by Jennifer Armentrout
Summary:
If Sam could remember that night, or anything from her life before that night, maybe she could help them find Cassie. If the person she is discovering she was, the mean girl who was both loved and hated alongside Queen Bee Cassie, was anything like the person she thinks she should have been maybe things would make sense. But nothing is adding up. As Sam tries to remember what happened, threatening notes begin to appear warning her off the case. But nothing is adding up, and Sam is left to wonder, can she not remember because she killed Cassie herself?
Review:
A thriller which will keep you guessing until the very end, Don't Look Back is a fantastic read for anyone who likes suspense fiction. Sam is a very realistic character, and you struggle along with her wishing she could just remember what happened. The book builds to a big reveal, with a little romance on the side (though her love interest just might end up being the killer himself...).
Genre: Mystery
Age Level: 8th Grade
Showing posts with label Amnesia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amnesia. Show all posts
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
We Were Liars
by E. Lockhart
Summary:
If Cadence could remember her 15th summer, maybe things would make more sense. If she could remember, maybe her cousins would stop acting so odd. Maybe her aunts and mother would be ok. She had hoped spending the summer with everyone on their island would make things better. But remembering might just be worse than anything she could imagine. Maybe it's better to remain a liar.
Review:
I had read a lot of really positive reviews about We Were Liars, and as a result wasn't too optimistic about it being as good as everyone said. However I found myself pleasantly surprised by the title, and unable to put it down once I started. Lockhart has created a title with a shocking twist at the end. A great read for teens who like realistic mysteries, and who don't mind a tragic tale.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Summary:
If Cadence could remember her 15th summer, maybe things would make more sense. If she could remember, maybe her cousins would stop acting so odd. Maybe her aunts and mother would be ok. She had hoped spending the summer with everyone on their island would make things better. But remembering might just be worse than anything she could imagine. Maybe it's better to remain a liar.
Review:
I had read a lot of really positive reviews about We Were Liars, and as a result wasn't too optimistic about it being as good as everyone said. However I found myself pleasantly surprised by the title, and unable to put it down once I started. Lockhart has created a title with a shocking twist at the end. A great read for teens who like realistic mysteries, and who don't mind a tragic tale.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Six Months Later
by Natalie Richards
Summary:
Imagine waking up to discover you've missed the last 6 months of your life. You haven't been in a coma, but you can't remember anything from the last 6 months. But now you're suddenly a star student, one of the popular kids, you're dating the most popular guy in school and you've got your choice of colleges just waiting for you. You might be happy about the great turnaround in your life, but wouldn't you wonder about the cost? Chloe will stop at nothing to figure out why she can't remember the last 6 months, because if she doesn't she just might end up dead.
Review:
Six Months Later is a great read for anyone who likes mysteries. While slightly far fetched, Richards' book is fast paced and hard to put down. Chloe is a likable character who's desire for the truth is pretty realistic. She doesn't want her fancy new life if it comes at a terrible price. The intrigue, danger and suspense make this a solid read for anyone who likes these types of novels.
Genre: Mystery
Age Level: 10th Grade
Summary:
Imagine waking up to discover you've missed the last 6 months of your life. You haven't been in a coma, but you can't remember anything from the last 6 months. But now you're suddenly a star student, one of the popular kids, you're dating the most popular guy in school and you've got your choice of colleges just waiting for you. You might be happy about the great turnaround in your life, but wouldn't you wonder about the cost? Chloe will stop at nothing to figure out why she can't remember the last 6 months, because if she doesn't she just might end up dead.
Review:
Six Months Later is a great read for anyone who likes mysteries. While slightly far fetched, Richards' book is fast paced and hard to put down. Chloe is a likable character who's desire for the truth is pretty realistic. She doesn't want her fancy new life if it comes at a terrible price. The intrigue, danger and suspense make this a solid read for anyone who likes these types of novels.
Genre: Mystery
Age Level: 10th Grade
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
by April Henry
Review:
As she comes to, she has no memory of who she is. Of how she came to be in this cabin with two men arguing about whether or not to kill her. All she knows is that one of them just left, and if she's going to survive, she's going to have to find a way to fight back and survive.
