by Jennifer Mathieu
Summary:
It started as a flippant remark. Then got passed around by text message. Then got written in the bathroom stalls. It was just a rumor, but immediately everyone assumed it was true. You see Alice was asking for it. She was a slut, everyone knew it. She dressed up for school, wore lipstick, flirted with everyone. So when the rumor that she slept with 2 boys in one night starts everyone believes it. And when one of those boys dies in a car crash, and another says it's because she was sending him dirty text messages while he was driving, Alice is blamed. But no one knows the truth, and no one seems to care that they don't.
Review:
Told in 4 perspectives, but only at Alice's in the very end, this is about the aftermath of a rumor. Each character has a different perspective on what happens both before and following the start of the rumor. Each character has the ability to clear Alice's name, and we learn the reasons each one uses that information. A haunting book about the power of a rumor, its a good read for slightly older teens due to the many references to sex and drinking.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Tease
by Amanda Maciel
Summary:
No one likes a bully. We're all taught that bullying is wrong, and that you should say something if you see it. You're supposed to stand up to bullies. But what if you are the bully? Where is the line between teasing and bullying? When is your "harmless prank" no longer harmless? When Emma Putnam kills herself, everyone immediately blames Sara and her friends relentless bullying of Emma. But Sara doesn't see it as bullying, it was just standard frenemy behavior. But with a trial on the horizon, Sara is going to have to do some soul searching to find out just where she went wrong.
Review:
There are a slew of anti-bullying books out there, but Tease stands out. Sara is a character you want to hate but at the same time can understand how she let things get so out of control. Told in flashbacks, the reader learns what happened leading up to Emma's death and sees Sara evolve in the aftermath. It's a good book told from the bully's perspective, and the ending does manage to pack a surprise as (spoiler alert) Sara finally realizes how wrong she was. Best for older teens due to many references to drinking and sex.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade
Summary:
No one likes a bully. We're all taught that bullying is wrong, and that you should say something if you see it. You're supposed to stand up to bullies. But what if you are the bully? Where is the line between teasing and bullying? When is your "harmless prank" no longer harmless? When Emma Putnam kills herself, everyone immediately blames Sara and her friends relentless bullying of Emma. But Sara doesn't see it as bullying, it was just standard frenemy behavior. But with a trial on the horizon, Sara is going to have to do some soul searching to find out just where she went wrong.
Review:
There are a slew of anti-bullying books out there, but Tease stands out. Sara is a character you want to hate but at the same time can understand how she let things get so out of control. Told in flashbacks, the reader learns what happened leading up to Emma's death and sees Sara evolve in the aftermath. It's a good book told from the bully's perspective, and the ending does manage to pack a surprise as (spoiler alert) Sara finally realizes how wrong she was. Best for older teens due to many references to drinking and sex.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
After the End
by Amy Plum
Summary:
Growing up in a commune in the Alaskan wilderness, Juneau never had any reason to doubt what her elders told her. That there was a world wide war that wiped out everyone. That they were lucky to have survived. But that was a lie. When Juneau returns to camp after being out hunting she finds her entire commune gone, and now she'll have to find them in a world she's been told doesn't exist.
Review:
Most dystopian novels start with the end of the world, and After the End is no different. But from here it changes. Instead of the world actually being over, it has thrived. It's an interesting twist that Plum pulls off. The novel is told in alternating perspectives between Juneau and Miles, the boy who becomes her companion. It's the first in a series, so don't expect it to be resolved in this one book.
Genre: Dystopian Fiction
Age Level: 7th Grade
Summary:
Growing up in a commune in the Alaskan wilderness, Juneau never had any reason to doubt what her elders told her. That there was a world wide war that wiped out everyone. That they were lucky to have survived. But that was a lie. When Juneau returns to camp after being out hunting she finds her entire commune gone, and now she'll have to find them in a world she's been told doesn't exist.
Review:
Most dystopian novels start with the end of the world, and After the End is no different. But from here it changes. Instead of the world actually being over, it has thrived. It's an interesting twist that Plum pulls off. The novel is told in alternating perspectives between Juneau and Miles, the boy who becomes her companion. It's the first in a series, so don't expect it to be resolved in this one book.
Genre: Dystopian Fiction
Age Level: 7th Grade
Conversion
by Katherine Howe
Summary:
When girls at Colleen's high school in Danvers start having seizures, losing their hair, developing tics, and more, it starts off a panic. At first it's just a few girls, but as more and more develop symptoms that can't be explained by any disease, it becomes clear that maybe something else is at work. What few people remember is that Danvers wasn't always called Danvers. It used to be Salem. And maybe the witchcraft that once infected Salem village is back.
