Tag Archives: friendship

Small Town Monsters: Book Review

Joan of Arc at the stake couldn’t have sounded like she was in more pain. Continue reading

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Girl Made of Stars

A realistic portrayal of how people react to learning about the rape of a classmate. Continue reading

Posted in bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Mature Readers, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Almost Somewhere: Twenty-Eight Days on the John Muir Trail

Three Young Women on the John Muir Trail As a college graduation gift to themselves, the author, Suzanne Roberts, and her friend Erika decide to hike the John Muir Trail. They cover the 211 miles from Mt. Whitney to Yosemite, … Continue reading

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A Face for Picasso

Ariel looks less and less like herself, a circumstance that makes her feel her identity is being stripped. Eventually, she describes her face as a mask she can’t remove. Continue reading

Posted in Biography/Memoir, bullying, Human Rights Issues, Over 375 pages | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager

  Being a Teen=Lack of Control Over Life Smack in the middle of his junior year of high school, Norris Kaplan has to move from Montreal, Canada to Austin, Texas when his mom secures a professorship at the University of … Continue reading

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Humor, Multicultural, Romance, Sports, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“My Kind of Crazy”

My Kind of Crazy by Robin Reul    Hank Kirby comes up with a great idea for asking popular Amanda Carlisle to the prom. How then does he manage, with just a box of sparklers, to light up Amanda Carlisle’s … Continue reading

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“All the Bright Places”

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven   We meet Violet Markey and Theodore Finch out on the ledge of their school’s clock tower. They haven’t gone there together, but rather accidentally run into one another as they as both … Continue reading

Posted in Adventure Stories, bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sports Books: “The Final Four”

The Final Four by Paul Volponi    The hoop action between the Michigan State Spartans and the (underdog) Trojans of Troy University is nonstop, heart-pounding excitement. While the semifinal NCAA championship game is played, the novel focuses on four players: … Continue reading

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Multicultural, Read 180, Sports, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Bone Gap”

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby   Finn, the teen oddball in the tiny country town of Bone Gap, is both loved for his quirky personality by most of the town and bullied by the family of Rudes–a common scenario in … Continue reading

Posted in bullying, Fable/Fairy Tale/Fantasy, Family Problems, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Adult Fiction: “Skippy Dies”

Skippy Dies by Paul Murray   Skippy Dies has been described by more than one professional reviewer as ‘hilarious and horrifying.’ I would say that it is hilarious for a very long time, and then suddenly horrifying. This is true … Continue reading

Posted in bullying, Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems, Fiction, Humor, Mature Readers, Over 375 pages | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment