Title: Keeping the Moon (audiobook) Author: Sarah Dessen, Stina Nielsen (narrator) Genre: Young Adult Publisher: Speak Source: Library Format: Audiobook Release Date: June 11, 2009 (first published September 1, 1999) Rating: ★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Colie expects the worst when she’s sent to spend the summer with her eccentric aunt Mira while her mother, queen of the television infomercial, tours Europe. Always an outcast — first for being fat and then for being “easy” — Colie has no friends at home and doesn’t expect to find any in Colby, North Carolina.
But then she lands a job at the Last Chance Cafe and meets fellow waitresses Morgan and Isabel, best friends with a loving yet volatile relationship. Wacky yet wise, Morgan and Isabel help Colie see herself in a new way and realize the potential that has been there all along.
Review:
I was disappointed in this book.
It was more character driven than plot driven. There wasn’t much that happened to the main character, Colie. The other characters around her were so much more interesting than her. Her mother used to be overweight her whole life, but is now a fitness celebrity. Her neighbour, Morgan, was engaged to a not-so-good guy. Even Colie’s eccentric aunt seemed more developed than her. I think one of the other characters would have been a better main character than Colie.
I listened to the audiobook, which was good. The narrator’s voice was relaxing and easy to listen to. She did some great impressions for the more developed characters, such as Morgan who was a drama queen sometimes. These different voices were entertaining.
I’m glad this wasn’t the first Sarah Dessen book I’ve read. Her storytelling ability has improved a lot over the past 20 years since this book was written.
What to read next:
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
Once and For All by Sarah Dessen
Have you read Keeping the Moon? What did you think of it?
Title: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Movie Scrapbook Author: Rick Barba Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy Publisher: Candlewick Press Source: Loot Crate Format: Hardcover Release Date: November 18, 2016 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Learn all about Newt Scamander and the incredible film from J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Peer inside Newt Scamander’s enchanted suitcase, encounter marvelous creatures, roam the streets of 1920s New York City, and meet Newt’s fascinating friends! This magical scrapbook takes readers on an interactive adventure through Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Filled with removable artifacts, such as wizarding newspapers, posters, and other fascinating finds, this book has something for everyone!
Review:
This book is about the first Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them movie. It has details about the movie, characters, and the beasts.
I loved these kinds of scrapbooks when I was a kid. This book has pieces that can be removed, including different kinds of cards and maps. It is a lot of fun to pull out these pieces and play with the different parts of the book.
I think fans of the book will love this fun book!
What to read next:
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
Harry Potter: The Creature Vault by Jody Revenson
Have you read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Movie Scrapbook? What did you think of it?
Title: Get Out of Town (Riverdale #2) Author: Micol Ostow Genre: Young Adult Publisher: Scholastic Inc. Source: Purchased Format: Paperback Release Date: May 28, 2019 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
When Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead take a road trip, they discover that their small-town problems seem to follow them wherever they go.
Archie’s on trial for murder, and the evidence is stacked against him. Betty, Veronica, and Jughead all know that Archie is being framed by Hiram Lodge, but how can they prove it?
The gang comes up with a last-ditch plan to prove Archie’s innocence: They have to go back to the scene of the crime. They have to go back to Shadow Lake.
Threats are around every corner deep in the woods at the Lodge family cabin. Will the teens find the evidence they need to clear Archie’s name? And more importantly, will they make it back to Riverdale alive?
Review:
I loved the first book in this series, which was set before the events of the show Riverdale began. I was so excited to read this new book in the series!
This story switches perspectives between all of the main characters in Riverdale. All of their voices are authentic. I could hear the characters’ voices while I was reading. This made the book so good!
The story started out very well. It switched between characters frequently and was exciting. However, it got a little boring when Archie, Veronica, Betty, and Jughead went to the Lodge. They had some flashbacks to random events at Riverdale High, which didn’t move the story forward.
The author had the challenge of writing this book to take place in the middle of the TV series. The book had to give some new details to keep fans of the show entertained, but not spoil anything or change what ultimately happens on the show. She did a great job of writing this book.
This book is great for fans of Riverdale.
What to read next:
The Day Before (Riverdale #1) by Micol Ostow
Archie, Vol. 1 by Mark Wait, Fiona Staples
Have you read Get Out of Town? What did you think of it?
