Reader: Claire W.
Age: 13
Title: Mortal Gods
Author: Kendare Blake
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pub Date: 10/14/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: The whole plot is really great. You can tell
that the author really spent time researching the Trojan war and Greek
mythology. This is the second book in a series and it flows very nicely from
the first. The plot felt like it was leading up to a very predictable ending
but I was pleasantly surprised. Character development was great. The author
does a great job of showing Cassandra's mourning for Aidan. She also shows her
inner turmoil really well and believably. The dialogue was good, not great, but
good. Also the setting was pretty good. The only slight problem was the passage
of time was pretty warped.
Memorable or Forgettable: The book was quite memorable for me because not
many authors try to write a book about Greek mythology because it involves a
lot of work. But Kendare Blake did and it was well worth it.
Cover: I liked the original cover of the first book
much better. And the girl on the front of the second book cover has the wrong
color hair which bugs me quite a lot.
Age Range: 12 through 17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Annotation: Cassandra still can't believe that Aidan her
boyfriend, who was really Apollo, is dead. Every day she wakes up with new hope
that he will appear and say the whole thing was just a joke. But Athena is
keeping her going. Cassandra has the ability of prophecy and to kill gods. But
she is on the side of Athena, Odysseus and, Hermes. All the gods are dying in a
different ironic way. Athena is going to choke of feathers. Hermes will die of
malnourishment. Aphrodite is rotting from the inside out. And Hera is turning
to stone. But part of Cassandra just wants to kill all the gods (good or bad)
just to rid them of her life. All she wants to do is stop fighting and make the
Gods leave her alone forever.
tags: fantasy / The Goddess War series / Greek mythology / paranormal / romance / ya lit
Reader: Allen D.
Age: 14
Title: Summoned (Redemption's Heir #1)
Author: Anne M. Pillsworth
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pub Date: 06/24/14
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Summoned is a book for people who enjoy magic or The Alchemist, by Michael Scott. It is a
book full of adventure and has a very steady plot line.
Memorable or Forgettable: It is unforgettable because of how the author
carefully uses every character he enters.
Cover: The cover is why I picked it up. And it reflects
its contents very well.
Age Range: 14 through 17
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
tags: fantasy / Redemption's Heir / ya lit
Reader: Sam D-G
Age: 14
Title: Amulet #6: Escape From Lucien
Author: Kazu Kibuishi
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pub Date: 08/26/14
Galley: No
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: The author of the Amulet Series obviously has a
huge imagination. As the story goes on Kibuishi delves deeper and deeper into
the details and concepts of his magical world. The books are brimming with many
interesting characters. However, some of them are a bit one dimensional. The
fast paced, thrilling plot of these novels will make it so once you pick one up
you won't put it back down until you've finished it... About thirty minutes
later.
Memorable or Forgettable: One great quality of this book is the likability
of the characters. They are easy to sympathize with, and you will always want
to know what happens next. The author does a good job of stringing the entire
story together with an overhanging plot... You always know whatever happens
next will be even more intense then the last.
Cover: This would be one of the books I would say you
could judge by the cover. It has a big, cool looking, robot and some people
with glowing stones. In the background there is a mysterious face with glowing
eyes watching them. It definitely draws you in.
Age Range: Under 12 through 17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Additional Comments:
It's a graphic novel.
Annotation: It's the next installment of a captivating
series of graphic novels in which a brother and sister are transported into a
magical land ravaged by war. In this land robots live among people and there
are rare mysterious magical stones that give the user mystic powers.
tags: graphic novel / fantasy / ya lit
Reader: Katie J.
Age: 14
Title: While We Run
Author: Karen Healey
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Pub Date: 05/27/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I didn't like this book. At all. It's the sequel
to When We Wake, and I definitely didn't like that book. If anything, this book
was worse than it. It might just be the genre of the book, or a way of writing
I'm not used to, but I really didn't like this.
Memorable or Forgettable: It was forgettable because I didn't like how it
was written and I didn't like the characters.
Cover: The cover didn't really make much sense to me.
Age Range: 12 through 13
Quality: 1Q How did it get published?
Popularity: 1P Yech! Forced to read it
tags: science fiction / dystopian / suspence / cryogenics / ya lit
Reader: Claire W.
