tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76225173739092630052024-02-07T12:56:49.087-08:00Teens Know BestTeens Know Best (TKB) is a book club that receives exclusive, advance copies of young adult books from publishers. TKB teens (12-18) meet monthly to discuss the books over pizza. They submit book reviews to the publishers. TKB is of one of 16 teen groups nation-wide whose opinions help determine the Young Adult Library Services Association's annual Teens' Top Ten book award nominees.
TKB is a collaboration between Metropolitan State University and Saint Paul Public Library. Jennifer DeJonghehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03265348861257349549noreply@blogger.comBlogger1116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-67483986703854605782016-01-18T05:12:00.000-08:002016-01-18T05:12:26.798-08:00The Abyss Surrounds Us - YA Review by Sam T<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3JDOcuLwQ66nFjhIXsd5clDjEEdZ0Dj1trNHrOf1v-VCTibN7ECNtH2IJzkGRzs_bJxDSvqC29HnTEzJQrw6EIhlDmPtsme5UJ4c_oTeGhiuTY6XtPAL3Y2i5gKSichjRTqd7aJhJe0/s1600/The+Abyss+Surrounds+Us+by+Emily+Skrutskie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3JDOcuLwQ66nFjhIXsd5clDjEEdZ0Dj1trNHrOf1v-VCTibN7ECNtH2IJzkGRzs_bJxDSvqC29HnTEzJQrw6EIhlDmPtsme5UJ4c_oTeGhiuTY6XtPAL3Y2i5gKSichjRTqd7aJhJe0/s200/The+Abyss+Surrounds+Us+by+Emily+Skrutskie.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Sam T.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">16</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <i><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Abyss Surrounds Us
</span></i><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Emily Skrutskie
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Flux</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">02/08/16</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I liked this book well enough (although I didn't like the cover or the title, but that's discussed later). The character development was nice, and the monsters were cool. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I do have one (very minor) reservation about the monsters, though. The book mentions whales, fish, cephalopods, turtles, and sea snakes being used. This is fine. This makes sense, because they're all water animals. However, one scene alludes to MONKEYS. Aquatic MONKEYS. I get what the author was trying to do, in trying to put forth the idea of humans having captive intelligent animals such as primates. That would make sense if this book took place in the jungle. But it doesn't make sense in a marine-themed book. It seems jarring and slightly ridiculous and out of place.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Another thing I didn't understand was: I get that they made the NeoCetes to feed the Reckoners and keep 150-ton animals from depleting the world's fish stocks. That makes sense. But, the problem is, the NeoCetes have to eat, too. If the NeoCetes eat fish, then won't they deplete the world's fish stocks? Or do they just keep making more genetically modified organisms to feed the other GMOs? As a biology nerd, I appreciated the effort to explain it but was still slightly skeptical.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Finally, why expend all of these resources to build monsters when you could instead use... missiles? Or drones? Some explanation there would be cool.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> That aside, though, the monsters are cool. They do a lot of ship-destroying, and the laser-guided commands were one of the coolest parts of this book. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I also loved the action and the romance and the fight scenes. The romance and the ship battles were the best, most exciting parts of this book. But the little details were sort of nagging at me occasionally. Also, the Swift-Cas romance is nice, but it seems a little strange when you consider that Swift held her captive on the ship in the first place. Maybe have a little more development before they go from hating each other into full-on cuddling? Just a thought.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Finally, I'd like to remark on the ending. While it was nice to see Cas and Swift reunited, the ending left a bitter taste in my mouth, like an overripe banana. Throughout the whole story, it is implied that Swift hates the captain and wants nothing more than to escape with Cas. But, at the end, Cas is found enslaving herself once again to the murderous captain, and Swift appears downtrodden. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I feel like a better ending would have been one where the Captain gets shoved into the water by Swift and is eaten by Bao, and then Swift and Cas become co-captains of their new ship and sail the seas on their own terms, as the ship slowly sails off into the sunset. The current one leaves so many loose ends that it's sort of sloppy in my opinion.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Also, I feel like it could've done without the fact that Swift killed Durga. Fabian Murphy could have done it when he visited that morning, and no one could have noticed. No, the author just had to ruin the relationship between Swift and Cas yet another time and also make for a much less satisfying ending.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> However, overall, despite the lackluster ending, the title and cover (which I'm getting to) and some minor details to be sorted out, it was still a really original idea executed nicely enough to ultimately win me over, despite its minor flaws.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a really original book with a cool idea, but I feel like there were some aspects of the story that were taken from other books in its genres. still, it was original, memorable and interesting enough book to read.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm going to start of by saying I really, really didn't like the title of this book. At all. It's vague and only tangentially relates to the story; I don't think it was even said in the dialogue. Something like "Pirate's Reckoning" or "The Reckoners" or even "Monsters vs. Pirates" would have been far, far better than the current title. The current title is bland, generic, clunky, overly long, and contributes nothing to the book and doesn't hint at its content.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I didn't really like the cover. Not even one bit. Sure, the model looks like Cassandra, Otatchi and all, but her facial expression looks bored and lifeless, as if she's watching paint dry instead of controlling a gigantic sea monster. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Moving on, the eye of the monster is depicted as far too large (Bao is estimated to be at around 150 tons, which is about 40 tons heavier than the most liberal estimates for the largest sauropod dinosaur, Amphicoelias). From this size estimate, Bao's eye and head should be a LOT smaller than what is depicted on the cover. Also, turtles have circular pupils. I know it's genetically modified, but still. The water looks a little unrealistic. And, I think I've already mentioned it, but the title is clunky and boring. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> The book inside is all right, though, so this cover doesn't really do its insides justice.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14 through 17</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 4Q - Better than most
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">4P - Broad general teen appeal</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> fantasy / dystopian / adventure / romance / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-88781833440436782382016-01-18T05:10:00.000-08:002016-01-18T05:10:42.712-08:00A Madness So Discreet - YA Review by Claire W<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RH1uvFHwLyiRBljlSXhDfW_aw_x2YY9qShSRc34pQzo05DElMdqQ7RcKi7cVW8ZulrTrIqlArv_sJv8bYl8zEfoOrdiZH7IXdFmMXh6zLli716rb9rGVUNU6YaAMT7DGjkUDpHKmius/s1600/A+Madness+So+Discreet+by+Mindy+McGinnis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RH1uvFHwLyiRBljlSXhDfW_aw_x2YY9qShSRc34pQzo05DElMdqQ7RcKi7cVW8ZulrTrIqlArv_sJv8bYl8zEfoOrdiZH7IXdFmMXh6zLli716rb9rGVUNU6YaAMT7DGjkUDpHKmius/s200/A+Madness+So+Discreet+by+Mindy+McGinnis.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Claire W.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>A Madness So Discreet</i></span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Mindy McGinnis</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Katherine Tegen Books</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">10/06/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The plot of this book was a bit slower than I like, but still interesting the majority of the time and well planned out. The character development was truly great and the metaphors that went along with the main character were beautifully crafted. I did question how realistic one character of the book was. This character was a raging feminist and very public about it which I don't believe would have been accepted during this time period.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The whole plot made the book memorable and how it was executed.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The cover was beautiful and related so so so well to the book. Every time I looked at the cover I would notice another detail that directly symbolized the book.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14 through 17</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 4Q - Better than most
