Category Archives: Contemporary

Poetry and Friendship: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

By | | , ,
Comments Off on Poetry and Friendship: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland StoneEvery Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone
Disney-Hyperion

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

She might look just like another one of the popular girls, but Samantha has a secret not even her best friends can know: she suffers from OCD. She needs weekly visits to a psychiatrist and prescription meds to keep her anxieties at bay.

As her friendships with the top girls becomes more and more toxic, Samantha desperately wants an outlet. Her search leads her to Caroline, a carefree, fashion-less girl whose frankness and kindness may be just the right rescue. She introduces Sam to Poet’s Corner, a place where students gather to share poems about anything from chicken nuggets to the loss … Continue reading →

Review: Those Girls by Lauren Saft

By | | , ,
Comments Off on Review: Those Girls by Lauren Saft

Those Girls by Lauren SaftThose Girls by Lauren Saft
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Alex and Mollie have been best friends since kindergarten. Veronica, whose promiscuous reputation is her claim to fame, has recently joined their ranks. At the start of their junior year, each girl has an agenda.

V longs to turn over a new leaf and be the kind of girl a boy wants to keep around for more than an hour. Her good intentions are pretty constantly foiled by her revealing outfits and her drunken escapades.

Mollie wants to bring romance back into her relationship with her hot-and-popular boyfriend, Sam. She’s willing to do just about anything to keep him.

Alex needs a change. Mollie’s Sam obsession left a hole in her life that she’s ready … Continue reading →

Review: The Truth Commission by Susan Juby

By | | , ,
Comments Off on Review: The Truth Commission by Susan Juby

The Truth Commission by Susan JubyThe Truth Commission
by Susan Juby
Viking/Penguin Group

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Normandy Pale and her two best friends Dusk and Neil embark on a mission to strip away the insulation around fellow students and teachers’ lives and expose the truth. Rumors abound in their small school of the arts, and the three self-appointed members of the Truth Commission want to get to the bottom of each one. At first, the mission seems pure and helpful, but consequences grow with each truth exposed. Then one confronted student suggests Normandy examine her own life for hidden truths. Normandy reluctantly begins a quest for truth that could tear her fragile family apart, and will force each Truth Commissioner … Continue reading →

Review: Where You End by Anna Pellicioli

By | | , ,
Comments Off on Review: Where You End by Anna Pellicioli

Where You End by Anna PellicioliWhere You End
Anna Pellicioli
Flux

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

For some, grief is a quiet void carefully tiptoed around. For Miriam, it is a raging storm that wakes her in the night, chews through her ability to reason. The hungry, empty space inside her where Elliot used to be. Seeing him with another girl sends her over the edge. Almost before she realizes what she’s done, a priceless statue lies on the ground at her feet. Panicked, Miriam flees the scene. There’s just one problem: a girl as mixed up as she is. One who saw what Miriam did. One who wants something in exchange for her silence.

Miriam’s emotional journey is … Continue reading →

Review: Twintuition: Double Vision by Tia and Tamera Mowry

By | | , , ,
Comments Off on Review: Twintuition: Double Vision by Tia and Tamera Mowry

Twintuition Double Vision by Tia and Tamera MowryTwintuition: Double Vision
by Tia & Tamera Mowry
Harper/HarperCollins

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Caitlyn and Cassie may look exactly the same, but inside they’re as different as two people can be. On this they agree: the tiny town of Aura, Texas is the last place they want to live. Caitlyn, ever the optimist, tries to make the best of the move. Cassie hatches plot after plot to convince Mom to return to San Antonio. Strange visions begin clouding the twins’ sight. To Cassie, this could turn into an opportunity to get in with the cool kids. Caitlyn, however, is convinced they should use their gift to help others. The last person they expected … Continue reading →

Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

By | | , , ,
Comments Off on Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Graffiti Moon by Cath CrowleyGraffiti Moon
by Cath Crowley
Knopf Books for Young Readers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

On the last night of her senior year, Lucy and her best friend set out on an adventure. The girls plan to track down Shadow and Poet, a secretive duo who pepper the city with brilliant graffiti and gut-wrenching poetry. Ed, Lucy’s sort-of-ex-boyfriend, wishes she’d see past her prejudices and assumptions. Her obsession with Shadow is sure to lead to disappointment, but it’s like a train wreck from which he can’t look away. As the night progresses, Lucy draws nearer to uncovering the identity of the elusive Shadow, but the closer she gets, the less he seems like the hero she’s built … Continue reading →