Posts from the Young Adult department.
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) This story is about a kid who is trying to make the NBA while facing a lot of challenges. One of his challenges was him losing his mom to cancer. But at the end he did make the NBA and proved his dad wrong.
One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus Mystery Realistic Fiction Romance Thriller Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Browyn, Simon, Addie, Cooper, and Nate all go to detention. But by the time detention is over, Simon is dead, and the four of them are being blamed. After dozens of interrogations, endless media shame and fame, the four have become exhausted. Did one of them truly murder…
Better You Than Me by Jessica Brody Fantasy Mystery Realistic Fiction Romance Supernatural Thriller Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) Skylar is a normal middle-schooler obsessed with the famous celebrity Ruby Rivera. But when they meet in a prop room, they somehow switch bodies. Ruby is now going to a middls chool with almost no responsibilities. Skylar is living the dream in designer clothes and recording studios. This…
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux Classic Mystery Thriller Review #1 * * Stars (Just ok) The Phantom has been playing mean tricks on the opera workers for weeks now and no one knows why. Some say he’s a ghost. But then one day a man finds a girl that he knew from his childhood. He follows her into a dressing room. He hears a man’s voice. He…
Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana Historical Fiction Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) “Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere” is an amazing and heartbreaking story about one family’s hardships through the loss of their home and loved ones due to Hurricane Katrina. This story made me cry, but was very memorable and changed the way I feel about…
Winter Lunar Chronicles #4 by Marissa Meyer Adventure Fantasy Science Fiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Marissa Meyer is one of my favorite authors. She packs humor, adventure, suspense, action, fantasy, sci-fi, and drama all into a single book. Winter is book number 4 in Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles series out of a total of 6 books. Winter is about Princess Winter-Hay-Blackberry of Luna and Princess…
Kuroko’s Basketball (manga series) by Tadatoshi Fujimaki Manga Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) This is a book about their training camp while practicing for the Winter Cup Games. They also run into two of Kuroko’s old friends’ basketball team. They train hard and also to practice their game. Serin loses. At the end they go to watch Inter-high finals. I liked this book because of…
My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life by Rachel Cohn Realistic Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) Elle Zoellner is gobsmacked when her Japanese father, with whom she has never had any contact, suddenly informs her that he is bringing her to live with him in Tokyo, Japan. Her mother was incarcerated (drugs) not long ago, and Elle has been living in foster homes, so her transition to the wealth…
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare Historical Fiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) “The Bronze Bow” is powerful and moving. Daniel is willing to die for his country. He belongs to a group of people called Zealots, who are rebellious against the Romans. The Zealots are under a leader named Rosh. Daniel has a sister named Leah who is very shy, and a grandmother, who…
The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen Historical Fiction Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) Hannah is an ordinary Jewish child who hates Passover. She does not like remembering the Holocaust until she opens a door and is transported back in time to the Holocaust. She makes many friends. When the Nazis come and take her and her relatives away, she struggles to remember what happens. She realizes the…