Mini Reviews: The Mark of the Dragonfly, Elizabeth is Missing, Gabi: A Girl in Pieces

For Mini Reviews, I copy my reviews from Goodreads.  Unlike my blog reviews, when I write a review on Goodreads, I'm not interested in summarizing the book, but just jotting down notes for myself about my personal reaction.



The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson.  Children's fantasy, 1st in series, 400 pages.  3 stars.

3 stars for myself, but 4 or five if I'm thinking about younger readers, especially those who enjoy fantasy and can hang in there for some world building.





Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey.  Mystery, 320 pages.  3 stars.
This was hard to read. My dad was born the same year as Maud, and while he never had full-on dementia, his faculties declined quite a bit the last few years of his life. I felt for both Maud and Helen so much that it sometimes got in the way of the story. Which was a great one. 



Gabi: A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero.  YA Realistic Fiction, 284 pages.  4 stars.

So close to 5 stars. I LOVED Gabi's voice. The dialogue and thoughts were so real. There was just something a tad cliched about the gay friend, the awesome English teacher, the asshole date rapist...But I will definitely be recommending this to my more mature students, especially all the smart Latinas in my classes.