Reader: Danielle M
Age: 14
Title: Ashes on the Waves
Author: Mary Lindsey
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers
Pub Date: 06/27/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: The suspense at some parts of the book made me want to close the book and just breathe. I got connected to the characters and I felt for them. It was a really interesting plot, and she wrote beautifully.
Memorable or Forgettable: I thought the story was one that I wouldn't really think would be a good one. She took it and made it a pretty good book.
Cover: Yes, the cover made me want to pick the book up. For the most part, it reflected the contents.
Age Range: 12 through 17
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Additional Comments:
I'd read it again... If I had the time, that is.
tags: gothic romance / mystery / myth / ya lit
Reader: Lyric K
Age: 14
Title: The Rithmatist
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pub Date: 05/14/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Brandon Sanderson is great at making a chalk battle between two people very captivating. and he is great at making a mystery, but he doesn't do enough of either in this book. It is way too slow. Being slow makes it very tense. The main character is well developed, but I know nothing about his mom except for the fact that she works a lot. The secondary character has a great personality, but there is no back story. I would suggest the book if you were into fantasy, otherwise don't bother.
Memorable or Forgettable: I will never forget the world in which it is set, with chalk being the center point of the plot. But all in all it was a very boring book. Kind of like a mystery and fantasy in a steampunk setting minus all the action. (reading about the main character being bored of reading but not having anything else to do does not help)
Cover: The cover made it look like a steampunk book, but it didn't have to do much with it at all and was more about other things.
Age Range: Under 12 through 15
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Additional Comments:
Sadly, it is set up to be a series
Annotation: Joel is going to a boarding school where Rithmatists, people able to give life to chalk drawings, are taught, and it is Joel's dream to be taught the same stuff they are being taught. But Joel is forbidden to take those classes since he is not a Rithmatist. But Joel is determined to learn all he can about rithmatism and will in this great book.
tags: fantasy / suspense / magic / mystery / steampunk / ya lit
Reader: Ellen P
Age: 16
Title: Eleanor & Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pub Date: 02/26/13
Galley: No
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: I waited a long time after reading this book to write my review, and I'm still not really sure how to describe what made this book so special. It was incredible and stood out to me among the many other things I have read so far this year. It is perfectly paced, revealing just enough of the painful story to make you wonder why things are the way they are, and then when you find out, it punches you straight in the gut. You root for Eleanor and Park, two of the most interesting and lovable characters I've come across in a long time. Their relationship is beautiful and adorable and good, but their classmates and their families aren't. This is not just a cute romance novel - the main characters have real problems that they face, including abuse and bullying, but all aspects of the book are well written and realistic. The inclusion of some great 80's pop culture references, including Watchmen and The Smith's, is very well done. The story is simple while the writing is excellent and multi-layered, making this a really satisfying read.
Memorable or Forgettable: This book was memorable to me because I felt very connected with Eleanor and Park. The book is written from both of their perspectives, which can be jarring but isn't here. Instead, I felt like I was almost in their heads with them. I cared very deeply about them and their relationship, and I hoped that they would end happily. I won't tell you if they do, though!
Cover: I really liked this cover and it was why I first picked up this book. I thought the colors, drawing, and old fashioned typeface reflected the nostalgic air of the story. However, it doesn't reflect the darker parts of the book, and some readers may be surprised.
Age Range: 16 through 18 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 5P Everyone wants to read it
Additional Comments:
If you needed another reason to pick this up (seriously, read it), this is what John Green says about it: "Eleanor & Park reminded me not just what it’s like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it’s like to be young and in love with a book.”
