Book Review: Unruly Julie by Alan Moss

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Unruly Julie  by Alan Moss  is a children's picture book with an expected publication date of January 28, 2025. This rhyming kids book is about a girl named Julie who gets herself into trouble by being mischievous before finally realizing she wants to behave like a proper little girl. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Troubador Publishing Ltd. for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Unruly Julie  for free in exchange for my honest review. I found the title and cover of the book to be quite catchy and wanted to see what it was all about, and it didn't disappoint. The content of the story was quite catchy and memorable, and the illustrations were quite fun. The lesson was a passive lesson that I hope children will pick up on as it's an important one. It's just an all around fun book that's appropriate for children between the ages of three and five. Five out of five stars is what I give Unruly Julie  by Alan Moss. This is a first in a series that kid...
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Book Review: Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau

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Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau is a coming of age novel taking place in Baltimore, Maryland.

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau is a coming of age novel taking place in Baltimore, Maryland. During the 1970's, fourteen year old Mary Jane is caught in the middle of her family's conservative ideals and the progressive ideals of the Cone family where she is a summer nanny. Mary Jane is a sheltered teen who enjoys cooking with her mother, listening to Broadway Show Tunes, and singing in the church choir. On the first day of work, she is shocked at the mess in the Cone's home and introduces them to home cooked meals and keeping the house clean. In return, Mary Jane gets a front row seat to sex, drugs, and rock & roll.

This novel was the selected for the book club I belong to. Again, this is a novel that I likely wouldn't have chosen to read on my own, but I was glad I did. Mary Jane is the first novel I've read by Jessica Anya Blau, and I was impressed with her storytelling. 

Touching on race, class, and stereotypes, along with drugs and infidelity, it reminded me that there are people who still hold the conservative beliefs that many held in the 1970's. I loved the fact that Mary Jane was exposed to different viewpoints that she normally didn't hear and began to question the world around her, eventually leading to her developing her own opinions. Jessica Anya Blau got the tone and perspective of a teenager perfect in my opinion. Although the story is told from a child's perspective, it is not suitable for young children to read.

Some might find the beginning of the story a bit slow like I did, but as the story developed, I found it to be more interesting and couldn't wait to find out how the tale would unfold. The majority of the characters were likable and most were well developed. I found myself caring what would happen to them, even the ones I didn't particularly like. I wasn't sure if Mary Jane would have an ending I would enjoy, but surprisingly, I was satisfied with how the author wrapped it up.

All in all, I gave Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau four out of five stars. I will likely read other novels written by this author, and I would love to see her write a sequel to this book.


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