"Welcome to Camden Falls" by Ann M. Martin

For some reason I just didn't get into this series when it first came out. Pretty sure part of the reason is that it came out as I was making the transition from less juvenile books to more young adult books. Thankfully I have since come to my senses and can read just about anything now. Welcome to Camden Falls has a lot of charm and I was surprised at how strong the characters and the plot are.

Flora and Ruby are moving to Camden Falls to live with their grandmother after their parents are killed in a car accident. They are about to start their new lives in a new town. They spend their days in their grandmother's sewing store, Needle and Thread and making new friends, particularly with a neighbor named Olivia. The focus of the book is on these girls, with a few chapters from the point of view of Nikki, a girl whose family is very poor which in part is responsible for her lack of friends. The book also spends some time with several of Flora and Ruby's new neighbors and in doing so gives us insight into their lives in a way that I really hope we see more of these characters in the later books in this series as Martin sets up what could be some very interesting plot lines.

I liked this book and the characters quite a bit. Though the setting itself is rather calm, there is more conflict than I expected and can tell that there is a lot of potential for this to be a strong series. I am curious though, since it is a rather short series (by BSC standards anyway) I hope that there are enough books to cover all of the plots that are suggested in the first book. I will certainly be finishing this series!



Happy Reading!
-Melly

“Ten Rules for Living with My Sister” by Ann M. Martin

Picture it: I’m walking into the post office, dreading checking the box because I figure there will be nothing more than junk and bills. So imagine my surprise when I find no bills and an ARC of Ann M. Martin’s Ten Rules for Living with My Sister. Then imagine the looks of random strangers as a half run, half dance back out to my truck (what can I say, I love Martin’s books more than just about anything).

Fans of Martin’s Baby-Sitter Little Sister series will likely enjoy this book. It follows Pearl, a fourth-grade girl growing up in Manhattan. Pearl’s only real friends are her cat Bitey and her first grade neighbor. She enjoys making crafts and (though not always intentionally) annoying her older sister Lexie. Pearl keeps an ongoing list comparing herself to her sister, for instance, Lexie has a boyfriend and she doesn’t. The girls must learn to get along when their grandfather moves from his home in New Jersey to their New York apartment- meaning the sisters now have to share bedrooms! This book is just what I expected; lighthearted, but with many lessons for young readers. I would recommend it for girls around 1-4 grades and if readers like this book, it is likely they will enjoy Martin’s The Doll People series, Main Street series, Belle Teal, and A Corner of the Universe. In addition, readers who just can’t get enough of Ann M. Martin’s books should check out The Baby-Sitters Club series (check out used bookstores for books that haven’t been reprinted yet).













Happy Reading!
-Melly