Reader: Dana F.
Age: 14
Title: The Rules
Author: Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Pub Date: 06/23/15
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: The Rules 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.
Memorable or Forgettable: 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.
Cover: I liked this cover, it reflected the mystery of the book. It vaguely reflected the contents.
Age Range: 14 through 18 and up
Quality: 4Q - Better than most
Popularity: 4P - Broad general teen appeal
tags: thriller / suspense / ya lit
Reader: Dana F.
Age: 14
Title: The Court of Fives
Author: Kate Elliott
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: 08/18/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I really liked the setting because it was creative and detailed, and the characters because they had depth and were all pretty well developed. The plot points, however, were a bit lacking. There were several different things going on, the Fives, some magical elements, family drama, and romance that were never really tied together. It felt like a bunch of random points were just thrown in.
Memorable or Forgettable: I really liked the idea of this book, but I felt like it wasn't very well executed. It was kind of confusing and a lot of the time I was wondering why that whole part was necessary. I thought this book was about something other than what was given to me.
Cover: I like the colors and design of the cover. It sort of reflected the contents.
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 2Q - Needs more work
Popularity: 4P - Broad general teen appeal
tags: fantasy / adventure / ya lit
Reader: Dana F.
Age: 14
Title: Inherit Midnight
Author: Kate Kae Myers
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pub Date: 02/10/15
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I liked this book because I was never bored and, although the plot was not very original(think 39 Clues crossed with the Westing Game), the characters were somewhat interesting.
Memorable or Forgettable: As I said, the plot was pretty much 39 Clues from the family history to the types of characters: Avery is the main character whom everyone hates, another related family will do anything to win, etc. There were some things that the 39 Clues didn't have, like the diamond mining, love interest, and live parents.
Cover: I liked the cover, it sort of reflected the contents of the book.
Age Range: Under 12 through 15
Quality: 3Q - Readable
Popularity: 4P - Broad general teen appeal
tags: suspense / romance / adventure / ya lit
Reader: Dana F.
Age: 13
Title: Becoming Jinn
Author: Lori Goldstein
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pub Date: 04/21/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I liked this book for its original plot, characters (they ranged from funny to sorrowful to aggravating), and the writing was very descriptive. I was a little put out at the ending, which I felt was a little abrupt, but other than that it was a pretty good read.
Memorable or Forgettable: This book was memorable to me because of the details about Azra's (the main character) magic, since she is a reluctant genie-in-training. I also really liked the idea of a "Zar," or group of fellow genies because all the characters in the two Zars were very fleshed out and had vibrant personalities.
Cover:
The cover reflected the contents very well - it was a bangle that restrains a genie's magic. It definitely drew me in, too.
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 4Q - Better than most
Popularity: 4P - Broad general teen appeal
tags: fantasy / romance / teenage genie / ya lit
Reader: Dana F.
Age: 13
Title: Backlash
Author: Sarah Darer Littman
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pub Date: 04/28/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Basically this girl tries to kill herself because of some really mean things that someone said on her Facebook page. The repercussions are deadly(no pun intended). I really liked the plot because it was original and unpredictable. The major characters were very developed, as well as the minor characters. That helped hold my attention throughout. This was a very realistic book, too.
Memorable or Forgettable: Like I said, the plot was good. I liked how the posts on Facebook affected all the characters in different ways. I could really relate to the characters, too. I loved how even the bully became a victim after the attempted suicide.
Cover: I was instantly pulled in by the cover. It definitely related to the contents, too.
Age Range: 12 through 17
Quality: 4Q - Better than most
Popularity: 4P - Broad general teen appeal
tags: coming of age / social media / teen suicide / dysfunctional families / ya lit
Reader: Dana F.
Age: 13
Title: The Young Elites
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: The Penguin Group
Pub Date: 10/07/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I really loved the descriptions and character
development. The point of view made me want to keep reading, too. However,
there was a plot twist which left me quite disappointed, and I kept wanting it
to fix itself and it didn't. I thought it kind of messed up the entire book.
Memorable or Forgettable: It had a very imaginative and creative setting,
and it was filled with detail.
Cover: Yes. It depicted a main symbol from the book, a
dagger. I was more interested by the author (I read another of her books) than
the artwork, though.
Age Range: 12 through 17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 5P Everyone wants to read it
Additional Comments:
Although I marked 4Q, you will probably be
disappointed and let down at the end.
tags:
fantasy / adventure / mystical powers / ya lit
Reader: Dana F.
Age: 13
Title: Fig
Author: Sarah Elizabeth Schantz
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pub Date: 04/07/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: This book was wonderfully written. Fig, her
family, and her classmates are all very different and personable in their own
ways. I felt like I knew them by the time the book was over. I also thought the
dialogue was well thought out and realistic. I will add that the plot was a
little confusing and surprising at points.
Memorable or Forgettable: I loved the character of Fig. She was unlike the
standard heroine, maybe because she is very devoted to her mother and isolates
herself from her classmates. The whole plot was memorable because of the way it
was told - and it was different (in a good way).
Cover: The cover definitely pulled me in, but it
doesn't really reflect the contents.
Age Range: 12 through 18 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Annotation: This book is a snapshot of Fiona’s (otherwise
known as "Fig") life as her mother struggles with schizophrenia, a
mental disease.
tags: contemporary fiction / schizophrenia / ya lit
