Reader: Tristan H.B.
Age: 13
Title: The Staff of Serapis
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Hyperion
Pub Date: 05/20/14
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: The characters are very stubborn and when they meet each other they're not exactly trust worthy of each other.
Memorable or Forgettable: This book was memorable because mythology is hard enough to understand in our time, but when two different types of mythology meet each other it's crazy.
Cover: The cover showed the teen girls that are the main characters in this book fighting a lion.
Age Range: 12 through 13
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Annotation:
This book is about Greek and Egyptian myths when two main characters in a series cross paths.
tags: fantasy / mythology / adventure / ya lit
Reader: Brooke H.
Age: 15
Title: To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: 04/22/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I thought this book was pretty good. I thought the author did a really great job with character development, and the plot, while being a bit cliche, still had some unique points to it. The family dynamic was also really sweet. It was great that the author didn't focus solely on the boys the main character loves/loved. I thought this was the perfect book for when you are feeling like a cute, fun read. One thing I didn't like was that the story seemed to have unnecessary parts, or more often, parts that ran on unnecessarily. This wasn't a big deal though, because it wasn't enough to lose my interest, and I can see how these particular parts may have helped with the development of the characters and their relationships.
Memorable or Forgettable: The most memorable thing for me was, without a doubt, the characters. They were all so lovable and the author definitely had me rooting for them. The main character was relatable and easy to connect to, and the other characters that interacted with her, like her family and the boys who received the letters, were well-rounded to the point where I could definitely picture them as real people.
Cover: I didn't love the cover of the book, but I didn't not like it either. It didn't turn me on or off to the book. It did reflect the story, though. The book was all about the letters the main character wrote and the consequences of those letters, so the girl writing a letter on the cover clearly matched this.
Age Range: 12 through 17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
tags: contemporary / realistic fiction / romance / ya lit
Reader: Veronica K.
Age: 13
Title: Fire & Flood
Author: Victoria Scott
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pub Date: 02/25/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: This is quite a wonderful book if you like it when characters do not actually interact with each other in a normal fashion, characters are walking stereotypes, and the plot is literally a badly written Hunger Games. The Pandoras are amazing.
Memorable or Forgettable: The Pandoras. They were amazing. It kind of seemed as though Scott wanted to write a book about them, but also wanted humans. They are seriously the only part of the book I will remember, because the rest was kind of like Professor Binns from Harry Potter wanted to tell the story.
Cover: What? It has a cover? Huh. That is so weird. Why is the feather burning? The book had absolutely nothing to do with that. Or fire and flood, for that matter.
Age Range: Under 12
Quality: 1Q How did it get published?
Popularity: 1P Yech! Forced to read it
tags: science fiction / ya lit
Reader: Lou O.
Age: 18
Title: Fallout
Author: Todd Strasser
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pub Date: 09/10/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: This book is fun to read but down right stupid. The 'Lost' wanna be style of writing is quaint at best, very rarely adding to the story other than to give the reader unnecessary background info. A combination of the author's creepy Freudian imagery (which was clearly a preadolescence projection on the part of our author) as well as the racist themes that are so innocently deflected by the main character's "wide eyed innocence" and "color blind" nature is just an insult to the civil-rights movement.
Memorable or Forgettable: The number one quality I'll remember from this book is the haunting sexual subtext. The main character is a middle school boy and he has WAY too many sexual thoughts. None of them are overtly sexual but that's what makes them worse. Either the author is projecting his own sexual frustrations onto this character, or his character is highly disturbed. Take your pick.
Cover: The cover tempted me, kinda. While it was stylized it was too simplistic and wouldn't warrant a second glance from me. The only reason I picked this book up is because I randomly chose it.
Age Range: 12 through 13
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest
tags: suspense / alternate history / ya lit
Reader: Alexis F.
Age: 14
Title: The Cellar
Author: Natasha Preston
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pub Date: 03/01/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: It was a good book in all, but there were a few things that needed a little bit of work. The plot and character were definitely interesting. It's not every day that you pick up a book that happens to have a serial killer with OCD in it. The only thing that I can really "complain" about (really it's not complaining at all, but whatever) is that there seems to be things missing that should be there. When the main character (Summer... who sort of turns into Lilly for a while ) gets thrown into the cellar, it seems like all she thinks abut is having her boyfriend come and rescue her. I've debated a lot about whether this makes her weak, or smart. In the end I picked weak, but that's just my opinion. Sure she thinks about smashing a frying pan over her captor's head a few times, but other than that all she does is sit around and whine... then again, I think a lot of people might do the same thing in her situation. Now that I think about it, that might be what made it more realistic than other books. In all it was a pretty good book (if you don't mind reading about people getting killed - A lot).
Memorable or Forgettable: It was a memorable book for sure. No, it didn't make me afraid of my basement or anything, but its plot had this sort of addictive feel. Trust me, that's pretty weird coming from a person that gets freaked out even thinking about killers and stuff like that. I didn't like how it ended though (so I'll most likely forget about the ending), but I'll remember the rest of it for a very long time.
