Category Archives: Young Adult/Teen 12-18

Review: Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson

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Piecing Me Together by Renee WatsonPiecing Me Together
Renée Watson
Bloomsbury
Published February 14, 2017

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Piecing Me Together

Jade believes the only way she’ll find success is to get out of her neighborhood. That’s why she accepts a scholarship to a privileged, mostly white school. It’s why she puts her studies first—no time for boys, no time for goofing around. As a girl from a poor neighborhood, Jade knows she must appreciate the opportunities that come her way, even those that treat her as less-than. When she joins a mentorship program meant to help “at-risk” (read: black) girls, Jade’s frustration mounts. How is her so-called mentor supposed to teach her anything when she doesn’t have her own life together? How are the group’s pointless activities supposed to change anything for her?

My Review

As Jade wrestles with the injustices in her life, she begins to realize the only way things will change is for her to find her own voice, to speak up, and challenge the people around her. Her courage and vulnerability make her story deeply moving and accessible. When she shares her experiences with racism with a white friend, at one point her friend sort of shrugs and says, “I don’t know what you want me to say.” Jade’s ability to articulate this response—support me, believe me, she tells her friend—opens conversation and dialogue about race relations issues.

Overall, this is a rich story. It’s easy to connect with Jade through her experiences, to love her, and to understand how she feels and why. It’s easy to cheer for her victories, as a young woman and an artist. I loved that she’s a collagist, and I loved the way her art was a key component of the story. I loved the way history (the story relates some information about York, an African American man who traveled with Lewis and Clark) and poetry played a key role in the story as well.

I definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy contemporary fiction or novels about art and friendship.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Jade, her family, and her best friend Lee Lee are African American. Her mentor comes from a wealthy African American family. Her friend Sam is a white girl being raised by her grandparents. Jade is studying Spanish hoping for an opportunity to travel in an educational program. Each chapter begins with a Spanish word translated to English.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Jade attends a meeting with her mentorship group that focuses on dating and relationships. She’s not interested in either one, and the conversation stays pretty vague.

Spiritual Content
Jade comes home to her mom listening to gospel music and cleaning. Following a terrible event, Jade asks her uncle to say a prayer. He calls prayer a “poor man’s drug,” and tells Jade the person she needs to be talking to isn’t God but politicians who can make changes. Jade prays anyway.

Violent Content
Four police officers beat up an unarmed fifteen-year-old black girl when they break up a party. Jade and her friend hear about it on the news, but feel shaken up.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links which do not cost you anything to use but which help support this blog.

Review: Nowhere Near You by Leah Thomas

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

Nowhere Near You
Leah Thomas
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published February 7, 2017

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

After Ollie’s mother died, he left home with Dr. Auburn-Stache to travel the United States meeting other kids with bizarre abilities resulting from lab experiments. In letters to Moritz, the German boy with no eyes who has become his best friend, Ollie relates the journey. He meets a boy with bones so brittle they snap like chalk, and a girl who removes her heart when her feelings become too intense. Inspired by Ollie’s cross-country adventure, Moritz makes a journey of his own, joining a prestigious school where he meets a girl with two mouths. Then a terrible discovery leaves eternally optimistic Ollie reeling, and a horrible mistake propels Moritz back into isolation. But the unusual group faces a bigger risk, one that can’t be tackled unless both boys face the very thing they fear most.

Nowhere Near You sat on my bedside table for a crazy amount of time before I finally faced my own fear and picked it up. I loved Because You’ll Never Meet Me, the beginning of Ollie and Moritz’s story, so much that I worried about reading more. Apparently I’m super susceptible to this kind of sequel-pressure, because I worry about this sort of thing a lot.

That said, once I started reading, I felt like I was back in the story world I loved so much in the first book. I love Ollie’s upbeat, indomitable voice—he’s like a Labrador puppy, leaping and bounding all over the place and convinced the world is a fantastic, friendly place. But I also love Moritz’s buttoned-up, melancholy tone. I want a Fieke in my life. She’s the kind of prickly but protective friend that every sensitive person needs, and she definitely added some punch to Moritz’s letters. Klaus was another favorite of mine. His quiet, devoted friendship won me over right away.

