Chocolate Covered Baloney - confessions of April Grace - A Book Review

I chose to review Chocolate Covered Baloney by K.D. McCrite for a few reasons. The first one is that the time period that the story is set in, is the 80's, and having grown up during that era just makes me smile as I reflect on my childhood memories.
The second reason is that the targeted age for this book falls right in the tween/pre-teen range, and I'm always on the lookout for good stories that my daughters, who fit in that category, can read.
My other reasons are that I just like reading books (and children's books are a favorite), and I really like the publisher Tommy Nelson.
Now on to the review.

6th grader April Grace Reilly is the main character and narrator of this story. The middle child of the family, she declares her cranky older sister Myra Sue to be a "drip". She also has a brand new baby brother, Eli, who she simply adores, and enjoys helping to take care of him.

The book has several different plots in play. The biggest secret revolves around Myra Sue, and her mysterious behavior. She's crankier than usual, and when April Grace spies her mailing a mysterious package, it becomes her goal to find out just what her sister is up to. Her paternal grandmother is an important member of the family, and April Grace has a few concerns over her love life.
Then there is the unexpected arrival of the maternal grandmother, which initially seems to be a very unpleasant surprise.
Through it all, April Grace maneuvers her way through the many relationships in her life, and works through those familiar growing pains.

Overall, I thought this was a nice story. I would recommend this for the older end of the tween /preteen age due to some of the themes, but I found nothing objectionable or inappropriate.
The only part of the book that I thought could be left out were a few of the references to various 80's t.v. shows and icons. Having them in the book seemed forced and out of place. I thought the story was good without mentioning them.  If you would like to check out this book for yourself, click on the link below.


Chocolate Covered Baloney-confessions of April Grace

Happy Reading!

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."