Reader: AJ G.
Age: 18
Title: Grasshopper Jungle
Author: Andrew Smith
Publisher: Dutton Books
Pub Date: 02/11/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: This is one of the coolest science fiction books I've ever read. It's from the point of view of a sixteen year old boy, and it's written so perfectly in that voice. A lot of authors would skip the parts where the character says things like "uh" or "you know what I mean," but not Andrew Smith. He took the time to actually make Austin sound like a real person. In addition, this was just a very human book. It was clearly a science fiction story, but it was easy to forget that while you were reading it. It felt like just a normal story, because Austin tells you what happened so well, and so naturally. If I had to criticize anything, I wouldn't. There were no plot holes, and the story flowed easily from the beginning to the end. It was a book about everything, abbreviated. (That's funny, if you read the book.)
Memorable or Forgettable: This book was memorable to me for two reasons. First, because of the characters, and second, because of the plot. The characters were all so genuine. They all felt like people I might have met. Austin sounded like an actual sixteen year old, instead of an adult trying to sound like a sixteen year old. The plot was also incredibly memorable. I've read a lot of post-apocalypic fiction, and a lot of science fiction, and this one of the most unique stories I've read in either of those categories. This book details how the end of the world came about, and what everyone was doing when it happened, rather than the cliche survivors trying to rebuild. It honestly was one of the most interesting ends of the world I've ever heard of as well.
Cover: The cover is certainly striking. The bright, almost fluorescent green definitely stands out on the shelf. I also love the insect details. They tie the cover nicely to the story. It's a little bit bare, but I don't think it needs that much, to be honest. The cover is unique, just like the plot.
Age Range: 14 through 17
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Annotation: My name is Austin Andrzej Szreba. Me and my best friend Robby Brees are two of the only survivors of the end of the world, which started right here in Ealing, Iowa. We tried to stop it, but it was Unstoppable. And nobody knew anything about it. You know what I mean.
tags: realistic science fiction / ya lit
Reader: Henry H.
Age: 15
Title: Winger
Author: Andrew Smith
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pub Date: 05/14/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: The main character had faults that were all too relatable and common. The author really presented the situations reasonably and relatably.
Memorable or Forgettable: I like the topic of rugby which of course made this book enjoyable, but the cartoon illustrations every now and then were what really did it for me. They were funny while still effectively providing insight.
Cover: The cover is of Ryan Dean with stitches on his left eye and a bloody nose. This tempted me to pick up the book because it implies some sort of conflict. It reflects the contents pretty well in that rugby is a very rough sport, and that there are a lot of fights physical and otherwise throughout the book.
Age Range: 12 through 13
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Annotation: Ryan Dean West is the Winger for his high school rugby team. He is majorly in love with his best friend Annie. In this story, he has to balance being the youngest player on his team, and try to find a way to tell Annie how he feels.
tags: contemporary fiction / realistic fiction / coming of age / sports / boarding school story / humor / ya lit
Reader: Katie J.
Age: 13
Title: The Testing
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: 02/28/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: This book was almost a direct copy of the Hunger Games, just with some added details. There'a the Graduation, where they find out that they are going to Test, which is almost the same thing as the Reaping in the Games. Then there is the first 3 or so Tests, which is like the training part for the Games. Finally, there is the Final Test, which, you guessed it, is exactly like the Games. I had heard horrible things about this book, and of course I wanted to read it! I was not disappointed. If you want to read an exact copy of the Hunger Games, pick this book up.
Memorable or Forgettable: It was forgettable for me because of the way that it was almost a carbon copy of the Hunger Games.
Cover: Of all the elements of this book, the cover was probably the best. It went well with the story line and reflected the contents pretty well.
Age Range: 12 through 13
Quality: 1Q How did it get published?
Popularity: 1P Yech! Forced to read it
Additional Comments: If you want to re-read the Hunger Games with different names for the characters and the events, go ahead and read this book.