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">3P - Some teen appeal
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Annotation:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Grace is living in an insane asylum, but she doesn't belong there. Grace is there to cover up a scandal caused by her powerful and political father. She just wants to escape and get her revenge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> historical thriller / gothic mystery / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-37757202453269072802016-01-18T05:09:00.001-08:002016-01-18T05:09:50.592-08:00Sweet - YA Review by Evan W<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxq83ScHi-Qsp7-cai-2jDb5FTMXmYzw2g27CrrRLPKHyHWX3mMhDwfmzjKOoEWAq_o8pESzC-9UPeaJZIJm7823YrzgGWsBa3dRB1mBwfJZzxYb2e0-QePkctndSz0LlZURE5ygdzOoU/s1600/Sweet+by+Emmy+Laybourne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxq83ScHi-Qsp7-cai-2jDb5FTMXmYzw2g27CrrRLPKHyHWX3mMhDwfmzjKOoEWAq_o8pESzC-9UPeaJZIJm7823YrzgGWsBa3dRB1mBwfJZzxYb2e0-QePkctndSz0LlZURE5ygdzOoU/s200/Sweet+by+Emmy+Laybourne.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Evan W.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">13</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Sweet</i></span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Emmy Laybourne</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Feiwel and Friends</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">06/02/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">This book started out as a great idea, and just got really boring. I liked the idea that Solu was a weight-loss drug that started working almost too well, but as soon as everybody who took it started turning into a rampaging zombie type thing, it just got really boring. Again, I like the idea behind this book, it was just poorly executed. The plot wasn't very good, and is overused. For example, how many books are there where there are a few people left who have to escape a very dangerous place without being killed. It just isn't interesting. Also, the character development wasn't the best. It was just not a very good book overall.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I didn't really think it was interesting, and that made it kind of forgettable. Also, the characters and the plot weren't very good, so that was something forgettable.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">It kind of reflected the contents. The title was floating in the ocean like the ship in the book, and it was leaking blood. I didn't really get why everything was upside down, though.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">12 through 15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 3Q - Readable
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">3P - Some teen appeal</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> horror / romance / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-6692475995464819012016-01-18T05:09:00.000-08:002016-01-18T05:09:13.580-08:00Placebo Junkies - YA Review by Maude L<b><br /></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLPar7b6PAMP4EJwHZMbOdk20j_c68pQjWoghFIccI61vylW6wlxqySQsgcmQ3kI0wbEWxBczIweKBt4PcqqKbtMrt7D5LuDnDVXK_GUHSMxQHERYKMSB-IYvmeFpMRA6Mk89fPslJZ8/s1600/Placebo+Junkies+by+JC+Carleson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLPar7b6PAMP4EJwHZMbOdk20j_c68pQjWoghFIccI61vylW6wlxqySQsgcmQ3kI0wbEWxBczIweKBt4PcqqKbtMrt7D5LuDnDVXK_GUHSMxQHERYKMSB-IYvmeFpMRA6Mk89fPslJZ8/s200/Placebo+Junkies+by+JC+Carleson.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Maude L.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">11</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Placebo Junkies</i></span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> J.C. Carleson</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">10/27/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I liked this book because it shows a different view on the world. It also has a really interesting writing style. But the best part is a super unexpected twist at the end.
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> The ending was completely surprising - I had no idea it was coming. It was also just a really interesting subject to write about.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The cover is very interesting because the words are spelled out on pill cases,so it really makes sense for the story.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14 through 15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 4Q - Better than most
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">4P - Broad general teen appeal</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> drama / mental illness / big pharmaceuticals / homelessness / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-37968224440568540202016-01-18T05:08:00.000-08:002016-01-18T05:08:34.961-08:00Hellhole - YA Review by William B<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuSjEquRJsFQNW4lo0_wMaPT5arLLQfqwBDx3tnDs9icZfTBNwGnv28zPBfzM_83ORRPdF_SNMfZ86HyMGrE7tWgw3YHa6110ORzyIE9aJDKHrWJrH3_AUacYxgOLPoO_mgrKRBfQY9A/s1600/Hellhole+by+Gina+Damico.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuSjEquRJsFQNW4lo0_wMaPT5arLLQfqwBDx3tnDs9icZfTBNwGnv28zPBfzM_83ORRPdF_SNMfZ86HyMGrE7tWgw3YHa6110ORzyIE9aJDKHrWJrH3_AUacYxgOLPoO_mgrKRBfQY9A/s200/Hellhole+by+Gina+Damico.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">William B.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">12</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Hellhole</i></span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Gina Damico</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">01/06/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">This book starts a bit slow and moves faster as it goes on. Characters develop and you learn more. Read carefully, the details can be layered. The chapters are very short but carry meaning.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">It is forgettable because it just doesn't stick with you. You will forget it if you don't read carefully.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">It says take a chance, try me.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14 through 15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 3Q - Readable
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">3P - Some teen appeal</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> horror / comedy / action / coming of age / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-35802408545185608642016-01-10T09:29:00.001-08:002016-01-10T09:29:35.467-08:00Seven Second Delay - YA Review by Caroline H<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIoAzHMCUdshhP3AOyGNl_cqdUcZaQXKQVdNy_HcdzEmAczKDeSVWUFcaU5967cBxsxRkaGAVGu4EeE6Q5uQEzmgse0MmgfIb7huNXQ_U-4Mwjt1bz6bRQEv3ApjC4BdyJmFqA4V8BBm0/s1600/Seven+Second+Delay+by+Tom+Easton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIoAzHMCUdshhP3AOyGNl_cqdUcZaQXKQVdNy_HcdzEmAczKDeSVWUFcaU5967cBxsxRkaGAVGu4EeE6Q5uQEzmgse0MmgfIb7huNXQ_U-4Mwjt1bz6bRQEv3ApjC4BdyJmFqA4V8BBm0/s200/Seven+Second+Delay+by+Tom+Easton.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Caroline H.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">12</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Seven Second Delay</i></span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Tom Easton</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Holiday House</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">02/27/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I usually don’t like post-apocalyptic books, but this was very likely one of the best books I’ve read. The character development was very smooth, and the plot was well-written, though not necessarily very original. It was funny in a grim, sarcastic way, and the dialogue wasn't especially cheesy.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I loved that there was always a sense of real danger, even when the characters were perfectly safe. I also really liked the character development of the many different characters in the book. It was an interesting and suspenseful read, definitely memorable for me.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I really like the cover on this book. It was eye-catching and reflects the contents pretty well.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">12 through 18 and up</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 5Q - Hard to imagine a better book
