Category Archives: Young Adult

Just Listen, by Sarah Dessen

Twice now, Sarah Dessen has surprised me. I don’t know why, but I keep thinking her books will be shallow and age-dated. Perhaps it’s the way her books are marketed, the covers on them and such. One way or another, … Continue reading

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Love is the Higher Law, by David Levithan

Claire, Jasper, and Peter all experience the tragedy of 9/11 in different ways. They are all only barely connected – Claire goes to school with Peter, who meets Jasper at a party and makes a date with him not long … Continue reading

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19 Varieties of Gazelle, by Naomi Shihab Nye

This small book of poetry is subtitled “Poems of the Middle East.” I first got interested in reading some of Nye’s poetry when I saw her at a poetry reading last year. I finally got this book around Christmas. Once … Continue reading

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The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary Pearson

Jenna Fox is in a major accident and lives in a coma for 18 months. When she wakes up, she remembers nothing. Her family is very anxious for her to get better, but Jenna senses something is wrong. She struggles … Continue reading

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Sold, by Patricia McCormick

Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives in poverty in a small village in Nepal. Her family sends her away to work as a maid in a rich family’s house, but in actuality Lakshmi is sold into prostitution in India. … Continue reading

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Trance, by Linda Gerber

Ashlyn and her older sister, Kyra, see visions of the future. They go into trances and see random glimpses of images. While they see, they write number sequences that they can’t make sense of. They’ve never been able to stop … Continue reading

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Shine, Coconut Moon, by Neesha Meminger

Samar is Indian-American and has spent her life not knowing any of her family except her mother. When her uncle shows up a few days after the September 11th attacks, everything changes. Samar begins to question her past and wants … Continue reading

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Of All the Stupid Things, by Alexandra Diaz

Tara, Whitney Blaire, and Pinkie have been best friends forever, but can their friendship survive when Tara suddenly becomes attracted to the new girl at school, Riley? In setup, Of All the Stupid Things is very similar to The Bermudez … Continue reading

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Devilish, by Maureen Johnson

Jane goes to an all-girl Catholic high school, where she’s a smart, punky outcast. Her best friend is Allison is unpopular and anxious, and Jane would do anything for her. Anything. Including selling her soul to a devil’s minion in … Continue reading

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The Gardener, by SA Bodeen

I’m sort of puzzled how to review this book, because everything about it is a spoiler. The cover, the tagline on the cover, the back-of-the-book description – all spoilers. If you look at that picture, you can tell exactly what … Continue reading

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