By Adrienne Stoltz and Ron Bass
Summary:
Maggie is an up and coming actress in New York City. She takes care of her little sister while her mom is at work, but for the most part she focuses on her craft. Sloane is your typical high school student living in a small town. She's got a family that loves her, but as the one year anniversary of her friend's death approaches, is finding it hard to cope with his loss. What ties these two together isn't simple. You see, every night Maggie goes to sleep, and in her dreams, lives Sloane's life. And every night, when Sloane goes to sleep she lives Maggie's. Neither can remember when it started, but as their waking lives start to intersect they'll have to figure out who is living the real life, and who is just the dream. The only question is, can they do it before they both go insane?
Review:
Lucid kept me guessing until the very end. Both Maggie and Sloane are girls coping with issues they refuse to deal with. The problems are different for both of them, but at the heart of it deals with loss and moving on. Sloane suffered a terrible loss and didn't share the true extent of it with anyone, Maggie lost her father and still struggles to understand what happened. I had no idea who was actually the real person, and who was the dream, until the very end. It's a great story about loss and the struggles we all have with dealing with it. Good for slightly older teens.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Monday, May 13, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
The Selection
by Kiera Cass
Summary:
Summary:
All across Illea, girls between 16 and 20 have entered their
names for a chance to become the next princess. Prince Maxon is looking for a
wife, and one girl from each province wil be chosen for a chance to win his
heart (and the crown). For once the rigid caste system that defines the country
won’t matter. For America ,
born a 5, it’s a chance to better her family’s fate, even if the chances are
small that she’ll be chosen to even compete. When her name is chosen, she finds
herself in the palace, competing with 34 other girls to win the heart of a
prince. A prince is is a lot more than she ever thought he could be. It’s a
game of deceit and love, but will anyone really be a winner?
Review:
I really enjoyed The Selection. America is a really likeable character, and the story is kind of a Cinderella story set in a dystopian future. America stands up to Maxon, the only person to do so, and in return gains a friend and confidante. She's still recovering from breaking up with the man she loved back in her province, and the bonds forged between her and Maxon are fragile but important. The love triangle (between her, her former love, and Maxon) is well drawn. The misinformation spread by the palace to the people is an interesting twist, and the way America discovers her country's real history is a great twist. I read it in less than a day, since I couldn't put it down! Great read for teens that like like dystopians.
Genre: Dystopian
Age Level: 9th Grade
Series information: The Elite (Book 2)
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Fire-us
by Jennifer Armstrong
Summary:
It's been 5 years since the Fire-Us swept through the nation. The virus killed almost everyone, but left behind a few small survivors, none of whom were adults. This is the story of a small group of kids who survived the Fire-Us. A group who are trying to stay alive. But when a new kid comes to town, they begin to wonder if there are any more survivors, and take off for an unknown destination in search of something else.
Review:
The book is told from the perspective of the kids who survived the fire-us. The grammar is rough, written like children who have not been taught past the 3rd grade. For myself, it made the book difficult to read, but the story was interesting. Armstrong does a realistic job of portraying everything through the eyes of 7 or 8 year olds, even though the oldest child is now almost 13. The kids create a family group from what they remember before the virus killed all the adults and almost everyone else, which is both interesting and plausible. Overall a good read for those who like dystopian novels. But if there is no interest in the genre it probably won't appeal to most.
Genre: Dystopian
Age Level: 7th Grade
Summary:
It's been 5 years since the Fire-Us swept through the nation. The virus killed almost everyone, but left behind a few small survivors, none of whom were adults. This is the story of a small group of kids who survived the Fire-Us. A group who are trying to stay alive. But when a new kid comes to town, they begin to wonder if there are any more survivors, and take off for an unknown destination in search of something else.
Review:
The book is told from the perspective of the kids who survived the fire-us. The grammar is rough, written like children who have not been taught past the 3rd grade. For myself, it made the book difficult to read, but the story was interesting. Armstrong does a realistic job of portraying everything through the eyes of 7 or 8 year olds, even though the oldest child is now almost 13. The kids create a family group from what they remember before the virus killed all the adults and almost everyone else, which is both interesting and plausible. Overall a good read for those who like dystopian novels. But if there is no interest in the genre it probably won't appeal to most.
Genre: Dystopian
Age Level: 7th Grade
Lucid
by Adrienne Stoltz
Summary:
Every night, Maggie dreams of Sloane's day. And every night, after living her day, Sloane dreams of Maggie's. One lives in New York, struggling to become an actress, the other lives in a small town with her tight-knit family and dreams of the day she goes to college. Each wakes up as the girl she is, after spending their nights as the other. But as time goes by the lines between where one girl ends and the other begins is blurred. Only one of them is going to be able to keep going, but which life is the one that will fade away?
Review:
Cunningly constructed, Lucid alternates between the viewpoints of Maggie and Sloane. Both girls are well developed characters, which lives that are both fulfilling and lacking. What one has the other does not, for Sloane there is a loving family, but not the independence Maggie has. Both girls have experienced the loss of someone close to them, and both realize that their connection is not quite normal. The book gives an interesting perspective to mental illness, as well as to the barriers we put up to deal with our own issues. The book keeps you guessing til the end about which girl's life is the real one.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Summary:
Every night, Maggie dreams of Sloane's day. And every night, after living her day, Sloane dreams of Maggie's. One lives in New York, struggling to become an actress, the other lives in a small town with her tight-knit family and dreams of the day she goes to college. Each wakes up as the girl she is, after spending their nights as the other. But as time goes by the lines between where one girl ends and the other begins is blurred. Only one of them is going to be able to keep going, but which life is the one that will fade away?
