Title: Pumpkin Spice Secrets (Swirl #1)Author: Hillary Homzie
Publisher: Sky Pony Press, 2017
Pages: 234
Genre: middle school, realistic fiction
Obtained: from publisher in exchange for an honest review
Summary: Twelve year old Maddie has her first crush and can't wait to tell her best friend, Jana. It will have to wait until school starts, though, because Jana is away, and Maddie has no way of reaching her. Before Maddie can tell, Jana announces that she has a new crush on Jacob, Maddie's crush. Maddie does not want to hurt her friend, so decides that she cannot have a crush on Jacob, but the feelings don't go away. What will Maddie do?
Thoughts: This book was so much more than I expected. I don't know if it was the cover, the title, or the book's description, but I had in my mind that this was going to be a soap opera type book with lots of drama. It wasn't. It was a very realistic book about friendships, family, and crushes. It also showed the problems that can arise from keeping secrets.
The author is fantastic at looking at the world through a middle schooler's eyes. She was right on with this all around- in dialogue, behaviors, dress, relationships, and the way kids think, act, and react. The characters she created were likeable and believable. I think most middle school girls could relate to the protagonist in one way or another. I liked the way the author had Maddie learn and grow in this book.
It was a fun, light book, yet had real life problems and lessons in it including that there are always consequences for actions. There were parents with high expectations, forgetting homework, not studying enough, balancing activities and school, keeping secrets, losing friends, making friends, crushes, all different types of teachers and extracurricular activities- the world of an 11-14 year old. The book held my interest until the end. I really was routing for everything to work out for Maddie.
If you're wondering, I would say this is rated G in the romance department- not even a kiss. I would recommend this for girls 10-13. I think it would be hard for a 8 or 9 year old to relate to the older characters. It would make a great holiday gift with pumpkin spice muffin mix for girls who like to bake or like sweet treats.
This is the first book in The Swirl series. I've also received the second in the series, Peppermint Cocoa Crushes which I will be reading and reviewing soon. The third is Cinnamon Bun Besties, and the fourth Salted Caramel Dreams. Each book is written by a different author.
Tea: Masala Chai
Obtained: purchased
I purchased the Chai Tea Sampler from Adagio Teas. Masala tea was one of the four varieties included in the box. It came in a resealable bag (pictured above). I have found that some of this company's bags are very easy to open and close, and some are not. This one was a difficult one, but did still seal to keep the tea fresh.
This chai tea was a blend of Ceylon black tea, cardamom, ginger root, cloves, natural cinnamon flavor, and cinnamon bark. Adagio tea's website says this tea has a high caffeine content. When opening the package, there was a wonderful scent of spices that reminded me of fall and winter holidays. I could see long black tea leaves, whole cloves, round seeds and tiny twigs.
I put four teaspoons of leaves into my teapot and added sixteen ounces of water. It's a cold winter day and I planned on keeping warm with tea this morning. I let this steep for seven minutes. The liquid was a cloudy, orange brown. The scent was of what I think of as holiday spices- a blend of cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. The taste was peppery and spicy with the cloves standing out a bit. It had no sweetness to it. This tea just gave me an all over warm feeling which is just what I was looking for. I tried the second cup with a bit of honey and milk, which toned down the spicy, peppery tastes and took away the all over warming feeling, making for a totally different beverage. This tea was fantastic both ways.
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