Reader: Alyissa S.
Age: 15
Title: Dreamstrider
Author: Lindsay Smith
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Pub Date: 10/06/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Dreamstrider is amazing. This book is really well written, but the transitions could been a lot better - like how they end the chapters was poorly done. The characters were great but the character development was slow for the main character and fast for everyone else. I wish they had explained the empires better but that's okay, they made it up by describing the characters down to the core. Finally they shouldn't have friend-zoned that hard - like we get it!
Memorable or Forgettable: The qualities that make this book memorable were the cover and the characters.
Cover: The cover did make me want to pick it up because it was different from the other covers. The cover did reflect the contents.
Age Range: 14 through 15
Quality: 4Q - Better than most
Popularity: 4P - Broad general teen appeal
Annotation: Being a spy is cool but being a body stealer, now that's a different story.
tags: fantasy / action / political intrigue / ya lit
Reader: Veronica K.
Age: 14
Title: The Serpent King
Author: Jeff Zentner
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Pub Date: 03/08/16
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: In the beginning, this book felt slow. The plot didn't make much sense to me, and it didn't feel like it was going anywhere. But it picked up fairly quickly, and that helped it along.
The characters were amazing. I felt like I knew them, why they were doing certain things, why they thought the way they did. I liked how different chapters were in different perspectives. Other people have tried this, like Rick Roirdan in his Egypt and Roman series, but I think this book is the only one I've read that truly pulled this technique off. It really helped me understand the characters. Honestly, I think the characters are the best part of this book.
There are a few details that I would have liked added, that I think would have added to the plot, and the book in general. Some of the songs Dill wrote would have been nice. We got to see Lydia's blog, so why not the songs? Also, more from the dad. Dill Sr. seems to be the reason Dill Jr.'s life is so miserable, but we don't learn much about him. I get that the book is about the kid, but I think the dad would have been able to further expand on the kid's character.
Memorable or Forgettable: Why is this book memorable? The emotion. There are bad books where the characters don't feel. There are okay books where just the characters feel. And there are good books where the reader feels. This is a book where you get weird looks in public because you are crying over it. Spoilers: Seriously! The author took the character I related to most and murdered him! And the characters are reacting, and the writing is reacting, and this is basically an emotional bomb! So yeah. This book is memorable because of the emotion.
Cover: I guess the cover is okay. It doesn't really sway my might-read-the-book-ness. It does reflect the contents.
Age Range: 12 through 18 and up
Quality: 4Q - Better than most
Popularity: 4P - Broad general teen appeal
tags: coming of age / Southern fiction / ya lit
Reader: Perrin S.
Age: 17
Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pub Date: 05/05/15
Galley: No
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: I'll start off by saying that I am a big Sarah J. Maas fan. And this book had alot of the things I like about her other books. Such as tone, the way she writes in her genre and the way her characters are developed and represented. There was one aspect that I was not a huge fan of. The story is set up with a certain pacing and arc. And within the last third of the book, that completely changes along with the plot. This sorta threw me out of the story, it felt like a whole other book had been pushed into the last part of this one. For the most part I don't know how to feel about this. Once I got back into the story, I liked the plot at the end and I still like the book as a whole. But I am frustrated with that part.
Memorable or Forgettable: Again, I'm a Sarah J. Maas fan, so this book is sitting in the V.I.P section of my bookcase, but if it wasn't written by her I don't know if it would have been memorable to me. It was a mostly well done book, but the plot and characters seemed to be similar to alot of other stuff that's out in YA right now and I didn't find anything in the book that really made it stand out. But like I said, I think its really well written and very enjoyable. I wish more books with similar plots were written this well.
Cover: Yes. Beautiful cover. It was dramatic without looking cliched or fake. Loved the colors, and I loved that there were parts of the cover that I didn't understand until I finished the book. Good Job on this one!
Age Range: 16 through 18 and up
Quality: 4Q - Better than most
Popularity: 4P - Broad general teen appeal
Annotation: Very interesting and intriguing story. Good, entertaining book to read.
tags: fantasy / action / romance / mythology / ya lit
Reader: Caroline H.
Age: 12
Title: Becoming Jinn
Author: Lori Goldstein
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pub Date: 04/21/15
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: The story and plot were great, and there was a lot of character development throughout the book. However, it felt like the characters seemed a bit fake at times because of their dialogue/actions. It also felt like the story just stopped at the end, like it was rolling down a cliff and suddenly fell off. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book because you can relate with the characters and get to know their stories.
