Category Archives: Read 180
“Reaction”
Reaction by Lesley Choyce Ashley drops the bomb on Zach—she’s pregnant and doesn’t know what to do. At first they try to figure things out together, but their fear and anger cause them to pull apart. Ashley is so … Continue reading
“Bang”
Bang by Norah McClintock “Act normal? The guy died, and JD wants me to act normal?” Quentin—‘Q’—thinks he’s going to have the usual day with his friend JD. Q thinks about asking JD’s sister Leah out. He thinks about hanging … Continue reading
“Picture This”
Picture This by Norah McClintock Ethan is living in his second foster home when he is enrolled in Picture This is a program for troubled teens. He’s learning photography skills and he’s good at it—creative and serious. So when … Continue reading
Sports: “Game”
Game by Walter Dean Myers “In a way it was like a bunch of guys in a game. They were falling behind every minute that passed, but they had lost interest in the score. It was as if … Continue reading
Tough Teen Topics: “Such a Pretty Girl”
Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess Fifteen-year-old Meredith (“Chirp”) is coming undone because her father, who sexually molested and raped her when she was twelve, is coming home from prison. It’s clear from the outset of Such a Pretty … Continue reading
Bullying Books: “Shooter”
Shooter by Walter Dean Myers Myers does his usual good job with a tough topic. The book opens as an investigation of a school shooting ‘last April.’ Various adults (psychologist, police personnel) interview the two best friends of the … Continue reading
Death Sentence: Escape from Furnace, Book Three
Just a quick note on Death Sentence: Book Three of Escape from Furnace. I read it. It still has the appeal of the first two books, but it does have that middle of the series lag, at least at the … Continue reading