Review:
Cunningly constructed, Lucid alternates between the viewpoints of Maggie and Sloane. Both girls are well developed characters, which lives that are both fulfilling and lacking. What one has the other does not, for Sloane there is a loving family, but not the independence Maggie has. Both girls have experienced the loss of someone close to them, and both realize that their connection is not quite normal. The book gives an interesting perspective to mental illness, as well as to the barriers we put up to deal with our own issues. The book keeps you guessing til the end about which girl's life is the real one.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Monday, April 22, 2013
Me, Him, Them and It
by Caela Carter
Summary:
16 year old Evelyn wanted to be the bad girl. She was tired of being the perfect girl her parents wanted her to be, and why should she be when they barely acknowledged her and cheated on each other. But when she finds out she's pregnant, she's suddenly forced to make decisions that she's barely able to. And is forced to rely on a family that she thought had given her up.
Review:
Me, Him, Them and It does a really impressive job of realistically portraying how a smart teen, who gets good grades and does everything else right, ends up a teen mom. The book shows her as she goes through the decision making process, weighing abortion, adoption or raising the child. At times you really don't like Evelyn, she tends to curl into herself and let decisions be forced rather than make them herself, but in that way the book is very realistic. The book will appeal to older teens, but less so for younger teens since the situation is a little harder for them to place themselves in. Older teens will relate to how Evelyn, who does so much right, finds herself making one choice that will define the rest of her life.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade
Summary:
16 year old Evelyn wanted to be the bad girl. She was tired of being the perfect girl her parents wanted her to be, and why should she be when they barely acknowledged her and cheated on each other. But when she finds out she's pregnant, she's suddenly forced to make decisions that she's barely able to. And is forced to rely on a family that she thought had given her up.
Review:
Me, Him, Them and It does a really impressive job of realistically portraying how a smart teen, who gets good grades and does everything else right, ends up a teen mom. The book shows her as she goes through the decision making process, weighing abortion, adoption or raising the child. At times you really don't like Evelyn, she tends to curl into herself and let decisions be forced rather than make them herself, but in that way the book is very realistic. The book will appeal to older teens, but less so for younger teens since the situation is a little harder for them to place themselves in. Older teens will relate to how Evelyn, who does so much right, finds herself making one choice that will define the rest of her life.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade
Monday, April 8, 2013
Code Name Verity
by Elizabeth Wein
Summary:
Summary:
When Verity is arrested as a spy in occupied France , she
knows that the only way she will escape being tortured by the Gestapo is to
collaborate. She knows that regardless at the end of her usefulness to the
Germans she will be executed, so she might as well live out her last few days in
comfort. The story she tells them is not just about her mission, but about two
friends, Maddie and Julie. Two girls from different walks of life who might
never have met but for the war. Whose fate is intertwined beyond what they even
know themselves. For captured Verity and her pilot friend Maddie, trapped
behind enemy lines, the mission of their lives may have only just begun.
Review:
Code Name Verity is one of the best books I've read in awhile. The book is full of intrigue, leaving the reader unsure til the end of the real motives of half the characters in the book. The more Julie reveals about herself in her writings for the Gestapo the more you wonder how she could become a collaborator. The book has tons of twists and excitement, making it great for anyone who likes spy novels or thrillers. I won't give much away, but it's definitely worth the read. (Full disclosure the book didn't completely grab me until about 100 pages in, and then I couldn't put it down). I would be cautious recommending it to younger teens just because of the torture scenes (they aren't terribly graphic, but because these things actually happened to people it might be a little hard for less mature teens to read). Personally, the book made me wonder if I would ever have the courage to do what girls like this did during WWII.
Code Name Verity is one of the best books I've read in awhile. The book is full of intrigue, leaving the reader unsure til the end of the real motives of half the characters in the book. The more Julie reveals about herself in her writings for the Gestapo the more you wonder how she could become a collaborator. The book has tons of twists and excitement, making it great for anyone who likes spy novels or thrillers. I won't give much away, but it's definitely worth the read. (Full disclosure the book didn't completely grab me until about 100 pages in, and then I couldn't put it down). I would be cautious recommending it to younger teens just because of the torture scenes (they aren't terribly graphic, but because these things actually happened to people it might be a little hard for less mature teens to read). Personally, the book made me wonder if I would ever have the courage to do what girls like this did during WWII.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade
Janie Face to Face
by Caroline B Cooney
Summary:
Summary:
We’ve all probably wondered at one point in our life what it
would be like if we weren’t related to the people that raised us. Maybe we are
actually prince’s or princesses, maybe the child of rich billionaires who are
just waiting to rescue us from a life of monotony For Janie, finding out who
her real parents were became a nightmare. A kidnapped child who 13 years later
spotted her own face on a missing children’s ad on a milk carton. A girl who
had to come to terms with what her life has done to two families through no
fault of her own. In this conclusion to the face on the milk carton, we find
out more about the kidnapper herself, and it’s only a matter of time until they
meet again. But this time the chances of a happy ending are slim.
Review:
Janie Face to Face is a great conclusion to the Face on the Milk Carton series. While a bit skeptical, since the last one was written a long time ago, Cooney does a great job of finishing up a series. The book is written for a younger audience, and her attempts to update the book by mentioning modern technology are a bit silly (almost trying too hard), the book overall has the same feel as the rest of the series. It does wrap up the series nicely, with Janie and Reeve finally getting together, but feels a bit too happy ending contrived. It's a good read for fans of the series or younger teens. But for an older teen with no vested interest in the book it won't hold their attention.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 6th Grade
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