In Crossed, the sequel to Matched, the dystopian love triangle continues. Cassia has left Society to search for Ky who was sent out to fight against the Enemy. The point of view alternates between Cassia and Ky, although it’s always in first person present tense. Occasionally I found myself forgetting whose point of view I […]
A Mango-Shaped Space
September 12, 2013 by 3 Comments
There are a lot of issues dealt with in A Mango-Shaped Space. It won the ALA Schneider Family Book Award which honors “artistic expression of the disability experience.” Mia has synesthesia, which means that she sees sounds, numbers, and letters in colors. The novel covers the several months during Mia’s 8th grade year when she’s […]
Matched
September 3, 2013 by 1 Comment
One of the review blurbs for Matched reads “If you like a ton of romance with your totalitarian government, this novel is for you!” Out of context, I’m not sure if that’s from a positive or negative review, but it’s certainly appropriate to this book.
Hope Defined
August 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Hope Defined follows the intertwined stories of girls from two different worlds. In this case, really really different worlds. The two girls have to learn to come to terms with themselves and figure out what they value, and somehow the fate of the world rests in the balance.
Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go
July 26, 2013 by 3 Comments
Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go is the story of Milton and his older sister Marlo who die tragically in a huge marshmallow explosion. Although Milton is a good kid and seems poised to go up to Heaven, the influence of Marlo—who is most definitely not a good kid—drags him down to Heck with her. […]
The Sea of Monsters
July 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Review written by Jeff Dougan. The Sea of Monsters is the second book in the first pentad of books featuring Percy Jackson. You’ll want to read these in order—I reviewed the first one here, and for purposes of introduction will just note that I like the series a LOT. The second book opens up roughly […]
Perfect Scoundrels
July 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Review written by Jeff Dougan. In Perfect Scoundrels, we open with Kat, Hale, & Gabrielle working a job in Buenos Aires. Kat thought she and Hale were settling into a boyfriend & girlfriend relationship, but when Marcus tells Hale something mid-heist that causes Hale to leave Kat literally dangling in midair, she has to wonder […]
The Lightning Thief
June 24, 2013 by 3 Comments
Review written by Jeff Dougan. The Lightning Thief is the first book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. In the roughly 15 years since the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, there have been several books or book series that have been called “the next Harry Potter.” Of the ones I’ve […]
The Plundered Parent Protocol
June 10, 2013 by 1 Comment
The Plundered Parent Protocol is a secret agent story for tweens, particularly girls. It’s full of kid power (including extra helpings of girl power) and it really wants to be made into a movie along the lines of Spy Kids—the action is fast paced and you can picture the killer robots made by the eight […]
The Wells Bequest
June 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The Wells Bequest is a companion to The Grimm Legacy. “Companion” is a deliberate word choice, rather than sequel, because while there is overlap, you could easily start with The Wells Bequest and not be at all confused. You will, however, have missed a wonderful book—The Grimm Legacy was one of my favorite books that […]