Age: 13
Title: Endgame: The Calling
Author: James Frey, Nils Johnson-Shelton
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: 10/07/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: First off the book was so confusing I had to
stop reading it and even than I had a headache. There really wasn't a plot or
much insight into the character. There wasn't any dialogue to even talk about.
Memorable or Forgettable: Only that it is one of those books that has
hidden clues in it to find a prize in real life.
Cover: The cover was okay. But it didn't enhance the
book.
Age Range: Under 12 through 15
Quality: 1Q How did it get published?
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest
tags: dystopian adventure / puzzle challenge / ya lit
Reader: Grace KL
Age: 15
Title: Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir
Author: Liz Prince
Publisher: Zest Books
Pub Date: 09/02/14
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: This graphic novel felt very authentic and real,
as it should of course, being a memoir. As it portrayed Liz's childhood,
it showed her growing into her identity, so the character development was very
strong here. I also enjoyed how the author balanced showing her feelings
at the time, communicated through dialogue in the scenes, with how she feels
later, shown in the captions.
Memorable or Forgettable: A memorable quality of this book for me was the
way the book focused on a large chunk of Liz's life. It was fun to watch
her confidence regarding her identity grow and grow, especially towards the end
of the book. It would have been easy to make this book solely focused on
gender identity, but it chronicles other aspects of Liz's life as well, which
made for a satisfying read.
Cover: The cover very accurately reflects the
book. The face on the cover shows the sort of unamused expression that
readers will become familiar with throughout the book. However, the words
"graphic memoir" were really what tempted me to pick up the book.
Age Range: 14 through 18 and up
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
tags: graphic novel / graphic memoir / gender identity / ya lit
Reader: Gwyneth P.
Age: 13
Title: Nil
Author: Lynne Matson
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Pub Date: 03/04/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: I thought it was a wonderful book. The elements
of desperation for survival and questioning things we take for granted as lucky
as we are were fantastic. I loved the way that it was never predictable and
there was never anything that seemed cliché. It surprised me, which I enjoy
thoroughly. I also loved the rushed feeling of it - the realistic time
frame of what it would actually be like and the survival elements with all the
desperation blended together were very interesting. The way the plot was
designed and set about was very well articulated and logical which I always
appreciate. It is a great and very original example of survival, its effects,
and all the emptiness inside of it; the parts after the thrill where people
process. I do wish that there would be more description of emotions and
exploration of the island and history of the people on it, but other than that
it was thoroughly enjoyable and held a great message for me. The main characters
weren't very developed. I felt I
understood background characters much more and I realize it was supposed to be
rushed. The dialogue I found very emotional and compatible with my own
experiences which I thought was also quite amazing.
Memorable or Forgettable: I loved the process of thought that I knew was
there behind all of the plot's secrets that I always wanted to discover. It
never left me wishing for more interesting content and it was always full of a
new mystery just itching to be solved. I loved the way all the characters were
very relatable and I felt I always knew what they were experiencing.
Cover: The cover, I think, is beautiful and definitely
reflects Nil's beauty and her ugliness and desperation lying in waiting
underneath as the days tick by.
Age Range: 12 through 18 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Annotation: Charley is swept out of a Target parking lot to
an Island and wakes up naked in the middle of a field of rocks. She discovers
other people like herself and learns she is on Nil, an island where there is no
escape unless through elusive gateways.
She must catch one within 365 days of her arrival on the Island or she
dies. She meets the Island leader, Thad, and they become very involved even as
she helps him try to leave the Island with his limited time left.
tags: dystopian romance / science fiction / adventure / survival / ya lit
Reader: Ella O.
Age: 14
Title: Salt & Storm
Author: Kendall Kulper
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pub Date: 09/23/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: The story of Avery Roe. The granddaughter of the
witch of the island. Avery is in line to be the next witch, but her mother who was
denied the role is determined to stop her. Avery was told that witches needed
pain to make magic but didn't realize that pain comes in different forms.
Memorable or Forgettable: The ending will be memorable for me because of
how it took me by surprise.
Cover: I really liked the title so that was what encouraged
me to pick up the book. The knot on the
front of the book does reflect the contents of the book and I think it should
stay there.
