Let's Reach Everyone We Can!

Starworld

By: Audrey Coulthurst and Paula Garner

Genre:  YA Realistic Fiction

Pages: 352

Published: 2019

Read:  May

4.5 out of 5 stars

This book takes place in the real world at present time. However, it reaches another dimension when two very different girls start texting. Zoe and Sam find that they can be “themselves” and share their true feelings in the created world of Starworld. This book is uniquely written in two voices, by two different authors, in two different worlds. It crosses over from reality to fantasy and back again; giving the authors a unique opportunity to reach more readers. Starworld is very gripping, well-written and timely – adults can’t help but enjoy it too.

Great Narrator - Book not so much.

There’s Someone Inside Your House

By: Stephanie Perkins

Genre: YA/Mystery

Pages: 287

Published: 2017

Audiobook: 9 hours and 26 mins

Read:  June

2 out of 5 stars

I heard the audio on this one was great and really scary. Therefore, I expected that there would be a little spooky music perhaps? Not only could I not get into the story, kind of childish, it wasn't scary AT ALL. There are much better out there. I should have known since I also didn't care for Perkins book, Anna and the French Kiss, even though I know a lot of readers did.

On the fantastic side, the narrator is phenomenal - Bahni Turpin. She has narrated over 70 books, including The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. Both are great audio. I love her.

Pride and Prejudice Remix!

Pride

By: Ibi Zoboi

Genre: YA Multicultural/Remix

Pages: 285

Published: 2018

Read:  February

4 out of 5 stars

A remix of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. BTW, I love the wording of “remix” versus “retelling”. I have not read Pride and Prejudice (I know, my bad), so I did not catch any of the similarities between the books except for the twist on names of the characters. After reading, I did look up plot summary to see if the stories progression was similar. The remix (retelling) was done well. This was the only remix I can remember reading that changed the ethnicity of the characters. I felt that was very clever and definitely will appeal to non-Caucasian teens who will be able to connect with the characters easily. I did appreciate the story, it was entertaining and very well written. Kudos to Zoboi!

A LGBTQ+ graphic novel

The Prince and the Dressmaker

By: Jen Wang

Genre: YA graphic novel/ LGBTQ+

Pages: 284

Published: 2018

Read:  February

3.5 out of 5 stars

This graphic novel had everything going for it. A captivating story line, gorgeous artwork, a timely plot twist. Prince Sebastian is supposed to be looking for a bride, but he has a major secret he is hiding. To aid in his secret, he hires a low life seamstress who is about to get fired to design him exquisite gowns. They become true friends and both benefit greatly from this meaningful relationship. However, as the story comes to a conclusion, it feels rushed and unrealistic; even for this time and age. Due to the nature and development of the characters that Wang created, the unmasking would not have been that easy for young Sebastian.

An Empowering Novel

The Poet X

By: Elizabeth Acevedo

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pages: 368

Published: 2018

Read:  December 2018

4 out of 5 stars

I love how REAL this book is. I think all readers (especially teens), no matter their ethnicity, will be able to relate to some aspect of this book. The reader gets to know and understand the ins and outs of Xiomara’s thoughts and feelings. With the book portraying a poet through the use of poetry the authenticity of story is enhanced. As a reader, one can feel that Acevedo carefully chose every word written and the powerful meaning behind it. All readers will resonate with every beautiful sentence. Acevedo writes about how to be a girl, a sister, a daughter and a teen in today's difficult world.

It’s an important read for everyone.

Craving more...

Stitches

By: David Small

Genre: YA Graphic Novel/Memoir

Pages: 329

Published: 2009

Read:  January

3.5 out of 5 stars

I have mentioned in previous reviews that I struggle with National Book Award Winners. However, I have always enjoyed graphic memoirs – So why not?   Small didn’t have a great childhood, I won’t deny that and it’s a great accomplishment that he came out on top. But, so many other children have it worse. I wonder if it really was worse than he portrayed or if Small choose not to indulge more detail because it was a graphic novel. Or did he feel that he truly suffered as much as other children.

Either way, I craved more – did he Grandma continue to abuse him or just suddenly stop as it seems from the book? What was his mother’s reaction when he walked into the bedroom and saw her with her lesbian lover? I felt what Small endured was minimized by his brief overview. Most of all, I want to know if there was more or did he mean to keep us guessing. Even his author note, while informative, didn’t answer my questions.

2nd Time around was better!

