Tag: books for teens

REVIEW: The Gatekeepers by Jen Lancaster

REVIEW: The Gatekeepers by Jen Lancaster

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

In the Chicago suburb of North Shore, excellence is the status quo. In the Breakfast Club era of their parents, kids fit into one of many stereotypes. But in North Shore, the teens meet them all. It’s not sufficient to be smart OR athletic. You must be both. And you have to be the best. Best on the team. Super involved in extracurriculars. And planning and prepping for an Ivy League college all through high school.

The kids of North Shore deliver on all of these expectations. Their test scores and rates of college admission are among the best. This in turn draws in more (wealthy) families who can give their kids everything money can buy.

But North Shore has a hidden dark side. These kids who seem to have every advantage can’t always keep up with the pressure. Two kids committed suicide this summer alone. How does North Shore respond? A couple days for grieving and then back to the grind.

How long can they keep this up? What will it take to stop the cycle?

Review

Wow. I was drawn to this story about high-achieving, uber-pressured kids who step up to help one another when they lose one of their own. But it took awhile to get to that part of the story. While part of me wondered when the story would really kick into gear, another part was okay with the wait because the characters were interesting. The slow build gave me time to get to know them and care about them.

By the final third of the story, I had a hard time setting the book down. I kept thinking about the characters and wondering how everything would shake out. The ending was perfect. I would go back and read the last few chapters again. Once some of the main characters owned and shared their true thoughts and feelings about their losses, I was entranced.

This book talks about difficult subjects – teen suicide, drug use, abuse, mental health – honestly and authentically. There’s a LOT here that would be great for group discussion with teens. I read this right after As You Wish which made for an interesting pairing. There are many stark differences between the books, but the pressure on teens is a consistent theme in both. I highly recommend this book for older teens, young adults and adults, especially those who work with and care about teens.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: As You Wish by Chelsea Sedoti

REVIEW: As You Wish by Chelsea Sedoti

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Madison, Nevada is a dusty, rundown town in the middle of the desert. It’s the sort of place you pass through on your way to something else. And the locals like it that way. They don’t want folks to linger.

That’s because Madison is hiding a secret. While it seems like a dump on the surface, they are hiding magic. A wish-granting cave. Any time a resident of Madison turns 18, he or she goes to the cave and makes a wish. And that wish always comes true.

Eldon Wilkes is looking forward to his wishing day like someone would “look forward” to an invasive medical procedure. He’s seen how wishes have turned out for others. His parents’ marriage is strained to put it mildly. His sister’s condition is because of a wish. People are trapped in Madison because of wishing. Eldon’s feeling the pressure to make a wish to “fix” his family, but he knows no wish could fix what’s really wrong. But the clock is ticking. Eldon HAS to decide what he’s going to wish for.

Review

Wow. This book has really forced me to think. What impact did wishing have on the town and people of Madison? What would I have wished for? Would I have done something different in Eldon’s place? Eldon’s conversation with Othello Dewitt was the most thought provoking part of all. It’s the sort of passage you would go back to and read through again.

Eldon is an interesting character. I can’t say that I liked Eldon, but I was captivated by him and by his dilemma.  He’s complicated. His whole family is grieving while he is trying to make this huge decision. He’s feeling pressure from all sides. While a guaranteed wish sounds like an awesome thing, Eldon shows that there’s a dark side.

It’s easy to see the wish pieces of this story from the perspective of the decisions teens are making as they anticipate graduation and their future. I love that this book really made me think – even after the reading was done. I would like to read this with some high school juniors and seniors and talk about the parallels with the decisions they are trying to make. This would make a great book for group discussion. (Language)

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for an electronic advanced reader copy of this for review purposes in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson

REVIEW: Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Elliot Lawrence Gabaroche is expected to go to either the Air Force Academy (like the Lawrence part of the family) or go into Law like her dad (which means attending a summer mock trial camp).

But “Ever” Lawrence has been accepted to Camp Onward, a camp for genius students where she hopes to win a scholarship to Rayevich College so she can join their science fiction literature program.

While everyone thinks Ellie is doing what THEY want her to do, she hops a train to Oregon as Ever to pursue her own plans for the future.

Ever doesn’t count on her annoying cousin, Isaiah, showing up at the same camp. They have to pretend to be twins so no one at the camp catches on to their secrets – her real name, his real age, and the fact that neither set of parents knows where they are. If their parents find out, both kids will lose their chance at the scholarship and setting their own course for the future. Ever also doesn’t count on meeting a great guy, making terrific friends, or stumbling into a mystery.

Review

This was excellent! The voice was outstanding. Ever is smart and sharp and so funny. I was truly sad when the book ended and there was no more Ever.

This is the second book published by the author, Lily Anderson, and I have loved both of them. The writing is fantastic. Lots of great voice and terrific humor. Anderson is an author I will put on a “must buy” list because I really enjoy her style.