Summary:
"The girl who was supposed to die" is a quick paced thriller about a girl who must remember her past before it catches up with her and kills her. While for the most part the book is fairly unbelievable, the quick plot will keep readers attention as they try and figure out who she really is with her. A good quick read, good for teens who like thrillers where they don't have to think about.
Genre: Mystery
Age Level: 8th Grade
Review:
As she comes to, she has no memory of who she is. Of how she came to be in this cabin with two men arguing about whether or not to kill her. All she knows is that one of them just left, and if she's going to survive, she's going to have to find a way to fight back and survive.
Summary:
"The girl who was supposed to die" is a quick paced thriller about a girl who must remember her past before it catches up with her and kills her. While for the most part the book is fairly unbelievable, the quick plot will keep readers attention as they try and figure out who she really is with her. A good quick read, good for teens who like thrillers where they don't have to think about.
Genre: Mystery
Age Level: 8th Grade
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Pretty Girl-13
by Liz Coley
Summary:
If you were kidnapped, wouldn't you do anything to forget? To forget the horrors inflicted upon you? The time you lost? In this engrossing novel, Angie finds herself back at her home after being missing for 3 years. As she struggles to remember what happened, she discovers that her mind has sealed itself off into parts, with different personalities coping with different aspects of her life. There's Girl Scout, who learned to cook and clean for her captor, Angel, who fought back when he hurt her, Little Wife, who's contribution was almost too terrible to talk about, and Tattletale, the one who holds the biggest secret of them all. Angie is going to have to learn to bring them all together inside herself, or risk tearing herself apart trying to learn the truth.
Review:
This book is a fascinating and powerful story that is hard to put down. Angie is a relatable protagonist whose struggles with multiple personality disorder reveal more disturbing aspects of her past. The novel deals not only with kidnapping and the repercussions that has on family, friends and the victim, but also with the aftermath. It's a really great novel to give to anyone who likes suspense novels.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade
Summary:
If you were kidnapped, wouldn't you do anything to forget? To forget the horrors inflicted upon you? The time you lost? In this engrossing novel, Angie finds herself back at her home after being missing for 3 years. As she struggles to remember what happened, she discovers that her mind has sealed itself off into parts, with different personalities coping with different aspects of her life. There's Girl Scout, who learned to cook and clean for her captor, Angel, who fought back when he hurt her, Little Wife, who's contribution was almost too terrible to talk about, and Tattletale, the one who holds the biggest secret of them all. Angie is going to have to learn to bring them all together inside herself, or risk tearing herself apart trying to learn the truth.
Review:
This book is a fascinating and powerful story that is hard to put down. Angie is a relatable protagonist whose struggles with multiple personality disorder reveal more disturbing aspects of her past. The novel deals not only with kidnapping and the repercussions that has on family, friends and the victim, but also with the aftermath. It's a really great novel to give to anyone who likes suspense novels.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
One Moment
by Kristina McBride
Summary:
If only Maggie could remember what happened at the top of the cliff. Maybe if she could remember those moments before her boyfriend Joey fell to his death it would make more sense. But as Maggie starts to remember snippets of what happened, and what led up to that moment, she realizes that maybe she never really knew Joey at all. As the secrets that he kept start coming out, she realizes that maybe the boy she loved was never really who she thought.
Review:
A well written novel, One Moment is the story of how secrets never stay hidden. What struck me the most is how everyone, Joey's family, Maggie, and their friends, all had to learn to accept everything Joey had done while alive that they never knew about. His secret life made them reexamine the "perfect Joey" they thought they knew, but all had to realize that they were still allowed to love and miss him. Maggie is a great character, and the book does keep you interested throughout.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade
Summary:
If only Maggie could remember what happened at the top of the cliff. Maybe if she could remember those moments before her boyfriend Joey fell to his death it would make more sense. But as Maggie starts to remember snippets of what happened, and what led up to that moment, she realizes that maybe she never really knew Joey at all. As the secrets that he kept start coming out, she realizes that maybe the boy she loved was never really who she thought.