Annotation: Eleanor and Park, two high school misfits, find first friendship then love in each other. Although it isn't easy, and they are told it won't last, they decide to try to make their relationship work.
tags: romance / abuse / bullying / BFYA nominee / ya lit
Reader: Ellen P
Age: 16
Title: The Madman's Daughter
Author: Megan Shepherd
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Pub Date: 01/29/13
Galley: No
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: This book wowed me. Having never read the book it is based on, The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells, I was interested to read a retelling of a classic that I didn't already know. The plot is unusual for YA literature and I loved the inclusion of science and the exploration of man playing God. These are themes that I hadn't seen before in YA lit. The setting was also interesting, as the locations are solidly placed in the mid to late 1800s while the scientific experiments going on are still far beyond today's knowledge. It was a great blend of historical fiction and science fiction that didn't go steampunk. Finally, Juliet Moreau's character was very intriguing. She was strong and smart, but also realistic as she showed fear and didn't always know what to do. Her rational and logical thinking was a refreshing point of view to read, and her mixed feelings about her father's experiments made her a very complex character. There is a love triangle in this book, but it is unobtrusive and complements the main plot rather than taking it over.
Memorable or Forgettable: The Madman's Daughter was extremely memorable because of the aspects listed above, but also because of the overall atmosphere. This is a very creepy book. I read it in broad daylight, and found myself horrified and repulsed by parts. The overall tone of Shepard's writing adds foreboding and the emotions in it feel very real. The ending, as well, was memorable - lets just say it could be called a cliffhanger. I rarely feel this frustrated after finishing a book about having to wait for the sequel.
Cover: I really liked this cover. It showed the dark tone of the book very well, and the red lettering contrasted nicely and pulled me in. I would have picked it up off a shelf based on the cover alone. However, the background of the cover doesn't reflect the setting of the novel, but that is only a small issue since the overall look is so good.
Age Range: 14 through 18 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 5P Everyone wants to read it
Annotation: Juliet Moreau is the daughter of Doctor Moreau, the man scorned by all of London for his gruesome experiments on animals. She believes he is dead, but when she finds out that he is still alive on a remote island, she journeys there to find out whether the allegations against him are true.
tags: science fiction / gothic thriller / ya lit
Reader: Ellen P
Age: 16
Title: Scarlet
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pub Date: 02/05/13
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: This was a very good, solid sequel to Cinder. It retells Red Riding Hood in an unexpected way, while weaving in Cinder's story, continuing from where the last book left off. Scarlet and Wolf, the new characters, are well crafted and interesting, and the world Meyer created is more fleshed out. I loved the action sequences. They were well written and immersive.
Memorable or Forgettable: The twists and turns in this book were really well done. Not everyone is who you think they are, and you never see the big reveals coming. Whereas reading Cinder, I guessed the surprises before they happened, in Scarlet they come out of nowhere. Meyer's world building is also excellent in Scarlet. She has clearly paid attention to detail, down to descriptions of how the hover trains function. This made the story seem extremely realistic, despite the fantastical elements in it.
Cover: The cover is nice and appealing but lacks the wow factor that drew me to Cinder. I would've liked a bit more detail showing the futuristic themes of this book.
Age Range: 12 through 18 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 5P Everyone wants to read it
tags: science fiction / fairy tale / Lunar Chronicles / ya lit
Reader: Guanani
Age: 17
Title: More Than This
Author: Patrick Ness
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pub Date: 09/10/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: This book made me upset because it could have been so much better. Some elements were very strong and compelling, such as the main character coming to terms with his past and the diverse cast of well-developed secondary characters. The plot was intriguing until it became impossible and wrote itself into a corner. If these wonderful characters had been placed in a simpler, more believable series of events without the confusing matrix-like sci-fi twist, the book would have been amazing.
Memorable or Forgettable: The characters in this story were all memorable. They surprised me and made me believe in them. The romantic interest was key to the story and also a person I would have liked to know more about; the sidekicks were a lot of fun while still having serious aspects to their personas. The reason I continued to read the book until the end even as the plot fell apart was because I was enjoying the characters so much. The plot was forgettable and even regrettable: amnesia, waking up alone in a post-apocalyptic setting, flashbacks (which were much more interesting than the present plot; the whole book could have been set then), awkward sci-fi explanation that was so impossible the characters themselves commented on it, and an invincible bad guy. The plot did not do the characters justice.
