Category Archives: Reviews

Our Stories, Our Voices

Posted on by
Reply


Our Stories, Our Voices, a
collection of essays and anecdotes about “injustice, empowerment, and growing up female in America” by 21 YA authors, is an incredible assortment of empowering pieces that truly describe both the large and small struggles of growing up as a woman in the U.S.
Each story presents a different outlook, as each woman has a different background and grew up with contrasting world views and distinct religious views. These essays explore everything from rape to racism, from gender to feminism, and from faith to weight.
Each piece finishes with an empowering message which encourages young people to believe that their voices and words really do matter and that they can make a difference, no matter how small they feel. Though there are many stories in this book preaching the
same message, it doesn’t seem repetitive. Instead, each note of empowerment strengthens the last one, encouraging young women (and others) that they really matter and that they can stand up for what they believe. This is such an important book for women all
over America, and even around the world, to read and connect with. I would recommend this book to anyone who needs encouragement in believing that they matter or anyone who wants to read stories of women overcoming discrimination of every type.

By: Aisha Saeed, Alexandra Duncan, Amber Smith, Anna-Marie McLemore, Brandy Colbert, Christine Day, Ellen Hopkins, Hannah Moskowitz, I. W. Gregorio, Jaye Robin Brown, Jenny Torres Sanchez, Julie Murphy, Martha Brockenbrough, Maurene Goo, Nina LaCour, Sandhya Menon, Somaiya Daud, Sona Charaipotra, Stephanie Kuehnert, and Tracy Deonn Walker

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

Posted on by
Reply

 Bridge of Clay is a book about stories. It’s about an immigrant girl whose father sent her across the sea with the Odyssey, the Iliad and a love of the piano. It’s about a boy who loved the girl in his paintings more than the one he painted them of. It’s about a jockey and her horse and a very stubborn mule. It’s about a family. It’s about Clay and his brothers. It’s about how everything and everyone has a story if you look hard enough, and those stories shape us into the people we are.

Clay Dunbar’s mother died when he was in middle school. His dad left a few months later. For years it’s just been him and his four brothers and that’s been okay. They made it okay. But now their father is back, and with a request. He wants one of his sons to come back home with him, and help him build a bridge.
Bridge of Clay is a bittersweet story of a father and son reconnecting after years of estrangement. The main plot is interwoven with the lives of the people around Clay, a resonant reminder that there are always other sides to the story and always past experiences that influence the present. Once again, Zusak thoughtfully weaves a masterful tale to stir the hearts of readers everywhere.

Every Day by David Levithan

Posted on by
Reply

Every Day by David Levithan, is probably my favorite book. It is a beautiful story about love, the obstacles of life, and how important making memories is. The main character, A, wakes up every single day in a new place, in a new body. He takes over for a day, traveling through this strange life and seeing all kinds of things. One day, he wakes up in the body of Justin, and meets his girlfriend- Rhiannon. Love at first sight is such a cliche, but David Levithan makes it fascinatingly real. He tells the story of A and Rhiannon, and the intense obstacles they have to face, even just to talk to each other! This love story is one of a kind, and it will keep you wanting more.
I love this book because it is a completely new take on a love story. They get repetitive after a while, and this brings a fresh take to the YA genre. Every Day sucks you in; you feel the character’s emotions; you live this story. I read this a few years ago, but even now I still remember the feelings washing over me as I indulged in this. It is memorable, beautiful, and heart-racing. This is the most interesting book I have ever read, and that’s saying something! David Levithan truly brings such a riveting storyline to such a unique group of characters. I’m glad it has a sequel! I cannot praise this book enough, and it will always be an all-time favorite.

Save the Date by Morgan Matson

Posted on by

Save the Date by Morgan Matson is a story about love, family, and growing up. Charlie’s life is changing: her big sister is getting married, her mom’s comic strip that has chronicled her family’s adventures is ending, her parents are selling the only home she has ever known, and it’s all happening on the same weekend. Charlie has just a few days with all of her siblings together at home for one last time and needs everything to be perfect, but it seems like everything just keeps going wrong. There’s an embezzling wedding planner, a sabotaging neighbor, a feud with a twelve year old in pigtails, missing tuxedos, and two very cute boys.
Matson masterfully weaves together an incredible story, capturing the wonderful chaos of a big family, the butterflies that come with first loves, and the changes and fear of growing up. From the front cover to chapter titles, every bit of Save the Date is as perfect and quirky as the family it is about. It has quickly made its way to the top of my list of favorite contemporaries. I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a feel good story that will have you laughing out loud and leave you with a smile on your face – and maybe have you calling up your family to tell them just how much you love them.

Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles

Posted on by

Marvin Johnson knows exactly what he wants: an acceptance letter from MIT, a good job, to get out of Sterling Point. His twin brother Tyler however, is a different story altogether. Tyler is outgoing and popular while Marvin focuses his energy on school. Marvin has two best friends, Ivy and G-mo, Tyler on the other hand has a wide circle of friends and acquaintances- most recent and alarming of which is Johntae, a local drug dealer and gangster.
When Tyler invites his brother and his friends to Johntae’s next party, Marvin is reluctant, but he knows that if he wants to find out what’s going on with his twin, he needs to be there. But everything goes wrong when cops raid the party, and two days later Tyler is found dead. Now, battling grief and confusion, Marvin must find a way to process his brother’s death, and the viral video of how it happened.                                                                            Tyler Johnson Was Here

Exclusive Interview with Lisa Jensen!

Posted on by
  1. Fairytale retellings have become very popular in recent years, particularly in YA literature; what do you think makes these stories so compelling?