Review:
A well written novel, One Moment is the story of how secrets never stay hidden. What struck me the most is how everyone, Joey's family, Maggie, and their friends, all had to learn to accept everything Joey had done while alive that they never knew about. His secret life made them reexamine the "perfect Joey" they thought they knew, but all had to realize that they were still allowed to love and miss him. Maggie is a great character, and the book does keep you interested throughout.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade
Friday, November 16, 2012
Glimmer
by Phoebe Kitanidis
Summary:
What would you do if you woke up in bed with a stranger, not knowing how you got there, or even who you are? Would you run? Would you stay and try and find out? What if they didn't know how they got there either? Or what their name was? Where do you go from there? Elyse and Marshall woke up with no recollection of who they were, but when they are recognized around town, and brought back to their 'homes' they start to wonder about this place that they have supposedly grown up in. What they find will shatter the town to it's foundations, that is if they can survive it.
Review:
The book is a bit confusing, since as the reader you are trying to figure out everything just as the characters are. The entire town's population operates under a fog, which we find out is the result of a magician. I didn't realize the book was fantasy based when I picked it up, but it does a good job of talking about magic without seeming too far fetched, which will make it appealing to those who aren't very into fantasy fiction. Overall it's a good read; it keeps you interested as you try and figure out what's really going on with everyone you encounter in the book. Good for teens.
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 8-9th Grade
Summary:
What would you do if you woke up in bed with a stranger, not knowing how you got there, or even who you are? Would you run? Would you stay and try and find out? What if they didn't know how they got there either? Or what their name was? Where do you go from there? Elyse and Marshall woke up with no recollection of who they were, but when they are recognized around town, and brought back to their 'homes' they start to wonder about this place that they have supposedly grown up in. What they find will shatter the town to it's foundations, that is if they can survive it.
Review:
The book is a bit confusing, since as the reader you are trying to figure out everything just as the characters are. The entire town's population operates under a fog, which we find out is the result of a magician. I didn't realize the book was fantasy based when I picked it up, but it does a good job of talking about magic without seeming too far fetched, which will make it appealing to those who aren't very into fantasy fiction. Overall it's a good read; it keeps you interested as you try and figure out what's really going on with everyone you encounter in the book. Good for teens.
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 8-9th Grade
Friday, May 18, 2012
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
by Gabrielle Zevin
Summary:
Imagine waking up to discover that you couldn't remember the last 4 years of your life. Not birthdays, algebra, learning to drive, the names of your best friend, that you have a boyfriend, that your parents are divorced, that your mom has remarried and you have a 3 year old half sister. Who knew hitting your head could mean having to relearn your life, and discovering that maybe you weren't living that great a life to begin with.
Review:
Zevin's novel about 16 year old Naomi, a girl who hits her head and becomes an amnesiac, is witty and enjoyable. Naomi is a very relatable character. As she relearns her life and rediscoveres friendships she finds herself wondering why she might have acted differently before the accident. What is interesting in the novel is watching Naomi try to really understand her actions before the accident and strives to be a better person.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th grade
Summary:
Imagine waking up to discover that you couldn't remember the last 4 years of your life. Not birthdays, algebra, learning to drive, the names of your best friend, that you have a boyfriend, that your parents are divorced, that your mom has remarried and you have a 3 year old half sister. Who knew hitting your head could mean having to relearn your life, and discovering that maybe you weren't living that great a life to begin with.
Review:
Zevin's novel about 16 year old Naomi, a girl who hits her head and becomes an amnesiac, is witty and enjoyable. Naomi is a very relatable character. As she relearns her life and rediscoveres friendships she finds herself wondering why she might have acted differently before the accident. What is interesting in the novel is watching Naomi try to really understand her actions before the accident and strives to be a better person.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th grade
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Somebody Please Tell Me Who I Am
by Henry Mazer and Peter Lerangis
Summary:
Ben had it made. He was accepted at a great college, popular at school, had a great girlfriend he just proposed to. No one could understand why he chose instead to enlist in the Army. Why he wanted to go serve his country when he knew he was going to deploy to Iraq. Then the unthinkable happens. He is severely injured in an attack over there. But once his body recovers, his family must cope with another reality. That while he can physically recover, his mind, his memories, might be gone forever.
