Second September Meeting

Hi all,

Bit of a delay between the meeting and the posting, but things have been pretty crazy at the library and I’ve only now gotten all the reviews together and sat down to type them all up.

Our second September meeting had a pretty low attendance because school is back in session and the readers are a studious bunch, but the books have been read and reviewed and here’s what we have:

Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young

Suzanne Young’s “Girls With Sharp Sticks” is a sci-fi novel set in an all-girls school designed to morph teen girls into the ideal wives for men. The main character, Mena, begins to realize that the school is much more twisted than it seems. I like the poems featured in the book, and how accurately it depicts and amplifies how damaging misogyny can be. The writing style was a little dull, which made some parts more difficult to get through, but the plot and theme overall was interesting, and I’d recommend it to those who are interested in the dystopian side of science fiction.

Recommended by J.S.

The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis

The Good Luck Girls was an intriguing fantasy dystopian centered on five girls: Aster, Tansy, Mallow, Violet, and Clementine. They escape from the “welcome house” where they’re living and end up on a quest to find safety after a terrible accident. I loved it so much I read it in less than a day. It hooked me from the start and didn’t let go.

Recommended by N.S.

Hello Girls by Brittany Cavallaro and Emily Henry

Hello Girls was an intriguing read about two girls escaping abusive lifestyles, but I had an issue with the writing style. I can’t remember what it was right off the bat, but something about the way the two girls were written bugged me. I couldn’t even finish the book, because the thought of slogging through to the end drove me crazy. The plot idea was great, the execution, not so much.

Reviewed by N.S.

 

We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with more books read and reviewed. Until then,

 

Happy Reading!

Two More Reviews

Hi All,

With the last 3 meetings being only a week apart, it’s been harder to finish books, but we still got two done and here are the reviews!

Slay by Brittney Morris

An intriguing story about a black coder and a murder. Kiera invents a[n online] game, but then someone is murdered. Her game is called racist, then a troll invades [it]. I thought it was really intriguing and would recommend.

–Recommended by Nicole

((For those of you not familiar with internet culture, a ‘troll’ in this context refers to someone on the internet who deliberately causes trouble and tries to ignite arguments and animosity between others. Trolls often cause trouble for the enjoyment of the chaos and anger it brings. A popular internet saying is “Don’t feed the trolls,” meaning that you should not encourage these types of people by paying attention and responding to them.))

The Kingdom by Jess Rothernberg

Jess Rothenberg’s ‘The Kingdom’ takes place ina high tech theme park that features cyborgs. It follows Ana, one of the park’s “hybrids” (cyborgs). One of the park’s employees is missing and Ana is suspected of murder. This book was well-written and I would definitely recommend it.

–Recommended by Anonymous

 

We’ve got another meeting Friday, so hopefully we can crank a few more reviews out then!

 

Happy Reading!

August 2019–Meeting 1

Hello all,

We’ve been reading and reading so here are our reviews!

Stepsister by Jennifer Donelly

Stepsister by Jennifer Donelly is a retelling of Cinderella from the point of view of one of the “ugly” stepsisters. Told through the eyes of the stepsister, Isabelle, and the Greek god Dionysus, the story follows Isabelle after her stepsister Ella became queen. I like this book because it has themes like the meaning of ‘beautiful’ and redemption as well as changing your fate. The only reason I wouldn’t nominate this book would be the ending. However, the rest of the book was well worth reading.

–Recommended by Anonymous

The Things She’s Seen by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina

A dead girl helps her father solve crimes and move past his own grief. A surreal yet heartfelt story for mystery lovers and supernaturalists alike.

–Nominated by Caleb

Lovely War by Julie Berry

“Lovely War” by Julie Berry is a romance taking place in World War I as told by Aphrodite. The book starts with Hephaestus catching Aphrodite and Ares in an affair in a golden net. He then puts them on trial and Aphrodite tells two stories of romances she helped to build during the war. I loved the writing style, the dialogue, and the perspective on Aphrodite’s work. This was a beautifully written book and I would highly recommend it, especially to those interested in Greek mythology.

–Nominated by Jackie

Slay by Brittney Morris

“Slay” by Brittney Morris is a story of a teen girl who developed an online video game celebrating black history and culture. She develops this came called Slay to create a safe space for black players, but after a murder over a Slay dispute occurs in the real world, the game is debated all over the media. I liked the character development and how the plot was developed. This was a good read and I would highly recommend it.

–Nominated by Jackie

 

We’ve got one more meeting in August and then school will start again so our reading habits might drop as we are inundated with schoolwork, extracurricular activities, jobs, and balancing our lives this year. We’ll keep at it though, and post again after the second August meeting.

 

Happy Reading!