    Like all folklore, fairy tales have been passed down between the generations for centuries. The details of each story may evolve in the telling over time, but the essence of each tale persists — a poor girl goes to the ball and wins a prince; a beauty falls in love with a scary beast. These tales are in our blood!

    But as readers, we also respond differently as we ourselves evolve out of childhood and into adulthood. There are infinite new ways to look at these classic stories, which is what writers find so irresistible. And fortunately, it seems like readers are just as eager to come along for the ride!

    You’ve written a couple adult books as well as having been a film critic and a columnist, what made you decide to make Beast a YA novel?

    Beast was originally written as an adult novel. But an editor at Candlewick, the fabulous Kaylan Adair, fell in love with the book and bought it for her YA line. We had some tweaking to do over the long editing process, but I think it’s a stronger book now. My original take on the story also had to evolve in subtle ways as I began to view it from a YA perspective.

    Your book tackles some important issues (e.g. sexual assault), what do you think the responsibility of authors (particularly of YA and children’s books) is to talk about these controversial topics?

    In Beast, I wanted to focus on the profound effect of assault on my heroine, as she grapples with feelings of shame, despair, and finally, rage. (That’s the “Revenge” part of the story.) She has to learn that she’s not responsible for what was done to her, and that it also lies within her power to seize control of her own life again and grow stronger. That’s the journey she is on, just as Beast is on a journey to find his place in a human world. They both must tap into their inner humanity.

    What advice would you give to aspiring authors about writing and publishing their stories?

    Read everything you can! Especially by authors you love! (Although, back when I was an occasional book reviewer for the SF Chronicle, I found it was almost as useful to learn what not to do from books that I didn’t think worked!) Write all the time, even if it’s just in your own private journal that no one will ever see, to teach yourself to shape language. Then write the story that’s in your heart — nobody else can tell that story in the same way as you. And Never. Ever. Give. Up!

    Some authors have said that they write the books they needed when they were kids, do you feel this is true of yours?

    No, I wrote this book for the person I am now — someone who loves Beauty and the Beast, but thinks the noble Beast deserves to be the hero of the story, not the prince!

    Do you have any plans for future books?

    Always!

Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge by Lisa Jensen

Posted on by

When Lucie came to Château Beaumont she was looking for a job that would get her away from home. She wasn’t prepared for the cruel and handsome Chevalier de Beaumont, and the strange tale born from her own hatred of him. But when an old witch curses the Chevalier to become a fearsome beast and Lucie a candlestick to watch him, everything changes.
As Beast, the Chevalier is quiet and kind, even to Lucie, only wanting to keep to himself and tend his garden. All too soon, Lucie finds herself drawn to- even befriending, the lonely beast. But with the arrival of Rose, a beautiful young merchant’s daughter, their fragile peace threatens to break. For if Rose offers to marry Beast, the Chevalier will return, and only Lucie knows how terrible that would be. And only Lucie has a chance of stopping it from happening.

Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge

The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen

Posted on by

Megan Bannen’s debut novel, The Bird and the Blade is a rich and poignant story of love, loss, and the bloody struggle for power within a fractured Mongol Empire during the 13th century.
Jinghua lost everything on the day the Mongols invaded her home and slaughtered her people. Now she’s a slave in the house of one of the most powerful warlords of their time: Timur Khan, lord of the Kipchak. But when the Kipchak Khanate is invaded and its army destroyed Jinghua must follow Timur and his son Khalaf as they escape their conquered kingdom if she is to have any chance of returning to her own home.
But when Khalaf enters a deadly game to win the hand of a powerful princess, everything changes. Turandokht is treacherous, beautiful, and heir to the Mongol Empire. The man who weds her will be the next Great Khan, the catch? He must first solve three impossible riddles, or die trying. Soon Jinghua is forced to make an impossible choice: betray the boy she has grown to love, or give him up to the princess who would rather be his death than his bride.

Tradition by Brendan Kiely

Posted on by

Books have always played an important role in educating the next generation, but in this day and age YA authors have become invaluable in providing valuable lessons and role models for teens and adults alike. Brendan Kiely’s new book Tradition is one such novel that will no doubt be considered a modern classic by generations to come.
For James Baxter Fullbrook Academy is a second chance and he’s determined not to waste it. He’s at Fullbrook on a hockey scholarship after his life at home was shattered by a horrible accident. At Fullbrook nobody knows about his past, at Fullbrook he’s the Buckeye, the secret weapon, special and revered.
But then Bax meets Jules Deveraux, the one person at Fulbrook strong enough to stand up for what she believes in. Soon Bax finds himself taking on social injustice with Jules and their friends Aileen and Javi.
But Fulbrook is a place of privilege and toxic rites of passage. Tradition is as much a part of the school as the ivy-covered walls and the unspoken rules that nobody dares defy.

A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir

Posted on by

In a thrilling sequel to A Torch Against the Night, Sabaa Tahir returns to the world of Laia, Helene and Elias with A Reaper at the Gates. In Reaper, the stakes have been raised for all our favorite characters as the Nightbringer draws closer to his goal.
In the Waiting Place, Elias struggles to take control of his growing powers as Shaeva and Mauth force him and Laia farther apart. At the heart of the Empire Helene has taken control of the Black Guard— and with Harper at her side begins to wrest control from the Commandant. Far away, Laia works with the Tribes and Scholar Rebels to free enslaved Scholars.
But even as the Blood Strike grows in power and Laia gains allies and experience, the Nightbringer too grows closer to freeing the other Jinn. Under his orders Keris Veturia schemes and kills as she works to undermine the new regime.

Reaper at the Gates is probably my favorite book of the series yet. The POV characters have gained a new maturity since the events of A Torch Against the Night, and many of the supporting characters also gain a backstory that helps to enrich the world of Reaper comsiderably.