by Marjane Satrapi
Summary:
Rose's father is wonderful in every way. But when he returns from a trip without the present she asked for, she sighs a deep sigh. When a mysterious being called "The Sigh" is summoned by her sigh, he brings her the blue bean she had asked her father for. But his price is high, and Rose will have to live with the consequences.
Review:
The Sigh is an illustrated fairy tale for tweens. The story is very cute, and will appeal to tweens who like fairy tales. Rose falls in love and has to overcome a lot of adversity to find happiness, a storyline that many girls will like. The illustrations are fantastic and add to the story as well. It's a good book for younger tweens.
Genre: Fairy Tale
Age Level: 3rd Grade
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Don't Turn Around
by Michelle Gagnon
Summary:
Noa has only relied on herself for years. She beat the foster care system, tricked it into letting her live alone. She's made a name for herself as a hacker, earning enough that she never has to worry. But she she wakes up alone on an operating table, with no memory of what happened, she discovers that there are some things you can't plan for. After she escapes whoever had trapped her there, she finds only one person she can trust, another hacker she's never actually met. It up to her and Patrick to discover what happened to her, and the truth might just get them killed.
Review:
First things first, this is another trilogy. I didn't realize it when I picked it up, but it's good to know. Overall the book is interesting. The book is a bit tech heavy, but the author makes it so that it is pretty easy to understand. Noa is a strong character who has to lean on a stranger to survive. Patrick is the classic boy who had everything who realizes that everything he ever knew is a lie. The book is fast-paced and interesting, good for both genders if they are into thrillers.
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade
Summary:
Noa has only relied on herself for years. She beat the foster care system, tricked it into letting her live alone. She's made a name for herself as a hacker, earning enough that she never has to worry. But she she wakes up alone on an operating table, with no memory of what happened, she discovers that there are some things you can't plan for. After she escapes whoever had trapped her there, she finds only one person she can trust, another hacker she's never actually met. It up to her and Patrick to discover what happened to her, and the truth might just get them killed.
Review:
First things first, this is another trilogy. I didn't realize it when I picked it up, but it's good to know. Overall the book is interesting. The book is a bit tech heavy, but the author makes it so that it is pretty easy to understand. Noa is a strong character who has to lean on a stranger to survive. Patrick is the classic boy who had everything who realizes that everything he ever knew is a lie. The book is fast-paced and interesting, good for both genders if they are into thrillers.
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade
Breathe My Name
by R. A. Nelson
Summary:
Frances has worked hard to forget her past. Her parents, her friends, her life now are what matters. But when she receives a letter telling her her birth mother has been released from jail, she is forced to remember the past. The past where she had 3 little sisters. The past where her mother murdered them, and tried to murder her too. It was only luck that someone heard her yelling, luck that she survived where her sisters didn't. But when her mother writes to her, telling Frances she needs to finish what was started, Frances realizes the only way she is going to be able to move on from her past is to confront it face to face.
Review:
A fast paced psychological thriller, Breathe My Name is a hard hitting book about one girls struggle to move on from a horrific event. The book does an excellent job of discussing mental illness in relation to the mother and the crimes she commits. The reader is left guessing her motives for contacting Frances until the very end, where a plot twist upends most of the readers assumptions. It's a great book for teens who like thrillers, but best for slightly more mature teens since the subject is pretty dark.
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Age Level: 9th Grade
Summary:
Frances has worked hard to forget her past. Her parents, her friends, her life now are what matters. But when she receives a letter telling her her birth mother has been released from jail, she is forced to remember the past. The past where she had 3 little sisters. The past where her mother murdered them, and tried to murder her too. It was only luck that someone heard her yelling, luck that she survived where her sisters didn't. But when her mother writes to her, telling Frances she needs to finish what was started, Frances realizes the only way she is going to be able to move on from her past is to confront it face to face.
Review:
A fast paced psychological thriller, Breathe My Name is a hard hitting book about one girls struggle to move on from a horrific event. The book does an excellent job of discussing mental illness in relation to the mother and the crimes she commits. The reader is left guessing her motives for contacting Frances until the very end, where a plot twist upends most of the readers assumptions. It's a great book for teens who like thrillers, but best for slightly more mature teens since the subject is pretty dark.
