Reader: Maryn J.
Age: 13
Title: Buzz Kill
Author: Beth Fantaskey
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: 05/06/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Wow. That's all I could really say when I set down Buzz Kill after spending my whole day finishing it. In the beginning, I thought it was absolutely cliché. After I kept reading, I realized it was much more than that. Millie, the narrator, is extremely relatable. And Chase is your typical high school quarterback, except for the fact that he watches foreign films and doesn't have any friends. The romance between the two is supremely frustrating but it's an innocent touching thing. Many chapters ended with cliffhangers, and often they ended up being funny or completely surprising. So many people are to be suspected, and as each one get crossed off the list I became more and more confused. Just when you think nothing is around the corner, it's there, waiting to jump on you. A great read for a yucky weather weekend that you can finish in one sitting.
Memorable or Forgettable: This book was unforgettable. The characters were full of life and you got to really understand what they've been through. There were a lot of funny undertones to the story and that made it compelling. Chase's personality is absolutely perfect; he's totally jock-dork cute, which you almost never see in a book. Overall, very thought provoking.
Cover: The cover and title were ironically funny, and though pretty simple, the cover was bright and sparked interest. It reflected the contents but just barely, going with a less important plot point in this story. In the end, I liked the cover.
Age Range: 12 through 17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Annotation: Millie Ostermeyer decides to make a list on who would want Coach Killdare, a hated but talented coach, dead. One year later, Coach Killdare is murdered. Millie takes it upon herself to solve the crime, and along the way she might just fall in love with the seemingly perfect and most puzzling jock ever, Chase Albright. In this fast-paced story, you'll fall into the town of Honeywell and never want to fall out of it.
tags: mystery / suspense / romance / ya lit
Reader: Bjorn H.
Age: 14
Title: Eleanor and Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pub Date: 02/26/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Early in this book, it was hard to relate to the characters. It seemed as though they were far off and did not really exist. Later though, they became quite real. They went through some of the same problems as other people would. The plot voice was creative and well put together. Character development was perfect.
Memorable or Forgettable: This book was memorable for me because of how well the stylistic elements were put together. It was also memorable to me because of how well the characters developed over the course of the book.
Cover: The cover tempted me to pick up the book because it was mysterious and made me want to learn/read more.
Age Range: 14 through 15
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Annotation: This book is a beautifully put together, romantic, intelligent work of art. It can make you cry and laugh at the same time. It will make you understand what it means to love.
tags: contemporary fiction / romance / coming-of-age / historical fiction / realistic fiction / ya lit
Reader: Eoghan G.
Age: 13
Title: Parched
Author: Georgia Clark
Publisher: Holiday House
Pub Date: 03/14/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Dystopian is all the rage right now, though authors don't often the need to change the plot. The author of Parched on the other hand has gone to extremes to make a new spin on dystopian novels. With interesting characters and exciting technology the book makes you want to read it. I actually finished under the covers with a flashlight to finish it.
Memorable or Forgettable: The characters were the most memorable part of the book. Both well written and well described. Each of the characters had their own personality. Meaning that they were like nothing I have ever seen before. The setting was always in great detail as well.
Cover:
The cover was interesting and appealing to the eye. The cover shows Eden the domed city where everything is perfect.
Age Range: 14 through 15
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Annotation: Fast paced. Action packed. Plot to over throw the government. Main character is a confused girl and unsure what to do. Over used and cliched, yes, but at the same time new and fresh. Dystopians are usually all the same and few ever reach above that. The book Parched does that with ease.
tags: adventure / dystopian romance / ya lit
Reader: Alexis F.
Age: 14
Title: Paradox
Author: A.J. Paquette
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: 06/25/2013
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Paradox had a good plot and I enjoyed reading it, but it seemed like the characters had unreal personalities at times (mostly in the beginning) and there could have been a lot more detail. By the end (second half) it started to get pretty interesting. It would have been better if it started out a bit faster. I really liked how everything led up to the end and it all made sense (in my opinion. Other people might think differently) and there was a lot of twists which was pretty cool. At times I thought I knew exactly what was going to happen next, but it turned out that I was totally wrong! I sort of like that (it was unexpected). The three words I have to describe this book are: Bloody, space, bug. Yeah, it's interesting...
Memorable or Forgettable: It's one of those books that I definitely won't forget, but that's only because there was a giant freaky bloody space worm! Yes, you have to read the book to find out...
Cover:
I was interested in the cover mostly because there was a girl standing in front of a giant worm that was exploding out of the ground. The funny thing was that the girl just stood there like it was totally normal to see a giant worm exploding out of the ground! The title kind of stood out to me to for some reason. Really it just looked interesting. The cover definitely represents the book.
Age Range: 12 through 13
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
tags: science fiction / postapocalyptic adventure / ya lit
Reader: Tristan H.B.
Age: 12
Title: Hero Worship
Author: Christopher E. Long
Publisher: Flux
Pub Date: 01/08/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Sometimes the characters were bad and troublesome, but there were also reliable characters too.
Memorable or Forgettable: It was memorable the way things were, like the surprising twist in the development of the book.
Cover:
The cover showed you that this was about superheroes and it was. (sort of)
Age Range: 14 through 15
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Additional Comments: This is romance, action and adventure. Most of those are a good combo in a book.
tags: action adventure / superheroes / ya lit
Reader: Alyissa S.