The cast of characters is quirky and fun. The interplay between the kids on Ever’s team was a hoot. There were lots of great geeky moments. I kept reading passages aloud to my family because I was enjoying the book so much. The scene where the team gets together for the first time, and the counselors give them a taste of what is to come, is one of my favorites.

I loved Ever’s quest for her own path while feeling pressure and expectations from her whole family. The camp scholarship contest was a great plot – it brought interesting characters together and threw in some nice twists and a little mystery. Everything clicked perfectly for me in this book. (Some language)

Many, many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for an electronic review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. Reading this book was a delight!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Miles Morales Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds

REVIEW: Miles Morales Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Miles is an exceedingly bright kid on scholarship to a pricey prep school. He longs to overcome his family history of crime and hustling. And this school is his way to accomplish that.

But his spider-sense is jacking up his opportunity. It keeps going off in history, and Miles can only make up so many bathroom excuses before he gets in trouble and is suspended. So Miles is DONE with Spider-Man. He’s just going to be Miles for now and try to stay out of trouble.

Just being “Miles,” though, isn’t as easy as it sounds. He has horrifying nightmares. He feels tremendous guilt about his uncle Aaron. There’s a cousin in juvenile he never knew existed. Folks in his neighborhood seem to be disappearing. There’s a girl he likes, but he keeps blowing his chances to let her know. And his history teacher seems to think the South was right on the issue of slavery in the Civil War and takes every opportunity to point that out to Miles, who is half black and half Puerto Rican. Just being Miles is a lot more intense than he thought it would be.

Review

I am not familiar with the Miles Morales iteration of Spider-Man from the comics. So I approached this book with no preconceived notions or comic book story lines in mind. I knew the name Miles Morales and nothing else. And I enjoyed this story!

Miles is an awesome character. He’s bright and determined. He’s haunted by his past. He has superpowers but they are more of a burden than a blessing. When should he draw the line between taking care of his responsibilities and his own life and trying to save  the neighborhood around him?

Diversity and race issues are primary in the story which makes this a timely read. The villain and “mystery” of the story was really interesting. While it is resolved on one level in the book, there are many questions still open, too. Hopefully those will be addressed in a future book. Give this to your young superhero fans in 5th grade or older. I think they will love it!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Project Pandora by Aden Polydoros

REVIEW: Project Pandora by Aden Polydoros

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Tyler is sitting in class when his phone rings. The next time he is aware of anything, he’s standing in a strange house holding a gun.

He’s drawn to Shannon the first time he meets her. She seems familiar. She understands him in ways no one else does.

Elizabeth meets Hades at a fundraiser she attends with her parents. He seems familiar. It’s like he knows her. Surely she would have remembered someone so gorgeous and mysterious.

Hades is an assassin. He knows who he is and how he was trained. He’s good at his job. He knows all three of the other teens, but they don’t know him.

What secrets link these four kids? And what is Project Pandora?

Review

Wow. This is a dark, violent story that is extremely well written. It is darker than than the books I usually read, but I was compelled to finish and find out what the heck was going on!

I found myself taking notes as I read, trying to puzzle out what was happening. And in the end, I felt like I only had the smallest bit of the big picture figured out.

I can’t say that I liked the characters, but I was completely engrossed in finding out what had happened to them. And I was stunned by the endig. I don’t know what to believe and will have to wait for book 2 to find out.

This is definitely for older teens in my opinion. There’s drug/alcohol use, mature language, abuse and violence. This is not my usual style of book, but I couldn’t put it down. If you love dark suspense with some science fiction thrown in, you should definitely check this out.

Thanks to Netgalley and Entangled: Teen for an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Solo by Kwame Alexander

REVIEW: Solo by Kwame Alexander

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Blade is a young man anticipating his future. Graduation is right around the corner, and college is approaching quickly. He has his music and the girl of his dreams. These should be his best days.

But he’s also

  • grieving the loss of his mother,
  • dodging paparazzi trying to catch a glimpse of the famous Morrison family going down in flames,
  • hiding from his girlfriend’s father who forbade her from dating him, and
  • disgusted by his father’s empty promises of staying sober “this time”

And when all of those things collide along with new challenges, Blade is off. Not to college, but to Ghanna Africa, in search of answers and in search of himself.

Review

Like other books by Alexander, this book is written in verse, along with song lyrics and other creative forms and references. I liked the unusual format. It’s amazing that he can tell terrific, effective stories with such sparse, carefully chosen words!

I had a hard time connecting with the characters in this one. I completely understood Blade’s emotional states, but I didn’t click with him like I had hoped to, or like I did with the twins in his book, The Crossover. Blade wasn’t the heart of the story for me. I did enjoy a couple other characters – like Joy and Sia, but not the others.

This book has been wildly popular with other early readers. If the story sounds interesting to you, I encourage you to give it a try. I usually enjoy Alexander’s work. I may just not be the right reader for this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Blink, for providing an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. [Some sources show this book releasing this week, and some say it will release on August 1.]

Rating: ♥♥♥