"Sunny Diary 3" by Ann M. Martin

Remember what is probably the saddest Baby-Sitters Club book, Claudia and the Sad Good-bye? Well, Sunny Diary 3 is worse. As readers, we have known for quite some time that Sunny's mom hasn't been doing well. Sunny's entire story in the California Diaries revolves on the decisions she makes because her mom has cancer. So you would think that I could get through this book without tearing up since there is so much preparation for the end, but even now, I can't. This is probably the most painful book written by Martin. Sunny's emotions are so raw and so real. Even when she is writing in her journal and gets sidetracked, I believe that. This book truly feels like someone's diary and the things they would write about when going through such an experience.

I know this is the only CD book I have reviewed at this point, but I must warn you: do not read this one without read the others first. At the very least, read Dawn and Sunny's other books before reading this one as there is so much back story that lead up to this book. Sunny has changed so much since her first appearance in the BSC books and readers who aren't used to her new persona will certainly be taken aback (though this is something that I love so much about this series. For the first time, we actually get to see people in the BSC universe grow and change and not reset a few books later).

 I remember reaching my early teens and realizing that I was relating more to the problems faced in the CD  universe than those in the BSC. Re-reading them as an adult, it is a little shocking to see the major differences between the two series. The BSC is aimed for a much younger reader and the problems almost always go away at the end of the book (and they are usually a lot less scary). The CD involve underage drinking, stalking, and major death (which the BSC did touch on, both with Mimi and Amelia, but both were less impactful to me because a) Mimi was unfortunately old and had fallen into bad health, so while I was saddened, I wasn't surprised and b) we didn't know Amelia so again, it was sad, but her death wasn't as painful as it could have been). It's like California is a totally different universe compared to Stoneybrook, but I think this is good. The CD are great for BSC fans to transition into some more mature topics and get them comfortable as they start looking for other books outside of the BSC series. And they are a must read for BSC fans that haven't read them yet!

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket

I'm happy to say that this series held up wonderfully! I started reading it for the first time not too long after the movie came out (so at that point, books 1 through 11 were out). I devoured the beginning of the series and then waited impatiently for the later books in the series to be returned/for Christmas morning as I had asked for the books. I specifically listened to The Slippery Slope on audio because that was available at the library (and Tim Curry is an excellent choice as narrator by the way). As the last two books came out, I got copies as soon as possible and read them like a crazy woman. It's sad to me that there doesn't seem to be as much interest in this series like there used to be, because I still think they are excellent. 

Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire have just be orphaned and sent to live with Count Olaf. Instead of taking care of the children, Olaf comes up with one scheme after another to rob them of their fortune. They are then sent from one guardian to another, but no one is successful at taking care of these children. Thankfully, the Baudelaire's are the some of the smartest and resourceful children around. I think this series is great for kids that are beginning to become more confident with their reading. The books have quite a bit of humor in them (an on going joke within the book is just how horrible they are and that the reader should stop reading them immediately). One of my favorite parts of the series is how new words are introduced. Lemony Snicket does not shy away from using longer, more complicated words, but often points them out with the phrase "a word which here means..." Sometimes the definition is useful, sometimes it't not, but this technique is an interesting one. I was a teenager the first time I read these books, but even I learned a decent number of new words when I read this series (penultimate, for example). 

It seems that popularity of these books has dropped since the series ended, which is really a shame. I never pass up an opportunity to encourage kids to read these books. They are great for both boys and girls and would even be a great series to read as a family. If you haven't read these book yet, you are really missing out (and though changes are made, the movies isn't bad either)!

Happy Reading!

-Melly