Raven Birchfield's life isn't getting any easier. After dealing with a possession by Mary of the nursery rhyme Mary, Mary Quite Contrary and helping her best friend Candy through a possession by Little Miss Muffet, it seems that it is her brother Johnny's turn. After Raven's mom forgets about Johnny's birthday, Raven rushes to find him a present. After sifting through her Aunt Bestla's things, Raven finds a blue bomber jacket that she knows Johnny will adore. Raven figures out just a little too late that the jacket is connected to Little Boy Blue and her brother has turned into an overconfident, boastful, thief. To top it off, Raven and Johnny's father who left on Johnny's seventh birthday has return inexplicably and their mother accepts him back with no questions.
Blue is the third book in the Once Upon a Rhyme series and should definitely be read after Mary, Mary and Muffet in order to get to know the characters and how the nursery rhyme possessions work. Blue follows the same pattern as the first two books; however, now Raven has a better understanding of how things work and a friend she can trust with the craziness. Blue's possession was a little different since his evil characteristics weren't shown outright. Raven and Candy liked Johnny a lot better as Blue and so did he, but Blue's possession was the darkest and had the most potential for harm. I'm still confused about how a bomber jacket is tied to a 16th century historical figure as well as why the graveyard exists. Although, the intrigue has built up with the return of Raven's father as well as the growing connection that Raven's classmate Dex seems to have with everything.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )

Nursery rhymes take on an entire new meaning, one which won't leave Little Boy Blue in the same light again.

Note: This is the third book in a series but can be read as a stand-alone. I did not read the other books before diving into it and had little trouble sinking into the tale.

Raven is a sixteen-year-old girl, who lives with her mother and brother in their deceased aunt's house. They struggle to make ends meet, but that isn't Raven's biggest concern. Her aunt was a bit strange, and since coming to the house, Raven has dug up an old nursery rhyme book as well as a crystal, which she wears around her neck. Her past experiences with the two have not been good, and this time doesn't appear it will be much better. Thanks to an attempt to give her brother a little happiness on his birthday, she's accidentally released a new nursery rhyme, one that takes over her brother's body. But her brother doesn't seem to mind, and neither does her best friend since this new version of him does appear pretty cool. But there's always more to these characters than first meets the eye, and Raven's convinced this time isn't any different.

I don't think I've ever read a nursery rhyme retelling. So, this was quite a refreshing spin. The author lays out the background nicely—Raven's family tries their best to get by but suffers quite a bit. It's hard not to feel for their situation, and although Raven's actions are a bit silly, considering the circumstances with her past run-in with rhymes, it's somewhat understandable why she takes the risk. Still, since she her and her friend have had bad experiences with the rhymes before, I was a little surprised by some of their actions.

Friendship is golden in these pages as well as sibling relationships. It's nice to see a YA novel which allows the relationship between brother and sister to hit the center light. There's a nice amount of intrigue, high enough tension to keep the plot plowing forward, and a dash of high school/junior high drama to make it a great fit for the intended age group. The alternate 'Johnny' did not always act his age, though, which didn't sit quite right. But then, I had a bit of trouble connecting to the characters, although the read was entertaining.

Especially the younger end of YAers and retelling fans are sure to enjoy this one.

I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed the tale quite a bit. So, I'm leaving my honest thoughts. ( )

I liked the fact that I could have read this book as a stand-alone. I was asked to read and review this book. It looked so interesting I purchased all three and started at the beginning. Since Raven Birchfield dug up an old nursery rhyme book and a quartz necklace things have not been the same. First, she was haunted by Mary, Mary Quite Contrary. Then she had to help her best friend who was being controlled by Miss Muffet. Who would have suspected she would now have to help her brother who is being controlled by Little Boy Blue. He found an old trumpet when they moved into his aunt’s house. He is not very good at playing it. However, Blue is definitely good at playing the trumpet. Johnny likes Blue so he is perfectly fine being stuck in this realm that Blue once lived in.

Everything happening to Johnny began when his sister found a blue jacket in an old trunk. It was given to her brother as a birthday gift. The jacket is all that is needed for Johnny to start behaving differently. There is a lesson to be learned in this one. This book talks about confidence or believing in oneself. I am liking the way these books are going and look forward to reading more by this author. ( )