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
Friday, December 7, 2012
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)
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
See You at Harry's
by Johanna Knowles
Summary:
Fern loves her family, she really does. But sometimes she just feels invisible. Between her older sister and brother and their antics, and her little 3 year old brother Charlie clamoring for attention, she just kind of gets lost in the mix. But when an accident happens, an accident Fern is sure she caused, the family is ripped apart. You never know how much you can take until you are taken past your breaking point, and Fern doesn't know how her family will survive.
Review:
Knowles' book is a poignant reminder of how easily breakable life is. Fern's family life wasn't perfect before the tragedy, but they all loved each other and were a constant presence in each other's lives. Now she has to deal with her own guilt about the accident, a sister and brother sorting through not only their grief but their own immense issues, and parents who have completely withdrawn from their children. Fern is a great character who you really identify with as she tries to find a way to bring her family back together. A great read for a slightly older tween or teen.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 7th-8th Grade
Summary:
Fern loves her family, she really does. But sometimes she just feels invisible. Between her older sister and brother and their antics, and her little 3 year old brother Charlie clamoring for attention, she just kind of gets lost in the mix. But when an accident happens, an accident Fern is sure she caused, the family is ripped apart. You never know how much you can take until you are taken past your breaking point, and Fern doesn't know how her family will survive.
Review:
Knowles' book is a poignant reminder of how easily breakable life is. Fern's family life wasn't perfect before the tragedy, but they all loved each other and were a constant presence in each other's lives. Now she has to deal with her own guilt about the accident, a sister and brother sorting through not only their grief but their own immense issues, and parents who have completely withdrawn from their children. Fern is a great character who you really identify with as she tries to find a way to bring her family back together. A great read for a slightly older tween or teen.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 7th-8th Grade
Timeless
by Alexandra Monir
Summary:
It had always been Michele and her mother. They had a great life in Los Angeles. But when her mother dies in a car crash, Michele finds herself across the country living with grandparents she's never met. Grandparents who happen to be Windsor's, one of the oldest (and richest) families in New York City. As Michele struggles to adjust to her new life, she finds herself exploring the house her mother grew up in. What she finds is a diary, a diary that takes her back to 1910. Where she discovers that everything she thought she knew isn't quite true.
Review:
For a book about time travel, Timeless is well written and pretty believable. I enjoyed how the author didn't try to explain any 'science' behind the diary's ability to take Michele back in time to whichever time period she was thinking about. I also thought that her interactions with her ancestors were quite fun, plus the idea that she was the impetus for most of their choices is interesting. This book is the first in it's series, something good to know going in because a lot is left unresolved. All in all it's a good read for teens who like romance.
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Age Level: 8th grade
Summary:
It had always been Michele and her mother. They had a great life in Los Angeles. But when her mother dies in a car crash, Michele finds herself across the country living with grandparents she's never met. Grandparents who happen to be Windsor's, one of the oldest (and richest) families in New York City. As Michele struggles to adjust to her new life, she finds herself exploring the house her mother grew up in. What she finds is a diary, a diary that takes her back to 1910. Where she discovers that everything she thought she knew isn't quite true.
Review:
For a book about time travel, Timeless is well written and pretty believable. I enjoyed how the author didn't try to explain any 'science' behind the diary's ability to take Michele back in time to whichever time period she was thinking about. I also thought that her interactions with her ancestors were quite fun, plus the idea that she was the impetus for most of their choices is interesting. This book is the first in it's series, something good to know going in because a lot is left unresolved. All in all it's a good read for teens who like romance.
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Age Level: 8th grade
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