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">3P - Some teen appeal
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Additional Comments</span></b><span style="color: orange;">:</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I was kinda bummed that the evil Prime Minister got to stay in office and that he didn't get kicked out or assassinated or something like that. It would have made the ending happier, but the actual ending is much more realistic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> post-apocalyptic / dystopian / suspense / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-91495252165439522112016-01-10T09:20:00.003-08:002016-01-18T05:19:14.289-08:00Believarexic - YA Review by Ella O<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGmlOP4lXk5soKbBUcYs5q5RFAyLLrYEodMrE0usjNDh93_9swgka57DglOXw4M0gGLcFFhPQu8N63Q_9bita9H9xhNCJ7EJk4xk_pRBODFjKt8x3tyizTcUH0jrLwknwYJLS32KBQ1M/s1600/Believarexic+by+JJ+Johnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGmlOP4lXk5soKbBUcYs5q5RFAyLLrYEodMrE0usjNDh93_9swgka57DglOXw4M0gGLcFFhPQu8N63Q_9bita9H9xhNCJ7EJk4xk_pRBODFjKt8x3tyizTcUH0jrLwknwYJLS32KBQ1M/s200/Believarexic+by+JJ+Johnson.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Ella O.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Believarexic
</span></i><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> J.J. Johnson</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Peachtree Publishers</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">10/01/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Jennifer is a sweet girl who has gotten very good at hiding her condition, so when she goes to her parents for help, they don't believe her but schedule an appointment anyway and they go and the doctor agrees that Jenny has a condition. She stays at a recovery place and really does things right for herself. She grows and it's beautiful.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Jennifer admitted she had a problem and she wanted to get help. She was doing things for herself and that was great. She decided she wanted something and worked to get it.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I thought the cover was simple but meaningful. The basic color is perfect for catching the eye and there's a cute design on the front that lets you know it's a heartfelt story. </span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">12 through 13</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 4Q - Better than most
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">4P - Broad general teen appeal</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b>Annotation:</b> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jennifer is addicted to binging, purging, drinking. She wants to stop. She wants people to see she needs help and, furthermore, to receive that help. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> eating disorders / recovery / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-43197185042524235752016-01-10T09:11:00.002-08:002016-01-10T09:11:55.930-08:00Illuminae - YA Review by Eli S-M<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB08LBUfIEwcDU3l8RwmQfl5eKrrEN_hwDYIJ4qvclSmy8CHYFhcfWJWDnLWRAaBpKZYllgfBm1sqm4tfe4d2I43Jkr5tYfsff7oD72lTYNacGpF2OMaVg8naX-q3A8JqhFOoEgKs4p8Y/s1600/Illuminae+by+Amie+Kaufman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB08LBUfIEwcDU3l8RwmQfl5eKrrEN_hwDYIJ4qvclSmy8CHYFhcfWJWDnLWRAaBpKZYllgfBm1sqm4tfe4d2I43Jkr5tYfsff7oD72lTYNacGpF2OMaVg8naX-q3A8JqhFOoEgKs4p8Y/s200/Illuminae+by+Amie+Kaufman.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Eli S-M</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">16</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Illuminae</i></span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Random House Children's Books
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">01/20/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I would recommend reading this book, if only to experience the strange format. The story is told in a series of memos, interview transcripts, emails, and security feed summaries. This gives the book several unique advantages- namely, its retention of suspense- you actually believe the characters might die- the interest created by the novel format (pun), and the unique ability to hold back detail that results in a twist at the story's end. However, the format also has the disadvantage of removing the reader from the action and the emotions of the characters.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The most memorable quality of this book was its format and unique story line. The strange format, of course, made it instantly memorable, but the fact that the novel's plot charted a relatively new course made it memorable as well. Perhaps it was just the lens applied by the format, but I felt as though the story line was very unique, took twists I hadn't seen before, and didn't rely on too many tropes.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The cover did tempt me to pick the book up, but the giant explosion didn't reflect anything at all particularly well. The redacted document cutaways did hint at the novel's format.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14 through 18 and up</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 4Q - Better than most
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">4P - Broad general teen appeal</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> science fiction / dystopian / suspense / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-23310206683418426522016-01-10T09:03:00.000-08:002016-01-10T09:03:37.170-08:00This is Where it Ends - YA Review by Veronica K<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKvT-t_4jdJMdEN06XfBdIukgw7ITTYGGWpOPrrcVZTRvpgiRb1-CwHG55-Cu5b1peOdOfWoy3I6lGdQUvb3IG7_ABuuUOqXO3-oMrrJadm_kCTmB4yTnrfGgh6rjO035hDi1uDUzzZQ/s1600/This+Is+Where+It+Ends+by+Marieke+Nijkamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKvT-t_4jdJMdEN06XfBdIukgw7ITTYGGWpOPrrcVZTRvpgiRb1-CwHG55-Cu5b1peOdOfWoy3I6lGdQUvb3IG7_ABuuUOqXO3-oMrrJadm_kCTmB4yTnrfGgh6rjO035hDi1uDUzzZQ/s200/This+Is+Where+It+Ends+by+Marieke+Nijkamp.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Veronica K.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>This is Where it Ends</i></span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Marieke Nijkamp
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Sourcebooks Fire</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">01/05/16</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I actually sort of liked the book. The dialogue felt real to the story, the plot was believable, and the characters were actually there, not just cardboard cutouts. I liked how each section was a different character telling the story because it helped explain who the people were. I'm not sure some of the characters would have acted as they acted in the book in real life, though. For example, there is a kid who escapes from a war zone as a child. I highly doubt he would be as calm and collected as he was the entire story if this actually happened. Also, for as small as they claimed the town to be, the police took a reeeeeaally long time to get to the school... Other than those things, this was a fairly good book stylistically.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The plot is the most memorable. A lot of books these days would turn this into a secret plot to take over the world, but this one tells a story that could happen, and probably has happened. Not a lot of books these days tell a truthful story like that, with the depth this has anymore.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Honestly? The cover sucks. It might just be that I have no experience with the real world, but I have no idea where the things on the cover came from, or what they are. The cover was very confusing, and if I hadn't been told it was worth reading, I probably would have skipped it.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14 through 18 and up</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 4Q - Better than most
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">3P - Some teen appeal</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> thriller / school shooting / drama / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-74234056727110730292016-01-10T08:55:00.000-08:002016-01-10T08:55:17.412-08:00Firefight - YA Review by William B<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodkIBLO80iT8mH5fP0R8EnU_CLIA-vTftkHUfN1vDpEYQaGHarxjXhzIHI3Pb0qUptM4GpGLEoQvAjqaZitAhY0_m-X_oika5NdD3gsl4zeUoyQqTvj69glS4WB9vhOyfjJCsjqRRzl8/s1600/Firefight+by+Brandon+Sanderson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodkIBLO80iT8mH5fP0R8EnU_CLIA-vTftkHUfN1vDpEYQaGHarxjXhzIHI3Pb0qUptM4GpGLEoQvAjqaZitAhY0_m-X_oika5NdD3gsl4zeUoyQqTvj69glS4WB9vhOyfjJCsjqRRzl8/s200/Firefight+by+Brandon+Sanderson.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">William B.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">12</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Firefight</i></span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Brandon Sanderson</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Delacorte Press</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">01/06/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The author keeps you guessing and shocks you at every page turn. The characters develop more and more. It builds off of and is even more spontaneous than <i>Steelheart</i>. Some dialogue is obsessively used and makes no sense. This book will keep you waiting until you can't anymore.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">It is memorable because of the writing style.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The cover is hard to miss. It screams, read me!</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">12 through 13</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 4Q - Better than most