But I think one of the unsung heroes of the story has to be Moritz’s dad. I loved Moritz’s description of his dad being a man of few words, so that when he spoke, each word had weight because it was obviously carefully considered. His character bears out that description, too. Even though he’s not in the story much, I liked him and it was obvious that he meant a great deal to Moritz and had a huge impact on his life.

In terms of plot, this was always going to be a story which required a serious willingness to suspend disbelief as so many characters have bizarre traits and abilities. I liked that Leah Thomas used this story to explore Moritz’s lack of sight beyond his supernatural ability to compensate via echolocation. At one point illness robs Moritz of his ability and reminds him how fragile he is and how dependent he is on his hearing for both vision and sound.

If you haven’t read Because You’ll Never Meet Me, you need to start with that one first. You could probably follow a great deal of the story without having read it, but you’ll be on the outside of a lot of inside jokes between Ollie and Moritz, and seriously. It’s really good. So there’s that, too.

Recommended for Ages 15 up.

Cultural Elements
Moritz, who lives in Germany, was born with no eyes. He can “see” using echolocation, but illness interferes with his ability to hear and he can’t discern color, which becomes a problem in school.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.

Romance/Sexual Content
Boy/boy kissing. One brief, vague comment about touching and an insinuation that the boys have had sex. Moritz repeatedly tells Ollie that he loves him.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
An accident involving a school bus injures some kids. A girl has the ability to remove her heart from her chest in a non-gory way. Her heart sits in a pocket in her chest and is completely enclosed, so not bloody or anything when she takes it out. At one point she threatens to put it into a blender (to commit suicide).

Drug Content
A boy from school gives Moritz alcohol to drink.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

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Review: Wanted by Betsy Schow

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

Wanted
Betsy Schow
Sourcebooks Fire
Available February 7, 2017

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Rexi, Robin Hood’s daughter, scrambles to make amends for accidentally releasing the wicked witch from her prison and mucking up everyone’s happily ever after. That’s sort of the problem, though: no matter what Rexi does, everything ends up an even bigger mess. But all that has to change now that Rexi is faced with becoming Forgotten, erased from Story forever. Rexi vows to do whatever it takes to break the curse that binds her to chipper princess Dorthea and rewrite her own story, to become a hero.

I think the best part about this book, for me, were the quotes opening each chapter. They were very tongue-in-cheek references to fairytale stories and characters. I also really loved the whole mixed up fairytale situation in Wanted. Instead of a gorgeous mirror mounted on the wall, the magic mirror has become a compact whose rhyme is broken. Rexi’s just-roll-with-it attitude made some of these unexpected shifts pretty funny.

The whole story has a pretty snarky voice, which sometimes grated on my nerves. There were moments I was like, okay, does Rexi actually like anything? But ultimately her deep desire to be wanted, to be valued by others and even loved totally won me over.

Fans looking for something a little older than the Ever After High books, but with much the same twisty-but-silly fairytale quality should definitely give this a read. I think it would appeal to fans of the School for Good and Evil books, too.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
The major characters seem to be white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Rexi swears in fairytale words, shouting things like, “Spell no,” or “Glam it.”

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief boy/girl kissing.

Spiritual Content
Lots of magic. The Storymaker has the ability to write stories, but he’s not a purely benevolent force. The story definitely takes on a “life is what you make it” kind of attitude, but also emphasizes the value of heroism and good deeds. Characters who don’t live a heroic story become forgotten and fade from memory and existence.

Violent Content
Some scuffling and battles. Brief gore. One of Rexi’s allies swaps heads with other characters, which is a little it icky. Not a lot of gross description, but a little bit for sure.

Drug Content
Rexi drinks tree sap tonic to keep her memories from becoming confused. She makes a very brief reference to feeling as if she’s had some spiked beverage at one point when she feels woozy.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

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January 2017 Monthly Wrap-Up

Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

It’s January 2017

Wow. So we made it to 2017! Yay. I’m excited about sharing so many great books this year. You can see some of them already posted on my 2017 Reading List. You may also notice that I have a new feature in my sidebar. You’ll find buttons that take you to a list of my past reviews based on the book’s target age or genre of the books. I’m also working on creating a master list of reviews so you can skim the whole list pretty easily. I hope to have that posted by the end of February.

