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.

View all my reviews >>

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.

View all my reviews >>

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.

View all my reviews >>

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.

View all my reviews >>

Fire by Kristin Cashore


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a fantasy with plenty of romance and suspense, set in the same world as Graceling, but on the far side of the mountain barrier in the kingdom of the Dells. Fire is a human monster, so beautiful that she has to hide her hair for fear of attack by both raptor monsters and human men. She is able to enter other people's minds and exert power over them. There is unrest in the land, as various lords are preparing to overthrow the king and Fire gets involved.
The book is full of action, characters and plot. Fire's struggles with her role in the war effort as well as her complex relationships with her oldest friend and lover, Archer; with Prince Brigan, whose mind is closed to her and who becomes central to her life; and with her monster father's dreadful legacy. A super read, hope there will be more.

View all my reviews >>

Airhead by Meg Cabot


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Once you suspend belief in the plot line you can enjoy a good read. Em Watts is your average teenager until she goes to the Stark store opening and gets hit on the head in a freak accident. She wakes up in hospital to find her brain has been transplanted into super-model Nikki's body. Now she has to figure out how to live with a famous person's body while trying to reconnect with her old friends and crush.

View all my reviews >>

Graceling by Kristin Cashore


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Their mismatched eyes identify Gracelings whose accentuated abilities range from mind reading, to predicting storms, to exceptional cooking, and everything in-between. The king takes them into his service so he can use whatever unusual talent to better his position. Katsa’s grace is killing; the king sends her when some ‘muscle’ is needed. Katsa hates what she has to do and forms an underground movement to look out for the populace.
On one particular case, Katsa encounters another Graceling. Po has one gold eye and one silver eye. They undertake a particularly dangerous mission in Monsea, the kingdom of Lech. The story takes many twists and turn while continuing to keep the reader attached to the likeable characters. Cashore creates a tangible environment complete with fantastic powers, romance and excitement.
The dénouement is a bit drawn out but will not put you off anticipating the sequel.

View all my reviews >>

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang



In American Born Chinese, Yang interweaves three seemingly unconnected stories: the main plot about a young Chinese-American boy, Jin Wang; a subplot about an all-American Anglo teenager, Danny, and his exaggeratedly-Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee; and the legend of the Monkey King. All three stories explore the very human need to fit-in and be accepted in society. This is not only true for minority groups but for us all especially teenagers. People who refuse to accept others and differences always make it harder for individuals.
The illustrations in this graphic novel are vibrant in color and jump off the page. There is plenty of humor and pathos to keep you interested and entertained. The message is clear and understandable, but sometimes we have to read and reread that it is OK to be ourselves.

View all my reviews >>

Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This novel explores the impact the Iraqi War has on a young American soldier.

When Private Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital in Iraq, he's honored with a Purple Heart - the army's medal for those wounded in battle. But he doesn't feel like a hero. He can't quite remember what happened in the Baghdad alley where he was hurt. Matt has suffered a traumatic brain injury and must slowly work to recover his memory and full brain function. The first half of the book deals with Matt’s struggle with his injury, his feelings of isolation and later guilt. The second half follows Matt as he returns to his squad to patrol the streets of Baghdad and how he deals with those realities.


Matt tries to remember just exactly what happened. As events of the attack begin to come back to him, he realizes he may have been responsible for something terrible. Tension builds and he becomes confused about interpretations of the truth and what to tell superiors. Friendship, bravado and juvenile antics counteract the soldiers' guilt, paranoia and unease around Iraqis, whom they are told to befriend but who often prove to be their enemy. McCormick raises questions and will have readers examining not only this conflict but the nature of heroism and war.

