Harry Potter Inspired Recipe: Butterbeer

    Recently, I looked through the Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook, and it was very cool to see all of the recipes that come up in the Harry Potter books. Unfortunately, the cookbook didn't have butterbeer, the drink that Harry and his friends enjoy when they go into the Wizarding village of Hogsmeade. So instead, we decided to find a recipe for butterbeer online and make it. It turned out really well, so I wanted to share the recipe and how we made it, as well as how it turned out on this blog! 
    The recipe came off of delish.com and can be found here. It is not my recipe, we just decided to use it. So without further ado, here is the recipe and my review:

Ingredients Needed (makes four servings):

• 4 cans of cream soda (1 for each serving)
• 1/4 cup of butterscotch syrup 
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup of melted butter

Directions:

1) In a large bowl, combine the cream soda and butterscotch syrup and stir them together. (This is the drink part and is incredibly easy)

2) In a mixer/different bowl, beat the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in the sugar and the vanilla, then the melted butter until no longer streaky. (This is the topping part and is a bit harder)

3) Pour the butterbeer into glasses and then put the cream mixture on top.

(The picture is my own)

    All in all, the butterbeer did not take that long to make, and the ingredients were pretty easy to obtain (except for the butterscotch syrup, but we ended up ordering it off of Amazon). The butterbeer looked amazing and tasted amazing too, although personally, I feel like it was really rich so you could actually divide it up into more than four servings because I didn't finish all of mine and it's pretty hard to save it. I would definitely recommend making this recipe if you or someone you know is a fan of Harry Potter!

Sophia's War Review

Sophia's War

Author: Avi

Publisher: Beach Lane Books

Synopsis:

    It is 1776, and Sophia Calderwood and her parents are returning to New York City after the British have occupied it and burned half of it to the ground. Sophia hopes to get news of her brother William, who is serving in the Continental Army. Before she can, however, a British officer by the name of John André is ordered to move into their home. Sophia, although only twelve, develops an infatuation with André. 

    Around this same time, Sophia discovers that her brother has been captured by the British and is being held on the Good Intent, a ship where many American soldiers that have been captured by the British are being kept. Conditions are not good. Smallpox runs rampant, thousands die, there are little blankets, food, and water. Sophia vows to avenge the men in those ships. 

    Four years later, in 1780, she gets the chance. A man by the name of Robert Townsend comes to her and asks Sophia if she'll work for him as an American spy. She'll be a servant in the house of a British general and collect information that will help the Americans win the war. Sophia agrees, and begins work right away. 

    But once Sophia begins her spying, she realizes that there are plans to capture West Point, an American fort that, if lost, could cost the Americans the war. There is an American traitor and a British officer that have plans to meet and during this meeting, the American traitor will tell the British officer the weaknesses of the American fort. What's more, the identity of the traitor to the Americans is so shocking that no one would believe Sophia if she told them.

    So Sophia sets out to stop this meeting from happening. She is alone, because who would believe a fifteen-year-old girl with no evidence? 

    What happens next will change the course of American history.

My thoughts:

    I had read this book a couple of years ago, but forgot how good it was until I reread it! Sophia is a relatable character, and the way the story is told is very unique. I also learned a lot about the British occupation of New York and the prison ships that the Continental soldiers were kept on. 

    This book is a page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat, waiting to know what happened next (even though because it was historical fiction I already knew how events were eventually going to play out). 

    One thing that I didn't like was how the phrasing of the book seemed a little bit formal, but not so much that it was boring. It seemed like if there was a younger reader reading this book, they might stop reading because of that, but other than that, I really enjoyed this book.

    This book is middle grade, although I highly recommend it for all ages!

    Rating: 5 out of 5 stars! 

Halloween Books to Read if You Don't Like Horror

    I always want to get into the spirit of Halloween and read some Halloween books, but I don't like to read horror. I get scared easily and have an overactive imagination and you can bet when I'm trying to fall asleep I'll start thinking about that time when the character heard footsteps behind them and no one was there. If you're like me and can't stand horror, I've compiled a list of books to read during October. And if you do like horror, feel free to comment your favorite horror book!

