Kid Konnection: Autumn Falls

Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week, I'm going to share with you a fun YA book by a popular teen actress.

Summary: Filled with personal elements from Bella’s own life, AUTUMN FALLS is the first book in Bella Thorne’s new series! It has everything readers will love and relate to: a real girl trying to find her own inner strength and be the best she can be, with a hint of magic and mystery, and a steady stream of OMG-I-can’t-believe-that-just-happened fun.

With her fiery red hair, new-girl outsider status, and tendency to be a total klutz, Autumn Falls definitely isn’t flying below the radar at Aventura High. Luckily, she makes some genuine friends who take her under their wing. But she also manages to get on the wrong side of the school’s queen bee, and then finds out the guy she’s started to like, funny and sweet Sean, hangs with the mean crowd. Now her rep and her potential love life are at stake.

When Autumn vents her feelings in a journal that belonged to her late father, suddenly her wildest wishes start coming true. Is it coincidence? Or can writing in the journal solve all her problems? And if the journal doesn’t work that way, is there a bigger purpose for it—and for her? -- Delacorte Press

I rarely read YA but for some reason, AUTUMN FALLS by Bella Thorne caught my eye. It probably was the adorable cover with the irresdescent glitter nail polish! However, I'm happy to say that I found the book as adorable as the cover.

This book also caught the eye of my teenage daughter. While I was appreciating the nail polish, she noticed that AUTUMN FALLS was written by Bella Thorne. Initially, the name didn't ring a bell with me, but she informed me that this was CeCe from the Disney Channel show called Shake It Up. And then I got it! My daughter religiously watched this show about two teens who were also fantastic dancers!

AUTUMN FALLS has a little bit of something for every type of reader. It's part coming-of-age story, part mystery, and part magical. This novel tells the story of Autumn Thorne, a teenage girl who moves to a new school and instantly sees herself as an outsider. Autumn does manage to make some pretty amazing friends, but she also finds herself in a "battle" with one of the popular girls... especially when it comes to Sean.

Meanwhile, Autumn's grandmother gives her a journal that was once her father's; and it has a drastic impact on her life. August discovers that her wishes start coming true. At first, this seems like a great thing; however, Autumn quickly realizes that it can be both helpful and dangerous. As Autumn tries to cope with her new school, a new boyfriend, and frenemy problems, she also has to come to terms with the loss of her dad and the meaning of this journal.

AUGUST FALLS is a very sweet story that is perfect for those tween and teen girls that aren't interested in dystopian or supernatural stories. In fact, I'm pretty sure that Booking Daughter will enjoy this one! The main character of Autumn is so darn likable. (In fact, I think she's partially based on the author.) She's a bit of a misfit with a huge heart, and I suspect girls are going to relate to her!

I also appreciated that this story had some powerful messages about family, friends, and growing up. Autumn has to deal with so much in such a short period of time -- losing her dad, moving to a new town and a new school, finding herself at odds with the popular girls, and more. I really enjoyed seeing how she handled all of this, both her accomplishments and her missteps; and I do think she's somewhat inspirational.

In addition, I felt as if this book was very entertaining. Autumn was a funny character, despite all the bad that happened to her; and she had some great relationships in her life. Some of the scenes with her friends and even her grandmother are very cute; and I found myself laughing quite a bit. It probably won't surprise you that I think this book would make a cute movie or even a television series.

I was excited to learn that AUTUMN FALLS is the first book in a series. I am definitely looking forward to the sequel and hopefully many books after that! Make sure you check out the website for AUTUMN FALLS.

Overall, AUTUMN FALLS was a fun and sweet story that's perfect for older tweens and young teens. I can't wait to share it with Booking Daughter!

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!