View all my reviews >>

Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Dogs are Dead! That was Ellie's first thoughts are. They should be barking and racing to greet her, instead they lie covered with flies. She races into the house - there is no sign of life. No dirty dishes in the sink, no TV blaring or radio talking. Only silence. Where is everyone?
Ellie and six friends had been camping in the Australian outback for a few days. As they rush to each house they find the same desolation - families gone, pets and livestock dead. Panic rises in the teens. There is no power, no phones, what should they do?
Was the country invaded? What were all those planes that roared overhead while they camped? and why did they have no lights?
Now the teens have to decide whether to run back to the bush, give themselves in, or stay and fight/

View all my reviews >>

Mathilda Savitch: A Novel by Victor Lodato


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Filled with grief, guilt, and confusion, young Mathilda Savitch is preoccupied with finding the cause of her 16-year-old sister's death. Having hacked into her sister Helena's email, Mathilda finds a secret world and begins to unravel the mystery. We see Mathilda change from child to young woman as she uses her feminine wiles to gather information. What could she have discovered that leaves a family so desolated. Lodato masterfully depicts an early teen's maschinations about boys, death, parents, love, sex, and humor. A deeply psychological book that leaves the reader with a clear knowledge of who Mathilda Savitch really is.

View all my reviews >>

Inside Out: Portrait of an Eating Disorder by Nadia Shivack


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Nadia Shivack’s heartbreaking true story is about her lifelong battle with anorexia and bulimia. The book is unflinching honest; the raw, graphic drawings convey the depression, anxiety, despair, and self-loathing that characterized her life. It is hearth wrenching to read Nadia's words and see, through her drawings, the extent of her inner turmoil. Although we know the hard clinical facts about the aspects of eating disorders, this book make the emotional side hit.
Told with a mixture of text and pictures drawn by Nadia, her preoccupation with food began when in her troubled household when she was in her pre-teen years. She likens her daily routine as a teen to a perilous climb up a steep, jagged mountain. Her dizzying downward spiral is sobering indeed, as her bulimia takes over her life and she becomes suicidal. This is a very sobering account of a life out of control, desperate for control and help. It gives us a glimpse of the emotional and chaotic thinking endured by bulimics. Statistics about eating disorders are found throughout the book, which concludes with a list of resources.

View all my reviews >>

Persepolis 1: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Marji tells of her life in Iran from the age of 10, when the Islamic revolution of 1979 reintroduced a religious state, through the age of 14 when the Iran-Iraq war forced her parents to send her to Europe for safety. It is told in graphic format with simple, but expressive, black-and-white illustrations. The story combines the normal rebelliousness of an intelligent adolescent with the horrors of war and totalitarianism. You get a glimpse fo how stressful it was to live in Iran at this time. Marji had a strong belief in freedom and equality, and her education gave her a strong faith in God. The girl's independence, which made her parents both proud and fearful, caused them to send her to Austria. From this autobiography readers will learn much of the history of this important area and will identify with young Marji and her friends.
Once you have become attached to Marji you can go on to reade Persepolis 2: the story of a return.

View all my reviews >>

Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Nazi cats and Jewish mice combine to make a heartbreaking and gut wrenching recounting of one family’s experience and survival of the Holocaust
Art Spiegelman intersperses his father's gripping survivor story with their present day uneasy, bickering relationship and through the text and illustrations he shows both the short and long term affects of the atrocities of the Holocaust.
Each scene opens at the elder Spiegelman's home in, N.Y. Art, who was born after the war, is visiting his father, Vladek, to record his experiences in Nazi-occupied Poland. The Nazis, portrayed as cats, gradually introduce increasingly repressive measures, until the Jews, drawn as mice, are systematically hunted and herded toward the Final Solution.
Spiegelman recounts all this without becoming judgmental. The characters have their flaws; in fact you soon forget that they are depicted as animals. Their relationships are intricate – Vladek understands why his Polish protectors sometimes demanded payment and why older people were sometimes given up to the Nazis.
Spiegelman relates the effects of those events on the survivors' later years and upon the lives of the following generation. This book is not only a recounting of a wretched time in history, it is a character study of how people survive personal hardships.

View all my reviews >>

Boys, Girls and Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Great title! A story of high school angst: fitting in, betrayal, romance, friendships. All the usual but told in a funny, light and believeable prose. Charlie moves to a new high school to start afresh after a horrible middle school experience. However, her past is not cooperating and finds ways of cropping up. She learned her lessons about friendships (not the best) and betrayal (not a good experience) but can she make the right decisions now?

