Love & Olives (book 3) by Jenna Evans Welch

 The third book in this series is really a stand alone.  Olive doesn't really know her dad because he left when she was 8.  She has moved around with her mom and now lives with her stepdad and younger step brother and her mom is pregnant.  Olive has re-imaged her self into Liv, but can't be honest with her friends and boyfriend about her past self.  As Liv has plans for the summer they are interrupted by a postcard and plane ticket to visit her father in Greece!  She does NOT want to go, but her mother insists.  As she travels to Greece and meets her dad, she can't help but feel anger, insecurity, and sad about missing out on the relationship with her dad all those years.  She meets Theo, whose mom owns a bookshop with her dad.  Theo tries to help Liv see that her dad never forgot her and throughout the book Liv learns/ remembers about her dad and why he left in the first place.  

Good book, but by this one for me was a little formulaic.  It would be fine for any middle school student to read.  

Love & Other Detours by Jenna Evans Welch

This book is a two in one.  Welch's first novel Love & Gelato focuses on Lina, whose  mother just died from cancer, traveling to Italy to spend the summer or longer with her dad, who she never even knew existed.  Lina is not thrilled to go to Italy, but she promised her mother she would.  She is leaving her best friend, Addie, and all their summer plans.  As she arrives in Italy, she discovers she will be living in a cemetery that is a memorial for WWII American soldiers killed there.  Ugh.  She also discovers one of her mother's journals and with the help of a neighbor, Ren, starts to research into how her mother lived in Italy and met her father and why she left.  

The second book Love & Luck features Addie and her travels to Ireland to celebrate her Aunt's wedding.  While there she is supposed to visit Lina in Italy for a few days, but her brother, Ian, makes a change in plans when he and Addie get into a fight at their aunt's wedding and their mother puts strict restrictions on them.  Addie has a secret that Ian knows and thinks she should tell their mother about, but Addie just can't!!  She hasn't even told Lina!  As Addie misses her flight to Italy because of Ian and his friend, Rowan, Lina makes a plan to come to Ireland with Ren to see Addie.  As Addie, Ian, and Rowan travel across Ireland together, she ends up learning about herself and that she is more than she thought she was.  

The first book is fine for middle school.  I would say the second is as well, but I would feel more comfortable with 7th or 8th and up because of the nature of sending some photos to boys.  

 

The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman

 Kate writes to her Uncle Herbert, that she doesn't know at all, and asks for him to send her a birthday present.  He sends her one the next day.  A steam engine train called The Silver Arrow.  She and her younger brother Tom are exploring the engine, when it begins moving.  Their Uncle Herbert tries to catch up to them, but he can't.  Kate and Tom arrive at a station where a bunch of animals are waiting for the train with tickets in their mouths.  They said a train hasn't come by for 30 years and that the kids need to go to the yard to get other train cars.  Uncle Herbert meets them there and helps them "build" their train by choosing sleeper cars, dining cars, candy cars, swimming pool cars, etc.  As they embark on their journey Uncle Herbert tells them to keep a look out for the twilight star.  

Lots of adventure and lessons learned about taking care of our planet, BUT not overwhelming or put me off.  I really enjoyed it.