Curling Up With A Good Book: Rockstar Book Tours Blog Tour, Review, & Giveaway: Summer On The Short Bus (Bethany Crandell)

Monday, March 31, 2014

Rockstar Book Tours Blog Tour, Review, & Giveaway: Summer On The Short Bus (Bethany Crandell)

Paperback, 272 pages
Expected publication: April 1st 2014 by Running Press Kids

ARC Provided by Publisher for Honest Review

Cricket Montgomery has been thrown under the short bus. Shipped off to a summer camp by her father, Cricket is forced to play babysitter to a bunch of whiny kids—or so she thinks. When she realizes this camp is actually for teens with special needs, Cricket doubts she has what it takes to endure twenty-four hours, let alone two weeks.
Thanks to her dangerously cute co-counselor, Quinn, there may be a slim chance for survival. However, between the campers’ unpredictability and disregard for personal space, Cricket’s limits get pushed. She will have to decide if suffering through her own handicapped hell is worth a summer romance—and losing her sanity.

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I wish I had some mysterious secret to reveal about myself in hopes that you'd find me interesting...but I don't. When it comes to me, what you see is what you get. And what you get is an irreverent, sarcastic and emotional girl who writes stories about characters with these same traits.
I live in San Diego with my husband, two kiddos, and a chocolate lab who has no regard for personal space. I'm slightly obsessed with John Hughes and the wonderful collection of films he left behind, and I'm confident that Jake Ryan will be showing up on my doorstep any day now...
I firmly believe that prayer solves problems, and that laughter is the best medicine. Along with avocados. Avocados make the world a better place.
I'm represented by Rachael Dugas of Talcott Notch Literary Agency.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

I was not sure what I would think as I began reading Summer On The Short Bus. When reading the synopsis I immediately felt a pull towards the special needs kids and knew that this would be an emotional book. Yet when I began reading this book it was so much more than just a story about special needs kids.

This is a story about Cricket Montgomery and how she overcomes her selfish, material ways and finds out more about herself than she could ever imagine. Cricket is sent to a summer camp to be a camp leader after her father is pushed to his limits by her irresponsible actions.

"And as if lecturing me until I was ready to ram scissors in my ears wasn't bad enough, he salted the wound by announcing that not only was he confiscating my credit cards until school started, but I would not be flying to Maui with Katie and her family as planned. Instead, I would be spending the rest of my summer acting as a camp counselor to a bunch of tweens who are too lame to know that summer camp stopped being cool when you were seven. Surely this is some kind of sick joke."

Cricket arrives at the summer camp and has no idea what she is getting into. Little does she know this is a summer camo for kids with special needs such as the handicapped and the mentally retarded. The children immediately take to Cricket and all she can do is cry and try to run away.

This story surprised me in so many amazing ways. Cricket deals with so much pain, heartache, love, surprise, and joy throughout her summer at the camp. I truly loved this book. I loved the kids and how they affect Cricket and all the other people around them. I love how this book shows the kids awesomeness and how normal they really are!! It was a short, sweet story that was a perfect mix of friendship, love, and family relationships.