Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




YA Lit Goes to College


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Cover art for SON OF THE MOB: HOLLYWOOD HUSTLE
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2004

"Even within the comic hyperbolic context, there are some credibility problems, but it's a minor quibble in a performance that's sure to leave fans begging for more. (Fiction. YA)"
Fast and funny with a hefty helping of heart, Korman's cleverly conceived and plotted followup to Son of the Mob (2002) will keep fans in stitches as hero Vince Luca, the son of a Long Island–based mafia boss, again tries unsuccessfully to extricate himself from "The Life." Read full book review >
Cover art for LIGHT YEARS: A NOVEL
CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 11, 2005

"Although passages dealing with Maya's American life seem less than genuine, those illustrating the everyday fears of people living in Israel, as well as the beauty of the region, ring true. (Fiction. YA)"
Caught between two vastly different worlds, Maya seeks balance between her tragic past in Israel and her present in Virginia as an astronomy student. Read full book review >
Cover art for WHAT HAPPENED TO CASS MCBRIDE?
CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 1, 2006

"A damn scary read. (Fiction. YA)"
In this harrowing, brutal mystery, college student Kyle Kirby believes a snarky rejection letter written by popular Cass McBride may have driven his younger, love-thirsty nerd of a brother to hang himself. Read full book review >
Cover art for EVIL GENIUS
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2007

"His emotional maturity realistically lagging behind his intellectual development, Cadel rides right up there with Artemis Fowl as a sympathetic anti-villain. (Fiction. 12-15)"
Carried along by much peeling back of layers of deception and repeated thickenings of plot, this hefty but engrossingly complex tale features a young super-brain being groomed for world domination. Read full book review >
Cover art for HELL WEEK
CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 26, 2008

"Maggie's snarky humor and quirky personality keeps this novel's first half light, but the second takes a dark, page-turning twist as Maggie is forced to figure out and destroy the ancient source of the sisters' power. (Horror. YA)"
Supernaturally perceptive teen Maggie Quinn battles evil again in this sequel (Prom Dates from Hell, 2007), which fast forwards to her first semester at Bedivere University (BU), where, to Maggie's surprise, she finds herself rushing campus sororities. Read full book review >
Cover art for WORK WHAT YOU GOT
CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 1, 2009

"Purchase where African-American chick-lit is popular. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
Hayden is starting her sophomore year of college, determined to pledge to service sorority Beta Gamma Pi. Read full book review >