Reviews - books with reviews by teens
- more books with reviews written by teensLifting The Sky by Mackie d'AngeProtagonist and narrator Blue is an almost-13-year-old girl whose ranch hand mother has kept her on the move, never staying in one place long enough to put down roots. Blue is a complex, compelling and quirky character with whom readers will instantly bond. It's clear d'Arge has based both Blue and Blue's mother on different aspects of her own character, and the result is two of the most interesting and genuine characters in Young Adult fiction.Lifting the Sky's setting is equally authentic, as d'Arge lives on a Wyoming ranch and reservation much like Blue's. Readers interested in animals will adore Blue's encounters and rapport with the wild animals of the range, including antelope, coyotes and even wolves. And as Blue learns about cattle ranching and develops her veterinary skills, readers will be right there beside her. By the middle of the story, I was amazed at how much veterinary science I had picked up. The action in Lifting the Sky is perfectly paced, as several story threads - Blue's quest for her long lost father, her relationship with a Native American boy searching for a mystical place, and her exploration of her own mysterious healing gifts - all come together in a breathtaking climax. By the end of the book, you will have lived a few months of Blue's life, growing, learning and changing right along with her. What more can one ask from a great novel? Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh BaskiJason Blake has autistic spectrum disorder. He has daily and lifelong struggles to exist in a normal world. The only place that he feels himself is online on Storyboard, , where he post the many short stories that he wrote. It is there that he meets Rebecca. Though they have a common interest in writing, Jason worries about the consequences, if they ever meet in person. Jason also feels that if he doesn't meet Rebecca, there is no chance of a real relationship. But when Jason's parents surprise him with a trip to the Storyboard national conference and when he finds out that Rebecca will also be attending, Jason is terrified. How will Rebecca feel about him when she meets him, when she learns that behind those lovely words on her computer screen is a very different boy from the one she might have imagined?Surface Tension: A Novel or Four Seasons by Brent RunyonLuke's parents own a cottage by the lake...When Luke is 13, he's extremely excited to be back at his most favorite place in the world... The following year, he's not feeling quite as excited. Their new neighbor is causing a lot of problems... The next year, when Luke is 15, their issues with the bad neighbor escalate, and Luke has his best friend, Steve, in tow. Steve doesn't quite seem to get Luke's feelings about the lake and their experiences at the cottage, however, so that results in another weird summer. When Luke is 16, he has no idea why he decided to come to the lake this year. His girlfriend is at theater camp, and Luke spends most of his time thinking about her... and wishing... Tensions rise among the neighbors and result in a near tragedy and yet another emergency room trip for Luke... This "novel in four summers" took my breath away with its elegantly tailored narration and down-to-earth voice, which shifts slightly throughout to reflect Luke's age. A story such as this, I believe, will bring a wave of nostalgia to even the most jaded teen reader, as the main character's struggle with his own cynicism and changing perceptions come across as very real and true. Something, Maybe by Elizabeth ScottRight off the bat the book was funny and engaging...The humor was found in all sorts of places from the fact that Hannah works at a call center for BurgerTown (what?!?!?!) with two boys from her high school, one who she has a massive crush on and the other one that annoys the heck out of her... While her family situation is humorous (old playboy dad with lots of girlfriends and a mother that used to be one of them and now has her own internet show) it's also the source for the more serious emotional stuff in the book... There is a lot of stuff going on here. My favorite part, of course, was the love triangle that forms between Hannah and her co-workers Josh and Finn. Pretty much everyone but Hannah knows which one she should go for. It almost gets to the point where she seems kind of dense but finally comes to her senses! I thought this was a funny, engaging and sweet book and it's just proven to me more why I should read the rest of Elizabeth Scott's books!
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