![]() In her YA novel, Richards takes readers through a scavenger hunt which reveals clues Cleo must use to solve the mystery of who is sending her the clues and why. The clues all center around landmarks and experiences Cleo had with her ex-boyfriend Declan who she believes died in a rafting accident the year before. As the clues unravel Cleo, her friend Hope, and her brother Connor begin to question whether Declan is actually dead. Texts and videos begin to surface that shed light on the clue sender's motives and what actually happened during the rafting "accident". If you enjoy mystery and suspense, you might want to add this read to your list. Approximate Grade Level - 9th grade+ - Although this is considered a YA novel, there were some pretty "heavy" issues included within the pages such as physical abuse, drugs, blackmail, and violence. Because of aforementioned issues, I would not personally recommend the novel for middle schoolers despite it potentially being on the reading level of some 7th and 8th graders.
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![]() I was looking for a book for my son to read and chose this one because he read the Scythe series by Neal Shusterman and enjoyed it. I'll just begin by stating that the premise of this book is disturbing (as is the Scythe series), so it isn't going to be for everyone. It is a dystopian novel set in a world where humans can no longer be terminated at conception, but can be "unwound" once they turn 13, until they turn 18. Unwinding means that their organs and body parts are harvested for others in need. The idea is that the human is not being put to death but lives in others. Like I said, disturbing. My son, however, tends to dig dystopian books. That being said, this one was not super intriguing for either of us. I just could not get invested in the storyline. It just seems really campy in places, and my son just felt the book was a little boring overall. This is the first book in a series, so perhaps it gets better as the series unwinds (see what I did there), but I think I will be skipping the rest of the series. Approximate Grade Level - 7th and up -My recommendation is to read the back of the book and the summary above to see if you feel like this is a suitable topic for you. ![]() This book was weird and really dramatic, but I think a lot of high school students would likely enjoy it. I, however, found it kind of meh. The storyline centers around The Sinclair family who are affluent and spend their summers in Martha's Vinyard's. The younger Sinclairs plus a friend make up the "Liars" who are cousins and teenagers who spend their summers together lounging, talking about life, and spending time with their family. As the reader we find out that Cadence Sinclair, one of the "liars", was in an accident and has lost her memory. The whole of the story is her trying to piece together what happened to her until the book climaxes in a "shocking twist" ending that was not all that shocking, in my opinion. But, I won't ruin the ending for you here. Approximate Grade Level - Although the reading level could dip into the middle school grades, I would not recommend it for students below high school level. There are some graphically worded sentences, some mental health issues, and references to prescription drugs, sexual intercourse, and alcohol abuse. ![]() I was not immediately drawn into Daughter of Sparta by Claire Andrews. The story started slowly for me, and I was not immediately drawn to the protagonist, Daphne, but I stuck with it, and am glad I did because I ended up enjoying the book. The novel tells the story of Daphne who has spent her seventeen years of life working and training towards becoming a Spartan warrior, although she is not accepted by the Spartans. She is tasked by Artemis to find the nine items which have been stolen from Olympus and to return them before the gods of Olympus lose their powers and the world falls into ruin. Fans of Greek Mythology will recognize many of the cast of characters and may learn of some new ones while following Daphne's journey. You may also recognize the novel as a new interpretation and representation of the Greek Myth Daphne and Apollo. If you enjoy this read, there is also a sequel, Blood of Troy. Approximate Grade Level - (9th+) As with many Greek Mythological stories, this one contains some bloody fight scenes, betrayal by the gods, and some romantic longing (plus a spicy kiss scene). If you are not familiar with Greek Mythology, you may struggle with this one. ![]() Sometimes when I read a young adult book, I wonder why it is classified as young adult. This is one of those books. The characters in the book are teens to young adults, so I guess that is why it is classified as a YA novel, but I think it would be equally liked by adults. This book was recommended in one of the graduate classes I am taking, and I knew nothing about it other than that, but I must say, it was not what I expected. Within this book lies a pair of brothers - Finn and Sean who were abandoned by their family and only have each other to cling to until Roza comes along. Roza is a beautiful young woman from Poland who brings mysteries of her own, and the boys fall for her, until she disappears. This book includes a bit of everything - -obstacles that must be overcome, mystery, coming of age aspects, romance, a hero's journey, suspense, fantasy, and some magical realism. As I was reading the book, I couldn't pin down whether I was enjoying it or not, but I kept picking it up, and wanted to finish it. In the end, I enjoyed the book because of the characters and the writing style, but I am still not sure whether I liked the storyline. There are a few sexual scenes that border on racy, a really creepy character, and a young lady who is objectified and held against her will; add that to a somewhat convoluted writing style and storyline, and I would definitely not recommend this book for readers under the 10th grade. Approximate grade level - 10th grade + ![]() I had high hopes for this book based on the acclaim it has received and the reviews I read; but unfortunately, I just did not love it. Apple is a memoir, so it is difficult for me to state that I did not enjoy the book, since it is someone's life experiences, but the writing style did not engage me. The memoir is written in verse which I normally enjoy, but this verse was not fluid and felt stilted to me. I simply never connected with the author's voice or his depiction of his life. That being said, I am very pleased this memoir was written and has received so much acclaim because it is important to hear from Native American perspectives since they are not highly represented in literature. Hearing a first person account is a bonus. This memoir recounts Gansworth's experiences being raised on a reservation and includes