Memorable or Forgettable: The emotional experience made this book a worthwhile experience, just because you can relate with the characters in some ways and feel their emotions. But it was also kind of cheesy and the plot was pretty predictable in some places. So I have mixed feelings about this book.
Cover: The cover made me pick up the book in the first place. It does reflect the book, and it made me want to read it.
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 4Q - Better than most
Popularity: 4P - Broad general teen appeal
tags: fantasy / romance / teenage genie / ya lit
Reader: Sam T.
Age: 16
Title: No True Echo
Author: Gareth P. Jones
Publisher: Amulet Books
Pub Date: 10/13/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I really liked the twists and the interesting idea of having alternate timelines created by going back in time and changing one decision. I also liked the characterization and the suspenseful plot. Although it was very confusing and hard to understand in parts, the book is still a good, entertaining read.
Memorable or Forgettable: It was mostly memorable because it took the genre of a time-travel story and the trope of repeating the same day over and over (like in Groundhog Day) and did something interesting and slightly unexpected with it.
Cover: It sort of turned me off at first because I didn't quite know what it was supposed to show. I understand the echo-like design and the repetition, but I don't know why the main character is floating. I don't understand the design choices completely.
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 4Q - Better than most
Popularity: 3P - Some teen appeal
tags: psychological thriller / time travel / ya lit
Reader: Nick B.
Age: 16
Title: Losers Take All
Author: David Klass
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Pub Date: 10/20/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: This book had realistic characters that helped a slightly realistic plot create an interesting story. In the book the Senior students are forced to play at least one sport at their sports enthusiastic high school. The characters are not thrilled about this as most of them are more interested in academics. As one who attends a school in which it is almost the opposite of the one described in the book, I think the academic characters are portrayed very well. The thoughts and knowledge of sports fits those of a majority of students at the school I attend. Where as a sports enthusiast, I can also relate to the hopes and dreams of the characters making them realistic and believable.
Memorable or Forgettable: This book was memorable because of the interesting story. A group of non-athletic kids and kids uninterested in sports are forced to play a sport their senior year. These kids are the minority at their high school so they decide to form their own c-level soccer team. Without any athletic talent among most of the team, they turn into an internet sensation for losing. They even claim to be the worst soccer team in the world. This deeply upsets the school since most of their sports teams dominate every other team. This interesting story made the book memorable.
Cover: I liked the cover of this book. I thought it was an interesting cover and was designed fairly well. The red foam finger with the title LOSERS across it was extremely humorous to me. This is one of the covers that was fairly original. I would read this book just from seeing the cover.
Age Range: 12 through 17
Quality: 3Q - Readable
Popularity: 4P - Broad general teen appeal
tags: humor / sports / ya lit
Reader: Evan B.
Age: 11
Title: Timmy Failure: Sanitized for Your Protection
Author: Stephan Pastis
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pub Date: 10/06/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: The narration is very funny and melodramatic, and the art is done by it's author, Stephen Pastis, who happens to write the comic 'Pearls Before Swine'. It's an extremely sarcastic read that makes you cringe at the main character's arrogance. Authentic, brutally funny, and well written, this book is a winner.
Memorable or Forgettable: As I said, I love the dialogue, but I adore the illustrations. The drawings were unforgettably minimalistic and Timmy's way of describing his enemies is precious.
Cover: I have already read the first Timmy Failure, and of course I loved it, so this was a must for me.
Age Range: 14 through 15
Quality: 5Q - Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 2P - Only for special interest
Annotation: Timmy Failure is an incompetent detective with a huge ego and an unlikely enemy - the sweet Molly Moskins. After an odd birthday party the duo and their polar bear, Total, end up in Chicago. This hilarious book pokes fun at the cliched 'kid detective' genre and really says what a real kid would do when faced with a case.
tags: humor / kid detectives / Timmy Failure / ya lit
Reader: Veronica K.
Age: 14
Title: The Dogs
Author: Allan Stratton
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pub Date: 09/01/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I didn't like this book. It read less like a novel and more like an informational text. The situation the characters are placed in makes no sense. Cameron, who everyone calls smart, is actually extremely stupid. And the "extremely paranoid" mother would have been locked up a looooong time ago. Assuming that didn't happen, she would have locked her kid up fairly quickly in the book. All in all, it makes no sense.
Memorable or Forgettable: It's forgettable. It was written in a way that takes your time, but not your mind.
