Book Reviews by Young Adults
RSSSneak Peek Reviewers Club
Best-selling author Mark Kurlansky is known for his entertaining nonfiction books for grown-ups, such as Salt, Cod, and The Big Oyster, which focus on familiar items. Now, he's dipped into the world of young adult literature, and according to our reviewer, Kurlansky has hit the mark with the late-2011 release, Battle Fatigue, a story about a Vietnam War draft dodger. The Sneak Peekers have also been reading about the world of deejaying (DJ Rising), gay rights (Tessa Masterson Will Go to Prom), Killers and Cullers (Croak), and dirty dealings (The False Prince)—hey, variety is the spice of life! KURLANSKY, Mark. Battle Fatigue. Walker, October 2011. Tr $17.99. ISBN: 978-0-8027-2264-5. Gr 8 Up—Battle Fatigue begins just after Joel Bloom has made the biggest decision of his life. A draft-age teenager during the Vietnam War, he has decided to move to Canada instead of going to jail or going to war. Growing up, Joel knows that he will be called on to go to war, and accepts it as a fact of life. In his small town of Haley, MA, every adult male is a WWII veteran. Joel and his friends play war games and watch war movies. However, as he gets older, and goes through the years of the Cold War, he questions the sense of fighting. During the Vietnam War, he becomes an avid antiwar activist. This story explores the events of Joel's life and how they changed his view of war. Battle Fatigue is a great book on multiple levels. It is enjoyable reading about Joel's life, from his childhood to his early adulthood. The people and places are substantially described. The first person narration works well; Joel is a thoughtful and insightful protagonist. It's also interesting to see how the everyday events of Joel's life shape his character and, ultimately, his decision to go to Canada to avoid the war. Joel definitely changes throughout the novel. This book gives a good account of life growing up during the Cold War and the Vietnam War.—Jacob M., age 15 MAIA, Love. DJ Rising. Little, Brown, February 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN: 978-0-316-1217-3. This book has a great storyline and keeps the reader entertained. The characters grow and make the story fun to read and easy to relate to. The twists and surprises are what make the book so good. At times, it's easy to predict what's going to happen next, but that definitely doesn't slow the book down at all. Each character is unique. Unfortunately, the ending wasn't as exciting and creative as the rest of the book. It kind of ended on a boring, dull note. But other than that, it was a great story and very interesting to read.—Tya L., age 16 FRANKLIN, Emily and Brendan Halpin. Tessa Masterson Will Go to Prom. Walker, March 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN: 978-0-8027-2359-8. This is a great book that explores what can happen to a friendship when it's tested and the struggles that some people face in modern-day America. The story spreads the message that we must accept everyone in our society. Lucas and Tessa's friendship journey is especially heartwarming and easy to relate to. The dialogue is much like a real teenager's and the sarcasm of the characters makes you love them more and more. The cover of the book is also very chic. I hope for more books like this one.—Andriana M., age 15 DAMICO, Gina. Croak. Houghton, March 2012. Tr $8.99. ISBN: 978-0-547-60832-7. This book is just so good. It's full of laughter at every turn, but there are also some sad parts. The characters are very interesting and the story is bound to keep readers engaged. Overall, it's a great read. Some kids may not like it because of the death scenes. Plus, some of the ideas may make this book inappropriate for younger readers.—Tyler L., age 12 NIELSEN, Jennifer A. The False Prince (The Ascendance Trilogy). Scholastic, April 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN: 978-0-545-39249-5. Gr 5-9—The book follows Sage, a clever, mischievous orphan who winds up in a plot to take over the country of Carthya. Along with three other boys, Sage is taken away by Conner, a conniving nobleman, to be trained to impersonate a prince in order to gain power. While the boys are given many new comforts, they're also faced with challenges designed to determine which of them is the most capable of pulling off the princely impersonation. Those who aren't chosen will be killed. As the book progresses and tensions rise, we discover there's a lot more to Sage than meets the eye. While the book is geared toward younger readers, advanced readers may still find it enjoyable. You'll quickly grow fond of the narrator, Sage, and will cheer him on through the adversities he faces. The story is fairly straightforward, but it has a great, albeit somewhat predictable, plot twist. You may decide to read only book one—and that's fine, since it has plenty of closure. Or on the other hand, you may find the entire trilogy impossible to resist.—Charlene S., age 15
As he looks back at his life, he begins to see why he made this choice.
Gr 9 Up—Sixteen-year-old Marley takes care of his drug addict mother, goes to school, and works a full-time job to support himself and his mom. Marley goes to Ellington Prep with his two best friends, Scuzz and Chuckie. He's in love with the beautiful Lea, who, he thinks, will never give him the time of day. Marley's passion for music, deejaying, and the memories of his beloved late father keep him going. Eventually Marley gets his shot to live his dream of being a top club DJ and experiences the heartache of losing someone important to him.
Gr 8 Up—Tessa Masterson is an average girl living in a small Indiana town who works at her parents' grocery store. She's enjoying senior year with her best friend, Lucas, before she goes off to college. Lucas, who has had trouble with love, decides that Tessa is the girl for him and asks her to prom with a giant romantic gesture. Unfortunately, Lucas doesn't know that Tess is a lesbian and wants to go to prom with the sandwich girl from her parents' store. The whole town is in an uproar as Tessa fights the system for her right to go to prom. Lucas must choose whether to support her or scold her for not telling him her secret earlier.
Gr 8 Up—Lexington Bartleby's life has taken a turn for the worse. She's now a delinquent. And no one, not even her, knows why. For two years, her classmates have had to cower from this monster who punches, kicks, and even bites people for no apparent reason. Sending Lex to her Uncle Mort's farm in the tiny town of Croak, NY, is supposed to help scare her into obedience. Apparently, everyone who knows the "family business" goes through this same change in behavior, but Lex is a little special. She's extremely talented in the area of collecting the souls of the freshly dead.
