Amber house is both creepy and captivating from the very beginning. Sarah is a newly minted 16-year-old who has traveled east with her mother and brotAmber house is both creepy and captivating from the very beginning. Sarah is a newly minted 16-year-old who has traveled east with her mother and brother to sell her family's ancient estate after the death of her grandmother. But nothing is as it seems at Amber House - there are secret passageways and family lore and there's something going on with Sarah since she got there that she just can't explain. Throw in some parental turmoil, a touching sibling relationship, and a love triangle and you'll find you're in for a good story....more
Alternating viewpoint. Amelia's voice is so authentic 15-year-old. I liked her character a lot. The feminism stuff was slightly heavy-handed to me, buAlternating viewpoint. Amelia's voice is so authentic 15-year-old. I liked her character a lot. The feminism stuff was slightly heavy-handed to me, but likely wouldn't come off that way to a younger reader. I'll be recommending this book to fans of realistic fiction and romance....more
Taylor has always run away when things have gotten hard. She's not good at dealing with the tough stuff. But when her father is diagnosed with cancer,Taylor has always run away when things have gotten hard. She's not good at dealing with the tough stuff. But when her father is diagnosed with cancer, there's nowhere to go. Her family has decided to spend their last summer together at their cabin in Pennsylvania, where something happened 5 years ago that made Taylor, her best friend, and her first love.
This is a lovely story about finding your way though hard situations, about family, friendships, and love. My only complaint was that I got impatient waiting to find out what it was that happened between Taylor and her friends at the cabin, but eventually Matson gets there and the story plays out wonderfully.
And on a note related to the quality of Matson's descriptions - this was a very difficult book for me to read. I have seen a lot of reviewers here on Goodreads mention that this book is a tear jerker. There is no question about it. There will be tears. And for me, there were many, many, many tears. I watched my own dad deteriorate as he fought cancer and Matson's descriptions of those moments from a daughter's point of view resonated with me to the point that a couple of times I just had to put the book down. I applaud the author for her candid and true handling of this difficult topic.
Butter is a 423 high school junior and for someone so big, he is forever shocked at how invisibly he travels through the hallways of his high school. Butter is a 423 high school junior and for someone so big, he is forever shocked at how invisibly he travels through the hallways of his high school. Butter fills his emptiness with food and cures his melancholy by playing his saxophone and with late-night Internet chats with the beautiful Anna, to whom his identity remains anonymous. It's not enough though. It's never enough and after a particularly bad day at school, Butter decides he's done. He creates a web site and shares with his schoolmates his intention to eat himself to death on a live-stream on New Year's Eve.
This book was distressing. There definitely is fodder for discussion here -- particularly on the topic of the bystanders in bullying situations. There's also a lot of really interesting stuff regarding Butter's relationships with the adults around him, which isn't always a topic dealt with deeply in YA lit. Overall, I thought this book was great. I think there was a danger of being heavy handed on the "lessons" as there always is in an issue book like this, but Lange largely avoided this trap....more
Allyson is a straight-laced good girl. She does everything just the way she's supposed to...until one day she doesn't.
For just one day, Allyson throwAllyson is a straight-laced good girl. She does everything just the way she's supposed to...until one day she doesn't.
For just one day, Allyson throws caution to the wind and goes to Paris with Willem, whom she's just met. That one day changes everything.
In the first part of this book Allyson's struggle with her good girl persona, her constant self doubt, and low self-esteem got to me. I just wanted so badly to see her grow into herself and find out that you have to do what makes YOU happy. And she does. And because she does, this book becomes so much more than a love story. Yes, the love story is adorable, but the real story is a coming-of-age story about friendship, about trusting your instincts, and learning to be yourself. I loved it.
A word of caution though: I literally groaned and slammed the book shut. Literally. I can't wait for Just One Year! :)...more
Cullen Witter lives in a small town in Arkansas. He's got a brother the he (and everyone) loves, a best friend, nice parents - a normal life. Until twCullen Witter lives in a small town in Arkansas. He's got a brother the he (and everyone) loves, a best friend, nice parents - a normal life. Until two events change everything - (1) an Oregonian ornithologist arrives in town convinced it's home to the 2-foot-tall Lazarus Woodpecker, and (2) Cullen's 15-year-old brother Gabriel disappears without a trace.
