Not Suitable for Family Viewing by Vicki Grant

Title: Not Suitable for Family Viewing

Author: Vicki Grant

Age Group: Teens

# of Pages: 289

My Rating: 5/5

Robin is filthy rich because her mother, Mimi Schwartz, is a big-time TV host. One would expect her to be popular and surrounded by famous people. Instead, she coops up in her room and watches the re-runs of her mother's show episodes without giving a care in the world.

When she finds an old picture of her mother, she decides that she will go off to discover who Mimi really is. Packing her bags to leave New York City, she lands in a small town in Nova Scotia, Canada. As she tries search for her mother's real identity, Robin unexpectedly runs into romance and the buried secrets that made Mimi a celebrity today!

Vicki Grant is a favourite Canadian author of mine. I absolutely love her novel for preteens, Quid Quo Pro, which is full of delightful humour that kids and adults can both enjoy! Most of her novels, however, are for reluctant readers, which are all quite short and simple. So when I saw Not Suitable for Family Viewing, I had to get it!

Compared to Quid Quo Pro, there was not a load of in-your-face humour. Instead, the funny stuff were done subtly. I love the atmosphere of this novel as it is very contemporary.

I pitied Robin in the beginning and there were a couple of times where she lightly touched my nerves, but overall I loved her as a character. She is very realistic and I liked how instead being the type of person who uses her mother's fame to her advantage, she is very withdrawn and knows that those who befriends her uses her. Her relationship with pretty much her only friend, Selena, is quite tight. Although Selena acts like she doesn't care, she comes around in the end to aid an old friend.

I found Robin's time in Nova Scotia to be very charming and new. Her first meeting with her boyfriend-to-be, Levi, was absolutely hilarious! Their relationship is absolutely adorable and not overexaggerated. It was nice for once to see that a novel was not wholeheartedly based on the romance because the main story was trying to find out who Robin's mother really is.

Not Suitable for Family Viewing is such a page turner, where contemporary book fans will devour it in an instant! The ending will take readers by surprise and glee for that it is done amazingly well with uniqueness and love. A recommendation for all girl readers and realism fans! Preview the novel here!

Review copy provided by HarperCollins Canada.

The Puppet Wrangler by Vicki Grant

Title: The Puppet Wrangler
Author: Vicki Grant
Age Group: Tweens
# of Pages: 212
My Rating: 3/5

Telly has always been the good girl in her family, unlike her older sister who likes to cause nothing but trouble. Her life hasn't exactly been eventful until her parents send her off to stay with her aunt, Kathleen. There, Telly stays behind the set of a popular puppet show for kids.

But of course, how exciting can it be when your own aunt keeps forgetting about you as she freaks out on her job? Well, Telly has never been so shocked in her life when one of the puppets on the show, Bitsie, can move and talk!

With her short time away from home, Telly learns about what friendship really means; oh, and how tiring it can be with an obnoxious and annoying puppet.

I am a fan of Vicki Grant ever since I read my first novel by her, Quid Quo Pro. Although I wasn't keen on the idea of a live puppet, I decided to take a shot at it anyway.

Telly is a preteen with a fun, loving voice. She's the kind of kid where you know she will grow up to be the kind of teenager or adult you would want to hang out with. She knows when to be sympathetic and when to draw the line, especially with Bitsie. I say she has patience because I would have chucked the puppet into pieces if he bossed me around like there was no tomorrow.

I really am curious about why Bitsie is able to walk or talk at all. The story never covered it and you only saw his and Telly's relationship growing as they learned the rights and wrongs of things. It would have been better if there was a reason behind Bitsie's existence.

The novel has ton of footnotes because Telly always likes to add a little something to the side of whatever she is saying. I found it a bit annoying to go through pages and find all of these small footnotes. I preferred that everything the protagonist wanted to say would have been in the context. It also bothered me that the page numbers were in the middle of the side. It was very unconvenient.

The Puppet Wrangler is an entertaining read for preteens. There is a lot of silliness that the younger minds can appreciate but not so much for those of the older audience.

Bookmooched from Athena.

Res Judicata by Vicki Grant

Title: Res Judicata
Author: Vicki Grant
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: 172
My Rating: 4/5

Cyril MacIntyre is back and still short as ever. His mother, Andy, is still one heck of a colourful, loud-mouthed lawyer. But this time, she brings back one very big and unexpected surprise for her dear son.

Meet Dougie Fougere (or nicknamed "Biff"). He is a deputy sheriff. And is probably one of those nicest guys around, even when he blocks your sight with his sturdy physique. The shocking thing is, he's dating Andy! Who in the right mind wants to date a woman with thick eyeliner and eats McDonalds for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Apparently Biff does! Cyril does not welcome him. Like, who is he to come in and act like he's part of their dysfunctional family?

Meanwhile, Andy takes on a case where janitor Chuck Dunkirk is convicted of murdering the rich creator of the famous whitening coffee, Gleamaccino. Not that Cyril cares in the first place but then things started to get a little fishy after Andy won her case. Chuck tried to "save" the man who wounded up dead in the process by accident but Cyril doubts it's that simple. He decides to do some research to understand what had really happened. Not to mention, as he is getting used to Biff, Andy kicks him out! Oh how this all gives him a headache! Will Cyril ever get to the bottom of the so-called "accident"? And now with Biff gone, will he ever get to have a normal dinner ever again??

When the I first started the blog, I reviewed the first book in the series, Quid Pro Quo. I absolutely adored it and it was the only novel I have actually read over and over again. When I saw its sequel in the store last week, I was like, "Omg! Ms. Grant wrote a second one???" because I never expected it. I immediately grabbed it and with not a single doubt if I should buy it or not, I walked out of Chapters happily.

I was looking forward specifically to the humour in the story. A little disappointed to say that there was not as much as there was in the last book. I still enjoyed it quite frankly. I got a pretty good laugh here and there. The ending could have been much better and to be honest, seemed a bit rushed. I recommend Quid Pro Quo and Res Judicata for those who are looking for some comic relief. You would love the way Cyril thinks. He should seriously consider becoming a comedian. I hope that there will be a third volume!

Quid Pro Quo by Vicki Grant

Title: Quid Pro Quo
Author: Vicki Grant
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: 160
My Rating: 5/5

To have a mother that ran away from home at a young age and had you when she was only fifteen, imagine what kind of life you would have now if you are only fourteen at the moment.

Well, for Cyril MacIntyre, it is a tough one. His single mother, Andy, drags him to her law school classes every night and forces him to help her study in their smoky kitchen until morning. He couldn't be more proud after she graduated from law school considering that she used to be an ex-street kid.

All was well until one day Andy didn't come home for awhile. Cyril panics. Why in the world would his mother go missing?? He thought his life was crap before but this is ridiculous! Asides just female and self-esteem problems, he has to add legal problems to his list now!

This book is absolutely hilarious. I re-read this novel many times and I don't get tired of it. The characters are all unique in their own way and has a good part to play in the story. You don't need to know law to understand it because every chapter title has a definition of a law word that describes that chapter. If you are looking for some comedy, try out this book!