Review:
Told in alternating perspectives by Colleen and Ann Putnam from Salem village in 1706, Howe's story is remarkable because it is based on true events. Ann's story is told verbatim from her confession about the accusations from the Salem Witch Trials. Colleen finds herself in the middle of a modern day bewitching, and while she doesn't believe that the girls are really ill, falls prey to the illness herself. It's a shocking tale because it's based on a story that actually happened just a few years ago, but it's also a cautionary tale about just how much pressure high schoolers are under. Great for slightly older teens, or those who have an interest in the Salem Witch Trials.
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Summary:
When girls at Colleen's high school in Danvers start having seizures, losing their hair, developing tics, and more, it starts off a panic. At first it's just a few girls, but as more and more develop symptoms that can't be explained by any disease, it becomes clear that maybe something else is at work. What few people remember is that Danvers wasn't always called Danvers. It used to be Salem. And maybe the witchcraft that once infected Salem village is back.
Review:
Told in alternating perspectives by Colleen and Ann Putnam from Salem village in 1706, Howe's story is remarkable because it is based on true events. Ann's story is told verbatim from her confession about the accusations from the Salem Witch Trials. Colleen finds herself in the middle of a modern day bewitching, and while she doesn't believe that the girls are really ill, falls prey to the illness herself. It's a shocking tale because it's based on a story that actually happened just a few years ago, but it's also a cautionary tale about just how much pressure high schoolers are under. Great for slightly older teens, or those who have an interest in the Salem Witch Trials.
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
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
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
A Breath of Eyre
by Eve Marie Mont
Summary:
Emma has always loved stories. But she never expected this. When a lightening strike catapults Emma into the world of the novel she is reading, which just happens to be Jane Eyre, she finds herself in a world where she truly fits in. As the days go by she realizes that she has a choice to make, stay in heroine Jane's world, or go back to her less than perfect real world.
Review:
I had low expectations on picking up this book, but I could not have been more pleasantly surprised. The plotline spans both present day and Jane's world, and Emma is a great character in both. This book-and it's 2 sequels- made me want to pick up and reread the original books that Mont bases them on. It's a great book to give to those who love to read, though I think that it might be less exciting to someone who is not a huge book lover since so much of the books are taken almost right from the originals. It's better for slightly older teens as well, as there is some drinking in them.
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade
Summary:
Emma has always loved stories. But she never expected this. When a lightening strike catapults Emma into the world of the novel she is reading, which just happens to be Jane Eyre, she finds herself in a world where she truly fits in. As the days go by she realizes that she has a choice to make, stay in heroine Jane's world, or go back to her less than perfect real world.
Review:
I had low expectations on picking up this book, but I could not have been more pleasantly surprised. The plotline spans both present day and Jane's world, and Emma is a great character in both. This book-and it's 2 sequels- made me want to pick up and reread the original books that Mont bases them on. It's a great book to give to those who love to read, though I think that it might be less exciting to someone who is not a huge book lover since so much of the books are taken almost right from the originals. It's better for slightly older teens as well, as there is some drinking in them.
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade
Torn Away
by Jennifer Brown
Summary:
When Jersey hears the tornado alarm go off, she's not too worried. They go off all the time, and 99.99% of the time nothing happens. But she goes down into the cellar anyway, cause she doesn't want her mom to yell at her if she found out she hadn't. This time is not a false alarm. As the tornado recedes and leaves her town devastated, Jersey has lost everything and everyone she loves. Now, sent to live with relatives she's never met, Jersey will have to discover that there are some things you keep even when you thought you'd lost everything.
Review:
Author Jennifer Brown is known for her brilliantly written and poignant books, and this title definitely fits the bill. Jersey is a very empathetic character, and her struggles as she tries to move forward are heartbreaking. The relationships between the characters are believable. I thought the storyline with her stepfather to be extremely realistic and as such very difficult to read. The lack of sex or alcohol or drugs make this a safe bet for even younger teens.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 7th Grade
Summary:
When Jersey hears the tornado alarm go off, she's not too worried. They go off all the time, and 99.99% of the time nothing happens. But she goes down into the cellar anyway, cause she doesn't want her mom to yell at her if she found out she hadn't. This time is not a false alarm. As the tornado recedes and leaves her town devastated, Jersey has lost everything and everyone she loves. Now, sent to live with relatives she's never met, Jersey will have to discover that there are some things you keep even when you thought you'd lost everything.
Review:
Author Jennifer Brown is known for her brilliantly written and poignant books, and this title definitely fits the bill. Jersey is a very empathetic character, and her struggles as she tries to move forward are heartbreaking. The relationships between the characters are believable. I thought the storyline with her stepfather to be extremely realistic and as such very difficult to read. The lack of sex or alcohol or drugs make this a safe bet for even younger teens.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 7th Grade
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