Mini Reviews: Ask Me by Kimberly Pauley and When Audrey Met Alice by Rebecca Behrens

From Goodreads: Ask Aria Morse anything, and she must answer with the truth. Yet she rarely understands the cryptic words she‘s compelled to utter. Blessed - or cursed - with the power of an Oracle who cannot decipher her own predictions, she does her best to avoid anyone and everyone. But Aria can no longer hide when Jade, one of the few girls at school who ever showed her any kindness, disappears. Any time Aria overhears a question about Jade, she inadvertently reveals something new, a clue or hint as to why Jade vanished. But like stray pieces from different puzzles, her words never present a clear picture. Then there’s Alex, damaged and dangerous, but the first person other than Jade to stand up for her. And Will, who offers a bond that seems impossible for a girl who’s always been alone. Both were involved with Jade. Aria may be the only one who can find out what happened, but the closer she gets to solving the crime, the more she becomes a target. Not everyone wants the truth to come out. 

My Rating: 4 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Ask Me by Kimberly Pauley was a thriller I enjoyed. Although a lot of people may find who the killer is to be very obvious, it took me a while to venture a guess as to who the murderer could be; and only when Aria figured out her own riddle did all the clues really fall into place for me.

Besides the good mystery, I liked Aria. I found it very easy to sympathize with her frustration of being an oracle and having to answer any question she overhears, her loneliness due to being considered a freak by her classmates, and her desire to be normal.  

Ask Me will be released by Soho Teen on April 8, 2014. 

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Soho Teen) for free via Edelweiss.

.................................................................................................. 

From Goodreads: First Daughter Audrey Rhodes can't wait for the party she has planned for Friday night. The decorations are all set and the pizza is on its way. But the Secret Service must be out to ruin her life, because they cancel at the last minute for a "security breach," squashing Audrey's chances for making any new friends. What good is having a bowling alley if you don't have anyone to bowl with? Audrey is ready to give up and spend the next four years totally friendless - until she discovers Alice Roosevelt's hidden diary. The former first daughter's outrageous antics give Audrey a ton of ideas for having fun ... and more problems than she can handle.  

My Rating: 3.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: When Audrey Met Alice by Rebecca Behrens was a nice MG read, which imagines what life as a First Daughter is like in modern times and contrasts it with the fictional – though based upon much research – diary chronicling Alice Roosevelt’s experience as a First Daughter in 1901. I liked seeing how similarly restricted both girls felt but also discovering how much more freedom the First Daughter would have had just a century ago.

Since I don’t know much about American history (being a Canadian, duh!), I enjoyed learning about Alice Roosevelt. While I liked Audrey, she seemed very young (which isn’t surprising because she’s only thirteen) and not as interesting in comparison to the sixteen-year-old Alice.

When Audrey Met Alice was released by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky in February 2014. 

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Raincoast Books) for free.

Guest Post: Rebecca Behrens

First Daughter Audrey Rhodes is convinced that living in the White House is like being permanently grounded. Except with better security. What good is having your own bowling alley if you don’t have anyone to play with? After the Secret Service cancels the party she'd spent forever planning, Audrey is ready to give up and spend the next four years totally friendless - until she discovers Alice Roosevelt’s hidden diary. Alice was a White House wild child, and her diary tells all about her outrageous turn-of-the-century exploits, like shocking State visitors with her pet snake and racking up speeding tickets in her runabout. Audrey starts asking herself: What Would Alice Do? The former First Daughter’s outrageous antics give Audrey a ton of ideas for having fun ... and get her into more trouble than she can handle!

Today, I'd like to welcome Rebecca Behrens, the author of When Audrey Met Alice to my blog. Rebecca is here to talk about whose name she would have used when she was a tween if she had to ask herself, "What would ______ do? 

In When Audrey Met Alice, Audrey finds inspiration in former First Daughter Alice Roosevelt’s wild antics and high spirits. Struggling to find her place in the White House and the world, she asks herself, What Would Alice Do? But if I’d asked myself What Would ______ Do? when I was a tween, whose name would I have used?

I was Audrey’s age during the Clinton presidency, so I might’ve asked myself What Would Chelsea Do? And for a bookish, slightly shy kid like myself, Chelsea would probably be a better fit than Alice Roosevelt! Chelsea was just twelve years old when the Clinton family moved into the White House in 1992. She lived a fairly quiet life there with her parents and Socks the cat, although once in a while she was photographed at public events or walking home from a high-profile trip to the bookstore. But Chelsea did have some fun while she lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. She recently revealed on The Rachael Ray Show that she had her first kiss while living in the White House, which led to a First Boyfriend, too.

Some mid-nineties fictional characters might’ve inspired my actions a little more. When I was a tween, one of my favorite TV shows was The X-Files, and I was a huge fan of Agent Scully. She was smart, brave, and independent - and I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. (Well, except for some of the scarier paranormal stuff.) In fact, my best friend and I were convinced that the unoccupied house next door to hers was haunted. We asked ourselves What Would Scully Do?, and spent our free time skulking around it investigating, even trying to find ways to sneak inside - until the new owners moved in.

Tween-me did ask What Would Clarissa Do? to inspire how I dressed. And thanks to Clarissa Explains It All’s unique ‘90s style, that meant a lot of bright colors, scrunchies, and occasionally crimped hair.

As a teenager, I found more inspiration from Daria Morgendorffer and Jane Lane of MTV’s Daria. That’s still one of my favorite shows. Daria didn’t teach me how to snark, but the show definitely encouraged me to embrace it.

If I were a teenager today, I’d probably be inspired by talented young actresses like Jennifer Lawrence and writer/bloggers like Tavi Gevinson (of Rookie). And I like to think that tween-me would be inspired by prominent women in politics and government today, such as Hillary Clinton, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Gabrielle Giffords, and Olympia Snowe - grownup-me admires them. I also think Diana Nyad is a great role model - she’s the world record long-distance swimmer who finally completed her goal of swimming (without a protective shark cage!) from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Florida last year - 35 years after her first attempt, and at age 64. That’s stick-to-itiveness! Whenever I feel like things are not necessarily going according to my plans, I ask myself, What Would Diana Nyad Do? She’d keep on swimming. 

Thanks for dropping by, Rebecca! 

A bit about Rebecca (as found on her website): Growing up in Wisconsin, Rebecca Behrens dreamed of becoming the following: a zoologist, an Olympic swimmer, or an author. One out of three isn’t bad! Today she lives in New York City, where she works as a production editor for children’s books. Some of her favorite things are: the beach, bright shoes, running, doughnuts, and laughing.