Category Archives: Young Adult

The Vision, by Jen Nadol

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Thistle

I really enjoyed the first book of this series (The Mark), up until it suddenly switched from philosophical to paranormal in the last few chapters. I didn’t plan to read the sequels, but somehow I forgot that by the time … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Wonder Show, by Hannah Barnaby

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Thistle

Portia’s aunt leaves her at McGreavey’s Home for Wayward Girls, run by Mister, who puts the girls to work and uses them to raise a profit for himself. Portia escapes, joining up with a carnival sideshow, where she lives as … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Second Chance Summer, by Morgan Matson

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Thistle

Taylor has a history of running away when things get tough, but she can’t run away from the terrible news her father just received: stage 4 cancer, too late to treat, less than four months to live. Her parents decide … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Thumped, by Megan McCafferty

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Thistle

Last year, when I read Bumped, I really, really enjoyed it. A commercially-based dystopia – something completely unique! I was really looking forward to Thumped, but the book didn’t work quite as well for me as Bumped did. There wasn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Fire and Hemlock, by Diana Wynne Jones

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Thistle

At 19 years old, Polly suddenly realizes that she has two sets of memories. She explores back through the newly-uncovered memories from her tenth through fifteenth years, where she gatecrashed a bizarre funeral, made friends with a meek cellist, and … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Time of the Ghost, by Diana Wynne Jones

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Thistle

Charlotte, Sally, Imogen, and Fenella are four sisters whose parents run a boarding school. They are ignored and neglected for the most part, so have learned to take care of themselves, and not always in the normal, polite kind of … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Dead to You, by Lisa McMann

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Thistle

Ethan De Wilde was abducted from his home when he was seven years old. At sixteen, he returns to his family, but the return isn’t the miracle everyone hopes it will be. It’s complicated, and difficult, and emotionally charged. Ethan … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged | Leave a comment

Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Thistle

After Davey’s father is shot and killed, her family moves from New Jersey to New Mexico. There, they all must cope with the loss and the breakup of family. This will be a very hard book for me to review. … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

House of Many Ways, by Diana Wynne Jones (audio)

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Thistle

House of Many Ways is the third book in the Howl series, and like Castle in the Air, it is more a companion novel than a direct sequel. Once again, this book takes place a couple years after the last … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cinder, by Marissa Meyer

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Thistle

Cinder is a retelling of Cinderella, set in future-world China on a background of cyborgs and plague and intergalactic politics. I’ll be short with this review. I wasn’t sure I would like this book. It seemed everyone was reading it, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments