Miss Remmer’s Review

Mia sure has it rough. A school play, an over zealous best friend, busy parents, annoying little brother, and a whole “hot mess” of relationships with boys. I throughly enjoyed reading this novel and finished it in one in one sitting. It’s a quick read that would be great for upper middle school students or underclassmen. But don’t let this fool you, the characters are great and the plot keeps readers guessing.

I couldn’t help but want to be Mia’s friend and to witness her life unfold. Just when I thought I had the story down, a twist would appear at just the most opportune moment. I learned to love Lisa’s quirkiness and the love/hate relationship between Mia and her brother Chris. The dialogue between Chris and Mia was great – it reminded my of the Gilmore Girls dialogue.

A few things did bother me though: I did not like Jake, all the “dudes” and similar jargon I thought was unneccessary and overdone. He was the stereotypical class idiot – it seemed over played. Along the same lines, Mia’s friend Zoe also bugged me (a little – but not as much) in regards to being overly stereotyped. I will also add (I may be a prude) that when I was sixteen I definitely wasn’t getting as much kissing in as Mia and her friends.

But other than those small things – I adored this book. The ending was great – so much emotion! While I didn’t like how it ended particularly, I can’t deny how emotionally attached I was to the characters in so little time. I will definitely be keeping this book to have in my classroom and I hope to read the rest of Mia’s adventures in the near future!

Favorite Quotes:
“What do you call a man on a beach? – A tan-gent!” (7).
“I don’t know what your problem is, but I’ll bet it’s hard to pronounce” (47).
“If you ever fell down a well, Lassie would leave you there” (47).
“You’re about as optimistic as a weatherman calling for sunshine while holding an umbrella” (50).

To visit this site, please go to http://www.missremmersreview.com/

Cafe of Dreams Review

ia the Magnificent – first of all, I have to say that I absolutely love the title! If the title doesn’t grab you, the cover is sure to, with its vibrancy and visual appeal!

Mia the Magnificent is the third in the Mia Fullerton series by Eileen Boggess, a delightfully fun story collection geared toward young adults. The first is Mia the Meek and the second is Mia the Melodramatic. Even though I did not read the first two in this great series, I had absolutely no trouble coming in on the third installment. It is because of this that I feel that each book could easily be read as a stand-alone, though I do sincerely hope to go back and read the first two.

Being a teen is difficult – being a teen girl is even more difficult! Eileen Boggess does a superb job tapping into the teen girl psyche and creating a wonderful, fun and easy to relate to story. Mia is a typical girl, dealing with boys, getting her driver’s license and trying to find out just who she is. Mia’s character is awesome, as are all of the characters. Such as in society, today, Ms. Boggess brings together very different teen personalities and brings each one to life. There is the goth friend of Mia, Zoe, the “perfect girl next door” Lisa, the mega-slang-talking ex-boyfriend, Jake, the “God’s gift to woman” ex-boyfriend, Tim, and the possible future boyfriend, Eric, who is wonderful in every way.

As if dealing with every day life isn’t enough, the very first day that Mia receives her driver’s license, she is transfixed by the “evil” ex-boyfriend, Tim, who is riding beside her, as they make their way back from the movies (Mia just happened to lose a bet and had to chauffeur him around). Faces inch closer and closer for an unplanned kiss, there is a nerve jolting jarring and then darkness. What a heck of a kiss, right?! Well, no, not exactly from the kiss, but it turns out from a car crashing into Mia’s driver side, as she cruises right through a stop sign. Oh, how is she going to explain this to her parents?!

Filled with humor, humanity and real life, Mia the Magnificent is an engaging, delightful and wonderful book for pre-teens through adults. This is a can’t miss series that will bring smiles to faces and relief to hearts, knowing that Mia is just like them, an average ordinary teen, dealing with anything but average ordinary problems.

*overall rating 5/5

To visit this site, please go to: http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/2010/02/15-mia-magnificent-by-eileen-boggess.html

Book Signing in Davenport

I will be signing books at the Davenport, IA Barnes and Noble (in Northpark Mall) on Sunday, March 14, from 1:00-3:00.

Rebecca Janni, Jill Esbaum, and Linda Skeers will also be on-hand to sign their books as well.

It should be a great day!

Books Are Life Review

When I started this book I wasn’t sure what to expect, from the cover I thought it was definitely a middle grade book so I wasn’t sure how I would like it as I haven’t read a middle grade book since probably elementary school. I wasn’t sure if I would still enjoy them, but I was pleasantly surprised.

I like the idea of the theater changing her – I’ve always been one who found the arts and fun things helpful in getting out there.

This book very much so reminded me of my middle school/early high school years. I suffered from a disease called confusion and I’m not saying Mia suffers from this but I feel like everyone at this age is confused to some degree about life and just the way the world seems to work.

Early high school is really the first taste of the world in some ways as Elementary school you’re still a kid, and you act like a kid, and Middle school is full of the awkward growing into yourself years. Early high school however is full of you beginning to become yourself and that’s what I really enjoyed being reminded of in this book.

I would recommend it to you if perhaps you have a younger brother or sister, or if you just want to relive that part of your life and have some fun along the way.

