The Witch's Boy

Michael Gruber

Harper Tempest, New York, 2005

Genres: Fantasy, Animal/Nature, Journey, Body/Self

Reading Level: Young Adult (12-18)

Pages: 377

Summary:

This is a story about a Witch and her son, a very ugly and unfortunate son at that. It's about this son's journey to discover himself and to also accept what he is. Tossed into the mix is a demon, bears, fairies, a human cat, and a very bad attitude.

Reaction:

I'm a huge fantasy fan, and something of a buff on the genre, so when I say that this wasn't my favorite book, you'll understand that perhaps I'm just a little picky. It wasn't a bad idea, but the story seemed to drag on without any really good developments. It's nice and clean and easy to follow though, so it's a good book for all ages. It could even be read by older children, though it's geared towards teens. I think that the first part of the book was the best, and then I felt like it got long and ridiculous, but that's just me.

Cautionary Note: Revenge, death, witchcraft, bad attitude.

Speak

Laurie Halse Anderson

Scholastic, New York, 1997

Genres: Sex Related, Friends and Society, Violence, Family

Reading Level: Young Adult (16-18)

Pages: 198

Awards: Printz Honor, Golden Kite Award, ALA Top Ten, Publishers Weekly Best Book of Year.

Summary:

Melinda Sordino called the cops during a party and now everybody at school hates her. She's a freshman, and she no longer has friends, a life, or even much self respect. Her life is falling apart and nobody but her knows the reason why. This is the sad, but engaging story of a girl who has been hurt and is seeking recovery.

Reaction:

Wow! This isn't a book for the young of heart, because it will leave them scarred. It's very realitic and powerful though, something that I appreciated from this genre. I do NOT recommend this book for anybody younger than 16 unless if they're dealing with these issues at present. I don't want to give the story away, so I won't say what happened to the girl, but you can probably already guess it was bad. It was very well written, so I liked it.

Cautionary Note: Violence, Sex, mild language, Attempted Rape, nothing too graphic, but it's all there.

I Am The Cheese

Robert Cormier

Laurel-Leaf, New York, 1977

Genres: Mystery, Family, Journey

Reading Level: Young Adult (14-18)

Pages: 214

Awards: Phoenix Award

Summary:

This is about a boy named Adam who is in search of his father. He sets out on a bicycle, yet somehow travels back through time as he tries to remember who he is and what happened to his father. This mystery must not be solved if Adam is to survive.

Reaction:

Weird, but very interesting. I wouldn't say it's my favorite Robert Cormier book so far, but I wouldn't say that it's without merit. I liked the psychological mystery involved, but I thought that the ending was a little too confusing. I wouldn't recommend this book for teens younger than high school because it's requires a little bit more maturity to deal with the content.

Cautionary Note: Violence, some language. Death.

Stuck In Neutral

Terry Trueman

HarperTempest, New York, 2000

Genres: Body Self, Family

Reading Level: Young Adult (16-18)

Pages: 114

Awards: Printz Honor Book, ALA Best Book for Young Adults

Summary:

Shawn McDaniel is fourteen years old and he's trapped within his body. Oh yeah, also he thinks his dad is planning to kill him. This story takes you into the mind of a "retarded" teen who is forced to deal with a family that is falling apart.

Reaction:

I couldn't really get into this book at all; I had to force myself to finish it, even though it was so short. It deals with very serious issues that require a certain level of maturity to understand. For that reason, I wouldn't really recommend this book for anybody under that age of 16. I didn't entirely find the character of Shawn to be realistic, but the father was portrayed amazingly well. This book is great for fueling debate and discussion.

Cautionary Note: Very mature content, meaning moral issues of murder and death. It also has some language and sexual references. Ages 16 and up.

Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary

Brandon Mull

Aladdin Paperbacks, New York, 2009

Genres: Fantasy

Reading Level: Young Adult (12-18)

Pages: 526

Summary:

This is the fourth book in the Fablehaven series. The plot continues with Kendra and Seth Sorenson fighting to prevent a secret society from destroying the world. Now they've joined forces with the knights of dawn to break into a dragon sanctuary. Once again we return to a magical world of fantasy mixed with the modern world.

Reaction:

I was already a fan of the Fablehaven series, having read the first three books last summer, and I was excited to read the fourth book. I really think that these books are easy to read for teens, and they're also engaging. Best of all, they're clean. I would rate this series up with Harry Potter and the Hunger Games for awesomeness. Don't get me wrong, they are simpler and easier than both of those series. If you plan to read this book, start at the beginning of the series.

Cautionary Note: There are some mild action scenes, and a few characters get killed.

Running Out of Time

Margaret Peterson Haddix

Scholastic, New York, 1995

Genres: Mystery, Family, Accomplishment

Reading Level: Tween (12-14)

Pages: 184

Awards: ALA Best Book

Summary:

The village of Clifton, Indiana is on the frontier of the US in the year 1840. Life seems to be pretty normal for Jessie until her Ma sends her on a mysterious mission to find help against an outbreak of diphtheria. Leaving her home behind, Jessie discovers a world that is more dangerous and new than she could ever have imagined.

Reaction:

I thought that the idea was a good one for a novel, but the author went way too quickly and glossed over far too many details. It isn't a hard book to read and it's very innocent, perfect for a young reader who has a hard time comprehending reading. Like I said, it's a good idea, but I found the ending to be very quick and disappointing, almost as if the author didn't want to take the time to come with a decent ending. Probably not a good book for High School age kids.

Cautionary Note: Nothing.

The Chocolate War

Robert Cormier

Laurel-Leaf, New York, 1974

Genres: Violence, Body Self, Friends and Family

Reading Level: Young Adult (14-18)

Pages: 263

Summary:

Jerry Renault dares to disturb the universe, just like a poster tells him, and it's causing an uproar in his school. The annual chocolate sale has began, yet Jerry won't sell his share of the chocolates. Everything seems tolerable until the school's secret society gets involved.

Reaction:

Awesome book, but definitely not a happy one. The story really gets into some of the emotional issues that high school ages kids deal with, plus it deals with issues such as peer pressure, popularity, and standing up for oneself. The ending isn't a happy one, so don't read this book on a rainy day.

Cautionary Note: Language, Sexual references, violence, peer abuse, and rule breaking is mostly what the book is about, so don't expect it to be pretty.