Cover: This cover is fairly bland, though the door does symbolize the main themes of the book. I like that it’s not a picture.
Age Range: 12 through 17
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Additional Comments:
I really wanted this book to be better than it was. In terms of plot, less would have been more.
tags: science fiction / post-apocalyptic / ya lit
Reader: Simon D-S
Age: 13
Title: No Easy Way Out
Author: Dayna Lorentz
Publisher: Dial Books
Pub Date: 06/11/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: I thought the most important element of this book was the character development. Throughout the book, alliances are constantly shifting, breaking and forming. As the pressure to survive increases, character's personas change dramatically.
Memorable or Forgettable: I like the idea of having a quarantined mall. The idea is very original, and the author makes use of all things at her disposal. For example, the IMAX theater in the mall turns into a fortress. Service hallways are used as escape routes multiple times. Some privileged officials have an all access key card that can get them almost anywhere in the mall. The ice-skating rink is used as a storage facility for corpses.
Cover: The cover tempted me to pick the book up because it looked a lot like the first one, telling me that it was a sequel. Of COURSE I wanted to pick it up!
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Annotation: During the second week at the quarantined mall, residents are trying to build a shaky way of life. Unfortunately, this brittle peace cannot last.
tags: fiction / post-apocalyptic / No Safety in Numbers series / ya lit
Reader: Hannah W
Age: 16
Title: Baygirl
Author: Heather Smith
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Pub Date: 09/01/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Baygirl was not a strongly written book. The characters were fairly one dimensional, very few had depth. The character development was alright, however it was quite abrupt and the reader was not able to follow the pattern of development. The plot of the book was decent, but it needs to be supported by strong, unique and relatable characters.
Memorable or Forgettable: The author used many "traditional" high school characters which made the story very mainstream. Such as the mean blond girl who goes out of her way to be horrible to the new girl. The nice cute boy who is dating the mean girl even though he could do better. There was even a seen in which Kit slips on a banana peel. The story just was not different or exciting.
Cover: The cover is very good. The dim colors reflect the dark undertone of the book. The silhouette of the girl is interesting because at first glance she looks like a mountain. This demonstrates the theme that things aren't always what they seem.
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest
tags: coming of age / Newfoundland / ya lit
Reader: Grace KL
Age: 14
Title: Waiting for the Queen: A Novel of Early America
Author: Joanna Higgins
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Pub Date: 09/15/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: This book began as an intriguing idea. The setting is Azilum, a settlement in Pennsylvania that was a refuge for French nobles fleeing the revolution. However, the writing disappointed. The dialogue seemed forced, and at times did not seem historically accurate, though I'm no expert. Also, several of the minor characters seemed to only exist at the convenience of the main characters. One good thing about the book was Eugenie's character development. She changes drastically, yet believably, from the the beginning of the book to the end.
Memorable or Forgettable: One memorable thing about this book is the context. The fact that French nobles came to America was something I had never heard of, and learning how that came about was interesting. Other than that, the book did not have any memorable qualities.
Cover: The book's cover doesn't really have much to do with the book, other than it being a painting from the time or in the style of the time. It did clearly show that the book is historical fiction, which encouraged me to pick it up because I enjoy that genre.
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest
tags: coming of age / French Revolution / Quakers / slavery / historical fiction / ya lit
Reader: Grace O
Age: 17
Title: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Author: April Genevieve Tucholke
Publisher: Dial Books
Pub Date: 08/15/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea has very little character development. The main character is Violet and through the book her main inner conflict is how she feels about River. River is the new guy in town renting a room from Violet and her family. The plot is great - with a little less relationship drama this would be a great book.
Memorable or Forgettable: Throughout Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a series of twists and turns. Most of the twists and turns are really good. What makes this book forgettable is that it doesn't stand out unless you connect with the book.
Cover: The cover is what drew me to the book. The cover is related to the book.
Age Range: 14 through 18 and up
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest
tags: gothic thriller / paranormal romance / ya lit
