Tag Archives: Young Adult

Walk Me Home by Catherine Ryan Hyde (review by Melissa K. ’18)

January 8, 2015 mspelmanlibrarian Leave a comment

Walk Me Home by Catherine Ryan Hyde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After their mother dies, two sisters Carly and Jen trek from New Mexico to California in hopes of living with her ex-boyfriend. Trying to dodge Child Protective Services, they risk hitchhiking with strangers, dehydration in the desert, and stealing for sustenance. They pass small towns and encounter an odd variety of people, whose quirks are the highlight of the novel. Even the minor characters have distinctive voices. Catherine Ryan Hyde manages to convey regional accents so naturally that the reader barely notices them. The downside of the novel was the overuse of fragments, which distracts from the plot. If that annoys you, avoid this book. Otherwise, Walk Me Home is an easy, satisfying read. – Melissa K. ’18

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The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan (review by Catherine H. ’17)

October 20, 2014 mspelmanlibrarian Leave a comment

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The fifth and final installment in Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series fails to impress. As the demigods of the prophecy travel on the Argo II to save the world, Reyna, Nico, and Coach Hedge struggle to travel across the world to deliver the Athena Parthenos to the Greeks as a peace offering. The gods are still split into their Greek and Roman selves due to the Romans preparing to attack the Greeks at Camp Half Blood. The Earth Mother, Gaea, is close to waking and the monsters are eager to spill demigod blood to wake her. It has its funny moments, but did not leave a lasting impression on me. In fact, the ending is incredibly cliché and nothing was particularly memorable. The series has dragged on for long enough and I’m glad that it has finally come to an end. The Blood of Olympus is alright and provides a satisfactory ending, but I only recommend it to fans of Riordan’s works. – Catherine H. ’17

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Four by Veronica Roth (review by Catherine H. ’17)

September 3, 2014 mspelmanlibrarian Leave a comment

Four: The Transfer by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Four is a collection of several short stories that help clarify the background of the character Four in Veronica Roth’s Divergent series. This book has several sections that begin with his Choosing Ceremony and end a short while after he meets Tris. I found this an intriguing read and thought it was nice for a quick read. I would recommend this to anyone who read and enjoyed the Divergent series. – Catherine H. ’17

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The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (review by Catherine H. ’17)

August 26, 2014 mspelmanlibrarian Leave a comment

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ever since she was six, Blue Sargent has been told by her family of psychics that if she kisses her true love, he will die. She decided she wouldn’t fall in love, but when she’s sixteen, she meets and becomes included in a group of boys. Specifically Aglionby boys, called Raven boys. Their quest for something supernatural draws Blue in, and her knack for making supernatural occurrences stronger accelerates their pace. This book introduces us to a great variety of characters, all of them eccentric in their own way. I found that Maggie Stiefvater keeps a good pace throughout the book, picking up towards the end and leaving us at a cliffhanger. Though I originally thought I would be reading a novel filled with romance, it was surprisingly low in the romance and tragedy department. I hope to find more romance, mystery, and action in the next two books in The Raven Cycle. – Catherine H. ’17

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The Royal Ranger (Ranger’s Apprentice, #12) by John Flanagan (review by Catherine H. ’17)

July 22, 2014 mspelmanlibrarian Leave a comment

The Royal Ranger by John Flanagan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s been 18 months since Alyss’s death and Will is still obsessively searching for the man who was responsible. Far away, Cassandra and Horace desperately look for a way to straighten out their rebellious daughter, Maddie, who sneaks out of the castle to hunt. It is decided that Maddie will be mentored by Will and train to become a full-fledged Ranger’s Apprentice, and despite having trouble coping at first, falls in love with the life of a Ranger. I found the book interesting, with humor and suspense scattered throughout and was well written. John Flanagan ties this book to his first, in comparing Maddie to a young Will, nervous but eager to learn. With this book, I enjoyed catching up on the latest book the Ranger’s Apprentice series.

