Letter to My Daughter by George Bishop


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I won an advanced copy on Firstsreads. It is a thin book but a pleasant read, ideal as a pick to fill in a few hours. Nothing earth shattering , but an enjoyable read exploring a mother’s recollection of her teen years written as a letter to her run-away daughter. The writing was good and the story was realistic.

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Metamorphosis: Junior Year by Betsy Franco


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What a little gem of a book.

Ovid, named after and inspired by the Roman poet, journals all of his thoughts into a notebook. This teenagers voice is very believable and honest; he holds nothing back putting all his feelings on the line.

Ovid's journal tells of his high school experience, he gives the reader a snapshot of his life, as well as the lives of other high school students in a unique way. Ovid also gives each student a separate identity, connecting each one to a Roman mythological character based on each personality and struggle. Other juniors wrestling with their demons include musician Orpheus, obsessed with his girlfriend; incest victim Myrra, trying to find what's left of the girl in her; Alexis, a female Icarus flying too high on weed; and Sophie and Caleb, an internet Psyche and Cupid.

The only fault with this book is that it is too short. Despite its brevity, it's amazing how each character, including Ovid, grows and changes.
Who knows, after reading this you may find yourself looking up Ovid and the original Metamorphosis.

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Fairest by Gail Carson Levine


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Remember Ella Enchanted? Do you like fairytale-like stories? Here is one for you.
In a world where beauty, and singing ability are revered, Aza is awkward, and homely. Her only attribute is her glorious voice and has a gift of throwing her voice, that she calls "illusing." A duchess invites Aza to act as her companion and accompany her to the palace to attend the king's wedding. The new Queen Ivi she sees a way of protecting her reputation and disguising her own lack of singing talent by threatening Aza's family. Aza deceives the court into believing that Queen Ivi is a gifted singer. When the ruse is discovered, Aza is forced to flee the castle in order to save her life. Aza discovers her own strength of character, learns about herself, and decides that her physical appearance is not worthy of the stress and worry she has wasted on it. The plot is fast-paced, and you don’t even have to read it – the book comes on CD so you can enjoy the story and the singing. What’s not to like?

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Jinx by Meg Cabot


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Jean Honeychurch is plagued with misfortune, hence her nickname, Jinx. Small town Jinx moves to live with her aunt, uncle and spoilt cousin, Tory, in swanky New York City. Instead of finding a new start on life, Jean finds out Tory is a little too into boys, likes to mess around with drugs and alcohol and even fancies herself a witch.
Jinx instantly falls for the boy next door, Zack, who Troy fancies even though she is dating Shawn.
If life isn't complicated enough, there is the fact that Troy is practicing black magic, and believes Jinx is a witch too, whereas Jinx thinks she's cursed. That is when things really start to get good with plenty of skullduggery, bitchiness and romance.
While Cabot may be pretty formulaic she produces entertaining reading.

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Bloggrls, Book One: Nugrl90 by Cheryl Dellasega


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Sadie's world gets turned upside down when she finds out her parents are getting divorced and to make matters worse, she has to move. Now she has to start at a new school and be the New Girl! Sadie starts a blog to try and sort out her new life. The new school becomes bearable when she meets Jules, her new BF and BB(Buff Boy). However, BB seems to have a dark side. Even Jules demonstrates a dark side. Can she weather the storm? Written in blog-speak to hold your interest.

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The Luxe by Anna Godbersen


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Soap-in-a-book. All the "he said", "'she said", glamor, deceit, twists and turns of a soap opera handed to you in a book.
Elizabeth and Diana Holland have always ruled Manhattan's social scene, until their mother tells them something the don't wan to hear: their deceased father has left them poor. In order to remain a high status family, Elizabeth must marry for money. Unfortunately, Elizabeth is already in love with Will, a man with no money. Not only that, but Elizabeth's younger and more rebellious sister, Diana develops feelings for the man Elizabeth is supposed to marry. In a world of luxury and deception, the sisters must avoid backstabbing friends and spiteful maids to decide between family duty and true love.

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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne



This story is told from the viewpoint of an innocent child, Bruno, during WWII Germany. Apart from his innocence, Bruno has trouble pronouncing some words, but readers with even a rudimentary knowledge of 20th-century history will figure out, before Bruno does, where he lives and the significance of what he sees.

Bruno is nine when his family moves from their luxurious Berlin home to the country, where “The Fury” has appointed Bruno's father commandant of a house called “Out-With”. Lost and lonely, Bruno can see a camp in the distance, and sees potential playmates, oddly clad in striped pajamas. He has no idea what is going on, even when he eventually meets and makes friends with Shmuel, who lives on the other side of the camp fence. The boys meet every day. They even discover that they have the same birthday. It's all part of a poignant tale: Shmuel is Bruno's parallel self, and the innocent's experience brings home the unimaginable horror. The story raises the question: How could the world outside the fence not have known, or have known and failed to act on, what was happening inside it?

Bruno does finally act, and it is sure to take readers' breath away.

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