Tag: fiction

The Hashtag Hunt

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Lauren is on a mission. She’s a contestant in the Hashtag Hunt, a photo scavenger hunt with a $10,000 grand prize. The fifth hashtag challenges her to find a #HottieinTheWild… and then she gets caught taking Brenner’s picture.

Brenner is waiting on a friend to arrive, minding his own business, when someone points out the lady across the bar taking his picture. He rolls with it… and before he knows it, he is offering to help Lauren find the perfect picture for hashtag number six.

The Hashtag Hunt takes place over a ten-hour time span, following Lauren, Brenner, and their friends as they race the clock to find the perfect items for the competition. This is a fun, light read that will suck you in from the very first chapter.

What I loved most:

Y’ALL. I CAN’T EVEN with how much I loved this book. It was an absolute breath of fresh air in this hot mess of a year. The characters were so fun, and the plot was so easy to sink into. Plus, it’s a clean adult romance. I love romance books, and it’s so darn rare to find one that’s clean!

I read this for my first ever book club, which I am doing with my Phi Mu alumnae sisters. Kristina Seek was kind enough to join our zoom book discussion meetings, and I legit fangirled all over her because the book was just that good. I promise you, this will be one of the best books you read this year.

Read this book if you like:

Sweet romances, relatable characters, Hallmark movies, strong friendship bonds

Book details:

  • Author: Kristina Seek
  • Publisher: Independently published
  • Date of Publication: December 9, 2018
  • Interest Level: Late high school to Adult

The Hippo at the End of the Hall

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

When Ben receives a mysterious invitation to the Gee Museum, he has to investigate. For some reason, the pictures on the invitation stir up memories of his long-lost father. But that wouldn’t make sense, as he’s been gone for so long. When Ben arrives at the museum, it’s old and run-down, and the posted hours indicate that it’s barely open. But when he steps inside, he walks into a world of talking animals, magic, and adventure. Will he be able to save the museum from a nefarious developer and the owner of the other museum in town? The animals from the museum seem to think it’s his destiny.

What I loved most:

If you crossed the fever-dream quality of Alice in Wonderland with the vivid imagery of The Chronicles of Narnia, you’d get The Hippo at the End of the Hall. Magic abounds in this adventure, in a way that would be absolutely entrancing to kids. This is also a highly illustrated book, and the beautiful sketches help bring the characters to life.

Read this book if you like:

Adventures, magic, long-lost families, stories of destiny

Book details:

Rival Magic

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Antonia is serving as an apprentice to Master Betrys, a super-talented wizard. While Antonia has read all of the spell books she can get her hands on, and flawlessly recites complex spells… the power of her spells doesn’t seem to match the power of her knowledge of spells. And then everything gets way worse when some scullery maid girl named Moppe turns out to be super powerful, and now Antonia is competing for Master Betrys’s attention. When Master Betrys and her apprentices are accused of treason, will Moppe and Antonia be able to get over their differences? They’ll have to go on a quest, face creatures they thought were just legends, and not get petrified while they’re at it. This was such a fun middle-grade book!

What I loved most:

I really love when children’s authors find a way to write in beautiful prose that’s accessible to young readers. Listen to this gorgeous excerpt:

“From this perch high on the mountainside, the scattered fishing boats were like children’s toys bobbing across the blue. Far away but ever-present, the sea filled my vision, wrapping half the horizon in turquoise and azure. I’d never seen my home like this. It made something catch in my throat. Awe. Or maybe thankfulness. It was so beautiful.”

(Rival Magic, Chapter 9)

COME ON. The imagery. The actual picture painted in your head. This is the kind of thing that really pulls a kid into a story – when you feel like you’re seeing what the characters are seeing. I’ve read a lot of adult authors who do this well, but it seems harder to execute successfully for children. Absolutely gorgeous.

Read this book if you like:

Friendship stories, celebrating unique strengths, celebrating differences, teamwork, magic, fantasy creatures, quests

Book details:

  • Author: Deva Fagan
  • Publisher: Atheneum
  • Date of Publication: April 2020
  • Age Recommendation: 4th – 6th grade
  • Look up Rival Magic on WorldCat to find it at library near you!