a strong hook to make me reach for book four. Each and every book so far has taught many lessons.
This one is no different. This one took me on a roller coaster. Each book talks about some form of abuse and how that affects a child. Tillie's father was abusive to her and her mother and left them so they could have a better life. Tillie never wants to see her father again. Oct 30, Peggy rated it it was amazing. This is the third book in this series and a fantastic series it has been. It's easy for kids to understand issues that each family may face.
Even though this is a book for kids, I enjoyed it just as much. It's not one that will be easy to put down once you start. Each book in the series gets better and better. One of the things that stands out to me about this book is how much my niece loves it. She liked the heartfelt moments of this book and it had a great message. She devored the book, she loved Ginnie's spunk. Nothing tries a friendship more than secrets, and this book is full of them. Jan 11, DelAnne Frazee rated it it was amazing Shelves: True West Publishing Pages: Children's Fiction Sub Genre: Description From The Publisher: Ginnie is torn between helping her best friend and what could be the answer to her prayers.
My Review of "Simply West of Heaven" As always Monique Bucheger manages to insert issues into her books that can be found in our daily lives. She writes about them in such a way as tweens can understand and perhaps find solutions on their own, but in the case of abuse it is still best to discuss it with an adult you trust in my opinion.
There are multiple issues happening in "Simply West of Heaven" an abuse of their friend, and we once again return to the journals of Ginnie's mother and why her father is so adamant that she not read them. Bucheger uses compassion and a light touch on both subjects. When readers take in these scenes they will find them done with care and gentleness.
Readers will find someone among the characters they can identify with and for some it will encourage some to speak out about problems they are have. This is a great book to share with your young readers if you can. You can discuss the plot and characters and how they would react to the situations. This is the third book in the series, but can be read as a stand alone book with little or no problems.
My rating for "Simply West of Heaven" is 4.
Barnes and Noble link: The Reading Room link: Yes, this story had a good message about family, and there were some really good funny lines in there, but the entire book didn't have enough to keep me interested. I read through the whole book because I was determined to read through it, but I found myself eager to set it down and not so eager to pick it up.
It was slow and dry and if I was still a child I would not have the attention span to read this book.
I would quickly lose interest. All the action was in the family drama.
There was no re Yes, this story had a good message about family, and there were some really good funny lines in there, but the entire book didn't have enough to keep me interested. There was no real action or urgent thing that was driving the plot of this book. I found it quite forgettable.
Twelve-year-old BFFs are matchmaking geniuses. When a blast from the past shows up and makes Tillie go nutburgers, Ginnie is torn between helping her BFF and having her questions answered. April 19, Publisher: Even though she realizes there will never be enough hours in any given day, Monique tries very hard to enjoy the journey that is her life.
She shares it with a terrific husband, her dozen children, sons-in-law, and adorable grandchildren, cats, and many real and imaginary friends. She is the author of the Ginnie West Adventures series, picture book, Popcorn, and plans to write plenty more. His picture books include the best-selling ABC Adventures: He is the author of The Gates of Atlantis: You can find more about him and his books at: A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends.
The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. This book has a great blend of fun antics with more meaningful issues, like loyalty and family. It's one of those books that both entertains and leaves you pondering life with a determination to be a better person in your own sphere. I highly recommend it to kids and adults alike! This is a great read. I loved being able to go back and remember that great times of my childhood I have recommended the series to many I really enjoyed reading this story.
A great reminder things aren't always as they seem. This story let's you see it from all perspectives. Great book, this series deals with the problems of modern families with traditional values. I would recommend this for todays youth and parents alike. Monique continues to amaze me with her ability to gently handle issues that far to many children have to deal with these days. From the death of loved ones to abuse and broken families, Monique has a gift that allows her to tackle these types of issues and more with tenderness and love. While those who have been hurt by death and abuse find compassion, love, understanding, and best of all, the knowledge that they are not alone.
Family, friends, and a strong faith are all you need to help lead you to the right choice. I highly recommend the Ginnie West Adventure Series to children, especially girls ages 10 and up. Read them together and talk about the subjects in them so that when you see these things happening around you, your family will be able to reach out and help.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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