Title: The Becoming of Noah Shaw (The Shaw Confessions #1) Author: Michelle Hodkin Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy Publisher: Simon and Schuster Source: Library Format: Ebook Release Date: November 7, 2017 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
In the first book of the Shaw Confessions, the companion series to the New York Times bestselling Mara Dyer novels, old skeletons are laid bare and new promises prove deadly. This is what happens after happily ever after.
Everyone thinks seventeen-year-old Noah Shaw has the world on a string.
They’re wrong.
Mara Dyer is the only one he trusts with his secrets and his future.
He shouldn’t.
And both are scared that uncovering the truth about themselves will force them apart.
They’re right.
Review:
I’m so glad this series is continuing with Noah Shaw’s story. The Mara Dyer trilogy was only the beginning. Their story progresses a lot in this book.
Though Noah was one of the main characters in the Mara Dyer trilogy, he still remained a mystery. That series was narrated by Mara, so we only got to see her perspective. This book was narrated by Noah, so we got an inside look at what it’s like to be Noah. He is very distinct and different from Mara. Mara becomes the mysterious figure in this book.
I’ve flown through each of these books. I can read them in just a couple of hours. I can’t say too much without giving away the ending, but it was a fast-paced story! Also, there is a page with trigger warnings at the beginning. However, if you’re familiar with this series, you know that just about anything bad that can happen to a person happens in these books, including torture and suicide. The page turns into a bit of a joke, because if you can’t read about these subjects, this series is definitely not for you.
I loved the cliffhanger ending! I can’t wait to see what happens next!
What to read next:
The Reckoning of Noah Shaw (The Shaw Confessions #2) by Michelle Hodkin
Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi
Have you read The Becoming of Noah Shaw? What did you think of it?
Title: Call It What You Want Author: Brigid Kemmerer Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Publisher: Bloomsbury YA Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: June 25, 2019 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
When his dad is caught embezzling funds from half the town, Rob goes from popular lacrosse player to social pariah. Even worse, his father’s failed suicide attempt leaves Rob and his mother responsible for his care.
Everyone thinks of Maegan as a typical overachiever, but she has a secret of her own after the pressure got to her last year. And when her sister comes home from college pregnant, keeping it from her parents might be more than she can handle.
When Rob and Maegan are paired together for a calculus project, they’re both reluctant to let anyone through the walls they’ve built. But when Maegan learns of Rob’s plan to fix the damage caused by his father, it could ruin more than their fragile new friendship…
This captivating, heartfelt novel asks the question: Is it okay to do something wrong for the right reasons?
Review:
In this story, Maegan and Rob are suddenly outcasts at school. Maegan was caught cheating on the SATs, even though she was a straight-A student. Then, her “perfect” sister came back from college, pregnant with her professor’s baby. Rob’s father was caught embezzling money from his financial company, and everyone thinks that Rob knew what was happening. They are brought together in their calculus class, where they form an unlikely friendship.
Morality was a big theme in this book. The main characters and their peers have to ask if Maegan and Rob deserve to be punished for what they did, or what their family members did. Maegan cheated on her test, but it affected everyone else in the testing room whose papers had to be scrapped. Rob’s father stole money from many of his classmate’s families, so they take it out on Rob by ignoring him. They both end up suffering for these actions, until they can open people’s eyes up to the truth.
This book was very touching. Both Maegan and Rob had to look after their family members. Maegan helps her sister deal with her unplanned pregnancy. She ends up stepping up to look after her. Rob’s father attempted suicide, but now he can’t do anything on his own. Rob and his mother have to look after him, including feeding and bathing him. It was heartbreaking to read about his father, and the way that the people he hurt the most had to look after him. This made me sympathetic to Maegan and Rob, even though they had both made mistakes.
This is a great story!
Thank you Bloomsbury YA for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer
We Are the Perfect Girl by Ariel Kaplan
Have you read Call It What You Want? What did you think of it?
Title: A Midsummer Night #nofilter Author: Brett Wright, William Shakespeare Genre: Young Adult Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers Source: Purchased Format: Hardcover Release Date: January 5, 2016 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of the greatest stories ever told . . . in texts?!
Imagine: What if the fairies and star-crossed lovers of the forest had smartphones? A classic is reborn in this fun and funny adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays!
Four lovers who can’t decide who they have a crush on.
One mischievous fairy with a love potion.
Total chaos in the fairy world, the human world, and everywhere in between!
and h8. The classics just got a whole lot more interesting. 😉
tl;dr A Shakespeare play told through its characters texting with emojis, posting photos, checking in at locations, and updating their relationship statuses. The perfect gift for hip theater lovers and teens.
