I began this blog in the fall of 2010, thinking I would read 100 books during the 2010-2011 school year and write about each one. I reached 100 books in May, but decided to just keep on reading. You can stop back any time to hear about the newest books on my list.
Can't Look Away by Donna Cooner is our high school book club selection. Torrey Grey is a teenage fashion vlogger when her younger sister is killed by a drunk driver. Torrey and her parents move and try to bring some normalcy back to their lives. Torrey's vlog followers are very critical of her - and it gets even tougher when her former best friend releases a video of Torrey yelling at her sister just minutes before the accident.
The whole issue of social networking and digital etiquette is a huge part of the storyline. Torrey has lived her life in front of the camera, but when her followers learn of the tragic accident rather than support her, many of them attack her. There are many lessons for young adults as they consider their own online behavior.
Torrey also struggles with wanting to be popular. However, as the book progresses she begins to recognize what a true friend is, and how important it is to be honest and respectful.
Can't Look Away is an enjoyable book to read, but also one that has some great lessons for young people. I look forward to our book club conversations!
Hereafter is the second book in the Shadowlands trilogy by Kate Brian. I had to stop in to the library on a Saturday afternoon to return book 1 and pick up Hereafter - because the last line of the first book was such a cliffhanger!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book as well, and am anxious to purchase the final book. The story continues to intrigue me, and I enjoy reading Kate Brian's works.
I find the concept of the island and the people visiting it to be very thought-provoking. It certainly is a different take on death, and provides some great discussion about what happens after a person dies.
I cruised through the book and can't wait to get my hands on the 3rd and final book in the trilogy!
In Hereafter we begin to learn more about the mysterious island and the strange behavior of the teens who live in Juniper Landing. Rory is learning more about the fog that rolls in. She's also becoming closer to Tristan, but questioning her feelings for him. And now that I've finished Hereafter, it's time to wait in line for the final book in Kate Brian's series: Endless.
With Shadowlands I did what I try so hard not to do: I began a trilogy before all of the books had been released. Shadowlands is a fast-paced book that has plenty of action, emotion, and mystery.
Rory Miller, her older sister Darcy and their father, are moved to Juniper Landing to build a new life in a witness protection program while teacher Steven Nell, the man who had attacked and stalked Rory (and many other young girls), was caught. Juniper Landing seems like the most idyllic island, filled with sunny days, warm ocean breezes, and friendly inhabitants, but the strange thick fog that moves in every once in a while can be quite unsettling.
It takes most of the novel for us to realize that some things just aren't right around Juniper Landing...and Rory would like to get to the bottom of it. There are many hints throughout the book, but the real truth comes out in the very last sentence! And who could help but run right to the library to check out Hereafter!
I've always loved a good puzzle, and She is not Invisible is a great puzzle! At the very first sentence we are captivated by Laurenth, a 15 year old girl "abducting" her brother and taking him to the United States. Laurenth is in search of her author father, a man who has suddenly disappeared. His "black book" (his author's notebook) has been found in America and Laurenth is certain that something bad has happened and he needs help.
With very little to go on Laurenth and Benjamin (and Benjamin's stuffed Raven, Stan), hop a flight to New York. Now, all this is made much more difficult because Laurenth is blind. It is amazing how she (with the help of her little brother, Benjamin) navigate the big city, uncover the clues, and follow the many "co-inky-dinks" along the way to finding their father.
Coincidences are the main theme of this story, and I've enjoyed many of those coincidences throughout my life. My favorite? When we moved to Sartell our new address was 711 Falcon Court. Our bank was Falcon National Bank. We made the offer on July 11 (7-11). Later there were additional times when the sequence 711 appeared and when Falcon was included. It was so much fun to see these recurring numbers, and I couldn't help but think of this while I was reading this book.
It's fun to see a book that isn't the start of a series, doesn't include a dystopian society, and has no appearances of vampires or zombies! If you're looking for a fun read, check out She is Not Invisible today!
To read The Selection is to read the entire series, because once you finish the first book you will want to begin the second, and then the third. The series is a fun read, especially if you enjoy the crises of teenage girls and their relationships with each other (and the boy they all think they love).
I thought the series could've been shortened into two, or even one novel. The battle to become the next queen by marrying Prince Maxon just had too many similarities to the tv show The Bachelor. Watching America Singer waver between wanting Prince Maxon and wanting to run away with Aspen, her boyfriend from her former life, became a little tiresome. However, the story held my attention long enough to keep reading, and, like The Bachelor, I was hooked. I'm sure many teenage girls will feel the same way!
I read the novel Speak back in 1999 when it first was published, but decided to read it again since it is our book club selection for the beginning of the school year. Speak brings back all the rotten memories of junior high and high school. Although I didn't have any terribly scarring events, I know that friendships were hard and that there were many tears I cried over things that happened at school. I remember the day I was told not to sit with my best friend because she'd been asked to sit with the "cool kids" and I wasn't invited.
But Speak goes well beyond the typical events of a teenager, and ventures into dealing with rape and bullying. I know this tough book will be a wonderful discussion point for the students in book club.
We happen to be reading a recent reprinting of the novel. This is wonderful, because Anderson has added some great additions to the book. First, the story is proceeded by a poem including many lines students have written to her over the years. At the end of the book there is a nice section where the author explains more about why she wrote Speak. There is also a study guide and an author interview.
Here is a nice author interview with Anderson:
This video is the Laurie Halse Anderson reading the poem from the front of the book:
The haunting storyline of We Were Liars grabbed ahold of me from the first line and kept me intrigued until the very end of this awesome book. The story of Cadence, her cousins, and their friend Gat, and their summer visits to Cape Cod, is one that I will long remember and recommend to others.
First of all, the character of Cadence is mesmerizing. As we learn more and more about her relationship with her cousins and her family, the events of the summers of their childhood, and her confusion over the accident that occurred the summer she was 15, she only becomes more interesting. Intertwined with her memory loss is the separation of classes and races that exists.
Like a great scary story told around a campfire, We Were Liars gave me goosebumps! I loved the ending, although I have to say it came far too soon for me!
I've included a video of E. Lockhart reading from the beginning of We Were Liars.