• Ghosts, by Raina Telgemeir (middle grade)

    When sisters Cat and Maya move to a new town in Northern California, they realize that there are ghosts in their town.

(Scare factor: the ghosts are more cute than scary)

• The Shiver trilogy, by Maggie Stiefvater (YA)

    When Grace Brisbane discovers that the wolves that live in the woods by her house are werewolves, her life changes forever.

• The Raven Cycle, by Maggie Stiefvater (YA)

    Blue Sargent, the ungifted daughter of a psychic, encounters four boys who are searching for an ancient medieval king, Owen Glendower.

(The photo features the Shiver trilogy and The Raven Cycle, as well as The Scorpio Races, also by Maggie Stiefvater, but not included in this list)

• The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling (all ages)

    The series follows the adventures of Harry Potter, a wizard, from the time he is eleven until he is seventeen and his quest to defeat Lord Voldemort.

(The photo doesn't contain the whole series, and the quote on the bookmark is wrong, but you get the idea)

    I hope you enjoyed my list of books to read around Halloween time if you don't like horror. If you have any other books that you think I should have included, feel free to leave a comment!

Every Soul A Star Book Trailer

    If you've read all my blog posts, you'd know that I absolutely love the book Every Soul A Star and think that everyone should read it. So of course when the opportunity presented itself, I made a book trailer for it! In addition, I have the image links below the trailer.

Image Links:

• The music was prerecorded from WeVideo

http://s3.amazonaws.com/digitaltrends-uploads-prod/2017/01/telescope.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/eb/55/2e/eb552eb961e054a0f6b978586f6ffb40.jpg

http://wwwcdn.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/uploads/solar-eclipse-stages-01-600px.jpg

https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/t/milky-way-silhouette-standing-sporty-girl-landscape-vibrant-colorful-night-sky-stars-raised-up-arms-75155596.jpg

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1687348/images/o-TEEN-GIRLS-MAKEUP-facebook.jpg

http://media.istockphoto.com/photos/teenager-boy-smiling-outdoors-in-park-picture-id503117826?k=6&m=503117826&s=612x612&w=0&h=hhUhNaNwVB0ws-wIAL9Pp_q6oO3C3KIh8t6Xq7tboXE=

http://www.fremontbeautycollege.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/20-Bestsellers-From-NYX-You-Need-To-Try-Right-Now.jpg

http://media.istockphoto.com/photos/waiting-picture-id104090446?k=6&m=104090446&s=612x612&w=0&h=hUM3IAOvh-tjnPzDeZk_3lVpaDqOq_A1b8_5an_zYC4=

https://pencils.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/PR_Palomino_Pencil_Action_187_F.jpg

http://www.oktours.com/images/default-source/default-album/ok-tours-bus32ec0285e4ca6eaf817aff0000c284ba.jpg?sfvrsn=29266c90_0

https://c.tadst.com/gfx/750w/partial-solar-eclipse-clouds.jpg?1

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/G10m2ZZRH4U/maxresdefault.jpg

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41QQ%2BIxZLrL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

Every Soul A Star Appreciation Post

    I think I put Every Soul A Star on my post Middle Grade Books to Read This Summer, but I just put a brief synopsis of it. In case you've forgotten, here it is:
Realistic fiction coming-of-age story, told through the perspective of 3 young teenagers who all end up at the Moon Shadow campground to witness a total eclipse of the sun.
    The eclipse is fictional by the way, but the Great American Solar Eclipse is coming up on August 21st. The total eclipse (the whole sun covered by the moon) can only be viewed in certain areas. Learn more about the eclipse here. 
    Anyway, Every Soul A Star deserves a lot more attention and readers. Here's why:

The characters are very relatable (yes, even the one who lives at a campground in the middle of nowhere).
    Even though the three main characters are not going to be just like you, their struggles and feelings are ones you can feel too. Not to mention that they are all very different characters, so it's amazing that the author was able to do that.

It teaches you a lot about astronomy.
    Never heard of exoplanets, the Messier objects or don't know any constellations? That's okay, this book will explain it all, while still moving forward with the story. In fact, I'm almost certain that this book is the one that got me into astronomy.

