Julie Berry

Ah, how I do adore when a book seems like it won't be something I'll enjoy and then it snatches me up and proves me wrong! The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place did just that, and I couldn't be more pleased. Very much a Victorian farce, this is the story of seven young girls who suddenly find themselves in a rather unpleasant predicament. What follows contains murder, mystery, and plenty of witty banter. Delicious.

It took me a while to warm up to the young ladies contained within show more this story. Each one has a very distinct personality which, as you might imagine, is very easy to remember when their name is preceded by an adjective to describe them. From "Disgraceful" Mary Jane, to "Smooth" Kitty, each one matches their description to a tee. So my big question was, at first, why did we need the addition? What was the point? I'll tell you though, it grew on me after a while. It added to the feeling of tongue in cheek humor, and after a while it didn't bother me anymore.

On to the story, shall we? This reminded me a bit of the movie version of "Clue" in the way that it really didn't take itself seriously. I was given seven young women who, somehow, manage to cover up two deaths and pose rather well as though nothing is wrong. The twists thrown in were fabulous, the cast of supporting characters vibrant, and the clues perfection. I cracked up laughing more than once at the absurd entrances that possible suspects made. I loved that Julie Berry was able to write such a fun set of characters, each one perfectly fitting the space they filled.

So, as you can see by my four star rating, I ended up enjoying this much more than I thought I would. The mixture of tongue in cheek humor, witty banter, and mystery wrapped me up and kept me reading. I'm so happy I gave this a shot! Much love to The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place.

Note: This is shelved as Middle Grade Fiction but I highly doubt most readers that age would appreciate it. I'm shelving it as Young Adult Fiction instead. show less

A mother tells the story of the birth of a miraculous child, "long ago, on a silent night," in this lovely Christmas picture-book, relating it to the recent birth of her own dear child. The poetic narrative from author Julie Berry and luminous artwork from illustrator Annie Won alternates between that ancient family and their story, and the welcome given to this new child in the current day...

It has certainly been my experience, and I suspect many others' as well, that the powerful stories show more and ideas of my religion - in my case, Christianity - have had the most meaning and strength for me when seen through the light of my own experience. It is hard to conceive, for instance, of the idea of God's love, if one has not experienced it through human love of some kind. Apparently this is the case also with Julie Berry, who wrote this book for her son, whose birth caused her to reflect more deeply on the Nativity Story, which she had always loved. I appreciated her beautiful language, and the ways in which she tied two families so far apart in time, but perhaps not that far apart in essential emotional experience. Annie Won's accompanying illustrations are lovely, capturing the sacred enchantment of the Holy Family, and the beauty of their modern counterpart, here a mixed race couple welcoming their baby child. Long Ago, On a Silent Night is not really a retelling of the Nativity Story as such - in fact, it relies upon the reader being familiar with that story. Rather, it is a reflection upon that story, experienced through a modern mother's reactions to her own baby. Recommended to anyone looking for beautiful and somewhat different picture-books about the Christmas story, and the welcoming of the Christ Child through our love of our children today. show less

This is a dark book. ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME follows the story of a girl who has lost her ability to speak in one of the most horrible ways imaginable. And, perhaps the worst part, is that she has returned to a town that fears her. A family that rejects her. And a former best friend, a friend she loves, whom she doesn't quite know how to reach out to.

Taking place in a colonial-esque village, Julie Berry's latest is not for the feint of heart. After being kidnapped and maimed, Judith has show more pretty much accepted her fate as an outcast. But there are problems. There's the fact that the other girl who went missing died, and the town has questions she can't -- or maybe can't bring herself -- to answer. Her mother has told her not to even try to speak, because the sounds she makes are too monstrous. And Judith can't quell her love for the boy who she knows can't love her as she is now. When an attack on her town threatens to destroy the lives of everyone she loves, Judith knows what she has to do. But it won't be easy. And, in the end, it might not only open old wounds but create new questions that she cannot answer.

ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME is frightening. Not just because of the horror, but because of the reality that Judith's story could be anyone's. That this isn't a phenomenon of any specific time period. It is frightening because Judith is a hero who doesn't know her own power, who is easily written off as weak or tragic or freakish. And it is frightening because Julie Berry has written it so beautifully, sparing no detail, leaving nothing out that might reveal the truth of the human heart. This book has already received some fantastic accolades. I hope to see many more. show less

I started this last night, right on the heels of "Written in my own heart's blood" (which I can't believe is done already!). This is another book that has garnered rave reviews from all sides and has been on my list for a long time, but I just hadn't gotten around to reading. Well, last night was the night, and, as usual, I'm really glad I finally read it.
The characters are well developed, the world-building is great, and I was so engrossed with the mystery of what happened to Judith and show more Lottie and then why Judith kept silent and put up with all the abuse and scorn that was heaped upon her kept me turning pages like a crazy person! The only criticism I have is that the ending happened too quickly and was wrapped up too neatly. After the fantastically suspenseful and tension-filled build-up to the reveal, everything just fell into place with a pretty bow on it. I would have liked to see some of the fall-out with the town folk and what life was like afterwards. Oh well, we can't all get what we want! show less