I read Katie McGarry’s Dare You To right on the heels of the book that preceded it, Pushing the Limits, because I couldn’t figure out how in the world McGarry could turn such a bitchy character as Beth Fisk into someone that I could root for. While I did eventually warm to the girl, I…
Katie McGarry’s Young Adult title Pushing the Limits has gotten so much positive buzz in the YA reviewer community; I held little hope that it would live up to my expectations. Thankfully, I was wrong, and it did. Very much so. High school senior Echo Emerson hates her life. Her father, a controlling perfectionist, bullies…
Arranged is a 2007 movie which focuses on the friendship between two first year teachers, one an Orthodox Jewish woman, the other Muslim. What I loved about this film is that it focused not on the politics of their situation or the religion of it, but on the fact that friendship can transcend cultures. I…
Writing a fictional account of an actual historical figure is a tricky business, especially when your heroine is the most famous queen ever to be beheaded – Anne Boleyn. While Katherine Longshore’s Tarnish does a decent job supposing the events of a gap in the real Anne Boleyn’s history, her inability to deviate too far…
Girl detectives have always been a big thing in the reading world. From Nancy Drew to the more recent Flavia de Luce, we can’t seem to get enough of youthful sleuths. This novel channels Veronica Mars a bit, combining that character very gently with Austen’s Pride and Prejudice to deliver a fun, entertaining mystery. Strawberry…
When my teenage student walked into my classroom, slammed a copy of this book on the desk, and announced, in audible capital letters, “THIS IS THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN,” I knew Anna and the French Kiss was something special. A contemporary story of discovering the world and yourself at the same time, Anna works…
The second book in the Grisha Triology will not disappoint fans of the first book, Shadow and Bone. We find Alina Starkov, Mal Oretsev, and The Darkling where they left off at the end of the first book, and the stakes for Ravka are even higher than before. Siege and Storm introduces readers to a…
I chose to review the young adult paranormal Ink because of its unusual setting – Japan. Indeed, author Amanda Sun does a fabulous job evoking the feeling of being in an environment and culture wholly unlike my own. And while the paranormal aspect sometimes confused me, overall I really enjoyed this story, going so far…
Liz Fichera’s young adult novel Hooked is the first sports romance that I have read that centers around golf. And while I am not going out straight away to buy a golf club, I enjoyed the sports parts hugely. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about all other aspects of the novel. <!– var browName…
If any book proves the adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” it’s the amazing YA novel, Eleanor and Park. Going by the cutesy, cartoon drawing on the dust jacket, one would expect a light, quirky, first-love story geared toward the teen set. Instead, this book will crush you, showing how life can be…
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