It has a good message.
    Or messages. What the characters learn throughout the book is valuable, and they are all much changed by the end. 

It's long enough to tell a good story and short enough that it doesn't take that long to read.
    I mean, that's bad news if you wanted the story to continue, but... 

    Every Soul A Star is an amazing book! I wish there was a sequel and I think that anyone looking for a good book to read who thinks this book would be interesting should read it!
 

How to Put off Reading A Bad Book

Do you hate the feeling of knowing that this book is bad? Do you want to find out what happens to the characters but you just can't stomach one more badly-written phrase? Yeah, me too (it's happening to me right now, in fact). Here's what I do to keep from reading the book:

DNF (do not finish) it.

This one is probably the easiest and simplest option out there. If you abandon the book, you won't have to read it. Problem solved. But if you still want to find out what happens, or you hate the book but it's required reading, check below.

Read other books.

I hate that when I'm reading a bad book I spend more time on my phone because I don't want to read. So I end up reading other books too (just the other day I read 3 so I didn't have to read a book I didn't want to).

Bribe yourself.

I once had a book that was required reading and it was awful. I ended up saying to myself, "If you can finish this chapter, you get to read something better." Reading that bad book was torture, but at least I got through it.

Go slowly.

This one seems kind of obvious too, unless you need to finish it by a certain date. I once had a different required reading book that I had about 3 weeks to read. I read like 5 chapters in the first 2 weeks because the book was so bad, and I had to cram the rest of the book into one week. But if there's no date the book has to be finished by, this is an okay tactic. Although it might get annoying that you're still reading it after a while.

Convince yourself it's not that bad after all.

Okay, fine, this one probably won't work. But hey, you can still give it a try!

    Do you have other things you do when you're reading a bad book? Share below in the comments!

My August TBR

    August is upon us, and with that, the last full month before a lot of schools (mine included) start again. I recently made my August TBR, and decided to share it to this blog. 

August TBR:

• Small Great Things, by Jodi Picoult
• Girl in the Blue Coat, by Monica Hesse 
• Alex and Eliza, by Melissa de la Cruz 
• I'll Give You the Sun, by Jandy Nelson
• These Broken Stars, by Meagan Spooner and Annie Kaufman
• The Summer I Turned Pretty, by Jenny Han

TBR in my bullet journal

Books Read on Vacation

    

    I recently went on vacation and that's why I've been kind of MIA on this blog. There was no Wifi and bad reception up there, so I wasn't posting on this blog at all.

    Anyway, being my usual bookworm self, I brought 15 books on vacation (they wouldn't all fit in the original bag I had 😂). After reading 8 of them (don't judge, I was quite busy up there!) I decided to do a blog post about which ones I read. Without farther ado, here they are:

Daughters of the Sea: Hannah, by Kathryn Lasky

Hannah wants to be normal but she can see the outline of scales on her legs, she gets seasick if she's away from the sea, and she knows a sea change is coming (upper middle grade).

Matilda Bone, by Karen Cushman

Orphaned Matilda is sent to work for a bonesetter in this novel set in medieval England. Matilda is very religious and could never imagine herself doing chores or helping patients (middle grade).

The Moorchild, by Eloise McGraw

Because Moql is half human and half Moorfolk and can't shape shift, the Folk sent her to be the "child" of two humans, switching her for their real child and making Moql forget that she was Folk. As Moql grows up, she realizes how horrible the Folk have been to her human parents, and sets out to find their real child (middle grade).

Blood Rose Rebellion, by Rosalyn Eves

In a society where the upper class has magic, noble-born Anna is born without it and even accidentally breaks spells (YA).

My Lady Jane, by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

We all know the real story of Lady Jane Grey: she was queen of England for nine days then was beheaded. But what if she, along with her cousin, King Edward VI, survived? The authors completely rewrote their story (YA).