Age Range: 12 through 13
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Additional Comments: Beautiful - if tear jerking - plot twist at the
end there.
Annotation: A beautiful book with twists and turns that
grasps you tightly and doesn't let go till the end.
tags: historical romance / coming of age / supernatural / magic / ya lit
Reader: Katie J.
Age: 14
Title: Killer Instinct
Author: S. E. Green
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Pub Date: 06/07/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: There were so many plot twists in this book, it
was crazy. Let me just say that if you were to hire anyone for a serial killer
case, don't hire me. I suspected everyone but the killer to be the killer. That
being said, I don't think anyone could guess who the killer is. I literally
could not put this book down. It was plot twist after plot twist, and I think I
screamed a little when she revealed who the serial killer was.
This book is about a girl, Lane, who is obsessed
with serial killers. Her mom works for the FBI, specializing in serial killers,
of course. Lane occasionally sneaks into her mom's office and steals
information. Then everything changes when a serial killer nicknamed The
Decapitator comes to her home town. The Decapitator's claim to fame is how he
or she delivers the bodies. First a head is found, then an arm, a leg, the
other arm, and the other leg. It's kind of graphic. Her mom gets stabbed by the
killer. I can't say anymore without giving away the killer, but it's awesome.
Memorable or Forgettable: Plot twists. Did I mention there were a ton of
them?
Cover: It definitely caught my eye and reflected the
contents very well.
Age Range: 14 through 17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest
Additional Comments: I wouldn't read this if you don't like blood and
gory things.
Annotation: A serial killer book that will keep you on the
edge of your seat with page after page of plot twists until the very end.
tags: thriller / serial killers / ya lit
Reader: Claire W.
Age: 13
Title: The Empire of Shadows
Author: Miriam Forster
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pub Date: 11/04/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: The description throughout the entire book was
great and really made you feel like you were in the story. However, the plot
was a bit confusing. This is a prequel novel so maybe it would have been less
confusing if you had read City of a Thousand Dolls
first(the sequel). Now for character development it was pretty bad. You can see
exactly what is going to happen to the main character Mara. It is very obvious
that there is another book afterward that was written before. Also as soon as
you meet the first prominent male character you just know that he and Mara are
going to get together and have a child that is a huge part in the next book.
The dialogue was very lacking and didn't fit with the setting and suggested
time period.
Memorable or Forgettable: The only "original" thing about this
book is that it has people who can turn into animals. This is a topic that has
been done but the author didn't have a twist on it so it was also just a bit
dull.
Cover: The cover was actually the only reason I picked up
the book in the first place. It was pretty and mysterious looking.
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
tags: fantasy / dystopian / ya lit
Reader: Greta H.
Age: 17
Title: Heir of Fire
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pub Date: 09/02/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I loved this book, and one big part of that was
the huge amount of character development there was for everyone. The
protagonist really opens up after two books of being quite closed off, and I
ended up liking her a lot more than I did before. She isn't the only one to
grow as a character; we get to see this firsthand with the switching perspectives
throughout the book. Not every book can successfully pull the switching
perspectives off – especially after having a single one for the first two
installments of the series – but Heir of
Fire does it very well. It makes sense to do so; the reader gets to see
Celaena in the new foreign land she's traveled to, but is also able to keep up
with things going on with the other characters she left behind. This book is
compelling and definitely one I had a hard time putting down, unlike some
mid-series books can be. Overall, it is very well written.
Memorable or Forgettable: Heir of Fire was memorable for me because it gave me a new
appreciation for the characters of the Throne of Glass series. There were
several plot twist points that were very well done and quite powerful. The
ending made me extremely excited for the next book to come out!
Cover: I liked the cover. It goes with the first two
books. I very much appreciate that it is drawn, and that it depicts the main
character fairly well.
Age Range: 14 through 18 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
tags: fantasy / action / romance / Throne of Glass series / ya lit
Reader: Derek D.