Darius the Great is Not Okay

By: Adib Khorram

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pages: 316

Published: 2018

Read:  January

3 out of 5 stars

This is my second reading of this book. I reread it for a Battle of the Books challenge with librarians. I did enjoy it more the second time around. My favorite aspect of the story is that the protagonist is a male dealing with depression. There have been a lot of YA books dealing with mental health in the past few years, but not with male characters. I think it’s important for male teens to see they aren’t alone. I also appreciate the fact that it was multicultural and educational. It was almost like a nonfiction book inside a fictional story. But this also negatively impacted the story, the Persian facts often interrupted the story line. Most would have been better included in back or even a companion book to this novel. Khorram did include an afterword about the seriousness of depression with links to websites for additional information or help.

An Entertaining and Helpful Self-Help Book

I Really Didn’t Think This Through: Tales from My So-called Adult Life

By: Beth Evans

Genre: Non-fiction/self help

Pages: 192

Published: 2018

Read:  January

4 out of 5 stars

Evans can help any reader with anxiety in a fun, entertaining way. This book is especially good for teens and young adults, but I read it as a woman in my 40’s and still enjoyed it. It will crack you up, while providing you with knowledgeable and useful advice. If interested, she has a fantastically entertaining Twitter and Instagram account with many more illustrations. As a Young Adult Librarian, I will be talking this book up to my patrons for sure.

Unbelievable and predictible

Hole in the Middle

By: Kendra Fortmeyer

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pages: 352

Published: 2018

Read:  September

2.5 out of 5

Morgan Stone is born with a hole in the middle of her body – the size of a fist. Even more far-fetched for me, she is a senior in high school who shares her own apartment with her best friend – also a senior. This is for no apparent reason except her mom is rich and the author needed less parental supervision of Morgan. Of course, they have fake ID’s and it’s at the local night club where Morgan decides to show off her hole for the first time. This starts an internet sensation and news reporter frenzy. She eventually meets Howie, who has a lump the exact size and location as Morgan’s hole. Will they be able to cure each other? Even though this book was well-written and had a unique story line, it was too unbelievable and predictable for me.

A coincidence or more?!?

The Cheerleaders

By: Kara Thomas

Genre: YA Thriller

Pages: 384

Published: 2018

Read:  July

4 out of 5

CONNECT THE DOTS.  A car accident, a murder, and a suicide. 5 cheerleaders – all dead within a month. Told in the voice of one of the cheerleader’s sister, is the dark twisted story of this small town’s tragedy. Thomas keeps the reader guessing throughout the book, once you think you got it - wait - another twist is upon you. Never having read Thomas before, she is definitely on my radar now. I’m going to have to consider going back and reading Little Monsters (2017) and The Darkest Corners (2016).

a mix of mystical realism and realistic fiction

Out of the Blue

By: Sophie Cameron

Genre: YA Mystical Realism

Pages: 272

Published: 2018

Read:  May

3 out of 5

This book begins with angels falling from the sky. Most are dying as soon as they hit the ground, but Jaya has one fall right at her feet that is still alive. Even though this novel is very mystical it deals with friendship, guilt and grief as well. Jaya has to deal with the sudden death of her mother, the disappearance of her ex-girlfriend, and her own struggles with her dad. This is a great debut novel by Sophie Cameron whether you like realistic fiction or fantasy.

Bollywood and movie references!!!

My So-Called Bollywood Life

By: Nisha Sharma

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pages: 304

Published: 2018

Read:  May

2 out of 5

This is a typically teenage love story – with a twist of Bollywood! Unfortunately, that is the only twist throughout the book. The overall story was very cliché and predictable. On the up side, there are a ton of movie references and even a guide of all movies mentioned in the back of book. I thought that was a great feature. Besides learning a bit about Indian culture and Bollywood movies, I feel you can skip this book.

Too much going on...

Picture Us in the Light

By: Kelly Loy Gilbert

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pages: 368

Published: 2018

Read:  March

2 out of 5

There are so many storylines in this book, I couldn’t get emotionally attached to any of them. Some were unnecessary to the story (Danny being gay) and some took away from what I felt was the “true” story (Danny’s parents’ secret). I don’t generally have a problem with multiple plots, but in this particular novel, I wanted to feel more from the characters and the issues they were dealing with at the time. The story wasn’t complex or hard to follow; I was wanting more on each storyline to really feel it.

