Book Reviews by Young Adults—Sneak Peek Reviewers Club
RSSSneak Peek Reviewers Club
Although two of the books that our teens have reviewed are by well-known writers (Beth Fantaskey and Pete Hautman), I hadn't heard of Rune Michaels. What a surprise it was to find out that she's from Iceland! After reading up on her a bit—she studied psychology at the University of Iceland and at the University of Copenhagen-it was not a surprise that she created a creepy scary world in Fix Me, a story with unusual twists and turns and settings. Reading our reviewer's take on Fix Me has made me want to take a look at Michaels's 2007 debut novel, Genesis Alpha, which also explores family relationships, but through the lens of medical science. MICHAELS, Rune. Fix Me. Atheneum, December 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN: 9781416957720. Fix Me is a great novel. Leia isn't a girl that most books talk about. She has a dark past, which some teens can relate to. People are always trying to escape situations they don't like, and for Leia, that means escaping to a place that she loves: the zoo. When Leia starts to believe in herself and lets go of the past, she grows as a person. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger, so I wonder if there'll be a sequel. Overall, this is a great book.—Leilani D., age 16 FANTASKEY, Beth. Jessica Rules the Dark Side. Harcourt, January 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN: 978-0-547-39309-4. The storyline is really great; it keeps you interested and wanting more even when the story is over. The way the author writes keeps you in suspense until the very end. The characters are very strong, and as they grow and learn, readers can relate to them. Jessica Rules the Dark Side is a sequel to Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side. Both books are really great, but the first one is a typical high school romance story with a bit of twist. The second book has mystery, which is very interesting. Jessica Rules the Dark Side is definitely an awesome fantasy that'll keep you guessing until the very last page.-Yongxin X., age 15 HAUTMAN, Pete. What Boys Really Want. Scholastic, January 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN: 978-0-545-11315-1. This a funny book full of drama that teens can relate to. Friends always get into fights over little things. Adam and Lita had been best friends since kindergarten, so they know everything about each other, which might be a bad thing sometimes. What Boys Really Want is filled with advice, friendships, relationships, and even a little fight scene.—Leilani D., age 16 This article originally appeared in School Library Journal's enewsletter SLJTeen. Subscribe here.
Gr 7 Up—Leia is in a sort of foster-care situation. She stays with her auntie, who really doesn't know what to do with her and her older brother, Brian. Leia and Brian always fight with each other. It's not like yelling at your sibling, telling them to shut up, and then leaving them alone ; it's like let's change the channel on the TV to boxing and see who comes out swinging. While Leia is working at a restaurant, a guy comes up to her and says he knows her. Later that night, she runs away to the zoo and stays the night. The next morning a boy named Kyle sees her and says he's going to tell on her unless she makes a deal with her: if she wants to stay at the zoo, she has to help him clean the animals' cages and with the other chores. Leia agrees because she wants to get away from everybody. But later, when her brother finds her, she starts to get scared.
Gr 7 Up—Newly married to Prince Lucius, Jessica Packwood is having a tough time being in power. On top of that, she's having frightening hallucinations and nightmares about being betrayed. When Jessica finds out there's been a murder in the castle, all evidence points to her husband and she's forced to put him in solitary confinement. Suddenly, Jessica finds herself alone. Will she be able to stop the hallucinations and nightmares and find out who she can trust—and discover the real murderer before time runs out?
Gr 7-12—Best friends are there for you always. Best friends never steal your dreams. Best friends never fight. Right? Maybe not... In What Boys Really Want two best friends, Lita and Adam, start to drift away from one another because of one silly, little thing. Lita really wants to be a writer and it has always been her dream. She has told Adam this for a long time now. Adam never finishes anything and is also a person who doesn't really notice anything. He's always happy and doesn't let anyone bring his mood down. So one day when he tells Lita he's going to write a book called What Boys Want, she just laughs it off. Later, she starts getting mad at him, because without realizing it, Adam is stealing words from Lita's anonymous blog, Miz Fitz.
