June McCrary Jacobs

Adventure has no end in this tale, where a heart for animals inspires and surprises await around every bend.
Weston and Wendy discover several over-heated bunnies left behind after the County Fair. After assisting their father in cooling them down, they take on the job as foster parents until the true owners can pick them up a few days later. The two children are sad to see the rabbits go, but soon discover more animals who require their help. The RES-Q Tyler Stop is born, and their mission is to assist animals whenever they can. But tending to animals isn’t always as easy or safe as it might seem, and during a camping trip, Weston makes a dangerous mistake. This is only the beginning of the adventures which await them.
Weston and Wendy are siblings to root for. Their love for animals touches the heart, and their determination is inspiring. Most of their actions are well-thought out, while others show that everyone makes mistakes and learning is an important part of life. While the first half of the story concentrates on their adventures with animals, the second half takes a slight turn and hits modern topics such as diversity and acceptance.
The characters and the situations they face come across realistic, and the scenes develop naturally. Not only does the author keep a nice paced plot rolling along but adds interesting and practical information about animals and ways to handle certain situations along the way. It makes for a fun mix of fiction and fact.
This appears to be the first book in the series, and I’m eager to see where the RES-Q Tyler Stop adventures will head to next.

I received an ARC and enjoyed the story quite a bit.… (más)

Youth oriented books aren't really my thing, but since this year I am really trying to get out of my reading comfort zone, I thought I would give RES-Q Tyler Stop by June McCrary Jacobs a try. If the title throws you off you are in good company. You learn early on that Tyler Stop is the name of the town where the family lives but you have to wait a few chapters to learn that RES-Q is actually an acronym for the rescue adoption that Wendy and Weston, the two children in the story, create, meaning Rescue Each Species-Quickly, which is utterly adorable and such a sweet idea!

While I adored the premise, I had some issues that I couldn't seem to shake. First off, the characters are straight out of Leave It to Beaver, so sugary sweet they made my teeth hurt. I'm all for wholesome but it felt like it was a little much, putting a constant barrier between me and the characters. The rescues and adoptions that the RES-Q team does sound wonderful, but they are brushed to the side, even though I assumed that would be the focal point of the story.

To me, RES-Q Tyler Stop felt like it should've been two separate stories, one being about rescuing and adopting pets, and the other about the family, particularly Weston, dealing with prejudice and bullying. While I do feel tackling these two topics are important, it didn't mesh well with the story of starting the rescue, and dealing with the animals.

Though several major aspects kept me torn, I do see the potential of the Tyler Stop series as long as they're tackled one at a time and the characters are given more depth and development, losing that sitcom feel. The writing is decent, and the story does flow, even though it does feel like two separate narratives jammed into one. In my opinion, the target readers would be older elementary school children and up, since there is sensitive subject matter, and the length, since it is a novel, and not a short story.… (más)

This is a sweet middle grade story some important lessons for young people. With theses of caring, honesty, bullying, and prejudice, parents can rest assured their children are reading something that builds character while stretching their minds and imaginations.

The book begins with Weston and his sister Wendy caring for some abandoned rabbits and coming up with a plan to form a pet rescue for their town. Along the way, eleven-year-old Weston learns some hard, but important, life-lessons—some of his own making and a couple he has very little control over.

June Jacobs McCrary writes an engaging story to keep young minds entertained and in the end, leaves just enough questions that will have the reader clamoring for the next book and more adventures with Weston, Wendy, and the town of Tyler Stop.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.… (más)

4 STARS

Robin's Reward is a romance with lots of drama, emotion and small town. It is a clean read. It does mention faith, prayer and God in a realistic way.
I love the town hall meeting. It is my favorite scene in the book. Makes you want to clap and cheer too.

There are characters that I like and some you want to boo and hope they can be stopped in there tracks.

Robin Bennett is a small town of Bonita Creek’s librarian. (My dream job.) She has had some tough breaks. I really like and admire her. She is making a difference in her town. After Robin's divorce she has a hard time trusting men.

Jeff Clarke is starting a new job in Bonita Creek. He meets Robin and flirts with her. He has no idea what she does. Jeff's job is a secret.

Susan Stinson sees the handsome Jeff move in across from her and wants to date him. She is a model. She was a mean girl growing up and targeted Robin.

Jeff & Robin have a lot of things that determine to keep them apart. It is a little bit too much at times.
This is the second book that I have read by June McCrary and I have enjoyed both and look forward to reading more from her in the future.

I was given this ebook to read by the author and in return I agreed to give a honest review of Robin's Reward and be part of it's blog tour.… (más)