First things first: If you pick up Sarah Beth Durst’s Chasing Power expecting it to be the next Conjured, you’re going to be disappointed. Of course, that statement holds for ANY other book, regardless of author or hype: Conjured is an absolutely original, beautifully written and intricately crafted genre-bender that is special in every way—perspective, character development, worldbuilding, imagery, love story—as well as showing a profound respect for the intelligence and patience of the audience. But enough about Conjured, right ...
Sib isn’t a model, isn’t interested in modeling, and isn’t a conventional beauty, but her advertising executive godmother sees SOMETHING in her, and suddenly, her face is “plastered all over a massive billboard at St. Kilda junction.” Shortly thereafter, Ben Capaldi, the most popular boy in school, sees that same SOMETHING, too...but Sib isn’t quite sure if that SOMETHING he sees has to do with her, or with the perfume ad.
Lou is still reeling from the ...
This month, we say goodbye to two of my favorite amateur sleuths: Sammy Keyes, in Sammy Keyes and the Kiss Goodbye, the 18th(!) mystery starring Santa Martina’s most hard-boiled middle schooler; and Kami Glass, in Unmade, the third installment in Sarah Rees Brennan’s it’ll-make-you-laugh-out-loud-while-ripping-your-heart-to-shreds Lynburn Legacy. For the past week or so, I’ve been putting off my final farewell to Sammy by re-reading all of her previous adventures. As I don’t have that luxury in the case of the Lynburn ...
“No one tells you how gone gone really is, or how long it lasts.”
—I’ll Give You the Sun, Jandy Nelson
If you’re a fan of YA contemporaries that focus more on family relationships than on romance (but like some romance in there, too), then make sure that Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You the Sun is on your radar.
At age 13, twins Noah and Jude are each other’s everything: They’re so close that they’re practically telepathic ...
Until recently, 15-year-old Joy had lived her entire life in a small trailer with her mother. She mostly stayed in her room to avoid unwanted attention from her mother’s friends and various live-in boyfriends—hiding didn’t always work, but it was her best option—only coming out at night or when her mother was at work in order to eat, use the bathroom, just to breathe. As her mother rarely let her outside, she’d never been to school, though the movie Matilda ...
Back in June, I included Cammie McGovern’s Say What You Will on a list of upcoming romances I wanted to read:
Amy’s cerebral palsy requires her to use a walker and communicate with a voice box, and she’s always had an adult aide at school. But now, during her senior year, she wants to hire peer aides: Including a classmate named Matthew, who turns out to have OCD. Multiple reviews—as well as the description at Amazon—compare to this one to ...
Hope Was Here
Happy Labor Day! In honor of the holiday, let’s look at some YA books about teenagers who work. And I’m not talking about vampire hunting or sneaky spying or private detecting—I’m talking about jobs that your average high schooler might have, from waitress to cashier to camp counselor.
Joan Bauer’s Hope Was Here, Rules of the Road, and Best Foot Forward
I mentioned Bauer’s Squashed in a previous themed list, but no list about teenagers with jobs would be complete ...
Sometimes I love a book so much that I don’t know where to start. I just want to throw it at peoples’ heads. (In a friendly, I AM STRONGLY ENCOURAGING YOU TO READ THIS way.)
Simmone Howell’s Girl Defective is about almost-16-year-old Skylark Martin, who lives above her father’s record shop. Her younger brother, Gully (yes, short for Seagull) is an aspiring detective who wears a pig-snout mask at all times; her father is a functional alcoholic who is anti-customer ...
