Cesaria Feels the Beat by Denise Rosario Adusei

Cesaria Feels the Beat - 40 pages

Denise Rosario Adusei, Priscila Soares (Illustrator)

Summary (From Goodreads)

Cesaria is going to perform for the seaside Carnival. She skips past the beach barefoot, dressed in her favorite peacock leotard.

But when her dance director tells her she must put on her shoes to go on stage, Cesaria signs, “Peacocks don’t wear shoes!”

You see, Cesaria hears the music through the soles of her feet, but no one seems to understand…

…That is, until all the dancers take off their shoes, and learn to feel the music, just like Cesaria.

Review

A nice story about experiencing the world through another point of view.  The author includes a story in the back about her deaf cousin that inspired her to write this book.  

The Scooter Twins by Dorothy Ellen Palmer

The Scooter Twins - 32 pages

Dorothy Ellen Palmer, Maria Sweeney (Illustrator)

Summary (From Goodreads)

Melanie and Melvin may be twins, but they couldn’t be more different. Melanie is LOUD and Melvin is quiet. Melvin likes frogs and Melanie loves MOTORCYCLES! When the twins learn that they will get their very own mobility scooters, Melanie is excited to race to school, but Melvin is worried he’ll fall ― and that people will stare. And there’s a Grandma can’t afford the scooters without selling one of Mom’s treasured paintings, one of the only things the twins have left to remember their parents. In the process of getting their scooters, Melanie and Melvin have to navigate challenges that people with disabilities face on a daily rudeness from a store clerk and products that aren’t made with kids in mind. But in the end, Melanie and Melvin choose scooters that are just right for them and make moving through their neighborhood a new adventure. 

Review

This one was as informative as it was bittersweet.  To my knowledge, the author is herself a mobility scooter user.  

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters #1) by Talia Hibbert, 373 p. 

"Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with six directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamourous family’s mansion. 

But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…"--Amazon blurb

This spicy romance was a fun, quick read. Hibbert has great character development, though the plot was nothing new. I felt like there were three very defined acts and you knew exactly what was going to happen. However, I did enjoy myself and I will continue the series. 

Out of My Heart by Sharon Draper

Out of My Heart by Sharon Draper 342 pages Melody faces her fears to follow her passion in this stunning sequel to the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling middle grade novel Out of My Mind. Melody, the huge-hearted heroine of Out of My Mind, is a year older, and a year braver. And now with her Medi-talker, she feels nothing's out of her reach, not even summer camp. There have to be camps for differently-abled kids like her, and she's going to sleuth one out. A place where she can trek through a forest, fly on a zip line, and even ride on a horse! A place where maybe she really can finally make a real friend, make her own decisions, and even do things on her own - the dream! By the light of flickering campfires and the power of thunderstorms, through the terror of unexpected creatures in cabins and the first sparkle of a crush, Melody's about to discover how brave and strong she really is. It was great to read about Melody again. I REALLY enjoyed the first book in the series. This book was not as suspenseful as the first one. I still enjoyed reading about Melody, but wish there would have been more to the story, it was very slow to start.