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Book Review: The Downside of Being Charlie
Media Type: Print Book (ARC) Title: The Downside of Being Charlie Author: Jenny Torres Sanchez Publisher: Running Press Kids Pages: Paperback; 268 Release Date: May 22, 2012 Source: Publisher ————————————- Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Mild Language ————————————- HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Everyone. Seriously. EVERYONE. Especially readers who enjoy contemporary reads. Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / B&N Charlie is handed a crappy senior year. Despite losing thirty pounds over the summer, he still gets called “Chunks” Grisner. What’s worse, he has to share a locker with the biggest Lord…
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Audio Book Review: If I Stay
Media Type: Audio Book Title: If I Stay *Series: If I Stay #1 Author: Gayle Forman Narrator: Kirsten Potter Publisher: Penguin Group Format: MP3; 5 hours 2 minutes Release Date: April 30, 2009 Source: Audible ——————————————- Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Nothing of note ——————————————- Recommended to: Readers who love a good contemporary and aren’t afraid to cry. HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / B&N In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet…
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Book Review: Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters
Media Type: Ebook Title: Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters Author: Meredith Zeitlin Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Pages: Hardcover; 288 Release Date: March 1, 2012 Source: Author —————————————————– Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Mild Language —————————————————– HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Everyone! Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / B&N Kelsey Finkelstein is fourteen and FRUSTRATED. Every time she tries to live up to her awesome potential, her plans are foiled – by her impossible parents, her annoying little sister, and life in general. But with her first day of high school…
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Book Review: Shut Up
Media Type: Ebook Title: Shut Up Author: Anne Tibbets Publisher: Premier Digital Publishing Pages: Paperback; 118 Release Date: February 28, 2012 Source: Author ————————————– Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Violence; Abuse; Adult Language ————————————– HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers looking for a contemporary read that is extremely honest, and definitely heartwrenching. Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / B&N Mary’s older sister, Gwen, has royally screwed up her life. Not only is Gwen pregnant at seventeen, but she’s also decided to marry The Creep who knocked her up. Now Mary is…
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Book Review: Wanted
Media Type: Print Book (ARC) Title: Wanted Author: Heidi Ayarbe Publisher: Balzer + Bray Pages: Hardcover; 400 Release Date: May 1, 2012 Source: Publisher / Teen Book Scene —————————————– Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Violence, Mild Language —————————————— HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers looking for a different type of contemporary that is gritty and honest. Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / B&N A one-word text message: That’s all Michal “Mike” Garcia needs to gather a crowd. Mike is a seventeen-year-old bookie, and Sanctuary is where she takes bets for anyone…
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Book Review: The Value of Rain
Media Type: Ebook Title: The Value of Rain Author: Brandon Shire Publisher: Self-published Pages: Paperback; 214 Release Date: November 30, 2011 Source: Author —————————————- Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Sexual Situations, Harsh Language —————————————- HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers who are comfortable with sexual situations and graphic language. Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / B&N Charles is 14, and after being discovered with his first love he is forced into a mental hospital to cure his sexuality. For the next ten years he endures mental and physical torture as part…
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Book Review: Graffiti Moon
Media Type: Ebook (ARC) Title: Graffiti Moon Author: Cath Crowley Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers Pages: Hardcover; 272 Release Date: February 14, 2012 Source: NetGalley ——————————————— Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Mild Violence ——————————————— HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers who swoon worthy moments and wonderfully rendered characters. Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / B&N Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she’s going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He’s out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds…
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Book Review: Saving June
Media Type: Ebook (ARC) Title: Saving June Author: Hannah Harrington Publisher: Harlequin Pages: Paperback; 322 Release Date: November 22, 2011 Source: NetGalley —————————————- Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Mild Language; Sexual Situations —————————————- HDB Rating: 4 Key to My Heart Recommended to: Readers who enjoy a good contemporary read. Readers okay with upper YA themes. Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / B&N When her older sister commits suicide and her divorcing parents decide to divide the ashes, Harper Scott takes her sister’s urn to the one place June always wanted to go: California. On the…
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Book Review: If I Tell
Media Type: Print Book Title: If I Tell Author: Janet Gurtler Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire Pages: Paperback; 256 Release Date: October 1, 2011 Source: NetGalley —————————————— Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Mild language —————————————— HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers who enjoy realistic fiction with a lot of heart. Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Librarything / Amazon / B&N Jasmine Evans knows one thing for sure… people make mistakes. After all, she is one. Jaz is the result of a onenight stand between a black football player and a blonde princess. Having a young…
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Courage, a guest post by Helen Laibach
Today I’m pleased to have Helen Laibach, author of A Soul Less Broken here on the blog. I recently finished reading her book and I have to say, it’s heartbreaking and empowering at the same time. Helen is here to share a look into the rape statistics that drive her book. Catherine’s situation is terrifying, and yet very real people face that every day. I’ll let her explain. I’ve heard it said that the definition of courage is “doing what you know is right even when you are afraid.” There are the obvious examples of people who display courage every day…