Rambles of a SAHM

Samantha Sanderson Off The Record

Samantha Sanderson, Book 3

Robin Caroll

Juvenile Fiction (ages 8-12)

SAMANTHA SANDERSON

Is an independent, resourceful, high-tech cheerleader. She dreams of becoming an award-winning journalist like her mother, so she's always looking for articles she can publish in her middle-school paper (where she secretly hopes to become editor in chief). And with a police officer for a father, Sam is in no short supply of writing material.

SOMETIMES DECISIONS ARE

ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE.

When the school's grades are tampered with, Samantha Sanderson must enlist her best friend Makayla's help in hacking the system to discover the virus that was used and who committed the crime. But when the lead suspect is her newfound friend, Felicia, Sam must choose whether to stick by her friend at all cost or report the story as she sees it.

My Thoughts
Samantha Sanderson Off The Record is book three in Robin Caroll's tween fiction series and I am liking the developing story lines more and more. The books are targeted at the eight to twelve-year-old and I think they hit the mark.
Samantha and her BFF, Makayla, are smart girls with kind hearts but they also have flaws that make the stories relatable to the intended audience. In Off The Record the entire student body is awaiting their report cards. Unfortunately when the cards arrive there are big problems. Every single student at the middle-school has messed up grades. It is quickly determined that the computer system must have a virus. But who infected the system, and why? Of course this is breaking news and Samantha is quick to jump on it. That leads to even more animosity with the school paper's editor and arch nemesis of Samantha, Aubrey Damas.
In each of the Samantha Sanderson books there is a specific Scripture reference that the author focuses on. This one is Matthew 22:39, "Love your neighbor as yourself." It was nice to see Samantha not only learn to apply it to her literal next door neighbor, but also to those around her.
One of the reasons that I have enjoyed these books is the fact that they don't dumb down the information for the reader. This book has a lot of computer information that the average person probably doesn't know. But the dialogue is written in a way that the reader can learn about and understand what is going on. What a bonus . . . reading for fun and knowledge!
If you have a tween girl I think you should take a look at not only this book but the entire series. Technically the books can be read as stand-alone titles but if your girl intends to read them all it would be better to read them in order because there is a bit of the story-line that continues through each individual novel.
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Chopstick

Forever Friends, Book 1

Two girls each have friends, family, and crushes rooting for them. But they can't both win - someone must lose and disappoint those counting on her.

Paige Winsome has always been in the shadow of her athletic brother and academic sister and, as a result, is often overlooked. She's committed money to helping stray animals before they are put down - money she does not now have.

Kate Kennedy, a pastor's daughter and only child, receives plenty of praise and attention for her voice, but her family struggles to make ends meet and must constantly accept others' charity - and put downs. She agreed to buy Christmas gifts for needy kids who will get nothing otherwise, but needs the funds to buy them.

No sooner do Paige and Kate meet and become fast friends than they discover they're competing for the same $400 singer/songwriter prize. Each girl sees this contest as an answer to her problem. Can their fast friendship survive the stress of competition? After all, only one can win ...

Red Velvet

Forever Friends, Book 2

Is she making her mom happy, or giving her permission to die?

Quinn Miller and her family are heading to Seattle for a six-week stay at Anderson House—a home away from home for cancer patients and their families—while her mother undergoes treatment. Once there, Quinn meets Annie, whose mom is also going through treatment. Each girl discovers that she has something special to share with the other, including Starbucks, shopping, and secrets about boys.

When Quinn reads her mother's teen-years diary, she comes across a list of things her mom has wanted to do before she dies. Quinn wants to help her mom accomplish all these things, but will doing so be giving her mom permission to die?

Daisy Chains

Forever Friends, Book 3

There's nothing like helping in a super dreamy wedding to make a girl think about romance, best friends, and just maybe, her faith.

Kylie Peterson and Rachel Cohen become fast friends when both are invited to help out with a wedding. Kylie's cousin Jed is marrying Rachel's cousin Davina, and Jed asks the girls to help with the flowers - in secret. It doesn't hurt that some cute guys are involved!

Kylie figures she was born a Christian, like the rest of her family, but maybe that's not actually true? Rachel is hurt—did her cousin Davina stop being Jewish when she became a Messianic believer? As the girls grow in friendship they uncover some remarkable truths, truths that will challenge their families, their friendship, and themselves.

My thoughts:

If you are looking for a great series for your tween girl, you can count on Sandra Byrd to deliver. Sandra's style of writing really strikes a cord with young girls. She does a great job of addressing tough subjects and letting the light of God shine through bringing about a needed hope in the face of dire situations. The beauty of her writing is that she also brings a lot of humor to the books which give them a nice balance of entertainment as well as depth.

I think it would be a great idea to read this series along with your daughter and then use it as a springboard for some very meaningful conversations. My daughter and I enjoyed many of Sandra's books while she was growing up. I am now eagerly anticipating introducing my grand girls to these thoroughly intriguing characters.

All three of the books are available in ebook formats from Amazon.

The Giveaway:

We have joined up with Sandra Byrd to bring you a fabulous giveaway! One of our readers will win an ecopy of the complete Forever Friends Series for their Kindle. Plus we are also including a Forever Friends necklace for your tween girl to share with her BFF. If you would like to enter please use the Rafflecopter form below.

The giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will run through midnight on Wednesday, September 3, 2014. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. The winner will be contacted by email and will have forty-eight hours to claim the prize. If unclaimed, a new winner will be drawn. The winners’ entries will be verified. Please enter the contest using the Rafflecopter form below. All entries are optional.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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