Annotation: 16 year old Cia Vale is chosen to participate in The Testing to attend the University; however, Cia is fearful when she finds out her friends who do not pass the Testing are disappearing.
tags: science fiction / dystopian romance / The Testing / ya lit
Reader: Veronica K.
Age: 13
Title: Independent Study (The Testing #2)
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: 01/07/2014
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: This book needs a voice of its own. It has characters that speak almost exactly like Katniss Everdeen, and is almost written by her author. The characters are all static and do almost nothing.
Memorable or Forgettable: It is exactly like the Hunger Games, and it almost completely contradicts the first one. There is almost no plot, and she always is worrying about boys.
Cover: The cover is exactly like the book: pointless. I would never have picked it up, except for the reviews given by my group mates.
Age Range: 12 through 13
Quality: 1Q How did it get published?
Popularity: 5P Everyone wants to read it
tags: science fiction / dystopian romance / The Testing / ya lit
Reader: Claire W.
Age: 12
Title: The Inventor's Secret
Author: Andrea Cremer
Publisher: Philomel
Pub Date: 04/22/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: First off the plot is very original and was very nicely planned out. It was not rushed and it wasn't dragging on and on. At the beginning of the book Charlotte is portrayed as a little girl, but as the book moves on she becomes more mature and comfortable with herself. The dialogue was pretty good but there just wasn't very much since the book followed Charlotte and she liked to be alone. Over all though the stylistic elements very good
Memorable or Forgettable: First of all the plot was very original. I also really liked settings and how it was described.
Cover: The cover was fabulous and I hope they use that cover because it is great.
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Additional Comments: I thought this book was great. Not many authors these days are able to make a really good female heroine. Andrea Cremer nailed it.
Annotation: Charlotte is one of those girls everyone wants to be like. She is strong and sensitive. The story starts off and you find out that the main character Charlotte is part of a resistance since the British won the Revolutionary War. They have completely taken over. She and her brother sorta run this place in some catacombs to keep children safe.
tags: science fiction / steampunk / dystopian / Inventor's Secret / ya lit
Reader: Katie J.
Age: 13
Title: Storm (The SYLO Chronicles #2)
Author: DJ MacHale
Publisher: Razorbill
Pub Date: 03/25/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: This was almost better than SYLO, the first book. I say "almost" because it was like Catching Fire where part of it was boring and the rest was interesting. If you want to read this one though, MAKE SURE YOU READ THE OTHER ONE FIRST OR THIS ONE WILL MAKE NO SENSE AT ALL!!!
Memorable or Forgettable: This was a great book because it was a great book.
Cover: I liked the cover.
Age Range: Under 12 through 18 and up
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Additional Comments: YOU HAVE TO READ SYLO FIRST OR THIS ONE WILL MAKE NO SENSE!!!
Annotation: Tucker, Tori, Olivia, and Kent return in this fast paced sequel to find out what is going on. In the beginning, there are 4 kids, in the middle there are 5 kids and at the end there are 3 again. That is all I am going to say.
tags: ya lit / apocalyptic / dystopian / science fiction / SYLO Chronicles
Reader: Tori H.
Age: 13
Title: Premeditated
Author: Josin L. McQuein
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: 10/08/2013
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: This book had a strong plot voice, descriptive character development and strong dialogue.
Memorable or Forgettable: What made it forgettable for me is that it was just another suicide book. Nothing made it stand out.
Cover: Neither. Honestly I picked up the book because of the title. It didn't reflect the contents at all. In fact I don't know why they chose this cover.
Age Range: 12 through 18 and up
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Annotation: My name is Dinah. I have had to change who I am in order to fit in at this private school I just transferred to. I did this to find the guy who drove my cousin Claire to kill herself. I know his name, but I need to get him to trust me.
tags: realistic fiction / contemporary / mystery / thriller / ya lit
Reader: Devon K.