Take this review with a grain of salt

Thunderhead

By: Neal Shusterman

Genre: YA Dystopian

Pages: 504

Published: 2018

Read:  February

2 out of 5

I love Shusterman and I loved Scythe, but for some reason I personally could not get into Thunderhead. It was well written and continues the story of Citra and Rowen nicely, but for some reason I had a tough time getting into the storyline and found my mind wandered a lot. I think my lack of enjoyment was more my fault than Shusterman’s story telling. If you enjoyed Scythe, I still recommend reading Thunderhead. I have heard that some liked it better than Scythe, I just did not.

If you ever wondered about Iranian immigrants, read this book

Americanized: A Rebel without a Green Card

By: Sara Saedi

Genre: YA Memoir

Pages: 288

Published: 2018

Read:  February

3 out of 5

This is a great memoir about an Iranian teen living in America without a green card. She went through her childhood without even knowing she was an illegal immigrant. Although not seemingly directly affected (she was still able to get a job), but the fear of being departed was always in the background. However, my favorite part was the Frequently Asked Questions added throughout the book. These weren’t directly related to her family, but Iranians in general. I thought this was very informative, while still being entertaining. I loved how the book was written in novel format, but still nonfiction. At first, one may not even realize it is nonfiction.

Another empowering read...

Piecing Me Together

By: Renee Watson

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pages: 272

Published: 2017

Read:  January

3.5 out of 5

Jade is one of the few black students in a privileged high school which she attends on scholarship. She has few friends and desperately seeks to travel abroad with the school. She knows it is her only way out of her poor neighborhood. Instead she gets selected to be in a “woman-to-woman” group where she is paired with a mentor. Although this may be a great opportunity, her mentor isn’t as stable herself as she should be. Only with Jade’s determination and learning alongside her mentor makes this a powerful book. They both teach each other a lot about the outside world. Watson’s focus is on teaching the reader’s that you create your own future and that empowerment and standing up for oneself is as important as the opportunities one may receive.

An Empowering Book

Moxie

By: Jennifer Mathieu

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pages: 330

Published: 2017

Read:  January

4 out of 5

It isn’t often that you come across a book with such a strong female character. Viv is fed up with her school and especially the principal. Fed up with the sexist dress codes, sexual harassment, and a football team that can do no wrong and has the best of everything- equipment, uniforms, etc. So one night instead of going to the football game (which the entire town literally shuts down for), she single-handedly creates the Moxie zine. Moxie unites all the girls in the school to fight back. It takes off like rapid fire and soon the Moxie group is formed. This book is fun and entertaining while providing a great lesson in feminism. I feel this book will empower many teen readers. It is definitely a feel good book and will inspire all. Moxie Girls Fight Back!!!

A boring adventure...

Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares

By: Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pages: 260

Published: 2010

Audiobook: 6 hours and 40 mins

Read:  January

2.5 out of 5

This book sucked me in right away (4 stars). I love scavenger hunts AND books, so this was right up my alley. It was fast-paced and fun.  Dash find a little red moleskin notebook in a book store and that starts a trail of clues around town. However, once the two teenagers meet in person the book takes a turn for the worst. No longer interesting the book loses its enthusiasm and roller coaster of adventure. If the premise of an exciting mystical hunt around a town is what draws you to this book, Skip it. I would recommend this only to Cohn fans. Levithan has written much better books – pick up Will Grayson, Will Grayson instead.

A great book for newbies to the Sci-fi genre!

Landscape with Invisible Hand

By: M.T. Anderson

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Pages: 149

Published: 2017

Read:  December

3 out of 5

Trying to read more out of my comfort zone and get a grasp on different YA novels, I picked up Anderson’s latest book. This book and writing style reminds me of The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex, which the movie Home is loosely based. In Landscape with Invisible Hand, the world is taken over by the Vuvv and humans have no control or say on how the earth is run. To survive you must fight or concede to the Vuvv. This book is a starred review on Booklist and receiving a lot of hype. I definitely recommend to fans of science fiction and those who want to venture out of their own comfort zone. It’s short at only 149 pages. Therefore, a great book for new readers of the sci-fi genre. Give it a try!

A tragic story...

This is Where it Ends

By: Marieke Nijkamp

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pages: 285

Published: 2016

Read:  December

3 out of 5

A tragic school shooting told in minute-by-minute detail with four different personal accounts. However, the novel was much more plot-based than character-based and I wanted to “feel” more from of the characters. There were also a lot of characters, even though only four students told the story. This made it a little hard to keep the characters and their relationships straight. However, I loved the time stamped chapters and fast-paced motion of the story. It made the story more realistic and the reader feel that they are actually experiencing the horrific events of a school shooting. I believe this is the author’s intent of writing such a story. She tells a very important story.