My New E-book: Reviews Wanted

I’ve also released my first e-book which aims to help authors successfully network with book review bloggers. You can find out more about it here.

Another thing I’ve been working on behind-the-scenes are some resources for parents and readers that might help you better navigate The Story Sanctuary and post ideas that will help you find new books based on novels you read and enjoyed.

If there are things you’d like to see or see more of here on the site, please share them with me! I’m always open to new ideas and experimenting with new ways to get information about great books out to you.

Also – if you know of new Christian YA releases, please let me know. I’ve got a few in the Blink line from Zondervan on my review list, but I’m having a hard time finding and keeping up with other Christian YA titles. There are several small presses that do them, but even those are sometimes hard to keep up with. I used to review a lot more Christian YA. I enjoy reading and reviewing mainstream titles, too, and it’s important to me to do that, too.

Here’s what you missed in terms of reviews this month…

January 2017 Reviews

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Aftermath by Clara Kensie

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Loving vs. Virginia by Patricia Hruby Powell

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

The Radius of Us by Marie Marquardt

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Life in a Fishbowl by Len Vlahos

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Almost There by Laurel Garver

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

A List of Cages by Robin Roe

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Author Jaimie Engle’s Birthday Celebration and Giveaway

Also in exciting news, my friend and favorite local author is hosting a giveaway in honor of her birthday! Check it out for a chance to win three e-books and a $5 Starbucks gift card! (Click the link or the image above for more details and to enter the giveaway. Ends February 11, 2017)

You can find my reviews and content notes on her books here.

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Review: Unfolding by Jonathan Friesen

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Magical Realism, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Unfolding
Jonathan Friesen
Blink
Published January 31, 2017

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Unfolding

Jonah’s been in love with Stormi pretty much since the day the twister plucked her up from her home and set her down unhurt in his neighbor’s yard. Mysterious, beautiful, and a gifted mechanic, Stormi often senses things before they come to pass. When one of her premonitions results in a girl’s death, the town rallies against her. Jonah follows her, determined to clear Stormi’s name. In the process, he uncovers a dark secret the town has kept for most of his life.

My Review

Friesen has this ability in his writing to craft guys you can’t help but root for. His heroes have all the odds stacked against them, huge obstacles to overcome and of course hope for impossible love with the most beautiful girl. Which pretty much means I love his novels. Unfolding was no different. It’s a quick read, too—I think I tore through it one evening in just a few hours. So much happens in the story that I kept turning pages and barely noticed anything else.

One of my favorite things about the story was the way the more whimsical/supernatural elements intersected with the reality-based parts of the tale. It gave the story kind of an otherworldly vibe but still left it in a largely contemporary setting. I don’t know if that makes sense. I liked that blend. Sort of like Twister meets The Village, if I can use movie references.

If you like contemporary stories with a paranormal edge to them, you should definitely check out Unfolding. Fans of the Beautiful Creatures series The Raven Boys should add Unfolding to their reading lists.

Content Notes for Unfolding

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
The story takes place in a small Midwest town. Jonah has scoliosis. At times this seems pretty debilitating, but he doesn’t let it stop him from doing much of anything he wants to do. He also has seizures. See spoiler section for more on this. One of Jonah’s friends seems like maybe he could be on the autism spectrum, but it’s never clarified.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Jonah believes rumors about Stormi having sex with other boys. Stormi’s adopted brother repeatedly makes advances and comments to her which she dodges and ignores. Jonah feels some intense attraction toward her, and a couple of times references feeling a heightened physical response to his desire to be with her. The comment is about as oblique as I’m being here.

Spiritual Content
Like a prophetess, Stormi knows things she couldn’t possibly know and warns the town about events to come. Sometimes they heed her warnings and other times blame her for things she predicted.

See spoiler section.