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">3P - Some teen appeal
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Additional Comments</span></b><span style="color: orange;">:</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Read <i>Steelheart</i> first.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Annotation:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Firefight</i> starts with David and the Reckoners taking out Epics. They realize they will have to kill another Epic that rules over a city. They then start on a journey that will provide more knowledge about the Epics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> science fiction / dystopian / superheroes / The Reckoners series / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-12169437289287104272016-01-07T04:12:00.000-08:002016-01-07T04:12:25.733-08:00Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in my... - YA Review by Tristan HB<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ey-SwKCn_h3HXpC7ewv6ogCxqlsvfeeJ4I_uwCvuDJ2GNLbNP32tfSbEhn-9YMo26BJMBv6GSCDVKdl4ByY6SJS8UvfCOARbpTCoQ3WWhYMSydLVYfFuvclH8RPQRNt2KBEJfVf0ljw/s1600/Benjamin+Franklin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ey-SwKCn_h3HXpC7ewv6ogCxqlsvfeeJ4I_uwCvuDJ2GNLbNP32tfSbEhn-9YMo26BJMBv6GSCDVKdl4ByY6SJS8UvfCOARbpTCoQ3WWhYMSydLVYfFuvclH8RPQRNt2KBEJfVf0ljw/s200/Benjamin+Franklin.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Tristan HB</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in my…
</span></i><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Adam Mansbach and Alan Zweibel
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Disney Hyperion
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">09/08/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The characters were relatable and you couldn't help but root for Ike.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">This makes history fun and entertaining while throwing in a classic twist. This also seems real in the sense of the characters.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The cover made me want to read the book.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">12 through 15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 3Q - Readable
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">3P - Some teen appeal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> comedy / middle school / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-90795422053354721402016-01-07T04:11:00.001-08:002016-01-07T04:11:58.096-08:00Violent Ends - YA Review by Sophie F<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YTMUOa03cPXX8WNnhDBFb4ljLWifDQ8xVqpdVJ9yyV426d1EEvbPhOWdgo71JDF-xInZBAlY_zNtwBg-oI3fBLVHmUl-YjRU77EoFH7F7GNWzld4iE2eiCZSGY7j80q4xujFnbDk9oA/s1600/Violent+Ends+by+SD+Hutchinson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YTMUOa03cPXX8WNnhDBFb4ljLWifDQ8xVqpdVJ9yyV426d1EEvbPhOWdgo71JDF-xInZBAlY_zNtwBg-oI3fBLVHmUl-YjRU77EoFH7F7GNWzld4iE2eiCZSGY7j80q4xujFnbDk9oA/s200/Violent+Ends+by+SD+Hutchinson.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Sophie F.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Violent Ends</i></span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Shaun David Hutchinson
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Simon Pulse</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">09/01/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">This book is narrated by a different person each chapter. As interesting as this was, I was left with wanting more out of some characters and thinking "just shut up!' with others. I wish the narration would return to several more important characters.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The content of this book is something you don't read about too much in teen fiction. More often you get a book solely about suicide and it's effect on people. However, this book talks about the effects of an actual shooting in which other people are killed. In a society where gun control is an ever growing issue, I think we need more books about gun issues and less about depressed, moody teenagers.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The title is what grabbed at me and the book cover helped. You can definitely tell what kind of book it is by looking at the cover.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14 through 18 and up</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 3Q - Readable
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">4P - Broad general teen appeal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> </span>tragedy / school shooting / multiple narrators / ya lit<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-19712181721763863142016-01-07T04:11:00.000-08:002016-01-07T04:11:12.809-08:00The Detour - YA Review by Sam T<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2LZm32M8M0wGG3C4TvKCvehoeig7PdDc47RVqZ7Sn7MNScbhAT0YsKP0ZynEUJGPLWawGSfUdqen5aDFw8QX9BMjFC0ssoEXY7oBoOyH7fpH5kryLAJ5TWuUeSzK_ypVbRseWQwW6w0/s1600/The+Detour+by+SA+Bodeen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2LZm32M8M0wGG3C4TvKCvehoeig7PdDc47RVqZ7Sn7MNScbhAT0YsKP0ZynEUJGPLWawGSfUdqen5aDFw8QX9BMjFC0ssoEXY7oBoOyH7fpH5kryLAJ5TWuUeSzK_ypVbRseWQwW6w0/s200/The+Detour+by+SA+Bodeen.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Sam T.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">16</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <i><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Detour</span></i><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> S. A. Bodeen
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Feiwel and Friends
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">10/06/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The vivid scenes of Livvy being kidnapped and the scenes involving Flute Girl are nerve-wracking, terrifying, and tense. They are well-done and evoke a sense of fear quite well through the use of imagery and dialogue. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> However, even though I felt that the scenes where she is imprisoned were terrifying, I don't think much of the rest of the book was really necessary and just doesn't seem to fit. Livvy's various memories don't really relate to the rest of the story, and the Rory subplot is completely unnecessary, contrived, and disappointing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> The entire last third of the book and some of her flashbacks could be removed and the book would be 100% better. After she got rescued, I thought, "Why are there so many pages left? It should end right here!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Not only does the main character get kidnapped and get her life threatened multiple times, but she also ends up finding out that her book's ideas were stolen (which I find a little ridiculous and contrived, as you'd think that she'd remember doing something like that), and also finds out that her online boyfriend is really a creepy psychopath (What are the chances that she also happens to be imprisoned by the lady who is that boy's cousin and that the main character just happens to crash her car at the exact right spot?). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> These events did not make for a good or satisfying ending. Sure, she meets a new nice guy who looks exactly like her old love and shares all of her interests (again, what are the chances of that?), but her life is still fundamentally ruined by this crazy lady and her crazy kid (the former of which was somewhat justified in her anger, because the main character's stealing of her ideas and general entitlement does make Livvy just a little bit annoying). </span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">It didn't really seem to do a ton of original things with the kidnapped-by-a-crazy-person-and-locked-in-their-basement genre, although it certainly tried to convince the reader that it did by using predictable plot twists.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a little on the drab side, although the cover reflected the book's contents.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14 through 17</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 2Q - Needs more work
