A Little Something Different - YA Review by Sophie L

Reader: Sophie L.
Age: 14
Title: A Little Something Different
Author: Sandy Hall
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Pub Date: 08/26/14
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Before reading the book, I thought that having 14 viewpoints would not work. Transitioning between viewpoints was actually good and it wasn't confusing. One thing I didn't like was that it was frustrating to not know what the 2 lovers were thinking because it was told from everyone's view but theirs. Also, not much happened for most of the book other than the beginning and end. It would have been better with more plot in the middle.
Memorable or Forgettable: It was memorable in the sense that I haven't ever read a book with this many viewpoints. The plot wasn't too original, but the way it was told was original. 
Cover: I didn't really like the cover. I don't think that shade of pink exactly fits the story, but the design was fine. It did reflect the contents. 
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 3Q - Readable
Popularity: 4P - Broad general teen appeal


tags:  romance / ya lit

Amulet #6: Escape from Lucien - YA Review by Jarod D

Reader: Jarod D.
Age: 16
Title: Amulet #6: Escape from Lucien
Author: Kazu Kibuishi
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pub Date: 08/26/14
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: This book is part six of an epic adventure of a girl gifted with a stone of great power. With the help of her friends and the few others left who share this power, she tries to stop the voice tThe mastermind behind the war) and the loss of many innocent civilians. The story itself is a graphic novel. If you like puzzles and action, this book is definitely for you. No one is overpowered and everyone's abilities and talents are not overused throughout the story.
Memorable or Forgettable: I always remember these books because I've been following the story since it started. It grows with the age group so it's never boring.
Cover: The cover of the book gives a small snippit of what happens in the story. It made me interested in what happens. The cover is a relevant summary of the story.
Age Range: 12 through 17
Quality: 5Q - Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 5P - Everyone wants to read it


tags:  graphic novel / fantasy / ya lit

Spelled - YA Review by Veronica R

Reader: Veronica R.
Age: 15
Title: Spelled
Author: Betsy Schow
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pub Date: 06/02/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: It is a good book to read if you really like fairy tales.  It has a twist on the original stories.
Memorable or Forgettable: It was a twist on fairy tales.
Cover: The cover tempted me to pick up the book. It kind of did reflect the contents because it showed the ruby slippers.
Age Range: 14 through 15
Quality: 3Q - Readable
Popularity: 2P - Only for special interest


tags: fairy tales / adventure / romance / coming of age / ya lit

Breaking Sky - YA Review by Pazao L

Reader: Pazao L.
Age: 14
Title: Breaking Sky
Author: Cori McCarthy
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pub Date: 03/10/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I really enjoyed reading this book. It was something completely different  from what I usually pick up, but it was pretty cool. The plot line was alright and a bit predictable towards the end, but the author threw in a couple major plot twists that really made the story come alive. The many twists and turns had me screaming and literally on the edge of my seat waiting, not very patiently for the next page. This made it a very fast and quick read. The main characters were very well developed, but I would not say the same about the supporting and side characters. They were just normal characters. While I was reading, one of the factors that really dragged me into the book was how different the story is. It was a dystopian/science fiction/war/air craft book that not only involved the future, but a made up world and flying, which makes the story even cooler and better.
Memorable or Forgettable: The one thing that made this book very memorable to me was the fact that  it is not your everyday, typical book. It has a lot of different features, such as the head-strong and daredevil main character, to the dystopia world added in. The fact that the book had a love line going on was also pretty cute.
Cover: The cover was one of the main things that made me pick up the book. I really enjoy how everything looked and how it all flowed. I feel like it really did reflect the contents in a way, but there are some questionable things.
Age Range: Under 12 through 17
Quality: 4Q - Better than most
Popularity: 4P - Broad general teen appeal


tags:  dystopian / science fiction / adventure / romance / teen fighter pilots / ya lit

Powerless - YA Review by Allen D

Reader: Allen D.
Age: 15
Title: Powerless
Author: Tera Lynn Childs & Tracy Deebs
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pub Date: 06/02/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Only two words, "Divergent Spinoff." Special powers, Messed up world, Good vs. evil, if you like books like this... well, you get it.
Memorable or Forgettable: It was so predictable.
Cover: No comment.
Age Range: 12 through 13
Quality: 1Q - How did it get published?
Popularity: 1P - Yech!  Forced to read it
Annotation: In a world were everyone has powers, Kenna Swift has none. But when Supervillians attack the place she works, she fights back to show that she's not powerless.


