Tag: YA

Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake

4.5 stars YA

Who’s the liar?  Owen is her twin and they’ve been close growing up but she’s been best friends with Hannah for years, yet now Mara has to decide whose story she believes.  She can’t imagine that either of them would lie about the incident but as Mara watches and listens, she’s able to uncover the truth.

Ashley Blake does a fantastic job covering some difficult issues including gender identity and rape.  As these topics touch the lives of family, friends and peers, the author shows the reaction and magnitude that they have on the individuals involved.

The night of the party, Mara saw her brother drunk with Hannah. Later that night, someone told Mara that they saw Owen and Hannah together and they seemed fine.  Owen claims now that what happened that night, was a misunderstanding and things between Hannah and him weren’t fine that night. Mara’s thoughts were like a swing, as she goes back-and-forth between believing in what her brother says and accepting what Hannah says was the real story. 

Her parents believe Owen’s version of the story and they tried to use family pressure to persuade Mara.  I liked how serious Mara felt about the situation as things around her began to close in. I liked the character of Alex for he felt as confused as Mara but for different reasons. 
This was a great novel that I highly recommend if you like to read these types of novels. 4.5 stars

I like these types of stories, where there are conflicts which the main character(s) try to overcome. I seem to gravitate towards these types of novels. I also think, that the messier they are, the more that I like them. Wow, I think that says something about me but I am not quite sure what? What about you? Do you like these types of novels or do you like to stay away from them?

Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

4 stars Middle School/ YA

I listened to this novel on audio and I wished that I hadn’t.  I didn’t care for the narration of this novel, as it felt as if the author was just reading a story to me. It felt rushed and for the most part, there was the lack of emotions except for the times when the story became so intense, that the narrator yelled. 

Kevin was a complex individual.  I loved his imagination and his ability to enjoy life. He made me laugh numerous times as he has no problem being himself, with his sarcastic tone and his use of words.  I loved his dictionary and when he arms Max with one, I couldn’t stop grinning.  Although he has a physical disability, he keeps going and he never stops to complain. As I stuck in the last CD, I started to dreed what the future might hold.  Kevin is talking again about his robots and he’s behaving like a man, yet here I am, a grown woman fearful that might turn into a crying baby behind the steering wheel of my own car. The tables are turning.  

I think I lost some of the emotional aspects of Kevin’s friendship with Max when I listened to this novel on audio.  I wanted some feeling in the narrator’s voice, a change in tone, or a pause while he read.  I stopped the audio a few times as I needed time just to think about what was transpiring.  What Kevin and Max had was unique; they both found something in each other that they were missing.

The ending was not what I needed or wanted. I see that there is another book that follows this, Max the Mighty that I will definitely have to read and not do the audio. Great book about friendship, family and being different.

Dig by A.S. King

5 stars YA

I have to say that this novel had the most unique characters I have read about in a long time.  Their actions and just their names had me shaking my head quite a few times as my head and my heart were battling it out.  My heart quickly took control in the second half of the novel as all the pieces of the novel came together.  Just like A.S. King’s other novels, this novel had some terrific messages to tell.

There were quite a few characters to keep track of in this novel but they were worth it.  I kept a cheat sheet as I read so I could keep them all separate. Some characters stood out more than others and I took a liking to a handful of them. 

There was The Freak, who watched individuals from a distance.  She left her dysfunctional family and now, she just wanders.  People like her, I think, know more than what we give them credit for.  She comes and goes as she pleases. From some of the things that she says, I think she’s different. There was also The Shoveler.  I really felt sorry for this guy.  New to town, he hangs out with his neighbor who is single.    The Shoveler lives with his mom but he’d really like to know who his dad is, I mean he’d REALLY like to know.  After shoveling with his neighbor one day, he decides that his neighbor has a lot of shovels and he takes one.  He shovels with the shovel and he ends up carrying the shovel around with him, hence the name.

There is Loretta who I feel, lives in her own little world.  Inside her lunchbox, she keeps her own little sideshow and she spends hours with these little guys.  She also must keep them fed. Loretta also has a side business which she runs simultaneously while working on Sunday nights at the Arby’s drive-up.  This girl just cracked me up!  The last character I would like to talk about is Marla.  Marla was the grandma and my heart broke for her.  She tried so hard to be perfect and for what?  The holidays and her house, she tried to make everything just right.  She also tried to show everyone what a caring person she was and it was wearing her down. No one noticed, no one cared, and she knew it and it upset her. I wanted to reach inside the book and just hold her as she searching around her room trying to find a place to sit, searching for somewhere she could relax without disturbing “her perfect” room, where was her happiness?

Here were all these individuals, these people who seemed to be doing their own thing without any clear connection to others around them.  It was interesting how once, one connection is made, the other individuals in the novel fall into place.  I loved page 326, this whole page spoke to me and I had to read it a few times as the emotions were raw and real. 