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">4P - Broad general teen appeal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> suspense / thriller / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-77827100345231609462016-01-07T04:10:00.001-08:002016-01-07T04:10:42.940-08:00Awake - YA Review by Ella O<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWf0t3Ei8iZq1wPQ82eY5v4jgBORtdcFeLm9iMaHmk8fbG2SYk-AWFO1e8U0_EHanicrb8bewawviIE53JuIUWoLS329L9GaJ0GcoZhZ72uPWHX0JCCtILwO0C1K7CBbW7_ZmETWJ0TZA/s1600/Awake+by+Natash+Preston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWf0t3Ei8iZq1wPQ82eY5v4jgBORtdcFeLm9iMaHmk8fbG2SYk-AWFO1e8U0_EHanicrb8bewawviIE53JuIUWoLS329L9GaJ0GcoZhZ72uPWHX0JCCtILwO0C1K7CBbW7_ZmETWJ0TZA/s200/Awake+by+Natash+Preston.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Ella O.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Awake</span></i><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Natasha Preston
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Sourcebooks Fire
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">08/04/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I really liked the character development of someone other than the main character. Noah's journey down the path of coming to terms with the fact that religion is religion and knowing when enough is enough.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Apart from the hidden craziness that came with the "next life" process I really liked the way Noah's culture lived off the land and everyone helps out and lives together. It's a healthy lifestyle and I personally would like to try that sometime.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm not super sure how the cover fits in with the story. It's probably a metaphor for how Scarlett feels caged by something bigger than she thinks. But it works and it's eye catching so keep it. </span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14 through 15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 4Q - Better than most
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">4P - Broad general teen appeal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> thriller / cult / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-67579955974439589802016-01-07T04:10:00.000-08:002016-01-07T04:10:08.721-08:00Monkey Wars - YA Review by Sam T<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGjaEo68Lda3n-2SMbgPjNpqAGCbDHeTNxN7NIU1xc0bD9T5VoSVDPZ35RO5SRFNt_vP4I-dMZKEx-zd0Y5UnRGj6d-U5DkNjE4AUywQrejWLCVAnQs3AU4Dn9P38FiUJb-mWuMqzd44/s1600/Monkey+Wars+by+Richard+Kurti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGjaEo68Lda3n-2SMbgPjNpqAGCbDHeTNxN7NIU1xc0bD9T5VoSVDPZ35RO5SRFNt_vP4I-dMZKEx-zd0Y5UnRGj6d-U5DkNjE4AUywQrejWLCVAnQs3AU4Dn9P38FiUJb-mWuMqzd44/s200/Monkey+Wars+by+Richard+Kurti.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Sam T.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">16</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Monkey Wars</i></span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Richard Kurti</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Random House Children's Books
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">01/06/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I really liked many of the characters, and much of it really did feel believable. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Of course, my disbelief wasn't always suspended, especially because there were some things that were unrealistic - such as a romance between two different genera of monkey and tool use way beyond what monkeys can actually do - and other times when the symbolism seemed a little heavy-handed (making Tyrell and his dictatorship like Hitler or North Korea etc., having a rigged democratic monkey election...). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Although at times this seemed to be more of a parable about people than a novel about monkeys, it still was interesting enough to read and was relatively enjoyable.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Although highly similar to other talking, fighting animals books - such as the famous Warriors series and the book that started the genre, <i>Watership Down</i> - it still had enough differences to be more or less memorable enough in its own right, even at points when the similarities between the aforementioned books were more obvious.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Yeah, the contrast was interesting and made it stand out. It seemed to be a pretty good representation of the book.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14 through 17</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 4Q - Better than most
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">3P - Some teen appeal</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> fable / parable / allegory / facism / political corruption / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-10981710967098651692016-01-03T19:39:00.000-08:002016-01-03T19:39:02.574-08:00The Oathbreaker's Shadow - YA Review by Ruby F<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyvUYiGzeqaiUDR0WUwU7S_ZMk7rb0Gri9Aru6ddsEGGN057NCV_R5iXmvkYycLAT64VaXXdybnD8IaZzW-98CghwLbqq4FmzaXrSobq3hc3Ltiv11yW977JGoQLL1hQSHWFoal4AnQk/s1600/The+Oathbreakers+Shadow+by+Amy+McCulloch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyvUYiGzeqaiUDR0WUwU7S_ZMk7rb0Gri9Aru6ddsEGGN057NCV_R5iXmvkYycLAT64VaXXdybnD8IaZzW-98CghwLbqq4FmzaXrSobq3hc3Ltiv11yW977JGoQLL1hQSHWFoal4AnQk/s200/The+Oathbreakers+Shadow+by+Amy+McCulloch.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Ruby F.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The Oathbreaker's Shadow
</i></span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Amy McCulloch
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Flux</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">02/08/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The Oathbreaker's Shadow</i> was good, but predictable. There were a few typos, which didn't concern me particularly but threw me off a little bit as I was reading. In the two main characters, there was development in only one of them and even that one character didn't have as much development as I'd like. The plot is very refreshing and not cliched, which is the biggest reason for my approval of the book. I'd consider the book mediocre but enjoyable in spite of it.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I enjoyed the culture and time period of the book. I think it needs some fine tuning but its plot is solid and clearly there's been a lot of thought in the society that the author has created in the story.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The cover reflected the book's contents EXCELLENTLY!!!!!!! I thought the cover looked interesting and unique and it portrayed the book very accurately. </span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14 through 17</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 3Q - Readable
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">4P - Broad general teen appeal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> fantasy / magic / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-66725448476630743822016-01-03T19:38:00.000-08:002016-01-03T19:38:14.271-08:00Every Last Word - YA Review by Caroline H<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1Gx-2N7H9W-GmjZFiqu18Wb6AJ9BYlXfrAtpmEOjuJ5IRap5DWqdkhg_IDuq8upKaEC-AFxDx3XAZ-Kzgeeg_celfXZL7MYf0znGUeDDRyJW1d7PL9RkUZE1RSRCmpajqSBvL76DmNQ/s1600/Every+Last+Word+by+Tamara+Ireland+Stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1Gx-2N7H9W-GmjZFiqu18Wb6AJ9BYlXfrAtpmEOjuJ5IRap5DWqdkhg_IDuq8upKaEC-AFxDx3XAZ-Kzgeeg_celfXZL7MYf0znGUeDDRyJW1d7PL9RkUZE1RSRCmpajqSBvL76DmNQ/s200/Every+Last+Word+by+Tamara+Ireland+Stone.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Caroline H.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">12</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Every Last Word</i></span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Tamara Ireland Stone
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Hyperion</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">06/16/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The characters are defined very well in this story and the plot moves along very smoothly. Some of the characters are a bit overused and are a little stereotypical.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">This book was memorable for me because it dealt with real life problems like OCD, mental illness, depression, etc., and it’s written very well. I felt like I could relate to the different people in the story.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The cover is very simple and it does relate to the book, but not until about halfway through the story. I think the designer needs to choose a different color than pink for the title, as it seems very feminine and might make male readers shy away from it.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">12 through 17</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 4Q - Better than most