Cover: The cover is boring and forgettable. I'd say it reflects the contents.
Age Range: 12 through 13
Quality: 2Q - Needs more work
Popularity: 3P - Some teen appeal
tags: horror / psychological thriller / supernatural / ya lit
Reader: Sophie L.
Age: 14
Title: Awake
Author: Natasha Preston
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pub Date: 08/04/15
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: First off, I love the genre Natasha Preston writes in. I've read The Cellar so there was an expectation to be met by this book, and it was. The plot was really creative. The only big problem I had with the plot was that a lot of the book revolved around the main character not remembering what happened in her life before the age of 4. I have maybe 2 or 3 memories from before the age of 4. I really would have prefered an age like 6 or 7. Otherwise, I loved the unexpected turns the story took. However, I didn't so much like the writing itself. A lot of the dialogue seemed like what people don't actually say. I know some of the characters were in a cult and that would have influenced their speech, but the dialogue also wasn't great among the normal characters. I think I spent about 2/3 of this book internally screaming, "HOW CAN YOU WANT TO KILL YOUR CHILD OR ANYONE AT ALL FOR THAT MATTER!!" Good books give me emotions, so this book is good.
Memorable or Forgettable: This book has so many things that most other books don't have, really memorable characters and the way they feel about each other (such as wanting to kill your child).
Cover: Great cover! It was just enough like The Cellar so I could recognize the author. Very aesthetically pleasing and reflective of the contents.
Age Range: 14 through 18 and up
Quality: 4Q - Better than most
Popularity: 4P - Broad general teen appeal
tags: thriller / cult / ya lit
Reader: Sam T.
Age: 15
Title: Reawakened
Author: Colleen Houck
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Pub Date: 08/11/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I just wasn't a fan of this book at all. I picked it up thinking it might be an action-packed thriller about Egyptian mythology. Instead, the book begins with Lily, a girl who accidentally bumps into a magical Egyptian prince wandering unseen around a museum, who then casts a spell on her to make her his forced travelling companion. For some reason, he needs to leech off of her life force, which doesn't make sense because he already has solar power. All Lily does is follow him around, fall in love with him, and explain useless cultural references for him which he would have figured out anyway. All Lily seems to talk about is how awesome her "gorgeous sun-god boyfriend" the ever-oblivious Amon is (who isn't even her boyfriend, considering they never really kiss), and indeed he seems to have no faults. He can teleport, can use solar power, can levitate things, can manipulate time, shoot fire from his hands, make his skin glow, and make glowing swords from nothing using magic. Want to look inconspicuous? Amon can use Jedi mind tricks to keep hidden. It seems quite unclear why Lily is actually necessary. Amon's powers seem to be able to do whatever the plot wants them to. Lily, meanwhile, is just along for the ride. And, if not for the fact that Amon's canopic jars have been lost (what sort of Egyptologist forgets to keep that sort of stuff together with the mummy they were found with?) then Lily wouldn't be there at all. Lily seems only to talk about Amon's perfectness and how strict and terrible her parents are. I had to skip multiple paragraphs while trying to read this book because I got tired of Lily focusing more on Amon or on her dull life than on saving the world, which they never really got that far with. There were multiple times where, when reading, I thought, "Okay, Lily, I know you love Amon and he's perfect and your parents are restrictive and whatever. We've already established this almost five times in this chapter now." The "saving the world" part never seems very urgent because they waste time eating, almost-kissing, talking, staring at each other, and dancing at a nightclub in Cairo. By the time they actually began trying to save the world, I had already lost interest. It's also kind of weird how she falls in love with her kidnapper. She just stops being angry at him after a while and suddenly starts falling in love. Also, why does an Egyptian prince have light-ish skin and hazel/green eyes? Is that truly necessary? The characters are paper-thin. I couldn't care less if one (or both) of them were buried by falling rubble in an underground tomb.
Memorable or Forgettable: It seems forgettable because it seems unoriginal. It seems to have taken pieces from Night At The Museum, Twilight (with mummies instead of vampires and without the love triangle), The Mummy, and many other works of fiction. Where originality is needed, it instead relies on well-known tropes of the genre to get by.
Cover: It wasn't that interesting to me, as I was only slightly interested enough when I read the back.
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 2Q - Needs more work
Popularity: 4P - Broad general teen appeal
tags: romance / adventure / Egyptian mythology / ya lit
