Tag Archives: Young Adult

Miles Away From You

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Miles is going through a difficult time right now. Vivian, a trans girl he fell for, dropped out of school for, and moved in with, attempted suicide and is left in an irreversible coma. Pressure is put on him to fight for her right to die with dignity, something her parents are actively fighting against just as they fought against her transition. Vivian and Miles ran an online blog about queer advocacy, so Vivian’s case has become famous, putting even more stress on Miles. His mothers realize he is struggling and send him for a month to Iceland. This epistolary novel recounts Miles’s time there as he grapples with grief and guilt. Unfortunately, Vivian is a two-dimensional character and the other gender nonconforming person who is present assaults and robs Miles. However, the protagonist’s dealing with his loss and his return to art is a touching journey. There is good queer representation in other ways; Miles struggles with his pansexual identity, there is a gay Icelandic love interest, and Miles’s mothers are adorable. VERDICT Though flawed, this is a good purchase for where road trip novels are popular.

I don’t know how to recommend this book.  I’m a grown adult and wouldn’t consider myself a prude, but this book is pretty explicit. It claims to be a book following someone through their grief of losing a girlfriend, their first love, but really just turns into a summer of sex in Iceland as he tries to forget his pain.   There were definitely parts that were unnecessary, as if they were just put in for shock value.  I also feel like the book to tries to represent as many minority groups as possible which just made it feel forced, like the author was just checking boxes.

After talking with one of our openly LGBTQ+ students, who had also read the book, we agreed that it would be good to keep in our collection.  While the writing isn’t the best, for someone who is still searching for answers, it would be good to have another account of someone who is still exploring their true self.

For This Life Only

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The book “ For This Life Only” written by Stacey Kade is deeply describing how unexpected and horrible accident can change the person’s and family’s life.  Throughout the story there is a common theme of how important it is for a family to help, understand and be open with each other, as well as being together, especially through the hardest times of their life. In my opinion, this realistic novel includes a lot of philosophical and psychological aspects and themes.

Nobody ever could expect that one winter evening could change Jacob (Jace) Palmer’s life forever. That day was when the main hero of this book, Jace asked his twin brother Eli to pick him up from his friend’s party and drive him home. On a way to their house, while they had conversation, Ely suddenly loses control of the car and crashed, “… Jeep rolled, turned our world upside down…”. Jace was dead for three minutes followed by couple months of struggling for his life and a lot of surgeries, he tried to get back to his normal life but now without his identical twin brother Eli, who died in the car accident that horrible night. Now Jace must learn, how to live and struggle, not just with his physical pain, but also with his emotions, feelings, and pain that he keeps inside of himself, “…Wake up. Take more pills…Try not to think… It was difficult for me to step back into a life that was all sharp edges and no soft landing places, a life that no longer left like mine-that didn’t matter…”  Throughout the story we see how Eli’s death impacts people and friends surrounding him, especially his family and his little sister. Also, there is a deep conflict inside the family, more so because their father is Pastor, who often helps to solve other people’s problems, sometimes caring for them more than his own family, particularly now when they need him the most. Jacob’s family is falling apart, arguing a lot, feeling guilty, blaming each other about Eli’s death, and everybody tried to avoid the conversation dealing with it. Thankfully, Jacob met a good friend, Thera (even if she was weird and he ignored her before), who helped him to organize his thoughts, fears and feelings, by listening and talking with him about it.

Through this story a lot of different questions arise about the life, expectations, difference between right and wrong, many religious questions, and afterlife (if it’s exist), but only a few answers. This is a well written story, because while you read this book you are totally immersed and feel the characters’ emotions, worries, fairs, grief, and relationships. Personally I think it’s really sad story, and it has many curse words, which is why I would recommended this book for high schoolers and young adults, who like this type of books.

Review by M.M.

Ebb & Flow

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Heather Smith’s Ebb & Flow is a novel in verse. Smith grabs readers from the first page. Once started, the reader will want to read the book in one sitting to unfold Jett’s story.

After “a rotten bad year,” Jett’s mother sends him from the mainland to spend summer on a quaint coastal island with his eccentric grandmother. While on the island, Jett rediscovers himself and must learn forgiveness. Raw emotions roll in like rogue waves, changing as new experiences and memories merge. At times he is playful & clever, but he is also angry & bitter. While Jett’s catchphrase is “No Regrets”, he is deeply remorseful and ashamed of his actions. Grandma Jo’s unconditional love and patience help Jett to see himself the way she sees him – a compassionate, smart boy who made a mistake. He must take responsibility for his role in his “rotten bad year”. As Jett make amends for actions, he discovers forgiveness is possible.

Ebb & Flow is a fitting title, as Smith’s telling of Jett’s journey is not a direct path. His story takes the reader from the present to memories from the past. His emotions come and go like the tides. The story evokes strong emotions. Give this book to readers who like books that don’t sugar coat things but tell stories the way life happens with all the gritty, heartfelt details. They’ll appreciate the honesty of Jett’s journey to redemption.  