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Age Level: 9th Grade
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Girl in Blue
by Ann Rinaldi
Summary:
When the call goes out for men to enlist in the Union Army, Sarah sees her chance to escape the life she's been trapped in, and her impending marriage to her terrible neighbor. Disguised as a boy, she joins the army and becomes a Union soldier. After fighting in the battlefields of Virginia she's discovered to be a girl. Offered a chance to become a spy instead of being court martialed for lying to the government, she leaps at the chance to keep serving her country. But being a spy is much harder than being a soldier, being a spy means betraying those whose trust you are out to gain. Being a spy might even being betraying herself.
Review:
As usual, Rinaldi does a fantastic job of creating a historical novel that draws the reader in and makes them truly invested in the characters. Sarah is a likable character, with flaws and dreams. The people she meets along her journey each shape a part of the next stage in her life. it's a great book for girls who like adventure or historical fiction.
Age Level: 7th Grade
Genre: Historical Fiction
Summary:
When the call goes out for men to enlist in the Union Army, Sarah sees her chance to escape the life she's been trapped in, and her impending marriage to her terrible neighbor. Disguised as a boy, she joins the army and becomes a Union soldier. After fighting in the battlefields of Virginia she's discovered to be a girl. Offered a chance to become a spy instead of being court martialed for lying to the government, she leaps at the chance to keep serving her country. But being a spy is much harder than being a soldier, being a spy means betraying those whose trust you are out to gain. Being a spy might even being betraying herself.
Review:
As usual, Rinaldi does a fantastic job of creating a historical novel that draws the reader in and makes them truly invested in the characters. Sarah is a likable character, with flaws and dreams. The people she meets along her journey each shape a part of the next stage in her life. it's a great book for girls who like adventure or historical fiction.
Age Level: 7th Grade
Genre: Historical Fiction
The Pirate Captain's Daughter
by Eve Bunting
Summary:
Catherine has always known her father was a pirate, even though he tried to keep the truth from her mother and her. When her mother dies, rather than be cast off to live with her aunt in America, Catherine convinces her father to take her to sea with him. Disguising herself as a boy, she joins his crew as a musician. But she's soon to discover that the life of a pirate isn't anything like the songs make it out to be. Life as a pirate means she might not live to make it to the next port.
Review:
Catherine is a strong character with ideas of her own and a desire to make her own way in life, regardless of the standards of the time. Bunting's book combines action and adventure with a little bit of romance. The pirate crew is an unlikable bunch, and the things that happen aboard ship seem pretty true to life (fights and the like). The book is great for girls that like adventure novels.
Age Level: 6th Grade
Genre: Historical Fiction
Summary:
Catherine has always known her father was a pirate, even though he tried to keep the truth from her mother and her. When her mother dies, rather than be cast off to live with her aunt in America, Catherine convinces her father to take her to sea with him. Disguising herself as a boy, she joins his crew as a musician. But she's soon to discover that the life of a pirate isn't anything like the songs make it out to be. Life as a pirate means she might not live to make it to the next port.
Review:
Catherine is a strong character with ideas of her own and a desire to make her own way in life, regardless of the standards of the time. Bunting's book combines action and adventure with a little bit of romance. The pirate crew is an unlikable bunch, and the things that happen aboard ship seem pretty true to life (fights and the like). The book is great for girls that like adventure novels.
Age Level: 6th Grade
Genre: Historical Fiction
Numbers
by Rachel Ward
Summary:
Every time you looked at someone, you can see the day that they will die. What do you do with that kind of knowledge? Does knowing the day you'll die help you? Would telling people stop them from dying? The numbers haunt Jem. Knowing the day that every single person she encounters will die makes every day almost unbearable. Until she meets Spider, a boy whose death date is not far in the future. Maybe knowing the date will let her stop if from happening. Maybe he can be the one she saves.
Review:
The premise of Numbers is interesting, but the book itself is a bit disjointed and the language a bit hard to follow at times. The main characters are kids from rougher areas of London, so there is a lot of slang written in that might be hard for some teens to follow. In some ways the harsher writing (or not as developed I suppose) does help the plot as it makes you feel a bit closer to the characters. Overall the book is an interesting read but nothing thrilling. Ok for teens who enjoy books about fate or star crossed lovers.
Age Level: 8th Grade
Genre: Realistic Fantasy Fiction
Series: sequel Numbers: the Chaos
Summary:
Every time you looked at someone, you can see the day that they will die. What do you do with that kind of knowledge? Does knowing the day you'll die help you? Would telling people stop them from dying? The numbers haunt Jem. Knowing the day that every single person she encounters will die makes every day almost unbearable. Until she meets Spider, a boy whose death date is not far in the future. Maybe knowing the date will let her stop if from happening. Maybe he can be the one she saves.