View all my reviews >>

Saint Iggy by K.L. Going


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Poor misunderstood Iggy Corso, life has dealt him a tough hand and now he is on the brink of expulsion from school. Iggy knows he is not a bad kid and he wants to make a contribution to the world. But how do you reverse a life that is spiraling out of control. He needs a plan.
Follow Iggy and his plan through public housing, a never-ending drug party, the lap of luxury and a chapel, on his quest to make something of his life.
This is a quick and satisfying read; Iggy is one of those memorable characters. Told in widely spaced paragraphs with authentic details, the book explores serious issues of poverty, dis-interested parents, drug abuse, and how people treat and mistreat people without being preachy. The image of Iggy will stay with you for a long time after you have finished reading the pages.

View all my reviews >>

Paper Towns by John Green


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Totally a winner. Practical meets unpredictable as Quentin and Margo renew their friendship. Margo drags Q out of his comfort zone as they go on an overnight adventure. The next morning Margo is gone! Is she dead or alive? Quentin follow her clues to find her.
you will be kept on the edge of your seat and you join the mystery. Find Margo and find the reasons for her disappearance.

View all my reviews >>

Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation by Tim Hamilton


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This classic was made for the graphic novel format! The story is set in a future where firemen start fires; they start fires to burn books. The government looks on books as evil; books carry too much knowledge which is dangerous to the government. When books are found, they are burned; often the owners disappear too. Guy Montag is a fireman who begins to question his job and the government’s desire for conformity. The book follows Guy’s search for answers to his government’s censorship and fear of books, ideas, and differences. Although an abbreviated retelling, Bradbury authorized it and writes the introduction, it misses nothing. A wonderful eye-catching pictorial work which will encourage you to read the original novel.

View all my reviews >>

After 9/11: America's War on Terror by Sid Jacobson


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This graphic novel explains the post- 9/11 world. The novel shows all the critical events, major characters, the contexts and consequences of the “war on terror.” Reading and seeing the graphic depiction of this complex information makes for easier understanding than simple prose. The major characters are so well drawn and make recognition in print and visual media a snap. This book definitely eases the understanding of the chronology and interconnectedness of the events while keeping the reader interested with compelling art. For those interested in history and the history students who just want a recap on what happened when and by whom, this is a great resource.

View all my reviews >>

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a very entertaining book. You don't have to be into vampires to enjoy the wit, suspense, romance and good fun. The narrative is quick to keep you interested with plenty of twists and turns in the plot. I truly had no idea who the culprit was until the very end.

View all my reviews >>

Den of Thieves by Julia Golding


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The 3rd book in the Cat Royal series. Cat, an orphan, lives at the Theater Royal in Drury Lane, England. When the owner decides to tear down the theater to build a new one, Cat has no where to go! The books takes the reader on various adventures which are engaging. The characters are interesting, and with a dollop of history and travel, it all adds up to a worthwhile read. Suitable for all, but especially middle school aged.

View all my reviews >>

Falling For Romeo by Jennifer Laurens


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Nice chic lit. John and Jennifer have been next door neighbors since they were young. Despite being inseperable when they were younger, they've grown apart during junior high. It has always been somewhat of a race to the top, or a "whose better" competition for them. Everybody thinks John's perfect and when he decides to go out for the school play, which has always been Jennifer's forte, and gets the lead which makes Jennifer furious. Not only that, but they have to play Romeo and Juliet and actually kiss in the play! Jennifer and John deal with pride, jealousy and the tension between each other. Not to give too much away, I will stop there. How do they survive the drama production? Read on... yourself.


View all my reviews >>

Blue Ice and Other Stories from the Rink by Frank Ewert


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This is a slim collection of 6 short stories based on ice hockey. Great for middle school readers or higher and for the English student interested in writing (you can see the structure of story writing). You don't have to know much about hockey to enjoy the stories.

I'm not a huge hockey fan hence the low rating.


View all my reviews >>

Hate List by Jennifer Brown


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a must read! A cautionary tale of mis- and non- communications. Do we really know others completely, or can they surprise us? Partially for fun as well as out of anger, Val creates a hate list of things and people she hates at school. Her boyfriend, Nick, joins in and it becomes their working manuscript...... until Nick starts shooting those on the list.

How does Val react? How do the students and community deal with the trauma?