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">3P - Some teen appeal
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Additional Comments</span></b><span style="color: orange;">:</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The plot is a little all over the place at the beginning and I had to read it over again after I had finished the book for it to make sense. However, this is a book that is not a waste of time to read.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> romance / coming of age / OCD / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-17336235798382899682016-01-03T19:37:00.001-08:002016-01-03T19:37:43.274-08:00Exquisite Corpse - YA Review by Ella O<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5o9OpO39ed3dCHwJEz7Ray3oFD1vAP583Dzxitp5dkSGdgi_af2sw1axOAowTjcV08XVYuqIFLbp_o0yYGiTMp_K85NNyhttt0cwxfa_xp1vxd3IqnR_9pgDJpMC8FTJ2wsusnrIm6Xs/s1600/Exquisite+Corpse+by+Penelope+Bagieu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5o9OpO39ed3dCHwJEz7Ray3oFD1vAP583Dzxitp5dkSGdgi_af2sw1axOAowTjcV08XVYuqIFLbp_o0yYGiTMp_K85NNyhttt0cwxfa_xp1vxd3IqnR_9pgDJpMC8FTJ2wsusnrIm6Xs/s200/Exquisite+Corpse+by+Penelope+Bagieu.jpg" width="145" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Ella O.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Exquisite Corpse
</span></i><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Pènèlope Bagieu
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">First Second
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">05/05/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">An interesting read. The main character keeps a crappy job and lives with a crappy boyfriend. She wants more from life but isn't always wise on how to get there. I thought that the way Zoe learns from her mistakes on people was good.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Again, Zoe and her adventures are fun and there was some character development but not much. She just moves from one person to the next and maybe she should take time for herself. Just thoughts.</span>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I love graphic novels so that's what made me snatch this up. However the cover art is interesting and the pops of red against the layers of blue is quite pretty. </span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14 through 15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 3Q - Readable
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">3P - Some teen appeal</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> graphic novel / comedy / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-40524245978818991762016-01-03T19:37:00.000-08:002016-01-03T19:37:15.042-08:00The Rules - YA Review by Dana F<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBz5EdTR2YlpaqbeihuGlZPtpejm9rPpGFoilKj7KHrvJ1gKfxvR1Fmj1Vp7dPOBUapFQt0PS5ObP_pV0f0264pYrBsrnqvJDoRJfrfyoFDv0lls5GgUp3TNCCrMEHK2DlyB6-fa-3770/s1600/The+Rules+by+Nancy+Holder+and+Debbie+Viguie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBz5EdTR2YlpaqbeihuGlZPtpejm9rPpGFoilKj7KHrvJ1gKfxvR1Fmj1Vp7dPOBUapFQt0PS5ObP_pV0f0264pYrBsrnqvJDoRJfrfyoFDv0lls5GgUp3TNCCrMEHK2DlyB6-fa-3770/s200/The+Rules+by+Nancy+Holder+and+Debbie+Viguie.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Dana F.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <i><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Rules</span></i><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Random House Children's Books
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">06/23/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The Rules</i> has a wide cast of narrators, each with their own rules they live by. The motives and actions of the characters are very well laid out within the plot of this book. The development of the characters didn't really happen, but that wasn't the point of the book. Speaking of the plot, this was a great horror/thriller. I couldn't figure out who the murderer was until the end of the book.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't really read that many horror or mystery novels, so this was a new experience for me. It was a little gory for my taste, but it would make a great movie. Like I said, the motives of the characters were very well thought out, but as most of them died at various points in the book, there wasn't much development. The one thing I really didn't think was necessary was the prologue, which just made me confused as it didn't stay consistent with the rest of the book.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I liked this cover, it reflected the mystery of the book. It vaguely reflected the contents.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14 through 18 and up</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 4Q - Better than most
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">4P - Broad general teen appeal</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> thriller / suspense / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-43066378150249173312016-01-03T19:36:00.000-08:002016-01-03T19:36:34.622-08:00Lizard Radio - YA Review by Sam T<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5w-TnWk-1zb1caNtcSy8r3fwv-mh8yA9QrIA7LFC82g4BNeBakXjD6SWww8S8QpDkLTIv3aXNm7ozr1sSiZlxDyTlos9jeeeqU_MRI3O-LvulpNPxyPPnPRdIKbJNAs3IqBzU598AOek/s1600/Lizard+Radio+by+Pat+Schmatz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5w-TnWk-1zb1caNtcSy8r3fwv-mh8yA9QrIA7LFC82g4BNeBakXjD6SWww8S8QpDkLTIv3aXNm7ozr1sSiZlxDyTlos9jeeeqU_MRI3O-LvulpNPxyPPnPRdIKbJNAs3IqBzU598AOek/s200/Lizard+Radio+by+Pat+Schmatz.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Sam T.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">16</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Lizard Radio</i></span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Pat Schmatz
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Candlewick Press
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">09/08/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I hated this book; in fact, it was one of the worst things I have ever had the displeasure of reading. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Almost every other word is a complete nonsense word or phrase, like "jazzy", "sweetbits", "Cleezies", "Mealio", "benders", "samers", "Pieville", "vape", "Quint", "lands smack in my biz", "kickshaw", "fikety-fike", "quiet-quiet", "brainiola", "burby", "Blight", "frods", and countless others I didn't have time to mention. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Every time one of these nonsense words appear little or no explanation is given to their meaning. Often the book also uses bizarre sentence structure, such as using phrases like "a big happy", among others. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> This book reads like an inebriated baby chimpanzee that is well versed in nonexistent 90s hip-hop lingo messed around on Google Translate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> The story (if you can call it one) concerns a teenager dropped into a camp where the campers grow vegetables, take weird drugs, pray, and have sex. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> The government, called the bizarre name of "SayFree Gov", makes kids decide their gender at age ten and then not only changes it for them but then makes them take classes on how to be that gender. There's also something called "The Blight" and "vaping". NOTHING IS EXPLAINED.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> This gender-bending idea is unrealistic not only because it seems to be a completely useless allocation of resources and effort, but also, considering that transgendered people make up a tiny fraction of the population, it doesn't make sense to make the other 99% of people go through this arduous process.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> There's also something about reptilian aliens, which seems like something pulled straight out of either the craziest conspiracy forum on the Internet or a bad 50s B-movie. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> This book is all over the place. It is extremely difficult to read (and this is coming from someone who's read some postmodernist literary theory and technical scientific documents!). The only part of it I actually enjoyed was writing this review. I only made it to about chapter four or five before the comedic value had grown old.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">This book is memorable only because of the level of my dislike for it. This book makes me angry.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">If you removed the silhouette of the person, the words "Lizard Radio", and the pages in between the front and back covers, it would be an OK cover.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14 through 17</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 1Q - How did it get published?
