My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life by Rachel Cohn Realistic Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) Elle Zoellner is gobsmacked when her Japanese father, with whom she has never had any contact, suddenly informs her that he is bringing her to live with him in Tokyo, Japan. Her mother was incarcerated (drugs) not long ago, and Elle has been living in foster homes, so her transition to the wealth and privilege enjoyed by her … Read more
The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen Historical Fiction Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) Hannah is an ordinary Jewish child who hates Passover. She does not like remembering the Holocaust until she opens a door and is transported back in time to the Holocaust. She makes many friends. When the Nazis come and take her and her relatives away, she struggles to remember what happens. She realizes the true value of friendship and … Read more
How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom by S.J. Goslee Funny LGBTQ Realistic Fiction Romance * * * * Stars (Great!) Nolan Grant’s family loves him like crazy, but his slightly older sister takes her sisterly responsibilities a little too seriously and intensely sometimes. She wants to make sure Nolan is adequately prepared for life – particularly life after she goes away to college and can’t be there for him constantly. Her goals (for … Read more
The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Zoey is in 7th grade and she tries to keep a low profile because other kids have opinions about her that she can’t do anything about. She’s poor, she’s moved around a lot (when her family wasn’t living out of her mom’s car), sometimes she doesn’t have enough to eat or clean clothes to wear, she’s got 3 … Read more
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Lucy Callahan is a math savant. She acquired her “superpowers” after being struck by lightning and suddenly developed an affinity with and for numbers. There were some negative side effects, though – she also has some obsessive-compulsive tendencies and a fear of germs that other people often perceive as weird or freakish. Raised by her Nana, and homeschooled since … Read more
Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya Realistic Fiction Tween * * * * Stars (Great!) Marcus Vega is an enterprising 14-year-old, who looks much older than his actual age (6 feet tall, 180 lbs, mustache). To help his single-parent mom out with bills and emergencies, he runs a number of different businesses – charging kids at school for littering or using their cell phones (both against school rules), and offering a fee-based protection … Read more
From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess book #1 by Meg Cabot Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) 6th grader Olivia Grace Clarisse Mignonette Harrison suddenly starts getting bullied by Annabelle, a fellow 6th grader, for being a princess. Olivia has no idea why because she is NOT a princess! But she finds out that she actually is when Princess Mia picks her up from school one day and … Read more
Virals Virals series #1 by Kathy Reichs Science Fiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) I loved this book! It had great action and lots of twists and turns. It was very captivating from the beginning. I love the uniqueness of the main plot and the characters in it. The author did such a great job with detail.
The Fever Code Maze Runner prequel by James Dashner Science Fiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) It is a pretty good book. It is a new concept of sci-fi. There isn’t really any moral. It is kind of like a prequel to the main conflict of the series.
By Night vol. 1 by John Allison Comics Science Fiction Supernatural * * * * Stars (Great!) Jane and Heather go way back, but haven’t seen each other since they graduated from college. Now they’re both back in their hometown, Spectrum, where exactly nothing happens ever. Heather has a great idea that’s sure to be fun – the Charleswood Estate, abandoned for years, has officially run out of money to fund its security man (conveniently, … Read more