by Benjamin Alire SaenzThe opening lines of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina go something like this: Happy families are all alike, but unhappy families are unhappy in their own way. Salvador Silva and his adoptive father, Vicente, seem like a stereotypical happy family. Salvador is a fairly content and well-adjusted teenager, about to start his final […]
By: Chelsea SedotiThe Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett is a coming of age story with a unique voice. In a sleepy American town where nothing of interest ever happens, a young woman goes missing during a camping trip with her boyfriend. Hawthorne, a high school student who once knew the missing person, Lizzie Lovett, integrates […]
Labor DayBy Joyce MaynardBeing the week of Labour Day I felt this title was appropriate. This is held in the Richmond Public Library adult collection but I believe this coming of age story is wonderful for young adult readers too.Joyce Maynard has combined a young mans coming of age story with an interesting love story; […]
by Neal ShustermanImagine a world where humanity has conquered death. There’s no more disease, hunger, poverty, ageing, or death by accident. Sounds really neat, right?Until you consider there’s also no pain. Or joy. Or any intense feelings. People sort of drift along in life, “turning the corner” (resetting to a younger physical age) every so […]
windfall Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith Windfall, by Jennifer E Smith is a story about luck. Who has the luck is up to the reader to decide. When Alice buys a winning lottery ticket for her best friend, Teddy, his luck appears to change, but will it change the two friends who share a rough […]
Girl in the Blue Coat By Monica Hesse Hanneke, a teenage girl trying to make ends meet, delivers black market goods to paying customers in Nazi occupied Amsterdam. Hanneke has a special knack for finding sought after items. Her boyfriend was killed on the Dutch front lines when the Germans invaded, so Hanneke likes to […]
By Brandon SandersonWhat can I say: I saw evil superheroes and underground freedom fighters in the description and was instantly sucked in. This could have ended in disappointment and disillusionment. I am pleased to say it didn’t. This book was awesome. It was a cautionary tale on absolute corruption following on the heels of absolute […]
by Kirstin Hubbard18-year-old Bria Sandoval has just graduated from high school, and already her life is not going as planned. Her parents are fighting a lot. Her boyfriend Toby has broken up with her. A talented artist, she has been accepted to the art school of her dreams, but she’s decided not to go. Her […]
The Boomerang EffectBy Gordon JackThis is the first book that I have read in a really long time that actually had me laughing out loud. Let’s just say the domino effect is in full force here, one bad decision can start a landslide!Lawrence Barry is a junior and reminded me a little bit of Ferris […]
by Trevor NoahYou probably know Trevor Noah from Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. Trevor was a surprise pick to replace the indomitable Jon Stewart, but the South African comedian has slowly come into his own and as you read his new memoir, Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood, you might start to […]