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">1P - Yech! Forced to read it
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Additional Comments</span></b><span style="color: orange;">:</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">There is a place for bizarre, surrealist contemporary "art", but the YA genre is not that place. This book was a confusing slurry of made-up words, strange sentence structure, and overall incomprehensible plot. On an A to F scale, it gets an F minus.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> science fiction / dystopian / coming of age / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-27828023426167377512015-12-30T14:57:00.000-08:002015-12-30T14:57:30.157-08:00Violent Ends - YA Review by Jarod D<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSm0QwU8RgaDYB1Vsi4ycLMaBTj4ayXn7FBaokI8RxkR8LOFRe5acluFQvnEpWd5Nof7BdWHWkB7UMUIBByRn_2HwEvwzs8h-IeqsIQDYJgwHX7I1MXl0zhNgW1w7B0376sORSfzi8NeM/s1600/Violent+Ends+by+SD+Hutchinson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSm0QwU8RgaDYB1Vsi4ycLMaBTj4ayXn7FBaokI8RxkR8LOFRe5acluFQvnEpWd5Nof7BdWHWkB7UMUIBByRn_2HwEvwzs8h-IeqsIQDYJgwHX7I1MXl0zhNgW1w7B0376sORSfzi8NeM/s200/Violent+Ends+by+SD+Hutchinson.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Jarod D.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">16</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Violent Ends</i></span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Shaun David Hutchinson
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Simon Pulse</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">09/01/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">This book reaches out to everyone from the parents of children to the LGBT community. The book tells the story of multiple people and their points of view; however, it does not reveal the reason for the event. Instead, the authors write the book in a way that everyone can draw their own conclusion, which portrays the reality of events such as these.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The book is memorable because it allows bias, without letting any single bias dominate another. Each character has their own ideas about why the school shooting happened. I also enjoyed how the points of view pointed at a single subject, but did not all converge into one full picture of what happened and why it happened.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The cover of the book was the whole reason I picked it up. It seemed unusual, as we often see color in our world and deny the idea of emptiness. Overall the cover portrayed the book's context to a "t."</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14 through 18 and up</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 5Q - Hard to imagine a better book
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">5P - Everyone wants to read it
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Additional Comments</span></b><span style="color: orange;">:</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">This is my favorite book since I joined TKB.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Annotation:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">School shootings. They're happening all over the world for a multitude of reasons. Everyone always wants to know why.Why would anyone want to do such a terrible thing? What no one ever asks, is what about everyone else? How has it affected them and what is going to happen next? In this book, <i>Violent Ends</i> by Shaun Hutchinson and 16 other authors, you get to see inside the lives of the people who have lost their best friends and their precious loved ones.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> tragedy / school shooting / multiple narrators / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-40449555208435956342015-12-30T14:56:00.001-08:002015-12-30T14:56:56.365-08:00The Novice - YA Review by Evan W<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUz8H_vb1tWwf-FaYuvn4eegtDltIK1c6lrx5Zqv9ju5n4mZjF-mHmdlK5wkUQJfnU9nnhVEnkVOzE9o6kOWLl9nFPMi182idHrAyiJqYyRuYMJd6CozbrTPuge5KDSVQcWB-4XhQZ7o/s1600/The+Novice+by+Taran+Matharu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUz8H_vb1tWwf-FaYuvn4eegtDltIK1c6lrx5Zqv9ju5n4mZjF-mHmdlK5wkUQJfnU9nnhVEnkVOzE9o6kOWLl9nFPMi182idHrAyiJqYyRuYMJd6CozbrTPuge5KDSVQcWB-4XhQZ7o/s200/The+Novice+by+Taran+Matharu.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Evan W.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">13</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <i><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Novice (Summoner Book One)
</span></i><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Taran Matharu
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Feiwel and Friends
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">05/05/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The whole plot of the story was great overall, but kind of reminded me of the plot of <i>Eragon</i>. The character development wasn't perfect, but there was good character development. There was some good dialogue, but nothing's perfect unfortunately. The dialogue was very funny at times though. I really liked the world the author created because it was just a very interesting thing and reminded me of <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> - one of my favorite books of all time. It was an amazing book overall.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">This was a memorable book because it had a lot of amazing characters and a great plot. I think it was really memorable and had a great story and a world that was simply great, but the story was kind of predictable and unpredictable at the same time. In other words, I loved it.
