I did not go into reading this book with high hopes. I mean, let's face it, I am not a teenage girl which is the market audience for this book and the series, but I was pleasantly surprised. While The Summer I Turned Pretty is not a Literary masterpiece by any means, I can see the appeal. At the center of the story is Isabel or Belly, as she is know by her family and childhood friends, and a beach house in Martha's Vineyard's. The reader gets to hang around with Belly as she navigates the summer and grows into her new persona of being an attractive young woman instead of a little kid. There is a little drama and some romance as well as a bit of coming of age feel to the book. The story isn't too heavy and the writing and character development is well-done. There is some underage drinking and smoking, sexy actions and talk, and some sexual situations so definitely be advised before you decide if this book is a good fit for you or your intended reader. This is the first book in the series, so if you enjoy it, you have a few other books to continue the storyline. Approximate Grade Level- Grades 7th-10th - the overall reading level is not high but the content might be questionable for younger audiences.
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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. The Last Cuentista has won several awards and received accolades. I wanted to love it, but I just didn't. To be fair, the novel is science fiction, and I am rarely a big fan of science fiction, but it was more than that really. I just did not connect with the characters or the storyline. I did enjoy how the author embedded folklore within the storyline and emphasized the importance of creativity and storytelling. Oftentimes the novel seemed to have a magical realism feel to it despite the overarching dystopian and science fiction elements. The plotline centers on the Earth being destroyed by a comet and only a few hundred people and their families being chosen to travel to a new planet. where the storyline lost me was the ship and the pods they traveled within culminating in them arriving hundreds of years later. It was all too much of a reach for me; however, if you are a science fiction lover, you might enjoy this book. Approximate grade level - 5th-9th - Sensitive readers might be disturbed by the plotline since the Earth is facing destruction and only a few are chosen to live, and the main character's family does not all reach their intended destination. 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. 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 So, the premise of this novel is a little disturbing and may not be suitable for all. it is set in an alternate reality in the future where humans have achieved immortality and must be "gleaned" by Scythes in order to keep the population growth in check. The storyline centers around two teenagers, Rowan and Citra, who have been chosen to by Scythe apprentices and must be taught the skill of "gleaning". The novel includes lots of action and plot twists and kept me engaged. I also enjoyed the interplay between Rowan and Citra. I don't want to say too much about the story because I do not want to give any of the plot twists away, but if you like dystopian novels that are a bit dark in nature, you will likely enjoy this book. My son has read the entire series and gives it a thumbs up. Approximate Reading Level - 7th-10th grade |
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