A glossary and cast of characters are included for those who need it. For example: tl;dr means too long; didn’t read.
Review:
I love this series of Shakespeare plays told through texts.
It can be difficult to read Shakespeare. I was introduced to his plays in elementary school, so I’ve always loved them. However, I find that modern adaptations can be a great tool to help kids decipher classics. A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream is a complicated story, with lovers getting mixed up by magic. This book is a fun way of telling the story through texts and social media.
I even learned new things while reading this story. There is a glossary of emojis and abbreviations at the back of the book. I had to look up a couple of the abbreviations while reading, because I had no idea what they meant. Still, this was a fun and hilarious book!
I highly recommend this book to fans of Shakespeare, and to people who struggle to understand his plays.
What to read next:
YOLO Juliet by Brett Wright, William Shakespeare
srsly Hamlet by Brett Wright, William Shakespeare
Have you read A Midsummer Night #nofilter? What did you think of it?
Title: Saint Anything Author: Sarah Dessen Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Publisher: Viking Source: Purchased Format: Paperback Release Date: May 5, 2015 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Peyton, Sydney’s charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion’s share of their parents’ attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton’s increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?
Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.
The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.
Review:
I’m in love with this book. It was an amazing rollercoaster of emotions.
I was fascinated with the premise of this book. It begins with Sydney’s brother being convicted for hitting a boy while driving drunk. This affected her, even more than just losing a brother, because she was suddenly restricted in what she was allowed to do. Her parents wanted to protect her from taking the same path as her brother, but it led to her being restricted so much, it was like she was being punished. Once, after Sydney made a small mistake, all of her privileges were taken away. I was so empathetic for Sydney, because she didn’t deserve her extreme punishments.
There was a character that was creepy right from page one. However, Sydney’s parents, in particular her mother, trusted him. It was sad to see her parents trust him, while he was being inappropriate in many ways. It was upsetting to read, but he ultimately got the justice he deserved.
I was craving so many different foods while reading this book! The food they ate was described in detail. Sydney’s friend, Layla, was a connoisseur of french fries. She had a routine of eating them with different ketchup mixtures. Layla’s family owned a pizza store which sold pizza and garlic knots, which sounded delicious! This is definitely not a book to read if you’re hungry!
I loved this story!
What to read next:
The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen
Once and For All by Sarah Dessen
Have you read Saint Anything? What did you think of it?
Title: Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #1) Author: Louise Rennison Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Publisher: HaperTeen Source: Purchased Format: Paperback Release Date: June 24, 1999 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
There are six things very wrong with my life:
1. I have one of those under-the-skin spots that will never come to a head but lurk in a red way for the next two years.
2. It is on my nose
3. I have a three-year-old sister who may have peed somewhere in my room.
4. In fourteen days the summer hols will be over and then it will be back to Stalag 14 and Oberfuhrer Frau Simpson and her bunch of sadistic teachers.
5. I am very ugly and need to go into an ugly home.
6. I went to a party dressed as a stuffed olive.
In this wildly funny journal of a year in the life of Georgia Nicolson, British author Louise Rennison has perfectly captured the soaring joys and bottomless angst of being a teenager. In the spirit of Bridget Jones’s Diary, this fresh, irreverent, and simply hilarious book will leave you laughing out loud. As Georgia would say, it’s “Fabbity fab fab!”
Review:
This book quickly became one of my favourites as soon as I started reading it. It is hilarious!
Georgia is an ordinary girl, suffering through her teenage existence. She is so relatable because of her flaws. She documents her life in this journal, including all of her embarrassing moments, such as her first kiss.
One thing that I’ve always loved about this series is that the characters around Georgia are very important to the story. Georgia, like most teenagers, feels like she should be the centre of attention. However, her family and friends are prominent in the story. Her parents deal with problems including her father losing his job. Georgia acts as her friend’s wing woman so she can start dating a boy who works at a grocery store. In my opinion, the funniest character is Libby, Georgia’s toddler sister, because she has no filter when talking!
I love this series! If you haven’t read it yet, you have to pick it up!
What to read next:
On the Bright Side, I’m Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #2) by Louise Rennison
Have you read Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging? What did you think of it?
Title: Hurricane Season Author: Nicole Melleby Genre: Middle Grade, LGBT Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: May 7, 2019 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
This debut novel—about taking risks and facing danger, about love and art, and about growing up and coming out—will make its way straight into your heart.
