Category Archives: Contemporary

Review: Never Said by Carol Lynch Williams

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Never Said by Carol Lynch WilliamsNever Said
Carol Lynch Williams
Zondervan

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In the midst of her devastation over a break-up, Sarah realizes something isn’t right with her twin. Annie has been withdrawing from the family for some time, but her behavior seems to be escalating. She chops off her hair, gains weight, and gives up the beauty pageants she once lived for. Though shy and socially anxious Sarah has always been jealous of the way her parents favor Annie, she begins to worry about her sister. Sarah pushes toward her sister, and finds that in return, Annie reluctantly opens up to her.

The writing style was the first thing that captured me in this … Continue reading →

Review: The Raft by S. A. Bodeen

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The Raft by S. A. BodeenThe Raft by S. A. Bodeen
Feiwel & Friends

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When a frightening experience turns fifteen year-old Robie’s unsupervised Hawaii vacation into a nightmare, she boards a plane for home on the Midway Atoll, a group of Pacific islands. In the chaos before the flight, Robie’s name wasn’t entered in the manifest. So when the plane goes down over the vast Pacific Ocean, no one knows to look for her.

Stranded on a tiny raft with Max, an unconscious pilot, Robie’s chances of survival are slim. They have no water and only a small bag of skittles to eat as they drift on the open sea waiting for rescue. An uninhabited island might … Continue reading →

Review: The Firebug of Balrog County by David Oppegaard

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The Firebug of Balrog County by David OppegaardThe Firebug of Balrog County by David Oppegaard
Flux Books
Published: September 8, 2015

Since his mother’s death, the firebug has come to live inside Mack. He knows it’s wrong, but when the bug gets an itch, he can’t ignore the urge to burn something. Then he meets a girl battling her own darkness. Her admiration only fuels his pyromania, and when his grandfather, the town mayor, sets out to stop the anonymous firebug, Mack knows his adventure must come to an end. As the firebug gets harder and harder to deny, he can only hope he won’t end up watching his whole future go up in flames.

Normally this sort of dark, angsty story packed with wry witty humor would be … Continue reading →

Review: I Crawl Through It by A. S. King

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I Crawl Through It by A. S. KingI Crawl Through It
by A. S. King
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Four teens battle inner traumas from grief to anxiety to neglect. Stanzi’s parents compulsively visit sites of school shootings. China has eaten herself. Lansdale tells outlandish lies that make her hair grow. Gustav is busy assembling an invisible helicopter from a kit the bush man gave him. The bush man has all the answers. He knows the place Gustav and Stanzi can go, a place that has answers for them, too. Escape seems like the perfect solution, until it isn’t.

Honestly, I so didn’t get this book. I wanted to like it. I liked pieces of it. I think each character individually had a really fascinating story. I … Continue reading →

Review and Giveaway: One by Sarah Crossan

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One by Sarah CrossanOne by Sarah Crossan
Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins Publishing
Published: September 15, 2015

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Grace and Tippy, Tippy and Grace.

It’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins, even for Grace and her sister. One pair of legs carries them, their arms looped around on another for support. Born as conjoined twins, they’ve never been apart, and they never wish to be separated. When they’re forced to attend school for the first time after being homeschooled all their lives, Grace and Tippy predict the same ruthless gawking and cruelty from their classmates. Two friends open a doorway to a life far more normal than they ever expected possible. Then … Continue reading →

Review: The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

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The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali BenjaminThe Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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When Suzy’s best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy’s mother says sometimes things just happen. The loss and senselessness of it leave Suzy unmoored. Then she learns about a rare, deadly jellyfish that may have been spotted in waters near where her friend swam. If Suzy can prove why her friend died, maybe the awful ache inside her will go away. Maybe she’ll be able to explain it to everyone. Her effort to prove her case will lead her halfway around the world. But her tenacity and wit will bring her friendship much closer to home.

This … Continue reading →