To visit this site, please go to: http://books-are-life-reviews.blogspot.com/2010/03/mia-magnificent-by-eileen-bogess.html

Life in the Thumb Review

Mia is a girl that I truly enjoy reading about. In this third installment of the series, we find Mia going through the typical teen years. Liking boys that like someone else. Liking boys that cheat on you. Having girls hate you for no good reason. Siblings that get on your nerves, and parents that still won’t give you too much freedom, even though she just got her driving license! Mia the Magnificent is a fun, quick read and at times made me laugh out loud. I think Mia would appeal to 12-15 year-old age range because she’s still pretty innocent and not naughty enough for that older crowd who is looking for something grittier. I look forward to the next book and to see what life has in store for Mia during her Junior year.

To visit this website, please go to: http://lifeinthethumb.blogspot.com/2010/03/review-mia-magnificent.html

Katie’s Book Blog Review

Mia The Magnificent is not a book you judge by it’s cover. When I first saw it, I assumed it was a middle grade book and that Mia was younger. It’s actually a YA book and Mia is a sophomore in high school. Not only that, she is one of the funniest characters I have ever read about and Mia The Magnificent is a super cute book!

Mia Fullerton is finally taking charge of her life. After her summer working at the Little Tykes Theater she is a new person. Her sophomore year is going to be The Year. She is going to try out for the school musical, get her drivers license, and move on from Tim. She has it all mapped out but even the best laid plans can be changed.

Mia was one of the best main characters I have ever read about. She was so easy to relate to and she was such a normal person. She had her strengths and her weaknesses. She was cute and funny. I found myself laughing out loud at so many parts of the book. Her banter with Tim and the conversations in the drivers ed car were some of my favorite things. I haven’t laughed that hard at a book in a while.

The plot of the story was pretty good. Mia had so many things going on but it was definitely an honest account of high school life. She was so brave trying out for the play. I never could have done that. Her drivers ed class was also pretty realistic. It took me back to my drivers ed days, something I never want to look back on. The whole story was just so true and the characters were all people I wouldn’t mind reading more about.

Overall, Mia The Magnificent is a great book that I really recommend for high schoolers. It’s the third in a series but I had no problems starting with this book. I hope there are more Mia books in the future. If so, they will definitely be added to my to-read list! =]

To visit this site, please go to: http://katiesbookblog-katie.blogspot.com/2010/03/mia-magnificent-by-eileen-boggess.html

Review from Frenetic Reader

I have to admit, I was mostly interested in this book because there’s a musical in it. And even though the musical wasn’t in it that much, I still really enjoyed Mia the Magnificent and totally want to go pick up the prequels.*

Even though I haven’t read the prequels, I easily followed Mia’s story in this installment. There was enough background information given that I knew what was going on and why, but there was just enough so that it didn’t get repetitive or boring; I was able to quickly get into the story. I didn’t question how anything came about because Mia’s interactions with the supporting characters, especially her ex-boyfriends and brother, were done so realistically that I never wondered about why she acted so annoyed/competitive/etc. This made her easy to relate to, and I was always interested in seeing how her story turned out.

I loved the humor in this book. Some lines and situations were laugh-out-loud funny, which just made the drama that much more fun to read about. However, some scenes were just…I don’t even know. A few cliches found their way in, and on top of that there were some unrealistic pieces of dialogue. For example, I’m still not sure if Jake, one of Mia’s ex-boyfriend’s, is supposed to be a caricature of a person or what, because he spoke and acted like one of those cringe-worthy white guys who think it’s cool to talk and act like a stereotypical “gangsta.”** Whenever he showed up I would hope that he would soon go away and the actually funny stuff would return.

Mia the Magnificent is a fun, entertaining book with a delightfully realistic and flawed main character, even though it does have a few cringe-worthy bits.

To view this site, please visit: http://www.freneticreader.com/2010/03/mia-magnificent-by-eileen-boggess.html

Hope’s Bookshelf Review

Review:

When I first started reading Mia the Magnificent, I’m not going to lie to you, I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was. It seemed like a middle grade book, and you know how I am about cartoon covers.

So, when I started reading, I didn’t expect to find a one of a kind main character, Mia, who is a great role model for girls. I didn’t expect to find more than one scene that made me laugh out loud (very loud, I might add). However, this is what I found.

Some of the scenes in this book were very cliche. However, it didn’t distract from the book. There was enough scenes in the book that were insanely original.

Mia is a character that everyone can relate to. Even if you’ve never been in any of her situations, which I know I haven’t, you can still find some way or another to relate to her. I found her to be a very likable character who is a very good role model to the readers.

This is a book I can definitely recommend. I would maybe recommend getting it from the library, however even if you buy it, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

hope.

Grade:
Originality: 15/20
Characters: 15/15
Writing: 10/10
Voice: 10/10
Ending: 9/10
Entertainment: 9/10
Cover: 5/10
Recommendation: 10/10

Total: 88/100 = B+

To visit this site, please go to: http://princess2293.blogspot.com/2010/03/review-mia-magnificent-by-eileen.html

BookHounds Review of Mia the Magnificent

LOVED IT

This is a very entertaining story about a high school sophmore finding her way in life. It is very funny and captures the thoughts and banter of girls this age perfectly. I wish I had started this series from the beginning, but I had no problem picking up on the the background of Mia quickly. I think this can stand alone easily. This is appropriate for younger teens and fans of Lauren Myracle and Sara Mlynowski won’t be disappointed.

BookHounds Interview

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Mary for her BookHounds blogspot. You can read the interview at :
http://maryinhb.blogspot.com/2010/03/20-questions-with-eileen-boggess-author.html