I struggled between giving this book a 3 or 4 rating. A few times while I was reading, I was frustrated by the seeming lack of connection between the characters and events of the novel. But, I cared about Cullen and Lucas and their faith in Gabriel's return, so I stuck with it. I'm so glad I did. When it all clicks into place, it's an awesome shift and such a well done story. And, like I said, I cared so much about the characters. This is definitely a book for a patient and curious teen and if the right readers can find it, they'll be thrilled with the experience....more
What if the Lithuanian exchange student who had been living in the next bedroom for the last year turned out to be a ruthless assassin?
This book was What if the Lithuanian exchange student who had been living in the next bedroom for the last year turned out to be a ruthless assassin?
This book was super fun. It's a a funny, quick read and a great adventure with an intriguing ending. I can think of lots of people I'd recommend this book to and will start now, just in time for the sequel to come out!...more
Rachel and Alice are identical twins born of a twin with other twins in their family. They share what they believe to be a psychic connection because Rachel and Alice are identical twins born of a twin with other twins in their family. They share what they believe to be a psychic connection because of the unique nature of their birth. When one twin feels pain, the other feels pain.
Because they can sense each other, when one twin goes missing at the town fair, the other is filled with an omnious sense of dread. Unfortunately, this so-called psychic connection sounds crazy - especially to the girls' aunt, who is raising them, and feels the world to be far too sensible to include things like psychic connections.
Our twin however (can't say which one or it gives away a great plot twist) proves herself to be a rather unreliable narrator, which means we're dealing not just with a great mystery/thriller, but also a pretty intense psychological drama.
I thought this book was overall really well done. I had a few qualms that would spoil the story, but nothing major. I would definitely recommend this book to mystery and thriller fans....more
I just love all the FitzOsbornes books. This one was longer than the first two and took me longer to get through but it's still full of the same awesoI just love all the FitzOsbornes books. This one was longer than the first two and took me longer to get through but it's still full of the same awesome historical detail and of great relationships between Sophie and her family and friends during wartime. I loved getting to finish watching them grow up. So glad I looked past the awful cover of the first edition of this series and read on. Truly lovely....more
I thought this book was super. It was a little slow to start for me, but once I was in it, I was really in it. I'm particularly excited for more in thI thought this book was super. It was a little slow to start for me, but once I was in it, I was really in it. I'm particularly excited for more in the series now that the groundwork is all laid out and we can focus on the really intersting relationships happening between the characters.
Blue is the daughter of a psychic -- part of a wacky family of gifted and talented folks, but she feels like she doesn't belong. Her only gift is to make those around her more talented at their work. To add insult to injury, she isn't psychic, but she can't be a normal teenager either because of a vague premonition that if she kisses her one true love, he will die.
Enter Gansey. He might be her one true love. But his friend Adam might be, as well. They're part of a group of private school boys, who, with 2 other friends have been searching for a ley line and for Glendower, a king who may or may not be alive after centuries somewhere on the line.
This book is filled with magic and romance, with friendships, and with the general struggles we all go through trying to find out where we fit. I can't wait for more....more
I loved this book. It is so beatifully written and Astrid is such a lovely and touching character.
Astrid is a high schooler with few friends and discI loved this book. It is so beatifully written and Astrid is such a lovely and touching character.
Astrid is a high schooler with few friends and disconnected relationships with her cold mother, her high father, and her only-want-to-be-popular sister. Several years ago, Astrid's family moved from New York City to the ironically named small town, Unity Valley, for reasons still unclear to Astrid. But she's making it work. She's got a couple of good friends, a job she likes, a burgeoning, albeit confusing, romance, and a strange and sad hobby involving sending her love up to airline passengers, which she does because she's too afraid to spread it around on the ground.
Ultimately, for me, this is a story about relationships -- with both family and friends. I liked that Astrid's parents were such a big part of the story as regular everyday struggles with parent/teen relationships aren't always at the center of YA Lit. The story is also about about loyalty, trust, opening up, and growing up. The asides into the airplanes add a touch of magical realism and are a lovely addition to the story. I would read this book again and again....more
Adele--known by Betty in another life--is an American in Paris. She is a 16-year-old WWII spy for England--an American who had been living with her auAdele--known by Betty in another life--is an American in Paris. She is a 16-year-old WWII spy for England--an American who had been living with her aunt and uncle in London, but ran away to be a part of the war effort. The book opens with Adele and Denise (a friend she met during training) dropping from a plane into the French countryside, where their adventure begins.
