Review: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars
John Green
Dutton Books
Published January 10, 2012

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Sixteen-year-old Hazel has lived the roller coaster ride of a terminal cancer diagnosis for the last three years. Now, each breath comes with a price, and she cannot go anywhere without a small portable oxygen tank in tow. Meds prevent the tumors from growing, for now.

At a weekly support group, she listens to tales of other teens fiercely battling cancer. Listens but remains apart, until the unexpected entrance of Augustus Waters.

Augustus draws Hazel out of her self-imposed seclusion with his unflappable visionary nature. He is in many ways the opposite of the quiet, … Continue reading

Review: Trisk by Kenny X

Trisk
Kenny X
Pen and Prayer Publishing
Published June 5, 2013

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Curtis Powell has one goal, one dream for his life: to be a champion Trisk player. His dream is about to come true.

It’s the year 2151, and baseball is no longer America’s favorite game. Trisk, a game that is equal parts sport and war, is America, and the Massi Corporation is Trisk. As hopefuls like Curtis and his friends graduate from training college, though, a startling event occurs, in which one Trisk team defies the granite arm of Massi and becomes independent. When Curtis signs with the gutsy though underfunded team, he isn’t sure if he’s made the right choice, but as the season progresses and his … Continue reading

Review: Rock Harbor Search and Rescue by Robin Carroll and Colleen Coble

Rock Harbor Search and Rescue
Robin Carroll and Colleen Coble
Thomas Nelson
Published April 9, 2013

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When fourteen-year-old Emily is accused of stealing a valuable necklace from a local artist, she is determined to prove her innocence. Her dad and step-mom seem to believe Emily is guilty based on comments from two other teen girls, though no one searches Emily’s things. Despite the lack of support at home, Emily and her best friend Olivia decide to list suspects and investigate the case on their own. Before the necklace went missing, Emily’s parents promised her a new puppy she could train as a search and rescue dog, and now the only way Emily is … Continue reading

Review: Glass Girl by Laura Anderson Kurk

Glass Girl by Laura Anderson Kurk

Glass Girl
Laura Anderson Kurk
Playlist Young Adult Fiction
Published December 5, 2013

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About Glass Girl

On a day that began like any other, Meg’s brother Wyatt dies. Suddenly. Violently. Leaving Meg and her parents to creep around the shrapnel and gaping wounds of their grief. In a pitch to create some space for healing, Meg’s dad moves them all from their Pittsburgh home to the wilds of Chapin, Wyoming. In a new home scrubbed of memories, Meg tries to create a new life, one that does not include the story of her brother’s death and the pity which must come as a response. She lands a new … Continue reading

Review: Scrapbook of My Revolution by Amy Lynn Spitzley

Scrapbook of My Revolution
Amy Lynn Spitzley
Curiosity Quills Press
Published March 20, 2013

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Amber knows what it’s like to be noticed for all the wrong reasons. From her golden (literally) skin to her freakish ability to sense others’ feelings, she can’t help but stand out in a crowd. Amber is a member of an emerging super-human group referred to as Maliens, and the rest of humanity isn’t adjusting to them as well as Amber could hope. A highly vocal anti-Malien group calling itself RAMM promotes Malien oppression, even going so far as to reach out to Amber’s school principal.

As events escalate, and riots and attacks on Malien citizens increase, Amber’s fury … Continue reading

Review: Visited by Janine Caldwell

Visited
Janine Caldwell
CreateSpace
Published May 23, 2013

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Seventeen-year-old Joanna Murphy is all set to being a glorious senior year, one that will climax with the realization of her dream vacation: a backpacking trip through Europe with her mom. That is, until Mom and step-dad Stan drop the baby bombshell. Joanna rages at her mother’s starry-eyed ignorance, crushed that the trip is now canceled and her senior year will now be all about the new baby. Stan has already crowded the quiet home, and once the new baby arrives, how much time will Mom have left for Joanna?

Retreating to her special place, Joanna climbs out to the … Continue reading