The Year the Swallows Came Early

Groovy said, "Today I saw Daddy being taken away in a police car to jail. I don't know what's going on. I'm sure it's all a big mistake. We need to help him."
"I know Groovy," she said finally.
"You know? How do you know?" Groovy replied.
"Because baby," she said, "I was the one who called the police."

So out of all of the books I've blogged about, I would definitely have to say this one was the best. The Year the Swallows Came Early is about a little girl, Elanor Robinson. Or more famously known as Groovy. Groovy's just a young girl, trying to figure out the world. Her father is put in jail, and her friend's mother, who she thought was long-gone, has returned. Groovy starts to listen to what a horoscope had told her,

to expect the unexpected.

Soon, everything around her begins to get turned upside down. What's happening to her? And to make things even more nuts, the swallows come early this season too. Her family is quickly falling apart? What will she do?


Groovy has a cooking notebook full of her recipes she's made with the help of her father. In the book, she makes chocolate-covered strawberries. So I decided to find myself a little recipe on how to make some. I found this recipe on the Food Network website. Copy and paste them into Word and make them for yourself!

Ingredients
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 pound strawberries with stems (about 20), washed and dried very well

Directions
Put the semisweet and white chocolates into 2 separate heatproof medium bowls. Fill 2 medium saucepans with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat; set the bowls of chocolate over the water to melt. Stir until smooth. (Alternatively, melt the chocolates in a microwave at half power, for 1 minute, stir and then heat for another minute or until melted.)

Once the chocolates are melted and smooth, remove from the heat. Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper. Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the fruit into the dark chocolate, lift and twist slightly, letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Set strawberries on the parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the strawberries. Dip a fork in the white chocolate and drizzle the white chocolate over the dipped strawberries.

Set the strawberries aside until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.


I just finished making some and they were delicious. Very sweet, but delicious. Don't forget to check out these other blogs in the tour!
A Christian Worldview of Fiction, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Homeschool Buzz, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Maw Books Blog, Never Jam Today, Novel Teen, Reading is My Superpower

Confessions of a Shopaholic

The book was good, as I expected it to be. City girl, Becky Bloomwood, is in it for a party. All her life, she'd grown up to believe that spending had a value and that money didn't grow on trees. But when she got older, she started spending like crazy and couldn't stop. Shopping became her sweet escape and she soon started to get in trouble with that one thing she absolutely adored-money. The name of one man made her get sick inside....Derek Smeath. He was out to get her, or so she thought. Smeath was out to make sure she paid her bills. Becky constantly made up excuses for everything to keep from paying. But she soon let it get to her. Ironicly enough, Becky started to work for a money-saving finances magazine, even though she can't afford to pay her own bills. Soon enough, she falls in love. But will she keep her job for the man that she loves or try to accomplish getting into her favorite magazine?

I liked thebook. To me, it was one that I couldn't put down as soon as I picked it up. The book seemed a little all over the place but it was a good book I'd highly recommend. I saw the movie last night. It was good for the most part, and I did happen to like it more. But the movie was filmed and set in New York, which I didn't understand. In the book, the story was set in London. Either way, the movie was really good and I would highly recommend seeing it.

Musical Auditions: TODAY!

I'm auditioning for the school musical, Brigadoon, today. I'm incredibly nervous. We have to read from a script, learn a dance routine, and sing a song. The only thing I'm nervous about is the singing part of it, because I'm not a very good singer. My friends would all like to say otherwise but I know that I can't sing. I'm so nervous! Wish me luck!