Halloween Party by R.L. Stine
So I don’t even know what to say. What a crazy ride this book was. Also it takes place in 1984 and I maybe laughed at how some of the characters were talking. But the main plot and reveal of what the villain was up to made me go what in the world. And then I started to wrack my brain and wonder if I had seen a tv movie based on this book or what since it sounded familiar to me. I never read […]
Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell
4.5 stars Spoiler warning! This is the second book in a series, and this review will contain spoilers for the first book, Carry On. If you haven’t already read it, you should do yourself a favour and do so. Simon Snow was the Chosen One, destined to bring an end to the threat to all magic. Of course, it turned out that he himself was in fact the thing that was threatening the magic in the first place, and his mentor/father figure (and actual biological father, although none […]
What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
CBR11Bingo – Banned Books Sophie has two lives – the one her mother knows, and the one Sophie hides. The one Mother knows is the sad one. The miserable home life Sophie spends as the only child of two people who hate each other. Her mother is deeply depressed, spending more time with General Hospital than with the family. Her father is cold and distant, unless he and mom are screaming at each other. But in her other life, the one her mother doesn’t need […]
Jackaroo or The Tale of Qwyn by Cynthia Voigt
This was hands-down one of my favorite books growing up, and I happened across my old copy of it when cleaning out my basement. What better way to fill the Youths square than with a trip down memory lane, and I was not disappointed. Jackaroo, or The Tale of Gwyn, as it’s now called, was just as solid and enjoyable today as it was 22 years ago when I bought it (based on its cover) at the scholastic book fair. Gwyn, our main character, is […]
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
This book works on multiple levels for me: *It’s swoony and I love the characters. I find it comfortable and reassuring, like a big fluffy blanket. *It’s a smart take on Chosen One stories, upending tropes and challenging expectations. The first time through you think you know what’s going to happen, and then it doesn’t, and something much cooler happens instead. *It’s funny and incisive, and has good things to say about the human emotional cost of magic, of being caught inside a fantasy story. […]
Enchantee by Gita Trelease
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett
The Lovely War by Julie Berry
Four more reviews to finish catching up on my backlog. CBR11Bingo squares for I Love This (Enchantee), Award Winner (Speak), Far and Away (the Lady Rogue) and Reader’s Choice over Own Voices (The Lovely War). Enchantee (apologies, but I can’t figure out how to accent the ‘e’) is a beautifully written young adult romance. Set in Paris during the final days of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI’s excesses, it shows both the splendor of the rich and the desperation of the poor. Camille […]