It started out as a strange novel but A.S. King again provided us with another fantastic novel.  Not everyone will enjoy this novel, but those who do will enjoy King’s talent.   

It’s a circus

What a crazy read.  I absolutely adore A.S. King’s novels and when I heard she had a new one coming out, I signed myself up to get it as soon as the library got their copy.  I’m about halfway through the novel and the characters in this novel are the most interesting and unique individuals, I have read about in a long, long time!

I can’t wait till the story comes together because that is going to be interesting to say the least.    I just finished reading about Marla. Marla is a grandma and she’s been married to Gottfried for 50 years.  I really think that Marla has too many hangups for being close to 70 years-old.  She wants everything to be so perfect yet it seems no one really cares besides her.  She tries so darn hard at everything: the perfect house, the perfect present, the perfect hiding spot for Easter eggs and then she gets upset when no one notices or makes a big deal out of it.  I just want to hug her and tell her to stop and chill. “Marla, what makes you happy?  Don’t try to impress others, what do you want?” 

Oh, what a interesting novel, I just can’t stop thinking about it.  Then, someone has quite the operation going on at the Arby’s drive-up window.  You don’t need to meet someone in a back alley anymore.  It happens on Sunday, just say the right words through the Arby’s speaker as you order your food,  pay the money and  pick up for sack of goodies.  Back to reading…

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson

5 stars YA

If you have read Speak, you know how Laurie can write.  You know that she writes from the heart and what’s real, and this novel is no exception.  This novel is not one that can be power-read at least, not for me.  Laurie talks to us now about her own personal life, about her own issues and her stories are no different.

You can’t help but feel the emotions that are present in each of the pieces that Laurie writes. There were a few pieces that I reread as they really spoke to me.  I enjoyed the whole novel but I felt that her work in the second part of the novel was exceptional.  These poems felt emotional charged and the energy flowing through them, surged.  A fantastic novel by Laurie and I appreciate that she shared a personal side of herself with her readers.   

When the Sky Fell on Splendor by Emily Henry

4 stars YA science fiction

It was just the six of the them out driving around when it all began.  Nick noticed something strange by the bridge and Levi thought he saw it too but they ignored it.  They had more important things to attend to, for their time together was coming to an end. They had a few episodes to film before summer was over.

The abandoned house was perfect. Its legacy left some of the cast members tense as they began filming.  Unexpectedly, out of nowhere, the night sky is lit up and the group finds the sky streaked with bright lights.  It seems to be a meteor shower. As fast as it started, the lights stop. The sky goes dark.  There’s noise. Loud noise. The group tries to understand, exactly what that noise is.  There was a rough-scratching sound, like grinding metal which ended with a loud explosion. 

Using their flashlights, the group races towards the sound, only to find their dog nearby and the most usual sight that they could image. As Levi records the image with his camera, the group tries to make sense of what they are seeing.

So, what was this thing they found that night?  Why do The Ordinary’s feel different after that night? After the group posts their video on the internet, it seems everyone has their own opinion of what it is and what they should be doing.

The characters and the town have had a lot of misfortune which played a part in this novel. It’s not a depressing novel but an important part of the novel. I thought the mystery element of the story was fun. I felt like I was going one way with the story yet I was waiting for something else to come along and change the story.  This was a unique book and the ending was not what I expected.  It was an entertaining read and one that I was glad that I read.  

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

5 stars YA

I enjoyed listening to this novel. I thought the narration was excellent and I highly recommend the audio version of this novel.  As I listened to the CD’s in my car and outside in my backyard, I found myself crying, laughing and talking back to the characters as the story came to life. 

I had heard that some individuals aren’t fond of this novel and how it portrays the characters illness.  In reality, how anyone manages their illness is their own personal issue. I had a headache w/migraine for 17 years, every-day, which by my appearance, you never would have known it. However, I know people who have a headache for a few days and I definitely know they are in pain. It’s all about how you manage yourself.  I also heard about individuals complaining about the instant love in the novel. I have two things to say, (1) you need to put yourself in the characters shoes and (2) just stop reading the book if you’re not feeling it. I do think that if you put yourself in the characters position in this novel, you will understand why things happened the way they did.

I shed quite a few tears while listening to this novel. I’m usually one who gets emotional over a character’s behavior or an incident that occurs but I found myself moved by what the characters were actually saying.  Their words hit deep and I felt what they were saying, came from within and that got to me.

I liked how the author chose to have the two main characters have the same illness yet they handled their lives totally different.  Their attitudes were almost extreme opposites from one another. I liked how they each shared a bit of themselves with each other and they accepted it.  They both know that getting too close to one another could be fatal but they soon realize that staying apart from one another didn’t feel like the right answer either.  It’s a complicated situation that was filled with humor, compassion, friendship, and strength.   

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