Category Archives: Young Adult/Teen 12-18

Review: Me, Just Different by Stephanie Morrill

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Me, Just Different by Stephanie Morrill

Me, Just Different
Stephanie Morrill
Revell
Published July 1, 2009

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About Me, Just Different

Senior year should be everything beautiful Skylar Hoyt can hope for. She has popular friends, a hot boyfriend. But a terrible experience gives her a late summer wake-up call, and for Skylar, it’s time to make some changes. No to parties, and yes to youth group top her list.

Until her family begins crumbling beneath her. Her parents seem to be moving opposite directions, with Skylar and her sister caught in the middle. Then Skylar discovers her sister’s secret. Should she tell? Can her parents’ fragile marriage handle a blow like this one?

With Skylar’s best friend acting weird and her boyfriend’s jealousy skyrocketing, she doesn’t have many places to turn for support. She finds herself lonely, troubled and in need of a real friend. Where can she find one of those?

My Review

ME, JUST DIFFERENT is the first book in the series The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt and author Stephanie Morrill’s debut novel. Morrill authentically tackles the drama of high school and a troubled home life, balanced with questions of faith. This is a clean, real look at surviving high school and the challenges a new Christian teen faces.

Morrill has this amazing sense of dialogue and always manages to write these quick one-line descriptions of things that leave me saying things like, “I know, right?” This book made me laugh but it also pulled my heartstrings. I loved Skylar and her sister and needed them to come through the difficult parts okay. This is a great pick for fans of Sarah Dessen or Sara Zarr. Definitely check this one out.

Content Notes

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
Mild. Some kissing. References to other behavior that has occurred, but nothing explicit.

Spiritual Content
Skylar begins to attend church and youth group again as she tries to reforge her faith.

Violence
None.

Drug Content
Some references to alcohol.

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Review: By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson

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By Darkness Hid
Jill Williamson
Marcher Lord Press
Published April 1, 2009

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About By Darkness Hid

Achan has known nothing but the life of a stray, lower even than that of a slave. When a mysterious knight, rumored to have once been a stray himself, makes an offer to Achan to train him as his squire, despite laws that should prevent it, Achan finds himself trapped between two lives. In this midst of this, a strange gift seems to wake inside him. But isn’t bloodvoicing just a myth?

When an evil prince seeks her hand in marriage, Vrell hides behind the orange tunic of a stray and masquerades as a boy to conceal her identity. At the same time, her own newly discovered gift brings her to the attention of those in power despite her disguise. As they seek to exploit her gift, they draw dangerously close to uncovering her secret. As the prince’s coronation approaches, Achan and Vrell’s troubles only increase. Will Achan’s gift uncover his true identity? Can Vrell quell her gift to protect hers?

My Review

BY DARKNESS HID, the first novel in Jill Williamson’s Blood of Kings trilogy, is fast-paced, intriguing, and full of clever characters. I loved both Achan and Vrell (though their names are a little tough to say) and the story world contains some really different elements. I’m always a sucker for political intrigue, and By Darkness Hid had a little bit of that happening, too, which kept me guessing. This is one of those books you need to own two copies of: one for yourself and one to lend out to others. Great summer read!

Content Notes for By Darkness Hid

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Er’Rets is a kingdom half in darknes. The people worship many gods, but some believe there is one god, Arman, the creator, above all others.

Violence
Some battle scenes, but gore is minimal.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

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

Brisingr
Christopher Paolini
Alfred A Knopf Books
Published September 20, 2008

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After a crushing defeat at the hand of an unexpected enemy, Eragon and Saphira’s confidence in their abilities remains deeply shaken. They desperately need more training, but first, Eragon must fulfill his promise to his cousin Roran. He must rescue Roran’s beloved from the evil and creepy Ra’Zac.

Immediately upon their return to the rebel camp, both Eragon and Saphira must help protect the troops from Galbatorix’s seemingly invincible armies and the unbelievable strength of the magic supporting them. Eragon and Saphira must uncover the mystery of Galbatorix’s might and come up with a plan to stop him before his power grows too vast to challenge.

I was really excited to learn who Eragon’s father is. It made a lot of sense, and it’s a character that I liked anyway. The dragon Glaedr was another unexpected favorite character for me. Again, the story world is highly developed. The large cast of characters gives Brisingr a definite epic fantasy feel. Some of the battle scenes are more intense than in other books as the war between Eragon and Galbatorix heats up further.