July 2019 Meetings

Hello again,

The summer seems to be flying by and we’ve got a few more recommendations and nominations of 2019 YA books. We’ve had some really great discussions about what we do and don’t like in books, what characters we like and why, and what pacing we prefer as readers. Here are our reviews:

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mieja

An interesting dystopian society with complex characters.

Recommended by Anonymous

Lovely War by Julie Berry

An interesting and unique story about love in times of war and told through the eyes of Greek gods and goddesses. A long read, but completely worth it.

Recommended by Anonymous

The Transhuman Project by Erin Rhew

A really unique story with memorable and interesting characters that keeps you captivated from beginning to end.

Recommended by Anonymous

The Cerulean by Amy Ewing

A unique fantasy with relatable characters.

Recommended by Anonymous

Genesis Begins Again by Alicia Williams

A heartwarming story about a girl’s hard life.

Recommended by Nicole

Dig by AS King

I loved the funky uniqueness of this book and the way the various plot lines foil and converge in the end. The characters are deep and authentic and the writing is amazing.

Nominated by Anonymous

Fear of Missing Out by Kate McGovern

A wonderfully written, yet sad story of a girl with astrocytoma, AKA brain cancer. Along with her best friend a boyfriend, she goes on a road trip for her last chance to live.

Nominated by Anonymous

Our next meeting is on August 9th and we all took home plenty of reading material to share our thoughts next post. Stay cool, it’s getting hot out there.

Happy Reading!

June Week 1

Hello again friends,

We’ve just finished our exams and are starting up summer jobs, summer internships, summer adventures, and of course, summer books! Below are a few books we read during exams and enjoyed!

 

Wicked Saints by Emily Duncan

A great world with interesting characters and wonderful magic.

Lauren Recommends

 

The Devouring Grey by Christine Lynn Herman

A strong mystery with realistic characters and an interesting monster.

Caleb Recommends

 

Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds

It was alright, the plot was interesting, and there were scenes between the characters that felt raw and real, but other than that, the writing style was dull. It was okay so I put recommend, maybe someone else can read it and see if it’s interesting to someone else?

Anonymous Recommends

(Further review with spoilers below)

 

We have another meeting this Friday and with our members travelling, working, interning, and more, hopefully we’ll have a few reviews for you then.

 

Happy Reading!

 

After this there are spoilers for ‘Opposite of Always, so please stop reading now if you don’t want to spoil the book!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews from March 3rd Meeting

Hello Again,

Our past meeting was certainly an interesting one. In addition to several new reads and reviews, some of our members had an intense debate about ‘Four Dead Queens’ by Astrid Scholte. One of the teens who read it was a fan, the other had lots of critiques of the book. Another person took it home at the end of the meeting, so we’ll see what they think! A book that gets people riled up and arguing is always a fun thing to have in a book club and I’m looking forward to future debates about it!

Our Recommendations

In the Neighborhood of True by Susan Kaplan Carlton

“Intriguing and meaningful historical fiction story with a good balance of romance, humor, and teenage fun.” –Shreeya

96 Words for Love by Ava Dash

“An amazingly written coming-of-age story including traveling to another country, falling in love, and finding yourself.” –Nicole

Spectacle by Jodie Lunn Zdrok

“Nathalie Baudin’s life is turned upside down when she begins having visions of a serial killer murdering their victims. This book is wonderfully written and the characters are greatly developed.” –Lauren

Our Nominations

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

“A heartwarming and moving story of a Muslim teenager and her journey to stay with the girl she loves despite the conservative wishes of her homophobic parents. This book and its characters are incredibly real and well-written”–Shreeya

The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg

“A wonderful story of two guys navigating the world around them together and helping each other find themselves.” –Jacqulyn

We’re meeting again on March 15th, but because it’s only been a week since our last meeting, there might be a few less reviews in the next post. Less time between meetings means less reading gets done!

Happy Reading!

Our 2018 Mock-Printz Books

We’ve had a fun and interesting year, but after some discussion and debate, here are our 2018 Mock-Printz Books.

Winner:

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan

 

First Honor Book:

When Light Left Us by Leah Thomas

 

Second Honor Book:

MunMun by Jesse Andrews

 

Third Honor Book:

Bridge of Clay by Marcus Zusak

 

Bridge of Clay by Marcus Zusak, Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman, and Hey Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka were all released a little later in the year and thus many of the teens in Printz didn’t get to read them, but the teens that did were loudly supportive of them and had we gotten more readers, this year’s vote might have been even more intense than it already was.

Some 2019 ARCs have already been handed out to read over winter break and my Printz teens are welcome to come knock on the office door if they want to pick some up to read before the next meeting. Coming in January, expect more opinions, more reviews, and until then,

Happy Reading!

 

What We’re Reading in 2018 (in consideration for 2019 mock-Printz award)