Category Archives: Young Adult Literature

“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

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“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

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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

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Veterans’ Day Reading: “The Yellow Birds”

    The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers “The war tried to kill us in the spring.” “Then, in summer, the war tried to kill us as the heat blanched all color from the plains.” ‘The war had killed thousands by … Continue reading

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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

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Movie Tie-In: Ender’s Game (Twentieth Anniversary Edition audiobook)

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (Twentieth Anniversary Edition Audiobook) Ender Wiggins is a rare genius who may save the world from alien ‘buggers’ if he can prove himself in Battle School, and rise to the top command post. Of … Continue reading

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Movie Tie-In, Over 375 pages, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bullying Books: “The Beckoners”

The Beckoners by Carrie Mac  Everyone calls April “Dog.”  She’s been bullied all through high school. From being forced to eat a whole box of dog biscuits and retching in the hallway to being beaten within an inch of her … Continue reading

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Horror! “Monstrumologist”

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey  Another entry in the true horror category, The Monstrumologist starts with the gruesome discovery by a grave robber of a partially-eaten corpse around which is wrapped another corpse of a human-like creature.  The grave robber, … Continue reading

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Horror! “Scowler”

Scowler is a great October read, one in a YA branch of the true horror family. So—this is NOT your love triangle with some supernatural creatures thrown in ala Twilight and its progeny. Scowler is Dark. Scowler  is Disturbing. After … Continue reading

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Bullying Books: “I Swear”

I Swear by Lane Davis    Leslie Gatlin commits suicide in the prologue to I Swear, fulfilling the wishes of a group of girl bullies, who had been urging her to kill herself. Why did these girls do this? Much as … Continue reading

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