I enjoyed this book, but admittedly probably would have found it more awesome if I hadn't read Code Name Verity first. That said, I think it's a great option for anyone interested in this time historically, for anyone who wants a great female heroine, and a good friendship story. It's a superb option for readers who may not be quite ready for the intensity of the storytelling in Verity....more
This book was lovely. It's a continuation of A Brief History of Montmaray with a *much* more appealing cover! The story continues in journal style, wiThis book was lovely. It's a continuation of A Brief History of Montmaray with a *much* more appealing cover! The story continues in journal style, with Sophie and her comrades having taken refuge in England with Sophie's aunt after the events of the first book. I appreciated this book so much as a piece of historical fiction because the story takes place as events are escalating in Europe as opposed to most WWII fiction, which happens once war has officially broken out. Cooper also offers up lots of details about the Communist and Marxist influences, which are generally less focused on when we learn about the war here in America. Additionally, Sophie and Veronica coming out to society offer wonderful period details to a serious story.
Because the FitzOsbornes raised themselves on an island far away from “society” they bring such an interesting perspective to this story. Even as they get dressed up to go out to parties, even as they are waited on hand and foot, they are consistently aware of the strangeness of it all—of a divide between family and servant that they have never experienced before. I suspect this dichotomy will be really interesting as the FitzOsbornes go to war in the next novel.
The journal style makes a long book seem less so and the ending compels me to read me and recommend to any lovers of historical fiction. ...more
I read this book at Brenna's urging and enjoyed it. Maniac is an orphan who finds himself taken in by a Black family. It's lost on him that he's the oI read this book at Brenna's urging and enjoyed it. Maniac is an orphan who finds himself taken in by a Black family. It's lost on him that he's the only white person in the neighborhood, but before long it's brought to his attention and Maniac has to figure out how to live with people who love him without hurting them. This is a story of race, accpeptance, friendship, and family and is really quite lovely....more
I liked the first book in this series, but I really liked this one! Now that I know Iris and her friends, I was really able to just focus on the mysteI liked the first book in this series, but I really liked this one! Now that I know Iris and her friends, I was really able to just focus on the mysteries at hand in this story. The novel divides Iris' focus between two mysteries: Who is putting anti-Semetic notes in the lockers of Jewish students at her school and did her mother really commit suicide?
The story opens very soon after the conclusion of the first book with Iris working for and training with her father. The period details are good and the themes will work well for readers with an interest in WWII fiction--especially those readers interested in a perspective from stateside....more
I've been meaning to read this book for so long and I'm so glad I did! I can't wait to read the others in the series. Obviously this is going to be a I've been meaning to read this book for so long and I'm so glad I did! I can't wait to read the others in the series. Obviously this is going to be a great book for Hunger Games/post-apocolyptic fans.
In the book, the moon is struck by an asteroid, pushing it closer to the Earth. The story is told in journal format and I really liked how it started before the asteroid hit so that the difference between before and after is really quite stark. ...more
This book is the first in a series of historical fiction about Marie Antoinette. The book is well-researched and really intersting. Some of the inner-This book is the first in a series of historical fiction about Marie Antoinette. The book is well-researched and really intersting. Some of the inner-dialogue is a little clunky, but I think the reader can gloss over it as it is a historical story and speech patterns vary over time.
This book is a wonderful, atmospheric ghost story. It is an historical story, fleshed out from a Scottish ballad about a man who kills a mother and heThis book is a wonderful, atmospheric ghost story. It is an historical story, fleshed out from a Scottish ballad about a man who kills a mother and her infant. The song has many versions, but the one used in the book is based on the legend that Long Lankin is a ghost who hunts children.
The story is told from several viewpoints, most often from the perspective of Cora, an east-Londoner who has been sent away with her sister to stay with their Aunt Ida, and Roger, a boy who lives in the neighborhood. The children know there are places they aren't supposed to go...things they aren't supposed to do, but they don't know why, which leads to risky outings and to a compelling investigation into the mystery of it all.
Barraclough does a masterful job at setting the scene. This book will give you the heebie-geebies, for sure! It's a little slow going at the start, but once you're really into the tale, there comes a point where you just don't want to stop. You know Long Lankin is going to come for the kids and there seems very little hope that they can defeat him. Definitely a page turner. ...more