Cover: The cover did reflect the content, but it didn't tempt me to pick it up. A single flower on the steps of a freaky and dark cellar. You could tell that it was going to be a little scary (or maybe a lot). I don't really look at the cover of the books that I read. If they have a good hook on the back, then I'll try them.
Age Range: 14 through 15
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
tags: mystery / thriller / contemporary / realistic fiction / ya lit
Reader: Claire W
Age: 12
Title: Dorothy Must Die
Author: Danielle Paige
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Pub Date: 04/01/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: This book was great. This is the aftermath of a story most people know. But the author has turned it into an amazing story. It fits along with The Wizard of Oz perfectly and is well done. The plot was great. The character development was very well done. I feel like the main character, Amy, was greatly changed throughout the book. I read this book in less than 2 days and still couldn't read it fast enough. I never felt that there was a single slow part in the book at all.
Memorable or Forgettable: Well the setting wasn't original but still great. The author truly captured the feeling of Oz itself. You really feel like you are walking on the yellow brick road too. But the interesting twist in the story was so so so well planned out.
Cover: The cover was great. It hooks you and gives you a clue to what the book is about. The cover is simple and complex at the same time.
Age Range: 12 through 17
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Additional Comments:
This book was just all around great.
Annotation: Amy Gumm lives in Kansas. But all she wants is her mother to start acting like a mother and to get out of Kansas. But one night she gets her wish. She and the trailer her mother and her lived in, is swept away to Oz. There she finds Oz in complete disarray because of DOROTHY.
tags: dystopian fantasy / Wizard of Oz / revisionist writing / ya lit
Reader: Tori H.
Age: 13
Title: Capricious
Author: Gabrielle Prendergast
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Pub Date: 04/01/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: This book had great character development throughout the book and the plot, voice, and dialogue was well done. The stylistic elements were strong.
Memorable or Forgettable: It was another coming of age book so I won't remember it at all in a month or so.
Cover: It was an odd cover that didn't reflect the book at all. It didn't tempt me nor turn me off though.
Age Range: 12 through 17
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
tags: coming of age / verse novel / ya lit
Reader: Claire W.
Age: 12
Title: The Falconer
Author: Elizabeth May
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Pub Date: 05/06/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I believe the plot of the book was just okay. It could have used a bit more work. The dialogue didn't fit in with the time period and the development was not well done.
Memorable or Forgettable: The book wasn't really either. But it sorta fit into the steampunk theme which is being done a lot lately.
Cover: The cover was great. But the only thing I have to say is that the cover reminded me of Brave the movie and was similar in the setting and main character.
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Annotation:
Aileana has hated fairies ever sense her mother was killed by one. She has decided to start killing them before they strike their next victim. But besides killing the faerie, she has to keep up her social image to please her father. Even though most of society believes she murdered her mother.
tags: fantasy / romance / action / steampunk / Scottish lore / ya lit
Reader: Katie J
Age: 13
Title: Premeditated
Author: Josin L. McQuein
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: 10/08/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: This book was AMAZING!!! For some reason, I love sad and dark books, so this one was awesome! It is pretty sad. It is about a girl named Dinah. Dinah's cousin tried to commit suicide by cutting her wrists when a summer romance didn't quite work out the way she planned it. Dinah goes to her cousin's school and tries to blend in so she can hunt down the boy who caused her cousin (I think her name is Clare) to attempt suicide. For a while, the author talks about Dinah "befriending" the kid who caused her cousin to attempt suicide. After a while, Dinah discovers the truth about the "mystery" (I don't know what else to call it) and, well, I won't ruin for you. This was a great book and if you like to read deep sad books that make you think, read this book!!!
Memorable or Forgettable: I liked this book because I think that it is very realistic. I think that the plot really could happen and has probably happened many times to girls.
Cover: I didn't love the cover. I felt that it didn't really reflect the contents of the book.
Age Range: 12 through 18 and up
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Additional Comments:
READ THIS BOOK NOW!!!
tags: thriller / real life issues / ya lit
Reader: Perrin S.
Age: 15
Title: The Falconer
Author: Elizabeth May
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Pub Date: 05/06/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: To me, the main character felt shallow - she was basic, single minded, and predictable. The style of the book's writing was lacking any intensity, was dull, and was overall very simple. The plot was dull, it didn't feel like anything important changed. Especially for a story about a kick-butt female warrior it was fairly disappointing and didn't live up to its potential.
Memorable or Forgettable: The story and characters felt like it had been done before, many times. I didn't find anything in this story that was new or interesting. This book felt like a poor copy of any and every other fantasy book.
Cover: This cover is absolutely beautiful. The colors are bright and attractive, the color combined with the knife makes it eye catching. The cover has an intense tone that I hoped was mirrored in the book. The cover was a good representation of the best parts of the book and was why I picked up the book in the first place.
Age Range: 12 through 13
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest
tags: fantasy / romance / action / steampunk / Scottish folklore / ya lit