the history of some of his family members as well. I did enjoy seeing the photographs included within the memoir. This memoir has some high points, but it just did not engage me as highly as I had hoped. It might, however, be a great fit for you. Approximate Reading Level - 7th grade+ ![]() We Hunt the Flame is the first book in the Sands of Arawiya duology by Hafsah Faizal. It is a young adult fantasy novel set in the fictional kingdom of Arawiya which is inspired by ancient Arabia. The novel is 480 pages in length and is geared towards high school level readers, and although the Lexile level is calculated around 750, I would not recommend this novel for middle school readers simply because of the complexity of the text and some of the content. The novel recounts the story of Zafira, a legendary hunter(ess) who cloaks herself in the guise of a man in order to provide for her town, as well as, Nasir who is the prince and sultan's assassin. The two collide on a journey as they travel deep into the Arz, which is slowly engulfing the kingdom. They are both on a quest to locate the Jarawat in order to bring magic back to the Arawiya and stop the spread of the Arz. Throughout the story, Faizal infuses Middle Eastern culture through the use of Arabic words and phrases as well as descriptions of food and culture. I am a fan of this book and plan to read the next in the duology. As I read, I was reminded of The Hunger Game series by Suzanne Collins as well as the Shadow and Bone Series by Leigh Bardugo; there are quite a few parallels that can be drawn between these books and We Hunt the Flame. I also enjoy the author’s writing style which tends to be descriptive but not overly ornate. I would recommend this book to students who enjoy fantasy books and learning about other cultures. Although this is a fictional story, readers can glean information about Middle Eastern customs and culture by reading the book and paying attention to the word choice and then researching the authenticity of the language and customs presented. The novel is well-written and the characters are very well developed. A wonderful example of character development can be seen on page 224 which contains one of my favorite scenes: “‘If you want me to be obedient, Prince, kill me and carry my corpse.’ Her voice echoed in the silence. Her mouth was crooked in rage, her eyes ablaze in a fire of ice. Nasir should have turned away. He should not have given in to the sensations of how she looked. Of how in one fell swoop, she had thrown the Prince of Death to the ground and trampled his existence with her words. But he did. So his traitor of a chest made him laugh.” If I had to convince my students to read this book, I would read them the above quote, and we would discuss what it tells us about the characters and have them make some predictions about the book. I would also share with them that the book contains action as well as some romantic tension; it has a little bit for everyone. I would have students discuss what makes someone a hero and a villain and draw parallels to the novel and the characters. One could have quite a philosophical discussion with the topic of heroes vs. villains within the context of this novel which I think students would enjoy. And finally, I would ask students who do not normally read fantasy, to give it a try to broaden their horizons. Approximate grade levels - 9th-12th grades due to complexity of the text as well as some dark scenes and romantic tensions ![]() I chose this book because I had heard it is funny, but unfortunately, I did not find it to be all that humorous. The book is a reflection on Sara's upbringing in the United States as an undocumented immigrant from Iran. Sara does not realize she is undocumented until she is 13, and when she learns she can be deported at any time, her stress level rises. Sara's reflections are full of 80's and 90's references to television and film stars as well as teenage angst wrapped up with her anxiety and challenges of being an immigrant. Sara also shares some insights on Persian culture. The book contains some profanity as well as discussions of drugs, so this book might not be suitable for all readers. There are many positive reviews of this book, and it is apparently being developed into a television series for ABC. I just did not love it, but maybe you will. Approximate Grade Level: Although the reading level is not super high, content-wise I would not suggest for students under high school level. I would give it a 15+ rating ![]() "Stick" is the nickname for talented, wide receiver Brett Patterson who both loves and hates football. Stick loves playing football but hates what it has become which is all about winning and not the love of the game. He is pressured by his coach and his father to be the best and he ends up quitting the team with a little advice from his quirky new friend Preston. But don't worry, things work out by the end of the book. Although this book is about football, it has a lot of layers and weaves in some lessons about acceptance, perseverance, making the right choices, standing up to bullies, and overcoming addiction. I ended up really enjoying this book and think students will as well. I will warn that there is quite a bit of profanity within the text and some abusive scenes as well as underage drinking and alcoholism, so make sure you are ready to encounter these throughout the pages. Approximate Reading Level - The reading level is probably close to 7th grade and up, but because of some of the language and content, I would steer it more towards high school students. ![]() I have long been a Lakers fan, and when I saw the forward of this book was penned by Pat Riley, I had to give it a read. To be honest, I had not research what the book is about and only had a cursory knowledge of who Chris Bosh is, but I was pleasantly surprised with what this book has to offer. Chris Bosh writes this book as a series of letters to young athletes who are playing basketball or another sport. Through the letters he gives encouragement for struggles the athletes may well be facing as well as lesson on how to handle tough situations in sports and life. Bosh draws on his experiences coming up in basketball as well as his time in the NBA. He shares what he has learned from greats like LeBron, Kobe, and Coach K. Bosh also discusses how he has coped with leaving basketball behind with the diagnosis of a blood clotting issue he is faced with. You do not have to be a basketball player or fan to draw lessons from this book, although it might help. I would recommend this book to students who love sports and are aspiring athletes, especially if they struggle with the mental aspects of the game. Approximate reading level - 8th-12th (some mild cussing included in the book) |
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