I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson Realistic Fiction * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Noah and Jude are twins who have been incredibly close their whole lives. When they hit their teenage years, however, their differences begin to get in the way of that closeness. Jude is wild and crazy for a certain surfer boy who is several years her senior. Noah is obsessed with his art to the point of being … Read more
Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal spin-off of Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney Funny Illustrated Fiction Realistic Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) Rowley Jefferson decides to start his own diary after the success of Greg Heffley’s journaling experiment. He shares a few facts about himself, but it quickly becomes all about his friendship with Greg, so he decides to make it official – he’s writing a … Read more
The Dark Matter of Mona Starr by Laura Lee Gulledge Graphic Novel Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) When Mona Starr’s best friend moves to Hawaii, she feels more than a little lost. That loss on top of her depression and anxiety and a lot of self-deprecating thoughts make her feel overwhelmed. She starts seeing a therapist to help her cope and make sense of herself and keeps a sort of scientific journal … Read more
Camp Spirit Axelle Lenoir Funny Graphic Novel LGBTQ Mystery Realistic Fiction Romance Supernatural It’s 1994 and Elodie is being shipped off to summer camp (in Canada) to be a counselor, so she can make some money for college. After her mom abandons her, Elodie has to figure out how to adapt to camp life – looking after her wild redheaded charges, dealing with shared staff bathrooms, making peace with nature (she’s more of an urban … Read more
Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) This book follows 4 cadets who attend a military college and have to deal with the constant hazing and secretiveness of the Institute. They must band together to uncover the secrets of a group called “The Ten,” and struggle to make it to graduation. This was one of my favorite books that we had to read because of … Read more
You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan LGBTQ Realistic Fiction Romance Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) This book was really good in the aspect that the characters had depth and they simply didn’t have one role. The two main characters Mark and Kate are really dynamic and they are really just the characters that you want to be friends with. The characters also really change throughout the book and … Read more
If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan LGBTQ Realistic Fiction Romance Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) This book was really, really, really, really, really GOOD!!!! I actually had to read this book for school even though I read in the summer anyways, but I have a feeling that I would have stumbled onto it anyways. The story plot is a little straight forward when it is described, but it still really … Read more
One Crazy Summer Gaither Sisters #1 by Rita Williams-Garcia Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) “One Crazy Summer” is about three girls who go to see their mother and they have to go through all this work to take care of each other. The mother doesn’t turn out to be like they thought and they strive to get to know her.
Tales from the Not-So-Smart Miss Know It All Dork Diaries #5 by Rachel Renee Russell Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) In order to thwart Mackenzie’s evil plans (and in order to spend more time with her secret crush), Nikki takes a job at the Lacklester school newspaper. Sometimes Nikki makes bad decisions (like sneaking out of the house on New Year’s Eve), but like a real kid she is trying to … Read more
Girl Online Girl Online #1 by Zoe Sugg Realistic Fiction Romance Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Penny is an awkward 15-year-old girl who is just trying to fit in. She works for her mom’s wedding shop and they are doing a wedding in New York that allows Penny to meet a boy named Noah. They instantly “click,” and they bring out the best in each other. Penny has to go back … Read more