![]() 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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![]() 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. ![]() 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 + ![]() 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 |
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