The twilight Gospel: The Spiritual Roots of Stephenie Meyer's Vampire Saga by Dave Roberts


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Following the popular, yet controversial, Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, The Twilight Gospel by Dave Roberts is an overview of the different ideas and values that Stephenie Meyers promotes. Roberts identifies different themes in the Twilight books and examines them from a Christian perspective.

A short book with clearly defined chapters, it takes no time to read.

Roberts points out that though the Twilight books promote sexual relationships, physical beauty, and the idea that these things lead to perfection, there are also other themes throughout, e.g. compassion, family…..

A good book for parents, interested teen and teachers as it contains some interesting discussion points.

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The Orange Houses by Paul Griffin


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I toted this book around for a couple of weeks as I felt it my duty to read it so I could make a report. Then we had a few snow days and I was at home. I found a bunch of books that I wanted to read and so "The Orange Houses" remained shelved, or should I say 'bagged'. Eventually I felt guilty and took the book out intending to skim. I read the first few short chapters and was hooked.
-The Orange Houses- by Paul Griffin is a disturbing story revolving around three marginalized teens: Mika, a 15-year-old hearing-impaired girl, 18-yr-old Jimmi, a mentally disabled veteran, and Fatima, a 16-yr-old African illegal. Their paths cross and recross in The Bronx as each struggles with life and what fate has dished out.

These teens are all living rough, avoiding police, fighting bullies, constantly dealing with fear and mental illness. But they share a longing for something better, through art, freedom, kindness.

The chapters alternate between the three teens' points of view, and tension mounts as each chapter counts down to a violent act predicted at the beginning of the book. The potential waste and injustice of this violence becomes more apparent as the reader becomes more invested in the characters: - why will someone be hanged?

Haunting and disturbing yet still hopeful.

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Still Sucks to be Me: More All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton Smith, Teen Vampire by Kimberly Pauley


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Despite being another vampire book this novel shines. Full of wit and one-liners from a sassy teen-vampire faced with all the turmoil of high school politics as well as being relocated to LA (small town Louisiana and not Los Angeles as she originally thought, what a disappointment)and starting in a new school for her senior year.
Mina's voice is fresh, appealing and hilarious. You will be sucked in from the first chapter on.

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Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan gets into the mind of fifteen-year-old Blake who is struggling to balance his perfect girlfriend Shannon and his photo partner and friend Marissa who happens to be a girl. He constantly gets in hot-water by saying or not saying the right thing. After taking a photo of a worn-down, drug addict on the street for his photography class (Blake always sticks to gritty photos), he discovers more about Marissa – that woman was her missing mother. As Blake learns more about Marissa, their relationship changes, and Blake begins to realize that though love and romance are confusing, friendship isn’t necessarily any clearer. While he works to perfect his photography, he realizes it takes just as much work to balance the two most important females in his life that couldn’t be more different.

Flash Burnout blends comedy with more serious matters perfectly in Flash Burnout. Blake’s dilemmas feel real to the reader, and I must say I laughed at some point during nearly every chapter is this novel. L.K. Madigan does a superb job getting into the mind of a teenage boy – a task many young adult authors have tried without as much success – as Blake’s thoughts feel authentic. This book is fast-paced and, despite its length, easy to read in one sitting because it’s so hard to put down. The references to the craft of photography, especially the tips found at the beginning of each chapter and in the title itself, add to the parallels in Blake’s life and enrich the reader’s experience. The only time I was let down was the very ending of this novel which felt rather abrupt. I wish Flash Burnout had gone further in time and not ended so suddenly, so that the reader could feel more closure with the characters.

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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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