Violent Content
Reference to murder and rape. A man recollects that it was horrible listening to the sound of his daughter being murdered and not being able to stop it. Two people die in an accident. A cult-like group of men threaten to kill one of their own after he betrays them.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

SPOILER

Jonah learns that his town is under a curse. Years ago, innocent teens were murdered. The townspeople covered it up, and now it seems this curse will punish them for refusing to acknowledge the lives lost.

Resolving the curse stops Jonah’s seizures. I wouldn’t think much about this except that I recently read an article about the representation of epilepsy in literature, so it made me consider this character and plot in a different way. One of the things the article discusses is the way that having seizures equated to a curse or something like that is it sort of draws a connection between seizures and evil, which perhaps perpetuates a stigma about epilepsy (which people once used to believe meant demon possession).

While I don’t in any way think this was the author’s heart or intent, it did strike me that, for someone reading this book who has epilepsy, this could be a disappointing component to the story.

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Review: A List of Cages by Robin Roe

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

A List of Cages
Robin Roe
Disney-Hyperion
Published January 10, 2017

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Julian’s life is a tightrope walk. At school, he hides from belligerent teachers and from his trouble reading. At home, he tiptoes around the house where he’s not allowed to touch anything, where the only things that belong to him are the possessions in the trunk his parents gave him.

When the school counselor gets tired of Julian dodging his appointments with her, she sends her aide, a senior named Adam to find Julian. Adam quickly recognizes Julian as the foster brother who lived with him and his mom five years ago. Now, though, Julian isn’t the chatty kid he once was, and Adam has to figure out why. As he begins to uncover Julian’s secrets, he realizes Julian could be in terrible danger, but trying to rescue him could cost both boys their lives.

This isn’t the book I expected it to be. The story opens with Julian’s point-of-view, and right away, I was pretty hooked. He’s quiet—the kind of kid that struggles to come up with quick responses in conversation. The kind of kid that makes for an easy target to get picked on. But he’s kind and artistic, and I couldn’t help wanting him to find a way through his troubles.

Then I met Adam. Adam is likeable for a whole other host of reasons. He’s bouncy and fun and always upbeat. I loved that about him, and I loved his relationship with his grouchy-but-goodhearted best friend Charlie. I liked that Adam’s ADHD wasn’t the story. You kind of got the picture of how his mind worked and what life was like for him without it being center-stage.

What I didn’t like was the way Adam seemed so protective of Julian in some ways and sort of oblivious in other ways—like bringing him alcohol at a party and expecting his friends not to get Julian too drunk. That didn’t play for me, and I really had a hard time with how casual the attitude about alcohol was, especially when Adam and his mom were so careful about so many other things, like choosing homeopathic remedies over prescription drugs because of adverse side effects. Alcohol doesn’t have adverse side effects? This isn’t a concern?

Anyway. Sorry. Soapbox. Moving on.

The story had so many positive elements in it—messages about the healing power of love in friendships and family, the value of having the support of a community of people through a hard time. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if it lacked some of the casual attitude toward drinking and sex. See below for further notes on content.

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Cultural Elements
I can’t remember any racial descriptions of characters, but I’m not sure if that’s because they’re all hinted to be white or if I just imagined them that way whereas I could have imagined them other ways? Adam is diagnosed with ADHD.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some boy-girl kissing. In one scene a boy remembers a moment where he asked a girl to show him her vagina. Later a girl makes a suggestive comment with her hand on the zipper of his pants. (We later learn not much happened there because she was drunk and got sick.) A boy and girl spend several days together alone in a mountain cabin where they decide to have sex. She waits for him in bed, undressed, but no further details are given.

Adam’s group of friends play a game in which one dares another to do something up to and including some nudity. Two boys have to take off their shirts and put palms on each other’s chests. A girl gives a pair of her underwear to a boy and he has to wear them.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content – TRIGGER WARNING
One character suffers some extreme physical abuse in more than one scene. Some of those details are pretty disturbing.

Drug Content
Julian goes with Adam to a party where all the kids drink alcohol and someone passes a pipe around the room. Julian drinks what the others give him. Adam tries to make sure it’s lighter stuff, but doesn’t try to keep him from drinking.

Adam’s mom uses homeopathic remedies to treat his ADHD after a bad experience with the side effects of prescription drugs.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.