Fig, a sixth grader, wants more than anything to see the world as her father does. The once-renowned pianist, who hasn’t composed a song in years and has unpredictable good and bad days, is something of a mystery to Fig. Though she’s a science and math nerd, she tries taking an art class just to be closer to him, to experience life the way an artist does. But then Fig’s dad shows up at school, disoriented and desperately searching for Fig. Not only has the class not brought Fig closer to understanding him, it has brought social services to their door.
Diving into books about Van Gogh to understand the madness of artists, calling on her best friend for advice, and turning to a new neighbor for support, Fig continues to try everything she can think of to understand her father, to save him from himself, and to find space in her life to discover who she is even as the walls are falling down around her.
Nicole Melleby’s Hurricane Season is a stunning novel about a girl struggling to be a kid as pressing adult concerns weigh on her. It’s also about taking risks and facing danger, about love and art, and about coming of age and coming out. And more than anything else, it is a story of the healing power of love—and the limits of that power.
Review:
This is a great middle grade novel.
This story features important life events which are not usually discussed in middle grade books. Fig is discovering her own sexuality, while her father is as well. Her father is an adult, but he is still figuring out his identity. It was challenging for Fig to learn that her dad was changing in this way.
I loved the comparison of art and life in this story. Fig studies Van Gogh for her art class, and she notices a lot of similarities between him and her father. This is a great way to introduce kids to artists like Van Gogh. She was able to learn a lot from his art, which could be applied to her life as well.
I really enjoyed this story!
Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
A Possibility of Whales by Karen Rivers
The Mozart Girl by Barbara Nickel
Have you read Hurricane Season? What did you think of it?
Title: The Exact Opposite of Okay Author: Laura Steven Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Publisher: HarperTeen Source: Publisher via Edelweiss Format: Ebook Release Date: June 11, 2019 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Bitingly funny and shockingly relevant, The Exact Opposite of Okay is a bold, brave, and necessary read for fans of Louise O’Neill and Jennifer Mathieu.
Eighteen-year-old Izzy O’Neill knows exactly who she is—a loyal friend, an aspiring comedian, and a person who believes that milk shakes and Reese’s peanut butter cups are major food groups. But after she’s caught in a compromising position with the son of a politician, it seems like everyone around her is eager to give her a new label: slut.
Izzy is certain that the whole thing will blow over and she can get back to worrying about how she doesn’t reciprocate her best friend Danny’s feelings for her and wondering how she is ever going to find a way out of their small town. Only it doesn’t.
And while she’s used to laughing her way out of any situation, as she finds herself first the center of high school gossip and then in the middle of a national scandal, it’s hard even for her to find humor in the situation.
Izzy may be determined not to let anyone else define who she is, but that proves easier said than done when it seems like everyone has something to say about her.
Review:
I really enjoyed this story.
It was sometimes upsetting. Izzy was severely bullied after compromising photos were posted online. It escalated all the way to national news. While Izzy was bullied, the boy featured in the images was not, which demonstrated a gender bias when it comes to sex. Girls are punished for being sexual, while boys are rewarded.
This story had a strong feminist theme. Izzy did put herself at risk by taking the photos, but the media and her peers escalated it by “slut-shaming” her. Even her teachers held it against her. She had been through a lot, but she definitely didn’t deserve that. It made me angry while I was reading the story, because it is so realistic and I could imagine this happening in real life.
On a lighter note, Izzy was a hilarious narrator. I laughed out loud many times. I particularly loved a pick-up line she used: “What’s your patronus?” She said that the question would tell her if a guy is worth her time, because he would know what she was referring to (Harry Potter) and he would already have an answer. I think that’s a great line!
This is a powerful story with a strong feminist message.
Thank you HarperTeen for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
A Girl Called Shameless (Izzy O’Neill #2) by Laura Steven
Backlash by Sarah Darer Littman
About the Author:
Laura Steven is an author, journalist and screenwriter from the northernmost town in England. The Exact Opposite of Okay, her YA debut, was published by Egmont in March 2018. The sequel, A Girl Called Shameless, will follow in 2019.
As well as mentoring aspiring authors through schemes like Pitch Wars, Laura works for Mslexia, a non-profit organisation supporting women writers. She graduated with Distinction from her MA in Creative Writing in 2017, and her TV pilot Clickbait – a mockumentary about journalists at a viral news agency – was a finalist in British Comedy’s 2016 Sitcom Mission.
Laura is represented by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary and Media Inc.
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