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Timebound by Rysa Walker (review by Catherine H. ’17)

June 22, 2014 mspelmanlibrarian Leave a comment

Timebound by Rysa Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rysa Walker’s Timebound, the first installment in the Chronos Files, is a very thought provoking read. Kate’s grandmother, Katherine, comes to town and announces that she is terminally ill and would like to spend more time with her granddaughter, which seems like a reasonable request. However, Kate’s mother insists that her grandmother is selfish and that she shouldn’t go. But Kate notices a strange medallion that glows a brilliant shade of blue that her mother can’t see but her grandmother can. Upon confronting her grandmother about it, she learns that her massive headaches have been caused by shifts in the timeline and that her grandfather is stuck in a different time, trying to create a religion and change history to benefit himself. Kate also finds out that this medallion is a CHRONOS key that lets her travel back in time. Before she can start training, another shift occurs and her parents disappear from the timeline, having never met each other and never having had her. She must now carry the key with her at all times or else disappear forever. It becomes her mission to go back in time and warn her grandmother so that she can restore her timeline. This book made me think about time travel in a different way. Even though there are several timelines that are mentioned, the story is straightforward and easy to follow. I recommend this book to anyone interested in time travel. – Catherine H. ‘17

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The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore (review by Catherine H. ’17)

June 22, 2014 mspelmanlibrarian 1 Comment

The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The fourth book in the Lorien Legacies series describes the events after the Garde’s unsuccessful battle with Setrákus Ra and follows their story as they regroup and try to form a coherent plan. Sam spent forever dreaming up rescue missions by the Garde and resisting Setrákus Ra’s torture sessions until he is finally rescued by two unexpected allies. John spent forever stuck, with no plans until the final member of the Garde, Five, sends a signal to them and the race begins to find Five before the Mogadorians do. Meanwhile, Ella has been having terrible nightmares and eventually ends up hurting John. The Garde try to catch up with each other and train together before the Mogadorians attack but when several people cause trouble from the inside out, the Mogadorians attack. Pittacus Lore has managed to keep the story going and provide some interesting new twists, but the constant switching of perspective can be disorienting, especially because there is usually no indication as to whose perspective we are viewing from. I would recommend this book only if you enjoyed I am Number Four. – Catherine H. ‘17

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Delirium by Lauren Oliver (review by Catherine H. ’17)

May 8, 2014 mspelmanlibrarian Leave a comment

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When love, or amor deliria nervosa, is seen as a disease, scientists develop a cure. However, the cure can only be administered when the patient is eighteen, otherwise it is unsafe. Lena Haloway, now Lena Tiddle, is eager to be cured so that she can’t become like her mother and sister, both previously infected. She’s worried about her friend Hana, who is beautiful and has recently begun riding the edge between loyal citizen and sympathizer. She forgets about this when her evaluations go horribly wrong and she meets a Cured named Alex. She falls in love and finally wakes up to reality, that love is not a disease, and that she must escape. Delirium had an interesting idea, and some nice romance, but I felt that the plot didn’t move smoothly throughout the book. – Catherine H. ’17

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Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor (review by Maya V. ’17)

May 1, 2014 mspelmanlibrarian 1 Comment

Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The last book in its trilogy, Dreams of Gods and Monsters is a warming, heart wrenching, and fulfilling finale. After years of the chimaera and seraphim warring brutally against each other, the two races are devastated. The few chimaera monsters left are being resurrected regularly after losing battles. The seraphim race has split into two armies: one led by the new king, Jael, who plans to invade Earth, and another called the Misbegotten. In this sequel, Karou of the chimaera, the main character of this trilogy, and her love interest Akiva of the Misbegotten unite their races to defeat Jael. With their shared dream of uniting their people forever, they fight to bring harmony to the land of Eretz. This novel completes the epic trilogy with no questions unanswered. Every detail of the characters’ lives, the history behind the land of Eretz, and the mystery of the seraphim’s magical powers are explained magnificently. The interesting look into the side characters’ personalities makes the novel even richer with side stories and backgrounds. However, to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate this novel, it is vital to read the preceding two books. This title is a must-read for young adults! – Maya V. ’17

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Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (review by Elizabeth S. ’16)

April 22, 2014 mspelmanlibrarian Leave a comment

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Though intimidating because of its subject matter, Wintergirls yields a reward high enough at the end to make reading it well worthwhile. Anderson’s writing is always visceral and heartbreaking, but the harsh reality of eating disorders makes it even more gritty. When I was not transfixed by the story, I was admiring Anderson’s writing style and the perfect way that she captures the first person speaker, Lia. Lia’s best friend Cassie was recently found dead in a motel room of an overdose. The book details their past together, including Cassie’s bulimia (which eventually led to her downfalll), Lia’s anorexia, and the pact they made together when they were younger. Lia’s anorexia resurfaces, for the guilt that Lia feels about Cassie serves as a trigger. The author’s voice is strong in this book, with truly believable characters and a singular writing style. I recommend this book to any reader looking to really feel for a character and who isn’t at risk of being triggered by the subject matter. – Elizabeth S. ’16

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