Nominated as a Teen Top Ten book for 2018, The Book of Lies grips the reader from start to finish. Twin sisters Quinn and Piper do not meet until the age of seventeen at their mother’s funeral. Neither of the sisters knows much about the other. Once they meet they become even more curious about their backgrounds and try to unravel the mysteries of their pasts. This novel presents strange, memorable characters – some of which are downright creepy. The dark setting and circumstances leave the reader with a lot of questions and squeamish feelings. Recommended for grades 9-12. This is one is highly recommended.
Author Archives: Stacy Udo
Keeping the Beat – by: Marie Powell & Jeff Norton
The book Keeping the Beat is a murder mystery that keeps the reader’s attention by slowly revealing the details through multiple characters’ perspectives. The book begins with a murder then shifts back in time to chronicle the events that lead up to it.
The cast of characters are five girls from Britain who form a rock band and win the opportunity to spend a summer in Los Angeles in attempt to make it big. Each girl tries to maintain her own relationships outside of the band while also continuing to support the efforts of the band. The details are given at a fairly slow pace, making the novel feel as though it drags at times. The characters are relatable and the style of prose is also easy to get into and well written. Recommended for grades 8-12.
Worthy by: Donna Cooner
Donna Cooner’s novel Worthy does a good job of illustrating how consuming social media can be for teens. Someone at Huntsville High School has created an app that allows users to judge whether or not the females in a dating pair are worthy of their male partner. No one knows who the creator of the app is but everyone seems to have an opinion about each of the couples selected for judgment. The app arrives on the scene at the same time that the Junior/Senior Prom is also being planned. The results posted on Worthy have significant impact upon the couples; some fall apart, others fight even harder. Most important is the mental impact that the results have upon the girls being judged, it’s all consuming – the girls are almost unable to function in other areas of life and school while waiting then are left doubting many aspects of them selves after the results are in. In addition to illustrating the impact that this type of social media has upon society, this book also does a good job of addressing social status and popularity within high schools. It is a fast read that will appeal to students interested in realistic fiction and relationships. Appropriate for upper middle school and high school students.
Damselfly by Chandra Prasad
The novel, Damselfly is a retelling of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. In this book we see a group of lacrosse players from a private high school, both boys and girls, crash down on a remote island while on their way to a tournament in Japan. Right away we see characters fall into the roles of Piggy, Ralph and Jack (but with new names). There is even a lake full on conchs to aid in the feeding and communication of the group. The force of evil in this novel seems to not only be the interaction between characters but an actual person, not among the group of students, who warns the group to “leave or die.” Like in Golding’s novel, the characters in Damselfly must form alliances and work to survive on this island.
Damselfly, was not original enough for me to feel invested in the book. As a former English teacher who taught The Lord of the Flies for over 10 years, I have to say that this retelling was a disappointment. I picked up the book, hoping for something crafty and creative – instead it felt way too predictable and easy for me to draw the connections between the two works. I think this book would be best received by teens who have not yet read The Lord of the Flies.
Sparrow by Sarah Moon
Sparrow by Sarah Moon is a beautifully written novel about a young girl, Sparrow, who suffers from extreme shyness and anxiety. In order to cope, Sparrow often escapes by envisioning herself flying among the birds. The book opens with Sparrow in the hospital, after an assumed suicide attempt. What we learn later is that she was not suicidal, just trying to “fly” as a method of mental escape. Sparrow puts walls up around herself, making the task of forming friendships very difficult. People she’s closest to are her mom and the school’s librarian. After the rooftop misunderstanding, Sparrow is assigned to weekly therapy sessions. Through her time with Dr. Katz, Sparrow learns how to live in the present, “on the ground” more often. She is also selected to attend a camp for girls interested in Rock-n-Roll. Slowly Sparrow learns to trust in herself enough to make connections with others.
The book will appeal to readers who like Indie Rock – lots of musical references. A great selection for building diverse reads. Appropriate for middle and high school readers.
A Very, Very Bad Thing by Jeffery Self
A Very, Very Bad Thing by Jeffery Self is written in a way that keeps readers wanting more. Narrated through the voice of Marley, a gay senior, the story begins by revealing that Marley has done something bad. Time shifts between the now and the early fall of Marley’s senior year. We watch as Marley meets Christopher, the gay son of a widely known, conservative Christian pastor. Marley and Christopher have an immediate connection, but their relationship is met right away with hostility from Christopher’s parents. The two boys do their best to navigate their budding romance despite outside pressures, but this also means that they do a lot of sneaking around in order to spend time together. In and out of “pray away the gay” camps, Christopher decides that he can no longer return home to his parents and works with Marley to escape, thus leading to A Very, Very Bad Thing. This book is appropriate for middle and high school students.
Wax by Gina Damico
Reviewed By: Shelley Walter, OHS Library Secretary
This is the story of a teenage girl, Poppy, who is an aspiring actress. She has a nightmare performance and is ridiculed by her peers, namely a boy name Blake. Blake bullies her and she seeks revenge and finds a secret studio inside the town’s famous candle factory.
The old woman in the secret studio, who crafts wax figures of various people including townspeople, warns Poppy of a plot to take over the town by replacing the humans with wax substitutes.
The book took time to get going and at times seemed to drag. It is a good story and did get my interest as it went along.
Poppy’s family did not quite develop into interesting characters. The wax teenage boy “Dud” plays a part, I found myself wishing he had a bigger part (he did in the end). Poppy has a somewhat sarcastic sense of life and I identified with that.
My first young adult novel to read in quite a while.
Vanilla by Billy Merrell
Vanilla by: Billy Merrell
The book Vanilla by Billy Merrell is beautifully written and have quickly become one of my favorites. The story follows two high school boys, Vanilla and Hunter, who have been in love since middle school. Their relationship is based first on friendship and later on romantic feelings. Although things have progressed physically over time, Hunter is ready for much more than Vanilla is ready to give. The two are struggling in their relationship for the first time; both are emotionally invested and have feeling of love for one another, but Vanilla continually backs away from sex any time the two discuss it or get close to trying – ultimately causing a rift between the two. Written in verse, Vanilla, will appeal to reluctant readers because of the lyrical nature and the unusual formatting, it makes for a very quick read. Ultimately, Vanilla allows readers to watch as the characters struggle with their own sense of self-discovery. Anyone looking to add diverse reads to their collection should consider Vanilla a must-have.
What Girls Are Made Of
This novel grabbed me from the very start. I do want to warn that it should be given to upper-high, mature readers. The book is told from the perspective of a sexually active 17 year-old girl, who is trying to figure out just how much love and sexuality should and do define one’s true character. The book discusses sex in an upfront, honest way – characters find pleasure in sex, but are also presented with consequences. The main character tries to gain self and peer acceptance, much of which is dependent upon her sexuality and the way she views boys and men treating women. I found it interesting that the author was able to weave in art history surrounding the roles of men and women throughout time and place to help further the character’s understanding for gender roles and expectations. Although many of the scenes are raw, disturbing and even shocking – the novel truly sheds light on the way young females view sexuality and the pressures to be accepted. I was pleased in the end to see the main female character find her own way, not dependent upon anyone else; the book leaves the reader feeling like she will be okay.