Age: 13
Title: Seaborne #1: The Lost Prince
Author: Matt Myklusch
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Pub Date: 5/26/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: This book was an exciting story about loyalty,
morality, and betrayal. The main character, Dean, along with his former
crewmates, Ronan and Rook, search for a magical golden orchard on the legendary
island of Zenhala for a ruthless pirate king. Delivering information of the
orchard’s whereabouts will grant them their freedom to travel the world on
their own. On the island, Dean must take a series of trials to prove that he’s
a prince who was lost in a pirate raid 13 years ago. The gang quickly uncovers
a plot to assassinate Dean, which makes them question otherwise trustworthy
island leaders. As they uncover more about the island’s economics and history,
Dean and Ronan start to question if what they’re doing is following an
honorable pirate code, which is to steal only from those who can afford it or those
who deserve it. Meanwhile, Rook is loyal to the pirate king and tries to
convince Dean and Ronan to find and report the location of the orchard. The
book has lots of action, along with plot twists that will keep you reading. I
would recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting and adventurous
read.
Memorable or Forgettable: This book had a dynamic set of characters
involved in an action filled story taking place in a beautifully described
setting. It raises a thought provoking question of how you can be an honorable
pirate and thief. All these things make this book a memorable read.
Cover: The cover features Dean rushing through the air
on his makeshift parasail that is mentioned throughout the book with the
Snapdragon by his side. It did tempt me to pick up this book and it accurately
portrayed the book’s contents.
Age Range: 12 through 13
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
tags: adventure / mystery / pirates / ya lit
Reader: Jarod D.
Age: 15
Title: Illusive
Author: Emily Lloyd-Jones
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pub Date: 7/15/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: This book is the book for you, if you enjoyed
reading The 39 Clues, X-men, or just like to read about crime
and mutants. The story is written in third person, starting out with a young
girl who was born with abilities. But the thing is...she's a criminal. Join her
and her friends in this comic themed, law-and-order journey, as they discover
something...well, someONE, who will change their terms of business forever.
Memorable or Forgettable: I enjoyed how there were few abilities in the
overall story. There weren't too few, but there weren't so many that you just
got bored of it all. The storyline is intriguing, and the series of events had
me reading; just TRYING to guess what would happen next.
Cover: The cover portrayed the book’s contents
perfectly. At first I was a little skeptical
but as I read on, I understood the cover.
Age Range: 12 through 13
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest
tags: dystopian / action / superpowers / ya lit
Reader: Claire W.
Age: 13
Title: The Bane Chronicles
Author: Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennen, and Maureen
Johnson
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pub Date: 11/11/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: In each little story the suspense was great and
each story had its own plot. Magnus really grows throughout the whole book and
we learn details about him that make him a much more in depth character in my
eyes. The dialogue was good but the only thing is that the dialogue doesn't
match the time period. For instance one story in set in the early 1700s and I
didn't feel Magnus' dialogue fit very well. The plot within the whole book was
quite eye opening to me. And the message it sent. You had to be looking pretty
hard to find it, but it was worth it.
Memorable or Forgettable: I believe this book will be memorable because
rarely in a book do you find out a lot about an immortal character. They are
just there and are sometimes helpful but you don't get to know them. They can
sometimes become very lacking characters that don't even feel like real people.
Cassandra Clare did a very good job of making him relateable even though he is
immortal.
Cover: I loved the cover. It really had that feeling of
magic and mystery Magnus always displays.
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Annotation: This is a collection of short stories so I can’t
really give a proper summary. But I can tell you just a bit. The beginning
stories are all about Magnus' life long before The Mortal Instruments series and some before The Infernal Devices too. They explain parts of his manner and
relationship with some fairly odd people. But the stories near the end of the
book are about Magnus and Alec which we have all been hoping for.
tags: fantasy / magick / The Mortal Instruments / The Infernal Devices / ya lit
Reader: Solvi W.
Age: 15
Title: Bloodwitch (The Maeve'ra)
Author: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pub Date: 05/13/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I liked how unique the plot and world of the
story were; this is definitely not your typical vampire story. Unfortunately
the book seemed a bit complicated and fast-paced, and I feel like the author
could have taken her time to add some scenes and deepen certain characters,
like Malachi and Jeshickan. I suspect this will be a series, but I'm not sure,
so as a single book my recommendations would be to slow down, but keep the
action.
