YA – Page 21 – Looking For a Good Book

February 22, 2017

CALL FORTH THE WAVES – L. J. Hatton

Ah…book two in a series. I’ve somehow done it again and jumped into the middle of a series. This does not appear to be a series that it is easy to jump into right in the middle. The biggest problem is understanding who the characters are and their relationships. It was clear that I was… Continue reading

SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA

2 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Young Adult

February 14, 2017

THE CANDYMAKER’S AND THE GREAT CHOCOLATE CHASE – Wendy Mass

This is a sequel to a book (The Candymakers) that I have not read. For the most part it seems that we get everything we need to know about the first adventure told to us in this book, making this a stand-alone. On the other hand, there’s enough of the referring to the previous adventure… Continue reading

CHILDREN’S, YA

4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Children’s Books, Reviews, Young Adult

January 27, 2017

MARS AND HOUSTON – James Crowley

There’s a really beautiful idea behind this story, but the story fails. Joey is an autistic young man who dreams and play-acts at being an astronaut. Joey’s mother has a difficult time dealing with Joey’s autism and tends to discourage anything he does, being quite over-protective. One day a new boy moves in to the… Continue reading

CHILDREN’S, Uncategorized, YA

1 Star, Book Reviews, Books, Children’s Books, Reviews, Young Adult

January 25, 2017

GEEKERELLA – Ashley Poston

This looks like it might be outside my personal comfort zone, being a teen romance fairy tale type book, but I got sucked in by the ‘geek’ aspect as mentioned in the description. Danielle “Elle” Wittimer is a super fan girl for the series Starfield. She likes to cosplay her favorite Starfield characters and she… Continue reading

Uncategorized, YA

4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, Young Adult

January 19, 2017

MACHINATIONS – Hayley Stone

Ingredients for teenage girl YA: Teen girl protagonist – check. A true love – check. A death of someone close to teen girl protagonist – check. No one understands teen girl protagonist, creating lots of angst – check. Girl must fight hard for acceptance and no one can possibly understand girl – check. It’s all… Continue reading

SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA

3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Young Adult

January 18, 2017

THE PAPER MAGICIAN – Charlie N. Holmberg

I’ve listened to the Audible version of this book twice – once on my own, and again after recommending it to members of my family as we drove across country. Both times I found it to be really a wonderful, magical book that entertains and encourages curiosity. Ceony Twill has finished her studies at magician’s… Continue reading

SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA

4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Magic, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Young Adult

January 12, 2017

SERAFINA AND THE TWISTED STAFF – Robert Beatty

I was a little less than enthusiastic in my review of the first book in this series (Serafina and the Black Cloak) because the heart of the story came out of nowhere and took the reader by surprise very late in the book. This second volume in the series doesn’t wait for the adventure, but… Continue reading

SF/FANTASY, YA

4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Young Adult

January 4, 2017

TREECAT WARS – David Weber and Jane Lindskold

It is a little strange that while I consider myself a ‘cat person’ (I’ve always had at least one, if not two cats living with me as long as I can remember) and I really like YA books, I have never been drawn to books which prominently feature feline characters. I was drawn to this book… Continue reading

SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA

3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Young Adult

January 2, 2017

THE STRANGE GIFT OF GWENDOLYN GOLDEN – Philippa Dowding

There are only a small handful of authors whose work I look for when I step into a bookstore and for whom I will purchase their newest work as soon as it is released. Philippa Dowding has just joined that small list. In The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden, the recent-teen titular character starts the… Continue reading

CHILDREN’S, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA

5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Children’s Books, Young Adult

December 17, 2016

KOJIKI – Keith Yatsuhashi

Angry Robot is a publisher that I find I really like. I’ll gladly read anything that they publish and nine times out of ten I will be really impressed and thrilled with the book. But when they disappoint, they do so in a big way. This one disappoints. The opening chapter drew me and I… Continue reading

SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA

3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Mythology/Legend, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Young Adult

December 12, 2016

ANOMALY – Krista McGee

Dystopian YA sci-fi with a Christian bent. That’s what we have here, and for all of that … it mostly works because author Krista McGee knows how to tell a story. Thalli is a teen female at some time in the future when The State controls everything about a person, including when they should die. … Continue reading

SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA

4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Religion, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Young Adult

December 8, 2016

ESCAPE INTO THE NIGHT – Lois W. Johnson

While I did request, and receive an Advance Readers Copy of this reissued book from River North press, I must confess that I did read this book … the whole series, actually … when it was first published in 1995. I really enjoyed the series (though I liked author Lois Johnson’s Northwoods series a little… Continue reading

CHILDREN’S, HISTORICAL FICTION, YA

4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Children’s Books, Historical Fiction, Reviews, Young Adult