I’ve invested a lot in the series, so I definitely need to read the fourth book, but I still wish each one was shorter and the descriptions of things were reigned in a bit more.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
A girl discovers she’s pregnant, and a wedding for her and her lover is quickly arranged.

Spiritual Content
There is a lot of magic/sorcery-type content as well as telepathy, etc. Obviously the story contains dragons portrayed as thinking, feeling, benevolent creatures.

Violence
Some battle sequences and creepy villain characters. Light to moderate gore with battle injuries.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: Eldest by Christopher Paolini

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

Eldest
Christopher Paolini
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published March 13, 2007

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Eldest is the continuation of Paolini’s Inheritance Trilogy, in which Dragon Rider, Eragon journeys to the Elves’ home deep in the forest to train under a new mentor whom he at first knows as The Cripple Who Is Whole. Eragon struggles with his physical weakness resulting from a battle wound and his growing attraction to the elf-maiden, Arya. Meanwhile, in his hometown of Carvahall, Eragon’s cousin Roran fights another battle. The evil Ra’zac return, threatening to destroy the village in their search for Roran, who must take command of the panicked villagers and keep them safe, no matter what the cost.

The history and culture details spread throughout the portions of the novel depicting Eragon’s stay with the elves and further training are stunning and well-developed. I thought it was equally as engaging as its predecessor, Eragon. I enjoyed getting to see more of the story-world and the heightening tension between Eragon and his enemies.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexuality
None.

Spiritual Content
There is a lot of magic/sorcery-type content as well as telepathy, etc. Obviously the story contains dragons, which are portrayed as thinking, feeling, benevolent creatures.

Violence
Some battle sequences and creepy villain characters. Light to moderate gore with battle injuries.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: Eragon by Christopher Paolini

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

Eragon
Christopher Paolini
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published April 2005 (Orig. published 2002)

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Eragon is the first novel in the Inheritance Cycle and tells the story of a boy who finds a mysterious “stone” which later hatches a dragon, Saphira. Together they embark on a quest to avenge the death of a family member and through this become involved in the dangerous politics of his homeland, Alagaesia. They must choose to side with the evil King Galbatorix or escape his agents, risk their lives and fight for freedom.

If you saw the movie Eragon a couple years back but didn’t read the book, you missed out on a real adventure. While I loved the characters– especially Saphira and Eragon’s mentor– some of the descriptive passages move a bit slowly. The entire novel is a lot for readers to chew at over 500 pages. I would have enjoyed it more, I think, at 100 pages shorter.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexuality
None.

Spiritual Content
There is a lot of magic/sorcery-type content as well as telepathy, etc. Obviously the story contains dragons, which are portrayed as thinking, feeling, benevolent creatures.

Violence
Some battle sequences and creepy villain characters. Light to moderate gore with battle injuries.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: Over a Thousand Hills I Walk With You by Hanna Jansen

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Over a Thousand Hills I Walk with You
Hanna Jansen
Carolrhoda Books
Published April 1, 2006 (Orig. published 2003)

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Jeanne’s family and home are destroyed when the radical Hutu group, the Interahamwe, begin a nationwide massacre of the Rwandan Tutsi population. As Jeanne and others struggle to flee the Interahamwe soldiers and simply survive each day, a black hole yawns inside of her, a grief and rage that threaten to swallow her whole. But something else changes. She finds within herself an unyielding strength and will to survive.

It is a before-and-after story, told by Jeanne’s German adopted mother. Each chapter opens with a behind-the-scenes look at the events and the healing that unfolded even as the story was told, as Hanna Jansen walks over a thousand hills with her daughter.

Honestly, as I read Over a Thousand Hills I Walk with You, it wasn’t until about the third chapter that I really felt myself captured by this book. But by the middle, I couldn’t put it down. I became entranced by the parallels between mother and daughter, despite their differing backgrounds, and the struggles that Jeanne endured as a child on the run in a very dark time juxtaposed against her battle for inner healing, and the woman who never stopped fighting for her. Over a Thousand Hills I Walk with You is raw, painful… and yet ultimately a beautiful and powerful tale of healing.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Spiritual Content
None.

Sexual Content
Contains some references to rape.

Violent Content
Contains some references to the massacre of the Tutsi people in Rwanda.

Drug Content
None.

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