tags:  fantasy / suspense / ya lit

Becoming Jinn - YA Review by Dana F

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

We Should Hang Out Sometime - YA Review by Katie J

Reader: Katie J.
Age: 15
Title: We Should Hang Out Sometime
Author: Josh Sundquist
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: 12/23/14
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I heard a lot of good things about this book. So, of course, I had to check it out. It was a little disappointing, honestly. I heard it was funny and sweet and each story was different. I do agree that it was funny and pretty sweet. However, I thought the stories began to repeat themselves after the first few.He saw a cute girl and didn't have the courage to do anything about it. I understand exactly what he's talking about, but  they started to get a bit boring about halfway through the book. I did like the little graphs and pictures. They were funny.
     One thing I did like about the main character (also the author) was that he tried so hard to get these girls to like him. He just didn't really understand girls. In one of the first couple stories, he asked a girl out and she said yes. What did he do? He high-five'd her and walked away. For some reason, the girl didn't want to go out with him anymore. I still would have. Anyway, his love life kind of goes downhill from there. 
Memorable or Forgettable: It wasn't forgettable, but it wasn't exactly memorable. I know I've said it before, but it was a little boring. One part that was memorable for me is that he found most of the girls afterwards, when he had long since moved on, and asked them why they didn't like him. The responses were pretty funny. 
Cover: I've got a little love-hate relationship going on with this cover. I love the flow chart idea. It's awesome. However, it doesn't go with the book. At all. The title is awesome, but the cover... It just doesn't go with the stories. 
Age Range: 12 through 18 and up
Quality: 3Q - Readable
Popularity: 3P - Some teen appeal


tags:  memoir / humor / relationship analysis / coming of age / ya lit

The Secrets We Keep - YA Review by Sophie F

Reader: Sophie F.
Age: 13
Title: The Secrets We Keep
Author: Trisha Leaver
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pub Date: 04/28/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I liked this book. I thought it was an interesting plot line, but if you aren't a twin, it might not be as significant or as meaningful as it was to me (I have a twin sister). This book seemed especially real to me because I could imagine this happening to me. The character development was okay, but not crazy good. Same with dialogue.
Memorable or Forgettable: I will remember this book because it seemed so real. Except for the storybook ending, I could believe that this actually happened.
Cover: It wasn't so much the cover that tempted me, but the title. The cover photo itself didn't accurately describe the plot or what the book was about.
Age Range: Under 12 through 13
Quality: 4Q - Better than most
Popularity: 3P - Some teen appeal
Additional Comments: This book was good, but not especially flashy unless you are a twin.


tags: drama / coming of age / ya lit

The Kidney Hypothetical: Or How to Ruin Your Life in Seven Days - YA Review by Courtney D

Reader: Courtney D.
Age: 18
Title: The Kidney Hypothetical: Or How to Ruin Your Life in Seven Days
Author: Lisa Yee
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Pub Date: 03/31/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I almost stopped reading this book after the first chapter, but I am glad I chose to finish it. The book started out on the last week of their senior year, but some of the characters acted like they were in elementary school. The characters were so shallow that I almost stopped reading the book right then and there. However as the book continued, the characters, especially the main character, gained a lot of depth. It was great to see how the he grew and developed in only a week of his life, yet the author managed to make his transition believable. It was a cute book and a quick read that I enjoyed reading (almost) all the way through. The book even made me laugh a few times.
Memorable or Forgettable: The book was not particularly memorable. It was a good book but nothing made it stand out from all the other teen books I've read.
Cover: The cover tempted me to pick up the book. I really liked the stylistic choice of having the main characters drawn on the cover around the title of the book. The title was also very unique and made me immediately curious as to what the book was about.
Age Range: 14 through 17
Quality: 4Q - Better than most
Popularity: 4P - Broad general teen appeal


tags:  coming of age / ya lit

Hexed: The Sisters of Witchdown - YA Review by Ella O

Reader: Ella O.
Age: 14
Title: Hexed: The Sisters of Witchdown
Author: Michael Alan Nelson
Publisher: Pyr
Pub Date: 05/05/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: I liked how the plot was set out with its twists. I also liked the change shown in Lucifer throughout the story and how she gets a glimpse at a normal life even if she couldn't keep it.
Memorable or Forgettable: The general story was quite enveloping and that, along with the bit of a cliff hanger at the end of the book that hints at a sequel (which I will be watching for), is what makes this book memorable for me.
Cover: I think the cover does reflect the contents of magic with the fire bunny thing. However, if you play up the magic part some more I think it'll be more eye-catching.
Age Range: 14 through 15
Quality: 5Q - Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P - Broad general teen appeal
Additional Comments: Please please please make another book. This story was so exciting to read for me.
Annotation: Lucifer is a thief of unusual things. She steals bad things from bad people and almost everything is involved with magic.


tags: fantasy / magic / suspense / romance / ya lit