For those popular students and those on the periphery this novel indicates what can happen through bullying, ignorance, superiority etc. A thought provoking story. Val survives; the story is rooted in her inner strength and willingness to search for answers within herself - others are not so lucky. The one 'far-fetched' aspect is the introduction of Bea - just a little too fairy taleish in an otherwise realistic haunting novel.


View all my reviews >>

The Hunter's Moon by O.R. Melling

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I am overdosed on fairy - vampire - magic books. If I had read this 6 -12 months earlier I may have given it more stars. Now, being Irish I genuinely enjoyed the banter and collquialisms throughout the novel and pictured the geographical sites as they were expertly described. The story was interesting and woven with finesse. A good read for those of you who delight in faerie stories and like to escape from reality. I'm just ready for a bit of realism now.


View all my reviews.

Is It Still Cheating if I don't Get Caught? by Bruce Weinstein

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Weinstein offers some guidance on ethics in this easy to read and practical guide. At the start of the book, he outlines five "life principles," then gives senarios, which many teens will be able to relate to, "what would you do" options and then an explanation of how you should behaveand how the principles will lead to ethical decisions. The hypothetical situations cover school issues, sports, friends, and dating to Internet use and drugs. His advice repeatedly refers back to the life principles,Do No Harm, Make Things Better, Respect Others, Be Fair, Be Loving.

I think I will use some of these with my 7th graders with regard to cheating, plagiarism, and bullying.


View all my reviews.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place. Thrown into a harsh landscape with little resources, each contestant fights to stay alive as the cameras track their every move for the entertainment of the crowds back home. No one expects the scrawny girl from the poorest District to last very long. I can't wait for the next installment.


View all my reviews.

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Told in alternating narratives, Perfect Chemistry portrays a romance between two unlikely lab partners. Brittany is her Chicago high school's "golden girl" but few of her friends know that her parents are totally dysfunctional and that she is highly invested in caring for her physically and mentally disabled older sister. Alex is a member of the Latino Blood, but he wishes he could leave gang life and pursue a college career. The plot thickens as Alex accepts a bet from a friend that he cannot hook up with Brittany by Thanksgiving. Smoldering doesn't quite do justice to the romantic banter that sparks between them.


View all my reviews.

Strays by Ron Koertge

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Although the plot line is simple (boy finds acceptance/self-confidence)and the story is complicated, readers will enjoy the wit and hope filled account of a lost boy finding himself.

Recently orphaned Ted is placed in a foster home. The Rafters have two other foster children. Ted, who relates more to animals (he speaks to them and they speak back) slowly becomes more communicative. Nice quick read.


View all my reviews.

On The Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Part mystery, love story, coming of age, this novel is a page turner. Marchetta successfully develops two generations of characters who grab you and become individuals you can relate to. Her insights into teens' thought processes are revealing.

Taylor Markham boards at an Australian school. Her mother abandoned her when she was 11 years old. She wants to find her mother but must also deal with the disappearance of her close friend while also seeing to her duties as house leader of her dorm.


View all my reviews.

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a fun and relaxing book to read. It flows easily and keeps your interest with humor and twists. I started off thinking I wouldn't like the main character because she steals her best friends fiance. However, the more I read the more I ended up liking her. There is a satisfying twist at the end which I will not spoil for future readers. Definitely a summer (or any other time) read.


View all my reviews.

Shift by Jennifer Bradbury

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
A mystery and a friendship story. Chris and Win set out from West Virginia for Washington State on their bicycles. As they near Washington, Win disappears. The chapters alternate between flashbacks of the trip and current details of the investigation and how the events affect Chris. Characters develop nicely during the novel. Teens will be able to relate to the thought processes of the characters and their on/off friendship. Anyone will enjoy the mystery and the suspense Bradbury creates.


View all my reviews.

Beowulf by Gareth Hinds

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Good introduction to Beowulf. Summarizes the epic story and gives the reader a clear understanding of the plot. Useful for reluctant readers and those who do not get the plot line from the poem.

This is a graphic novel and the depicitons are "graphic" making it appealing to teen boys in particular. This would be a good classroom addition.


View all my reviews.