Across the Universe, by Beth Revis

Amy and her parents are just a few of the many cryo-frozen passengers on the ship Godspeed, which is heading to a new planet. It will take the ship 300 years to travel from Earth to the new planet. Except -- Amy is woken up 50 years early. Who tried to murder her? (YA)

Eliza and her Monsters, by Francesca Zappia

Eliza Mirk is the anonymous creator of Monstrous Sea, a comic with millions of fans. When a new boy named Wallace arrives at school, he turns out to be one of Monstrous Sea's biggest fanfiction writers. When Eliza's secret is revealed to the whole world, her relationship with everyone -- including Wallace -- is ruined. Will she ever be able to recover? (YA)

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares

4 friends are spending the summer apart for the first time ever. After finding a pair of pants that somehow fits all 4 of them, they dub them "the Traveling Pants" and promise to mail them to each other over the summer to remind them of each other. (YA)

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? 

Middle Grade Books to Read This Summer

    Do you or someone you know like to read middle grade novels? Are you looking for a middle grade novel that takes place during the summer to read while you're at the pool or on vacation? Look no further, for I have created a list!

Glory Be, by Augusta Scattergood
Historical fiction novel about eleven year old Glory, who is growing up in a town in Mississippi in 1964 and dealing with segregation after her town closes the public pool rather than integrate it.

The Hidden Summer, by Gin Phillips
Realistic fiction novel about two best friends who hide out in an abandoned golf course because their mothers had a fight and won't let them see each other.

Sure Signs of Crazy, by Karen Harrington
Realistic fiction novel about twelve year old Sarah Nelson, whose mother left her when she was two because she was mentally ill. She sets out to find out if she will end up the same way. Along the way, instead of a "typical boring Sarah Nelson summer" she realizes she might have an extraordinary summer.

Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo 
Classic novel about a girl named Opal who finds a dog she names Winn-Dixie. The book is about how he changed her life.

The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan
Fantasy novel about Percy Jackson, who discovers that the Greek gods are real and his father was one, and that he needs to go on a quest to stop the gods from having a war and destroying the world.

Every Soul A Star, by Wendy Mass
Realistic fiction coming-of-age story, told through the perspective of 3 young teenagers who all end up at the Moon Shadow campground to witness a total eclipse of the sun.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon Review

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

Author: Kelly Barnhill

Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers

Synopsis:

    Every year on the same day, the people of the Protectorate sacrifice a baby to the Witch who lives in the swamp, because otherwise the Witch will come and torture the entire nation. In reality however, the Witch, Xan, does take the babies, but she finds good homes for them in the Free Cities. Along the way, to keep the babies healthy, she feeds them starlight. But one year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight and the baby becomes imbued with magic. So Xan decides she must raise the baby, who she names Luna, on her own.

    But as Luna's thirteenth birthday draws nearer, her magic starts to show itself -- and some of it has negative effects. Meanwhile a man whose child will be sacrificed sets out to kill the Witch and free his people from sacrificing babies, and a volcano ticks closer to the day it will erupt... 

My thoughts:

    I thought this book started out a little slow and got a little bit boring in the middle, but I really liked the plotline of this story. There was a lot of mystery surrounding magic and wizards and what had happened in the past, so I think it would be cool if there was another book where that was expanded on. I also think that another reason this book was cool was because it showed the power of a mother's love. I think a lot of people take that for granted, but it shows what a mother will endure for her child. I also thought it was cool that it told the story through a lot of different perspectives so you actually knew what the "evil people" or whatever you want to call them were thinking.

    Rating: 3.7 out of 5 stars.

Fish in a Tree Review

Fish in a Tree

Author: Lynda Mullay Hunt

Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group

Synopsis:

    Ally Nickerson has gotten all the way to sixth grade without anybody -- kids, teachers, or parents -- finding out she can't read. She hasn't tried to find any help because after all, how can you help dumb?
    Ally's new teacher sees through Ally's "stupid" facade, and gets her to stay after school for help, while simultaneously shedding light on her gifts. When Ally makes two new friends that aren't "normal" either, she starts learning how to stand up to the bullies that have been making fun of her.

My thoughts:

    This book was a quick read that I thought would be good for younger readers, but older readers could definitely do it to! I found it amazing that Ally was so good at pretending that no one realized she couldn't read until her teacher in sixth grade. That was one of the only things that I thought was unrealistic. Other than that, I thought the characters were super cool (except the bullies) and I really liked Ally's teacher!

    Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.