The Thing About Leftovers

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The cover of the book doesn’t begin to describe the story within. Following a middle school girl that has her own problems to deal with, it’s a story with depth hiding underneath the camouflage of a bright appearance. The Thing About Leftovers by C.C. Payne followed Fizzy Russo, a girl with dreams of winning the Southern Living Cook-off. However, recent turmoil in her own family has her feeling like a leftover. Now she lives with her mom and attends a new school. There, she finds new friends in Miyoko and Zach, and along the way learns that sometimes things change, but it can be for the better. I enjoyed the realism and emotion in the story. It was very personal with how Fizzy felt about these events that were happening in her life, and I was swept up in the story immediately. My only frustrations were that it didn’t last longer! I would’ve enjoyed a much more closed resolution, but an open ending is always open to imagination. The conflict and setting were very relatable from a middle school standpoint. Divorce and moving are both very real events that can happen and affect students, especially in the middle school years. Overall, the pace of the story was great and I was left satisfied when I put the book down. Personally, I would recommend this book to anyone who is passionate about a hobby or sport. Fizzy’s pursuit of her dreams are relatable to anyone who aspires to do the same, and her nonstop work can be an inspiration to those with their own ambitions. It was an entertaining read.

-Review by B.W.

Sky Full of Stars

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The book is about a young girl and how she faces her challenges. The book is about the struggles of an African-American life during the time of oppression and inequality. The protagonist is a young girl who lives with her grandmother and experiences many challenges at this age, and witnesses things that change her perception of the world over time. She witnesses people her age also going through similar struggles and we get to view her thoughts and opinions and sometimes even fears. I thought that the book was a bit slow towards the beginning but once it picked up the pace it was super exciting and emotional. (Due to the fact this is based on a true story). I would recommend this book to those who really enjoy reading about black history and especially the hardships and what it took in order to get to the way things are now. Be wary that this is about the murder of a young boy named Emmet Till and this incident actually happened and isn’t fictional.

-I.D.

Width of the World

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Vega and her friends find themselves in True being chased by two maladons to get to safety but the adventure isn’t over. They find secrets and worse enemies than they could ever imagine. They make new friends and find old friends once lost. The Width of the World is an overall good book. I recommend it for anyone who wants a fiction book about adventures.

-Z.C.

Lucky Few

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Stevie Hart describes herself as a normal-type.  This is one of four categories she has created to describe students who are homeschooled.  Her best friend, Sanger, is a normal-type also.  Enter Max, the new neighbor kid who is obsessed with cheating death.  Together this trio embark on a challenge to defy death 23 times. On her own, Stevie is involved with the political action efforts to save her favorite place, Barton Springs. What starts out as a way to pass time with friends – old and new – turns into a journey of self-discovery.

The story moves from one death cheat to another, yet in the background our characters are learning how to cope with change – sometimes with grace and other time with the elegance of a toddler tantruming. In the periphery, the cast of characters deal with pressures of academic success, discrimination, Christian values, political activism, and abandonment to name a few.

Note that Stevie and Sanger are homeschooled, yet they go to classes taught by teaching staff at  non-home school locations and the homeschool co-op has a sports team. Part of the controversy in a side plot has to do with the homeschool co-op board requesting that Sanger leave the co-op because her parents are lesbians. This friction propels the plot and is an undercurrent of the development of the main character, Stevie, who questions these decisions by adults in authority and determines her own moral compass.

All the Bright Places

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Violet survived the accident that killed her sister, but she doesn’t know how to move forward. One day she finds herself on the top of her school’s bell tower. Before there is another tragedy, Theodore “The Freak” Finch pulls her back from the edge. However, since Finch has put himself in precarious positions before, everyone assumes Violet talked him out of jumping, and he lets them.  The two are paired for a class project, “Wander Indiana”, which is difficult since Violet refuses to travel by car. Told through the device of the project, the story, in alternating voices, chronicles Violet’s recovery from the loss of her sister and Finch’s descent into mental illness. The romance builds slowly and is sweet and touching. Violet’s grief is realistic and will ring true to teens. but it is Finch’s story that will break your heart. I have read several young adult books dealing with depression and suicide, but this one resonated with me and I think it will with teens as well. Teens who don’t know what to read after Green’s TFIOS will love this one.

The End or Something Like It

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Kim promised her bff that she would come back to visit after she died. Knowing that she had a congenital heart defect, Kim actually spent a lot of time planning for how she would return to visit Emmy. But almost a year after Kim’s death, nothing has happened. Emmy waits, trying everything she can think of on all the anniversaries of major events in their lives, and puts her own life on hold. She hides under her bed, emotionally disconnected from everyone around her. Finally, Emmy sees a ghost, but it is not Kim; it is her recently deceased teacher.  Hoping that means Emmy will appear to her soon, Emmy tries to believe more, convinced it is her fault Kim has not appeared.

Emmy is crushed by her grief, and the cruelty of her peers makes it worse. Teens will easily identify with characters in the book and recognize as all too familiar the actions of many other characters.  This book feels disjointed; events are not in chronological sequence. The writing is often choppy, but feels realistic – grieving is not smooth and pretty. Fans of Gayle Forman and those looking for something to read after TFIOS should enjoy this.

Homestretch

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Gaston, “Gas,” is devastated by the loss of his mother, who he believes was killed by an illegal alien in an auto accident. When Gas’s father begins drinking more and becomes physically abusive, Gas decides it is time to leave. He ends up in another state, working with a family of Mexicans – the people his father has taught him to hate. Gas finds out that the family he works with are more trustworthy than his new boss, who will do anything for money. This coming of age novel is fast-paced and will pull the most reluctant readers along for the ride. The characters aren’t fully developed, but Gas’s feeling ring true. NOTE: some language and ethnic slurs.