Age: 13
Title: White Space
Author: Isla J. Bick
Publisher: Egmont
USA
Pub Date: 02/11/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: White Space is an amazing book for many reasons. The first being the impossible happens at every turn. The second reason being the plot is well thought out. The final reason White Space is an amazing book is that you can really picture what is happening like a movie. The characters were really well developed - you can really connect with the characters and what they are going through emotionally. The characters were well explained about themselves - they seem like real people. White Space is an amazing book but after awhile it got confusing, then again started to make sense.
Cover:
The cover matched the story because the crows on the cover symbolize the dead souls in the story.
Age Range: 12 through 13
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Additional Comments: If I had only 3 words to describe White Space it would be mysterious, creepy, and impossible.
Annotation: Have you ever hear of the phrase "We all turn into stories in the end?"
tags: thriller / supernatural / Dark Passages / ya lit
Reader: Alexis F.
Age: 14
Title: Smoke
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Pub Date: 09/10/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Smoke was well put together (in other words, well written) and it had very realistic characters. I've read four other books by Ellen Hopkins so I was expecting what the plot was going to be about, but really this was a lot different. Smoke is definitely one of my favorites because it's focused on things that happen all the time, but yet people decide to try to ignore it. In a way I find these books to be inspirational to a lot of teens which is absolutely awesome! Smoke will most likely keep every reader's interest (especially mine) because it's realistic. You don't just want to pick up a book about magical fairy lands all the time (and if you do, you probably need to take a break every once in a while). You want to read about things that are real (or at least seem that way) - Smoke does that!
Memorable or Forgettable: I never forget about any of the books I read, but some things that make Smoke especially memorable is the fact that it's about a teenage girl trying to figure out her life (and no, it's not a big sappy love story or all weird). I like to read about how other people think (even if they happen to be fictional) and reading about a girl coming from the situation that she's from (it's pretty crazy mind you), it's interesting and informational.
Cover: The cover of Smoke didn't really interest me. It was more the fact that Ellen Hopkins was the author. Smoke is actually the sequel of Burned (but I haven't read that yet) so maybe the first book explains the cover a bit more, but I believe the cover is supposed to represent what goes on in the book. In Smoke, there's a girl finding her life again after something of a disaster happens (in the first book). So, the cover as well as the title is supposed to show that after the fire (disaster) there is the smoke (leftover of the fire. Still there, but mostly a memory).
Age Range: 14 through 17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
tags: realistic fiction / contemporary / Burned / ya lit
Reader: Eoghan G.
Age: 13
Title: The Killing Woods
Author: Lucy Christopher
Publisher: Chicken House
Pub Date: 01/07/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I only could read the first chapter. It tried to be suspenseful, but failed miserably. The title of the second chapter was Damon - well the first was called Lucy showing it was going to switch point of views. So I didn't even need to read the book to know there was going to be one of the most cliche plot twists ever: the second main character is thought to be killer, but really isn't.
Memorable or Forgettable: The characters were very two-dimensional and weren't very well written. The setting seemed very dull.
Cover: The cover made me want to read the book, but I have no idea if it reflected the contents because I could only force myself to read the first chapter.
Age Range: 12 through 13
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest
tags: mystery/suspense / psychological thriller / ya lit
Reader: Elise S.
Age: 17
Title: Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out
Author: Susan Kuklin
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pub Date: 02/11/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: I loved that this book was a plain and simple look at life. It didn't have an agenda. There weren't very many frills or bells. It really was a window into somebody else's world. This is the best way to make change. So much about being transgender or gender neutral, or even the process of questioning your identity, is misunderstood. The teens in this book were not there to represent all trans people, but to represent their experiences. With honesty, grace, and humor, they educated the reader about what it means and has meant to them to be not cisgendered.
Memorable or Forgettable: The personal quality of the book is what made it truly memorable to me. This is how real learning and understanding happens, by sharing life stories! That's what made it so exciting to read, the potential in the book to change the world! Honestly, I think this exact kind of book, this book itself, should be in every school library around the world. The pictures were gorgeous too, with the same funny, honest, cool quality as the interviews.
Cover:
Awesome cover that totally fit the book. It was interesting, and the very aspect of it being a real person will make it standout anywhere. I want to find the final copy of the book just to look at all the beautiful pictures in full color!
Age Range: 12 through 18 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Annotation: Six teens from around the country, all who identify as transgender or gender neutral, all who have their unique backgrounds. They share their stories plainly in this compilation.
tags: non fiction / transgender / ya lit
Reader: Ella O.
Age: 13
Title: The Bird King: an artists notebook
Author: Shaun Tan
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine books
Pub Date: 03/02/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: There wasn't a plot or main character. And the only dialogue/ words were the occasional bit from the author and titles of the artwork.
Memorable or Forgettable: The art, again, was amazing and unforgettable art, though it was sometimes hard to find the titles of the artwork because knowing the titles always helps you understand the work more.
Cover: Yes the book tempted me very much and the cover did reflect the contents.
Age Range: 12-13
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Additional Comments: Make the titles BIGGER!
Annotation: It's all art, amazing art. If you like original ideas or plays on words (phrases) this is the best book.
tags: ya lit
