Book Review: Murder at the PTA (Maya and Sandra Mystery, #1) by Lee Hollis

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Murder at the PTA (Maya and Sandra Mystery, #1) by Lee Hollis is the first installment in the Maya and Sandra Mystery series, a cozy mystery series centered on private investigators. The story follows Sandra Wallage , the wife of a U.S. senator and the newly elected president of Portland High School’s PTA, who becomes the latest target of a vicious gossip website called Dirty Laundry . After a heated PTA meeting, Sandra crosses paths with Maya Kendrick , a private investigator who has uncovered the identity of the person behind the gossip site. When the two women attempt to confront the culprit, they instead discover a dead body. Was it really a suicide, or did someone have a motive for murder? I’m a longtime fan of books by Lee Hollis , which is actually the pen name for sibling writing duo Rick Copp and Holly Simason . They’ve written several cozy mystery series, and what I appreciate most about their books is that they aren’t overly kitschy, unlike some other cozy mysteries I’ve ...
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Book Review: Kristy and the Walking Disaster (The Baby-Sitters Club, #20) by Ann M. Martin

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kristy and the walking disaster the babysitters club #20 ann m martin

Kristy and the Walking Disaster (The Baby-Sitters Club, #20) by Ann M. Martin is told from the point of view of Kristy Thomas, president of The Baby-Sitters Club. Seeing how much her little brother and step siblings enjoy playing softball, she decides to create a softball team of kids, who normally wouldn't be good enough to join a little league team, and names the team Kristy's Krushers. Things get competitive when another team called Bart's Bashers challenges them to a game.

One of the things I enjoyed most about Kristy and the Walking Disaster (The Baby-Sitters Club, #20) is the fact that the character of Kristy is being developed a little more and starting to mature. In this book, Kristy actually starts to like boys and has a crush on a guy named Bart Taylor, who is the coach of a softball team called Bart's Bashers. It's nice to see characters that aren't kept in the same box throughout the series.

Additionally, it was great that the book addressed bullying because it's still a thing that happens with kids today. Hopefully, readers will be able to empathize and learn the lesson put forth in the story. Another lesson to be learned by readers was to include others on your team regardless of whether they're good or bad and that if you work hard, you can become a better player.

This is a great book for kids who enjoy sports, especially softball and baseball. I thoroughly enjoyed this book even as an adult. The only downfall is that it hardly mentions any of the other girls in the baby-sitters club, which is why I gave it four stars out of five stars.

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