Hold Still, by Nina LaCour
I have to admit that the only reason I picked up this novel is because I had to read one last book for my YA class and the one I had picked was way too long. This one? Much shorter, but still wonderful. I’m very glad I chose this one. Caitlin’s best friend Ingrid has … Read more
I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This, by Jacqueline Woodson
Marie is a black girl living in southeast Ohio in a type of town people don’t often talk about – one where the rich people (relatively speaking) are black and the poor people are white. A new white girl moves to town and Marie thinks she’ll be one of the many who show up at … Read more
Almost Astronauts, by Tanya Lee Stone
A book about sexism and astronauts? Count me in! Stone presents a narrative look at the 13 women who, in the 1960s, underwent the various astronaut tests taken by the Mercury 7 astronauts as part of an experiment to determine if women could be astronauts. She details the rigors of the tests and the determination … Read more
The Death of Jayson Porter, by Jaime Adoff
I absolutely did not want to read this book. I was looking through one of the lists of books from which I had to choose one for my YA class, and I saw this book, and I was like, no thank you. Kid from the projects has a crappy life and wants to commit suicide? … Read more
Catalyst, by Laurie Halse Anderson
This was my first Laurie Halse Anderson book, and maybe I chose the wrong one, because all I’ve been told is that she’s awesome and this book was okay. Suggestions? The story: Kate is a senior who made a huge mistake in only applying to one school — MIT. Oh, boy. So she’s freaking out … Read more
Last Exit to Normal, by Michael Harmon
Ben Campbell is having a rough life — after his dad came out of the closet three years ago, his mother ran off and left him behind with this man that Ben no longer understood. He rebelled, with the pot-smoking and the getting into trouble and the suspending of his license, but eventually his dad … Read more
A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson
This is probably a weird book to be my first introduction to Bill Bryson, seeing as how I understand him to be more of a travel writer than a science writer. But I can’t say no to a book about science, can I? No, no I can’t. Bryson covers all sorts of scientific knowledge and … Read more
Death Note Vol. 1, by Tsugumi Ohba
My first manga! I’m growing up so fast! So I had to read a manga for my YA class, and I was like… hmm. I know nothing about manga, except that sometimes it becomes movies or TV shows. Conveniently, my dear husband watches many of those movies and TV shows, and so when I showed … Read more
I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President, by Josh Lieb
Oliver Watson, Jr., is an unpopular, overweight, not very smart seventh grader. Well, at least he wants you to think that last part. In reality, he is the titular genius and also rich and powerful, though he gets other people to stand in for him because little kids can’t sign contracts and stuff. You know. … Read more
If I Stay, by Gayle Forman
What a beautiful book. I listened to this on my commute, which was possibly a bad idea because my tear ducts get a little overactive when potentially sad things are happening. Yes, this is a fairly depressing book. It’s about a teenage girl who gets into a horrific car accident with her family, and has … Read more