Age: 17
Title: Defy
Author: Sara B. Larson
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pub Date: 01/07/2014
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: The book is decently written, though the fantasy names and languages can be cringe-worthy. If you are one who enjoys slightly cheesy teen romances, this book will be quite enjoyable. But be forewarned, many subplots will be dropped and go unresolved for no apparent reason.
Memorable or Forgettable: Alexa's voice in first person is very enjoyable, though does fall into unfortunate stereotypes about teenage girls in books even when they do not match her character.
Cover: The book was tempting because it reminded me of Graceling, a personal favorite, however it also had little to do with the plot since the dagger is 1) not a functional weapon for a professional such as Alexa, and 2) does not appear in the novel so is a bit out of place.
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Additional Comments: The title makes no sense; it seems to have been chosen for the purpose of being catchy.
Annotation: Alexa Hollen has lost much in her homeland Antion's war with neighboring nation Blevon: her home, her parents, her childhood. All that is left of her past is her twin Marcel, and the two decide to join the Antion army and hide Alexa's gender in order to make do with their lives. Three years gone and the two join Prince Damian's elite guard, but when mysterious attempts on the Prince's life threaten the kingdom, and Alexa finds herself caught between the affections of two handsome men, Alexa must choose who to trust and who to pledge allegiance.
tags: high fantasy / romance / Defy / ya lit
Reader: Grant D.
Age: 14
Title: The Alamo (I, Q #4)
Author: Michael P. Spradlin, Roland Smith
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Pub Date: 07/01/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I think this book was an average adventure spy book. I would recommend this to people who have read the books before this because this is book four of the series. It seemed like there was barely any character development.
Memorable or Forgettable: I'm sure that by next year I will have forgotten about this book, It had a boring, kind of expected story line.
Cover: Yes, I like the cover. That was one of the reasons I picked it up for the first time. It gave a feel of a mystery book but, it wasn't.
Age Range: 12 through 13
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
tags: mystery / spy thriller / I, Q / ya lit
Reader: Frannie M.
Age: 14
Title: Noggin
Author: John Corey Whaley
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: 04/08/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Noggin originally grabbed my attention with its odd and mind boggling concept - the idea that someone could come back to life by having their head sewn onto a new body. I started this book expecting a ridiculous but light story. However, the whole head-on-a-new-body thing didn't dominate the story as much as I thought it would. I interpreted this book as taking place in modern times, because Travis, the main character, describes seeing things like "people wearing blue jeans tight on their calves" and "electronic billboards that change their ad every few seconds", both things that we have today. The story begins with Travis waking up after being 'dead' for five years. Life is very difficult when he returns, because he has been gone for so long that most of his friends and family have moved on. Additionally, he has to go back into high school as a sophomore even though he should be in college based on his birth date. John Corey Whaley does an excellent job of conveying Travis' complex emotions with the first person point of view. I have no idea how someone would react in Travis' situation, but everything Travis did made sense and reflected how I think I would react to having my head sewn onto a new body. The main thing that Travis had to face was the fact that his girlfriend (Cate) from before his 'death' was now engaged. He spends much of the story trying to win her back, not understanding how hard it was for his friends and family to see him die, even though it wasn't permanent. The character development in this book was profound, and each character had an important role in the story. Every character enhanced the story, especially Travis' two best friends, Kyle and Hatton. Despite the difficult themes in this book, it still retained a sense of humor, making me laugh out loud on several occasions. This book was insightful, amusing, and out of the ordinary, and I would definitely recommend it!
Memorable or Forgettable: This book was very memorable to me, probably because I haven't read anything like it. It was fun to imagine having someone actually come back to life from a body transplant. This book was a breath of fresh air compared to all of the violent and dystopian books that are popular now.
Cover: The cover of this book is awesome, and is a great representation of the story. It is striking and bold, but also amusing.
Age Range: 14 through 18 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
tags: realistic fiction / science fiction / contemporary / ya lit
