Date: 10-19-10                          

Title: The Lip Gloss Chronicles: Vol. 3 Paper Thin                     

Author: Sheila M. Goss                      

ISBN 10: 1-60162-204-X     

ISBN 13: 978-1-60162-204-4             

Pages: 296                  

Publisher: Urban Renaissance                     

Cover: Paperback           

Reviewer: Amber Williamson– Literary Wonders! (www.literarywonderskids.com)

Rating: 4 

Paper Thin by Sheila M. Goss is a story that parallels society’s pressure to be skinny and the influences it has on teenage girls physically and mentally.

Sierra, the books main character, brings a new identity to the world of insecurities. Her constant struggle with her weight causes her to have an inflated self-esteem once she returns to school twenty-five pounds lighter. This new confidence is the source of her evolving diva attitude, of which her best friends, Jasmine and Brittney, are not fans.

Sierra’s insecurities resurface when she is left without a date to accompany her to the homecoming dance. Seeing the boy she has a crush on decide to go with the girl she despises the most, leaves her feeling degraded and rejected. Sierra then reverts to her old ways, and begins comparing herself to the opinions of others.

Regardless of her weight loss, her step mom constantly reprimands her for excessive eating habits and the girl dating the guy she has a crush on is always smaller than she, which leads Sierra to begin consuming diet pills. From here on, the story line begins to take shape and keeps its readers guessing.

The author intertwined many modern issues throughout the entire story. Young readers will greatly benefit from the plots involvement with body image, economic struggles, relationship dynamics, and domestic violence.

I enjoyed how the majority of the story was written, but was not fully pleased with the conclusion. The final chapter with Sierra being hospitalized was somewhat unbelievable because of how quickly the scene was over. It seemed like it should have been elongated a little because it was a detrimental part of the story. While there may have been an unsatisfactory ending, I was glad to see that Shelia Goss included an epilogue to help sum up the missing parts, which gave the book a more complete conclusion.

Seeing, as many of the situations in the story are relatable to girls, I would highly recommend this book. There are many life lessons that can be learned from this story and I hope there is another book in the works!

Date:                         March 4, 2010

Title:                          Mischief in the Mushroom Patch

Author:                     Amanda M. Thrasher

ISBN 10:                  

ISBN 13:                   978-1-60860-722-8

Pages:                       167

Publisher:                Strategic Publishing Group

Cover:                       Hardcover

Reviewer:                Yolanda M, Johnson-Bryant– Literary Wonders! (www.literarywonders.com)

Rating:                      4 Stars

             Children’s author Amanda M. Thrasher has crafted the story of Boris and Lily. Boris and Lily aren’t your typical children – they are fairies in training. But like most small children, Boris and Lilly are definitely mischievous.

                     In Mischief in the Mushroom Patch, Boris and Lilly find themselves in a world of trouble as they venture out of the mushroom patch against fairy rules. When children misbehave they must face the consequences and that’s exactly what happens to Boris and Lilly. Mademoiselle Francesca sentences the two mischievous fairlings to the dusting factory where they will assist the dust fairies.

                    During their tenure, Boris and Lilly learn the importance of following rules and the hastiness of waste. In addition to a valuable lesson learned, the small fairlings are enamored with the production of fairy dust and its uses.

                   Amanda M. Thrasher makes Mischief in the Mushroom Patch easy to read for even the smallest of children but keeps the interest of even the eldest. I found these fairies, although, amusingly mischievous, to be the most polite of children I’ve ever read about.