Memorable or Forgettable: The setting was in a kind of Victorian European
country, but Aztec culture was also a very strong theme, which made the world
interesting and memorable. Some of the characters were also pretty cool. I
loved the main character, Vance, because he was so relatable despite his
naivete. I was a little disappointed that some of the other intriguing
characters didn't seem to get their share of attention.
Cover: The cover art is colorful but mysterious. The
subjects of the cover also referenced elements of the story: winter woods, and
a bird feather.
Age Range: 14 through 17
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest
Additional Comments: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' books seem to have gotten
similar comments. I haven't read any of these beyond this one, but I agree with
their reviews.
tags: fantasy / paranormal / vampires / shape-shifters / ya lit
Reader: Tristan H.B.
Age: 13
Title: The Blood of Olympus
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pub Date: 10/07/14
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: This is the final book of the series so things
are getting wrapped up. They are facing the final battle. Since we have
known these characters for at least five books they are endearing and you can't
help but like them.
Memorable or Forgettable: This was memorable because I have been waiting
for this since The Lost Hero.
Cover: The cover made me want to pick up the book and
it reflected the contents.
Age Range: Under 12 through 15
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
tags: fantasy / mythology / adventure / Heroes of Olympus series / ya lit
Reader: Veronica K.
Age: 14
Title: Falling into Place
Author: Amy Zhang
Publisher: Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins
Pub Date: 09/06/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: What really bothered me about the book was the
narrator. It took me 237-ish pages to figure out who was telling me the story.
This sort of took away from the book, as I spent more time confused than
comprehending. Another problem was how stupid the characters were. The main
character knew she was an idiot, complained about being an idiot, but did
nothing about being an idiot. Annoying. This book also felt like it was written
in segments over a long period of time. This might have been the non-linear timeline,
but some of the sections felt like they were written by an eight year old. My
final problem is that it seems like the first chapter happened to hook you; the
middle happened because the author wanted to make a point, but the story was
neglectable; and the end is there to finish it and make it over.
Memorable or Forgettable: This is forgettable because it seems like one
long complaint. The main character was weird and annoying. The other characters
were out of character for most of the book. It just was not well done.
Cover: I like the cover. Nobody else my age will like it,
but I like it.
Age Range: Under 12
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest
tags: bullying / suicide / ya lit
Reader: Dana F.
Age: 13
Title: Fig
Author: Sarah Elizabeth Schantz
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pub Date: 04/07/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: This book was wonderfully written. Fig, her
family, and her classmates are all very different and personable in their own
ways. I felt like I knew them by the time the book was over. I also thought the
dialogue was well thought out and realistic. I will add that the plot was a
little confusing and surprising at points.
Memorable or Forgettable: I loved the character of Fig. She was unlike the
standard heroine, maybe because she is very devoted to her mother and isolates
herself from her classmates. The whole plot was memorable because of the way it
was told - and it was different (in a good way).
Cover: The cover definitely pulled me in, but it
doesn't really reflect the contents.
Age Range: 12 through 18 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Annotation: This book is a snapshot of Fiona’s (otherwise
known as "Fig") life as her mother struggles with schizophrenia, a
mental disease.
tags: contemporary fiction / schizophrenia / ya lit
Reader: Sophie F.
Age: 13
Title: We All Looked Up
Author: Tommy Wallach
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: 03/31/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: The narrator shifts are a bit confusing at first,
but as the book goes on I began to identify with each character, to ask myself,
"What would I do?" The author does a really good job building the
plot up all the way to the end, but some things were slightly confusing due to
the narrator shifts. I think that this is a must read for those of you
wondering, "What would happen if the world ended in two months?"
Memorable or Forgettable: This book was memorable because it is dealing
with the topic of an apocalypse. The author does a good job of conveying how
each person reacts differently.
Cover: The cover tempted me because of how it was
simple yet intriguing at the same time.
Age Range: 14 through 17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Additional Comments:
Slightly confusing and unclear ending.
Annotation: There is a 66 percent chance that, in 2 months,
an asteroid known as Ardor will collide with Earth, ending the world as we know
it. For five teens, this means that now is the time to really LIVE.
tags: contemporary fiction / apocalypse / ya lit
