Today, on Hook of a Book, I review a listener request sent in from Riya—Lily’s Promise, by Katheryn Erskine. This book is an amazing story of family, loyalty, and friendship. I would recommend it for anyone who wants a great book that will make them feel! If you have a book you want me to review on the show, email me at [email protected].

Today, I review a listener request sent in from Lucy, More to the Story, by Hena Khan. This book was so good, and I’m glad I can share it with you! Thirteen-year-old journalist Jameela Mirza wants to prove that she is worthy of the title of features editor for the school newspaper, but when her younger sister has serious health problems, her world is turned upside-down! Can Jameela piece it back together? If you have a book you want me to review on the show, email me at [email protected].

Today, on Hook of a Book, I reviewed The Thing I’m Most Afraid Of, a new book by Kristin Levine. Kristin Levine also wrote The Lions of Little Rock, which I reviewed on Hook of a Book’s very first episode. Anyway, it’s 1993. When 12-year-old Becca’s dad takes a job in Austria, Becca is worried. She has anxiety, and she is scared of airplanes, riding a bike, soft-boiled eggs, Ferris wheels, crowds, sickness, bruises….you get the idea. When Becca comes to visit her father, she finds that he has a new girlfriend, Katarina, whose son, Felix, prefers books to people. And, what’s more, Becca’s father found Becca and Felix an au pair for the summer, which is basically a very young nanny. Becca feels that she’s too old for a nanny, but her au pair, Sara, turns out to be a refugee who fled the Bosnian War. Sara doesn’t have a work permit, and she could get in a whole bunch of trouble if she is caught as an au pair. And Sara’s family is missing. Becca really wants to help Sara, but to do that she just might have to face some of her biggest fears.

If you have a book you want me to review on the show, email me at: [email protected]. You can also send in a voice message below!

Could you escape from a millionaire’s wacky library? Well, that’s precisely what Kyle has to do in Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. This is no ordinary library, though—it’s equipped with hover ladders, gaming rooms, and mysteries…and to win a fantastic prize of fame and glory, Kyle has to break out of the library in under 24 hours. Can he do it?

Email me! Send in your book requests to [email protected]. You can also send in a voice message that might be featured on a future episode!

Middle school can be weird, but Augusta (Gus for short) Reynolds doesn’t know how weird it will be until she starts sixth grade…and she meets a teacher with a baseball bat named Lorenzo, a kid who talks to his lunch box, Sadie Hawkins, a DJ, and her old best friend’s new best friend. And when Gus and her friends are wrongfully accused of something, can Gus prove them innocent?

Email me! Send in your book requests to [email protected]. You can also send in a voice message that might be featured on a future episode!

Today, on Hook of a Book, I review Dress Coded, by Carrie Firestone. I heard about this book from a friend, and OMG, it was amazing. When Molly’s friend is dress coded for wearing a tank top to school, Molly starts a podcast that shares stories of girls who have been dress coded. Her goal? To do away with the dress code, or at least revise it to make it less strict. The dress code targets certain girls’ bodies, and Molly disapproves. However, it isn’t as easy as Molly thought to start a revolution, and she has to deal with family troubles too—her older brother, Danny, vapes, and Danny tries to sell vape pods to middle schoolers. Meanwhile, more and more girls are being dress coded every day, and Molly is itching to do more than just a podcast. Can Molly help Danny and do away with the dress code? If you have a book you want me to review on the show, email me at: [email protected]. You can also send in a voice message that might be featured on a future episode! The link is below. Remember, stay safe, stay healthy, and keep on reading!

Today on Hook of a Book, I review A Place at the Table, by Laura Shovan and Saadia Faruqi. When Sara and Elizabeth are paired together in an after school cooking class, they don’t exactly hit it off at first. At all. Elizabeth finds Sara serious and not fun, and Sara, who’s Muslim, finds Elizabeth confusing and hard to predict. However, when the two girls try to come up with a unique, cross-culture dish, they become friends. Sadly, friendship comes with a price. Can the girls withstand haters, racism, and social challenges to build a better bond? This book was really awesome, and I read it for four hours straight one day! I highly recommend it. If you have a book you want me to review on the show, email me at [email protected]. You can also send in a voice message that might be featured on a future episode of Hook of a Book, just like Juniper and Bea’s was today! Remember, stay safe, stay healthy, and keep on reading!

Words can mean a lot. They can build you up or tear you down. The book Posted really makes you think about that! This book was a listener request, recommended by Claire. When Frost and his friends Wolf, Deedee, and Bench start leaving sticky notes around the school for each other when cell phones are banned, other students quickly catch on and start leaving notes of their own. However, the sticky notes soon become rude and mean, and Frost and his friends must put a stop to this before anyone is seriously hurt. Meanwhile, a new girl, Rose Holland, is changing the way the boys live. Can the friends stop the sticky note war and maintain their friendship? If you have a book you want me to review on the show, email me at: [email protected]. You can also send in a voice message! By the way, thank you to everyone who’s visited Hook of a Book’s Instagram. I love that you want to stay up-to-date with the podcast! Again, thank you to Claire for requesting that I review Posted. It really is a wonderful book, and I hope you check it out! Stay safe, stay healthy, and keep on reading! Ellie out!

Today, I review Holly Goldberg Sloan’s Counting By 7s! This book was incredibly good. When genius Willow’s parents die in a car crash, she has to readjust to life in a new way, living with her friend Mai, Mai’s mother, Pattie, and Mai’s brother, Quang-ha. However, soon Willow will be forced to go into the foster care system, and she doesn’t want that. Willow, Mai, Pattie, Quang-ha, and Willow’s counselor, Dell, and a taxi driver named Jairo have to band together to keep Willow from going into the foster care system. Can they successfully do that? If you have a book you want me to review on Hook of a Book, email me at: [email protected]. You can also send in a voice message! I’ve been hard at work reading all sorts of listener requests, and I’m excited to share more amazing books with you soon! Also, happy late Independence Day to all of my American listeners. I hope you enjoyed your 4th of July on Sunday, and have a great rest of the week! Remember, stay safe, stay healthy, and keep on reading!

When you live in the White House, every day is sure to be an adventure! Sisters Winnie and Ingrid have lived in the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, for eight years. Inauguration Day is approaching, and they’re getting ready to say goodbye to the home forever. When their dad, the president, makes a surprising announcement, the girls find that their last weeks in the White House are sure to be memorable! If you have a book you want me to review on the show, email me at [email protected]. Have a great week!