Review:
There are not a lot of books which address this aspect of war for children or teens. What is interesting is that the book tries to address the reasons for which Ben feels compelled to serve, despite coming from a background where the most common path is college and a white collar job. It could do a better job on that, but it does at least try to address it. The book is about the aftermath of an injury, one which is affecting more and more soldiers in a war where IED's are the most prevalent interaction with the enemy. The impact this has on Ben's family is both real and sad, the guilt and anger felt by them and his fiance are understandable and relatable. Overall a good read, but not one for a tween looking to read about the action and adventure of being a soldier.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade
Summary:
Ben had it made. He was accepted at a great college, popular at school, had a great girlfriend he just proposed to. No one could understand why he chose instead to enlist in the Army. Why he wanted to go serve his country when he knew he was going to deploy to Iraq. Then the unthinkable happens. He is severely injured in an attack over there. But once his body recovers, his family must cope with another reality. That while he can physically recover, his mind, his memories, might be gone forever.
Review:
There are not a lot of books which address this aspect of war for children or teens. What is interesting is that the book tries to address the reasons for which Ben feels compelled to serve, despite coming from a background where the most common path is college and a white collar job. It could do a better job on that, but it does at least try to address it. The book is about the aftermath of an injury, one which is affecting more and more soldiers in a war where IED's are the most prevalent interaction with the enemy. The impact this has on Ben's family is both real and sad, the guilt and anger felt by them and his fiance are understandable and relatable. Overall a good read, but not one for a tween looking to read about the action and adventure of being a soldier.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Forgotten
By Cat Patrick
Summary:
Sometimes we all wish we could forget things from our past. That we could wake up and start completely fresh. Wouldn't it be easier? For London Lane it means waking up not remembering anything from the past. Not what clothes she wore the day before, not what happened in school, not what happened when she was little. All she has is the notebook she writes in every night, full of reminders about what happened each day. But what has she been leaving out of the notebook? What happened in her past that triggered this reset?
Review:
Forgotten is an interesting book about how a trauma can cause a person to reset themselves. AfterLondon
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 7-8th Grade
Summary:
Sometimes we all wish we could forget things from our past. That we could wake up and start completely fresh. Wouldn't it be easier? For London Lane it means waking up not remembering anything from the past. Not what clothes she wore the day before, not what happened in school, not what happened when she was little. All she has is the notebook she writes in every night, full of reminders about what happened each day. But what has she been leaving out of the notebook? What happened in her past that triggered this reset?
Review:
Forgotten is an interesting book about how a trauma can cause a person to reset themselves. After
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 7-8th Grade
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Purple Heart
Purple Heart
Author: Particia McCormick
Publisher: New York : Balzer + Bray, c2009.
Plot Description:
Matt Duffey just woke up in a hospital. Days before he had been in a firefight with insurgents in Sadr City, but he can’t remember the chain of events that led him to wake up in a hospital bed. As he struggles to remember what happened, and align them with what his unit says happen, he begins to realize that the line between right and wrong is blurred almost beyond recognition in wartime.
Review:
Purple Heart presents one soldier struggling to reconcile his duties as a soldier with what is morally right. It is a realistic look at the heartwrenching decisions soldiers make in the heat of the moment and how one boy is copes with the aftermath of those choices. It is about brotherhood in battle and the camaraderie that develops. Matt Duffey is an 18 year old recruit who had no idea what he was getting into when he signed up to be a soldier. One might be tempted to say a book about a soldier in wartime Iraq might not be suitable for tweens, but this book is more that suitable. It is a well developed book about a topic that is very interesting to a lot of tweens, especially older ones of any who know someone in the military.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reading level: 9th Grade
Similar Books: Woods Runner
Reader’s Advisory:
Personal thoughts- A really good book about the realities of war
Subjects/themes- War, Iraq, Hospitals, Injury, Amnesia, Fiction, Soldiers
Character names/descriptions-
Matt Duffey- 18 year old soldier with temporary amnesia
Justin- a member of his unit who was in the firefight with him
Ali- a young Iraqi boy who befriended Matt on patrol
Annotation: What good is a Purple Heart if you don’t think you deserve it?
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