• Book Reviews

    Book Review: The Summer of May

    Tweet Media Type: Book Title: The Summer of May Author: Cecilia Galante Publisher: Aladdin Pages: Hardcover; 256 Release Date: April 26, 2011 Source: GalleyGrab ==================== Intended Reading Group: Middle Grade/Young Adult Content Screening: Nothing to report. HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart Galante’s bittersweet story of a troubled 13-year-old stars spunky Maeve (May) O’Toole, who holds a lot of grudges. May’s most recent target is her English teacher, “Movado the Avocado,” who she blames for having to repeat English in summer school. Spending her mornings prepping and painting the classroom wall she defaced during the school year and doing…

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    Book Review: Unearthly

    Media Type: Book Title: Unearthly Author: Cynthia Hand Publisher: HarperTeen Pages: Hardcover; 435 Release Date: January 4, 2011 Source: NetGalley ===================== Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Nothing of note. HDB Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart In the beginning, there’s a boy standing in the trees… Clara Gardner has recently learned that she’s part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do.…

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    Book Review: OyMG

    Media Type: Book Title: OyMG Author: Amy Fellner Dominy Publisher: Walker & Company Pages: Hardcover; 256 Release Date: May 10, 2011 Source: Author/TBS ===================== Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Nothing! HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Jewish girl. Christian camp. Holy moly. Ellie Taylor loves nothing better than a good argument. So when she gets accepted to the Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts summer camp, she’s sure that if she wins the final tournament, it’ll be her ticket to a scholarship to the best speech school in the country. Unfortunately, the competition at CSSPA is hot-literally.…

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    Book Review: With or Without You

    Media Type: Book Title: With or Without You Author: Brian Farrey Publisher: Simon Pulse Pages: Paperback; 368 Release Date: May 24, 2011 Source: Publisher/TBS ===================== Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: violence; mild language; sexual scenarios HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart Eighteen year-old Evan and his best friend, Davis, get beaten up for being loners. For being gay. For just being themselves. But as rough as things often seem, at least Evan can take comfort in his sweet, sexy boyfriend Erik–whom he’s kept secret from everyone for almost a year. Then Evan and Davis are recruited to…

  • Book Reviews

    Book Review: Tighter

    Tweet Media Type: Book Title: Tighter Author: Adele Griffin Publisher: Knopf Books Pages: Hardcover; 208 Release Date: May 10, 2011 Source: Author/TBS ===================== Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Clean read! HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart When 17-year-old Jamie arrives on the idyllic New England island of Little Bly to work as a summer au pair, she is stunned to learn of the horror that precedes her. Seeking the truth surrounding a young couple’s tragic deaths, Jamie discovers that she herself looks shockingly like the dead girl—and that she has a disturbing ability to sense the two…

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    Book Review: Here Lies Bridget

    Tweet Media Type: Book Title: Here Lies Bridget Author: Paige Harbison Publisher: Harlequin Teen Pages: Paperback; 224 Release Date: January 18, 2011 Source: NetGalley ======================== Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Mild language HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Bridget Duke is the uncontested ruler of her school. The meanest girl with the biggest secret insecurities. And when new girl Anna Judge arrives, things start to fall apart for Bridget: friends don’t worship as attentively, teachers don’t fall for her wide-eyed “who me?” look, expulsion looms ahead and the one boy she’s always loved—Liam Ward—can barely even look…

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    Book Review: Odessa – The Seraphym Wars

    Tweet Media Type: Book Title: Odessa – The Seraphym Wars Author: Rebecca Ryals Russell Publisher: Muse It Up Pages: Ebook; 272 Release Date: March 29, 2011 Source: Author ====================== Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Violence HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Myrna Ashlin Watts graduated from High School in Jacksonville, Fl just in time to find herself transported to a bizarre and primal planet corrupted by demon-dragons. And they want her DEAD. Her problem is she has been recruited to kill them, too. 18-year-old Myrna is drawn into the middle of an epic battle between Seraphym and…

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    Book Review: Escape

    Tweet Media Type: Book Title: Escape Author: Lisa Polisar Publisher: NukeWorks Pages: Paperback; 174 Release Date: December 7, 2010 Source: Author ================== Intended Reading Group: Adult Book Genre: Mystery HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart From the quiet English countryside to the gritty streets of Boston’s Chinatown, there is a silent commonality among these eerie tales – Polisar’s fascination with the darkness of the human psyche. Whether it’s murder in a jazz club or deadly assassins, Polisar’s intricate storytelling and startling characters will take you on an unforgettable journey from fear and terror to escape. Add it on: Goodreads…

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    Book Review: The Diva Doctrine

    Media Type: Book Title: The Diva Doctrine Author: Patricia V. Davis Publisher: Bonneville Books Pages: Paperback; 160 Release Date: May 8, 2011 Source: Cedar Fort Books ——————————— Genre: Self-Help HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Women who are looking for something uplifting and funny to read. Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Librarything   Patricia V. Davis may be the first to tell you she’s an expert in failed relationships. But ask any of the readers who helped a post on her advice blog go viral, and they’ll say that whether you’re wide-eyed twenty-something dreamer, the world’s grooviest grandma, or something in between, there’s…

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    Audio Book Review: Eighth Grade Bites

    Tweet Media Type: Audio book Title: Eighth Grade Bites Author: Heather Brewer Narrator: Kevin Pariseau Publisher: Brilliance Audio Format: MP3-CD Duration: 4:43:34 Source: Library ======================= Intended Reading Group: Middle Grade/Young Adult Content Screening: Mild violence HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Junior high really sucks for thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: his mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and…