"Each Little Bird That Sings" by Deborah Wiles

You know a book is good if you cry while reading it. I mean like really, truly sob. Even if you don't like to cry in books, you should read this one. Comfort Snowberger, who is our main character (All of the characters in this book have funny and unique names -- that's one of the coolest parts), lives in a funeral home. It's true -- her family runs a funeral business. She thinks she knows how to deal with death. But does she really? Please (please, please, please) read the book to find out!


Appropriate for: advanced young readers and teens
Rating: Must read

"Spilling Ink" by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter

This is my first "must read" book yet! (They're a little hard to come by, but when you find one, it's pretty amazing.) And believe me, this "young writer's handbook" definitely deserves it -- even if you aren't a writer. I mean, who hasn't wondered, just once, how a writer's mind works when they're reading? This book creatively incorporates good pointers on writing and examples of well-written pieces in a funny and ultimately entertaining book. Even though it is a handbook, you can still read it cover-to-cover (like I did)!

Appropriate for: advanced young readers and teens
Rating: Must read for writers, pretty good for everyone else

"Fracture" by Megan Miranda

I'm glad I found this one because it demonstrates exactly what this blog is for -- to find undiscovered little gems of literature. In the beginning, I sort of wished certain parts would be omitted so that "advanced young readers" could read it too, but then I realized that the overall theme and demeanor of the novel wouldn't really play well with the younger audience. "Fracture" is about a teen called Delaney. She drowns in a lake when she is playing with her friend, but miraculously survives. However, she now knows that her survival comes at a cost. This book is spooky, creepy, heart wrenching, and heartwarming all at the same time. A good read, just take it seriously!

Appropriate for: older teens and adults
Rating: pretty good

"The Two Princesses of Bamarre" by Gail Carson Levine

For all the "Ella Enchanted" fans out there, this book is for you! Gail Carson Levine again pulls readers into her mythical world, where we follow princesses Addie and Meryl in their adventures. I really enjoy this author's style of writing and her unique ideas. However, although I might be a little biased, I think I liked Ella Enchanted more!

Appropriate for: advanced young readers, teens, and adults

Rating: meh

Anatomy of a blog entry

Each book review will be a few sentences plus some information on who it is appropriate for and how I think it rates:

Appropriate for: advanced young readers, teens, adults, all three
Rating: Must read, pretty good, meh, don't bother

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! As you know, the name of my blog is "Blog Story Short." I believe that what everyone needs now is not long, elaborate book reviews -- we need something short and sweet. Plus, one of the great things about loving to read is finding new books that no one knows about. Books can be anything from amazing to total garbage, and really, who wants to read a bad book? So I'll tell you which ones to read and which ones to, well, not. That's all for now, so come back for my very first book review! Enjoy!