Review:
The premise of Numbers is interesting, but the book itself is a bit disjointed and the language a bit hard to follow at times. The main characters are kids from rougher areas of London, so there is a lot of slang written in that might be hard for some teens to follow. In some ways the harsher writing (or not as developed I suppose) does help the plot as it makes you feel a bit closer to the characters. Overall the book is an interesting read but nothing thrilling. Ok for teens who enjoy books about fate or star crossed lovers.
Age Level: 8th Grade
Genre: Realistic Fantasy Fiction
Series: sequel Numbers: the Chaos
Friday, December 7, 2012
There is No Dog
by Meg Roscoff
Summary:
So typically when you think of God you think of an almighty being, who works for the good of everyone. Not some teenager who acts on impulse and falls in love. And when God falls in love, it wrecks havoc on the planet he created (like volcanoes erupting and floods havoc). Luckily his assistant Mr. B is there to try and clean up the mess, but when God falls in love with a girl named Lucy he's not sure he wants to keep playing nursemaid to this kid. Leaving us to wonder....what's going to happen if Mr. B isn't there to clean up the mess this time?
Review:
There is no Dog is a funny book about the roles we have in life. God, a far cry from his normally depicted being, is an impetuous teenager. His moods are the reason the world has so many natural disasters. It's an amusing read, portraying God and the other immortal beings more like the Greek Gods versus the Christian singular one. A good read for those who are able to appreciate more tongue in cheek humor, rather than those who would take the book literally in any sense.
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Summary:
So typically when you think of God you think of an almighty being, who works for the good of everyone. Not some teenager who acts on impulse and falls in love. And when God falls in love, it wrecks havoc on the planet he created (like volcanoes erupting and floods havoc). Luckily his assistant Mr. B is there to try and clean up the mess, but when God falls in love with a girl named Lucy he's not sure he wants to keep playing nursemaid to this kid. Leaving us to wonder....what's going to happen if Mr. B isn't there to clean up the mess this time?
Review:
There is no Dog is a funny book about the roles we have in life. God, a far cry from his normally depicted being, is an impetuous teenager. His moods are the reason the world has so many natural disasters. It's an amusing read, portraying God and the other immortal beings more like the Greek Gods versus the Christian singular one. A good read for those who are able to appreciate more tongue in cheek humor, rather than those who would take the book literally in any sense.
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
The Night She Disappeared
by April Henry
Summary:
Kayla, Gabie and Drew aren't really close friends, but they go to school together, and work together at a pizza place. The night Kayla goes missing on a delivery, Gabie was supposed to be working. Gabie should have been the one delivering that pizza. So now Gabie and Drew are left to wonder not only if Kayla is still alive, but if the killer is waiting to get Gabie next.
Review:
This is a fast paced read that draws readers in quickly. The book alternates between the perspectives of all three characters, which lets you get to know all of them in a different way. Gabie and Drew work to find the kidnapper to save Kayla, which while a little far fetched makes for an exciting plot. It's a good book for teens that like mysteries.
Genre: Mystery
Age Level: 8th Grade
Summary:
Kayla, Gabie and Drew aren't really close friends, but they go to school together, and work together at a pizza place. The night Kayla goes missing on a delivery, Gabie was supposed to be working. Gabie should have been the one delivering that pizza. So now Gabie and Drew are left to wonder not only if Kayla is still alive, but if the killer is waiting to get Gabie next.
Review:
This is a fast paced read that draws readers in quickly. The book alternates between the perspectives of all three characters, which lets you get to know all of them in a different way. Gabie and Drew work to find the kidnapper to save Kayla, which while a little far fetched makes for an exciting plot. It's a good book for teens that like mysteries.
Genre: Mystery
Age Level: 8th Grade
Accomplice
by Eireann Corrigan.
Summary:
Finn and Chloe have done everything right so far. They've done good in school, participate in extracurricular activities, volunteer, basically have done everything that they have been told that would give them an edge to get into a great college. Which is great. Except what they've done thousands of other people have done. They need to do something that really will set them apart, that will really make colleges want them. So they decided to fake Chloe's kidnapping. Finn will play the devastated friend, and when enough time has gone by (and enough media attention) she will help Chloe 'escape' from her 'imprisonment.' But once the plan is set into action Finn is left to see the devastation their ploy wrecks on everyone she cares about, and is forced to see just how far the consequences of the plan extend.