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The cover accurately reflected its contents, although all it showed was Fletcher with his demon and his weapons and a ball of wyrdlight in his hand. It kind of convinced me to pick up the book, but there could be better options for a cover.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">12 through 15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 5Q - Hard to imagine a better book
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">4P - Broad general teen appeal</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> fantasy / adventure / The Summoner Trilogy / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-79892742441384561372015-12-30T14:56:00.000-08:002015-12-30T14:56:27.932-08:00Symphony for the City of the Dead - YA Review by Theo S-M<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DY6QsD-nqVUr_gktzb5mgA4kk2-i7xxG1tnkVbNSjnmLzbNrhp_jlu_ZbkahRXKSzqCbIOdxC7MBPXVrIuJuqDtOZDirxNcH2rd6UixJbrHO_2J3Zxhak-hY-JtAPcJfJh4adsLb_6E/s1600/Symphony+for+the+City+of+the+Dead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DY6QsD-nqVUr_gktzb5mgA4kk2-i7xxG1tnkVbNSjnmLzbNrhp_jlu_ZbkahRXKSzqCbIOdxC7MBPXVrIuJuqDtOZDirxNcH2rd6UixJbrHO_2J3Zxhak-hY-JtAPcJfJh4adsLb_6E/s200/Symphony+for+the+City+of+the+Dead.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Theo S-M</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">13</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad</i></span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> M.T. Anderson
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Candlewick Press
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">09/22/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The book's writing is amazing, the charters are well created, and the story is well done.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">This book packs alot of facts in, which kept me very interested. I learned alot from this book and did not put it down.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes the cover is amazing and reflects the contents well.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14 through 15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 4Q - Better than most
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">3P - Some teen appeal
</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Annotation</span></b><span style="color: orange;">:</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">This book is about Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and its very long siege that caused many people to starve and freeze to death. The book also focuses on a musician's life in Leningrad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> nonfiction / World War II / music / politics / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-64545234324737562232015-12-30T14:55:00.001-08:002015-12-30T14:55:57.594-08:00Illuminae - YA Review by Simon D-S<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvJwVNfkBr1diK94tPNGa4SHMo92fTF3yfmCK9rYvttKLOl8euyYw6Nf3OI0HfCuXE_nZh49TA-_m871DLZvmZSNTiDPNUH3mP1pFSmPtG7lAnvncCOM7ZfHgvv3cX45E8P_PAr1o6zY/s1600/Illuminae+by+Amie+Kaufman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvJwVNfkBr1diK94tPNGa4SHMo92fTF3yfmCK9rYvttKLOl8euyYw6Nf3OI0HfCuXE_nZh49TA-_m871DLZvmZSNTiDPNUH3mP1pFSmPtG7lAnvncCOM7ZfHgvv3cX45E8P_PAr1o6zY/s200/Illuminae+by+Amie+Kaufman.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Simon D-S</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Illuminae</i></span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Amy Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Random House Children's Books
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">10/20/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">This book was one of the best books I have ever read. The plot, characters, and unique way of communicating the story made it into a truly amazing read. First off, the characters in the book were believable and realistic. Both main characters had many layers and quirks that made them imperfect and therefore real. The plot was insane. Like, take the genres of mystery, sci- fi, romance, and horror, and put them in solitary confinement for two weeks with knives. That is essentially how the plot of <i>Illuminae </i>is. I make it sound bad with that metaphor, but it is actually really good. Finally, the way they tell the story is great. The usage of emails, ship communications, images, and word collages tell the story perfectly.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I will probably never forget this book, as it is one of the most unique I have ever read. Think novel, but with a taste of comic book. Let me make that clear. It is not a comic book. Don't tell people I told you that. What I mean is that it makes words have art. I know I am being vague here, but just read the frickin' book.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The cover looked cool, with all the creepy writing and stuff, but I couldn't tell if I was cheating by reading it. You'll see.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">12 through 17</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 5Q - Hard to imagine a better book
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">5P - Everyone wants to read it
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Annotation:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">After the destruction of their home planet by an enemy corporation, Kady and Ezra must put aside their breakup to uncover the truth of their predicament.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Additional Comments</span></b><span style="color: orange;">:</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">It's not a comic book!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> science fiction / dystopian / suspense / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622517373909263005.post-6620516335785554442015-12-30T14:55:00.000-08:002015-12-30T14:55:29.546-08:00Wonders of the Invisible World - YA Review by Sam T<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNSRqfBOgZAAxLDiTCx6GvLn3mXY-cxaUdMJTwo9T2BPUWn1vxBvdoffhRLfKswPiOQuWWAS5K-t-ezTMfeANJvrHVhM6dzRsfquL1bjdV8gD_gDVCKVmXvG0W14PEXn6AuPGKxeW4KY/s1600/Wonders+of+the+Invisible+World+by+Christopher+Barzak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNSRqfBOgZAAxLDiTCx6GvLn3mXY-cxaUdMJTwo9T2BPUWn1vxBvdoffhRLfKswPiOQuWWAS5K-t-ezTMfeANJvrHVhM6dzRsfquL1bjdV8gD_gDVCKVmXvG0W14PEXn6AuPGKxeW4KY/s200/Wonders+of+the+Invisible+World+by+Christopher+Barzak.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Reader:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Sam T.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">16</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Title:</span></b> <i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wonders of the Invisible World
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Author:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Christopher Barzak
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Publisher:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Knopf Books for Young Readers
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Pub Date:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">09/08/15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Galley:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Top 25:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">No</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Convince us to read the book:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I didn't really connect with any of the characters. Aiden is sort of annoying and too over-the-top-emotional; Jarrod just feels dull. (As with most novels involving over-the-top teen romance or stream-of-consciousness monologues, I tended to skip over a lot of this book). His mother deceived him for his whole life, and his brother is never really in the picture. The only person I barely felt a connection to was his dad, a laconic but goodhearted man, and he died halfway through.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> The story seems to have little coherence and almost no stakes. Considering that, as the back of the book says, death is inevitable, it's sorta pointless reading about some harbinger of death that can't really be stopped very well. It feels less like an interface between author and reader and more like some senior's emotional monologue about his half-baked, semi-spiritualistic ideas about life and death. Or something. I'm not entirely sure what the author is trying to say. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> We readers are not active in the story; we're just stuck on the slow amusement park ride based off of it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> World-building was not great. I felt lost at times. It would have been an interesting, fascinating premise for a world, but I wish that it was written better and went more into the backstory of the world itself. I didn't understand half of what any of the characters were talking about. Like Aiden Lockwood, I felt lost and confused by this strange world that was never really fully explained.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Memorable or Forgettable:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">This book is only really memorable due to the difficult time that I had reading it. I just eventually got tired of being confused. I didn't really see much of a story, and the romance really distracted from the main theme of the book, if there was one at all. It's just a weird, mushy emotion-filled, thrill-less story with little coherence or consistency.
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Cover:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">It didn't really interest me at all, and I don't really know what it had to do with the content. The tree painting was really pretty, but that's about all that it's got going for it.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Age Range:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">14 through 15</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Quality:</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 2Q - Needs more work
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Popularity:</span></b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">2P - Only for special interest
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<span style="color: orange;"><b>Additional Comments</b>:</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I was also pretty confused by the bizarre use of the word "story" throughout the second half of the book. I don't understand this concept at all, and especially not in the already-cluttered universe of the book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> There's also a strange quote from Cotton Mather (yes, the semi-horrible guy who essentially caused and supported the Salem Witch Trials) at the beginning of the book from Mather's book that shares the same title that seems to have been thrown in there randomly. I don't understand its significance, and I don't really care to know.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> This book might only appeal to fans of ontological, existential LGBT psychic supernatural teen best-friend road-trip heavily-philosophical tomes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: orange;">tags:</span></b> supernatural / romance / LGBT / ya lit</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0