Review:
What I found most interesting, and almost believable, is how far these two girls were willing to go to get an edge on other college applicants. This, more than anything, was the biggest thing that stood out to me. Both girls were responsible and smart students, but the college application process brings out their worst qualities. As outlandish as it is, their plot succeeds in the book, and Finn is left to carry her guilt about deceiving everyone, and ruining a few other peoples futures in the process. It's a good read for teens, any who are going through this process themselves will definitely understand the motives of these girls.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th-10th Grade
Summary:
Finn and Chloe have done everything right so far. They've done good in school, participate in extracurricular activities, volunteer, basically have done everything that they have been told that would give them an edge to get into a great college. Which is great. Except what they've done thousands of other people have done. They need to do something that really will set them apart, that will really make colleges want them. So they decided to fake Chloe's kidnapping. Finn will play the devastated friend, and when enough time has gone by (and enough media attention) she will help Chloe 'escape' from her 'imprisonment.' But once the plan is set into action Finn is left to see the devastation their ploy wrecks on everyone she cares about, and is forced to see just how far the consequences of the plan extend.
Review:
What I found most interesting, and almost believable, is how far these two girls were willing to go to get an edge on other college applicants. This, more than anything, was the biggest thing that stood out to me. Both girls were responsible and smart students, but the college application process brings out their worst qualities. As outlandish as it is, their plot succeeds in the book, and Finn is left to carry her guilt about deceiving everyone, and ruining a few other peoples futures in the process. It's a good read for teens, any who are going through this process themselves will definitely understand the motives of these girls.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th-10th Grade
The Knife of Never Letting Go
by Patrick Ness
Summary:
Imagine never having a private thought. Imagine if everything you thought everyone could hear. If everything animals thought you could hear. It would be endless Noise right? Todd has grown up in Prentisstown. A town of only men. A town where no thought is private, even from your dog. But in a town where you know every thought of every person, secrets can still be kept. Secrets that can destroy a world. When Todd discovers a girl named Viola hiding in the nearby swamp, a girl whose thoughts he can't hear, everything he ever knew is shattered. And when they become the most wanted people in Prentisstown, and in all of the New World, they will have to find a way to survive.
Review:
At first I had a hard time getting into this book, but the more I read the more the book drew me in. At first you are led to believe that Prentisstown is all there is in this world, but as Todd meets Viola we discover that Prentisstown is one of many towns on the New World; a world that was supposed to be a utopian society until the problems that plague all societies emerged. The book kind of mirrors the hope of the Puritans landing in Plymouth, only to discover that the perfect world is not as easy to make as you want. The book is extremely engaging and will be liked by any teen who enjoys dystopian fiction or epics. The characters are extremely interesting, especially Todd as we can hear every thought he has. The book does a good job of discussing the concepts of good and evil, and as you get further in the series you see the characters struggling with the definition of both in the same way Katniss has to in Mockingjay (as in President's Snow v Coin, but in this book it is Prentiss v Mistress Coyle).
Genre: Science Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Series Information: Knife of Never Letting Go (Book 1), The Ask and the Answer (Book 2), The Madness of Men (Book 3)
Summary:
Imagine never having a private thought. Imagine if everything you thought everyone could hear. If everything animals thought you could hear. It would be endless Noise right? Todd has grown up in Prentisstown. A town of only men. A town where no thought is private, even from your dog. But in a town where you know every thought of every person, secrets can still be kept. Secrets that can destroy a world. When Todd discovers a girl named Viola hiding in the nearby swamp, a girl whose thoughts he can't hear, everything he ever knew is shattered. And when they become the most wanted people in Prentisstown, and in all of the New World, they will have to find a way to survive.
Review:
At first I had a hard time getting into this book, but the more I read the more the book drew me in. At first you are led to believe that Prentisstown is all there is in this world, but as Todd meets Viola we discover that Prentisstown is one of many towns on the New World; a world that was supposed to be a utopian society until the problems that plague all societies emerged. The book kind of mirrors the hope of the Puritans landing in Plymouth, only to discover that the perfect world is not as easy to make as you want. The book is extremely engaging and will be liked by any teen who enjoys dystopian fiction or epics. The characters are extremely interesting, especially Todd as we can hear every thought he has. The book does a good job of discussing the concepts of good and evil, and as you get further in the series you see the characters struggling with the definition of both in the same way Katniss has to in Mockingjay (as in President's Snow v Coin, but in this book it is Prentiss v Mistress Coyle).
Genre: Science Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Series Information: Knife of Never Letting Go (Book 1), The Ask and the Answer (Book 2), The Madness of Men (Book 3)
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