Teen and Young Adult Fiction Reviews
Books for Middle Grade Students
The Grey King had been recommended to me some time ago by a lover of high fantasy. Since it’s a Newbery Medal winner, I was willing to try it out, and if I liked it, I’d read the whole series: The Dark Is Rising Sequence.… Read the rest
The Saturdays, first book in The Melendy Quartet, is a delightful trot into
yesteryear’s childhood. Elizabeth Enright created a family of four siblings who live an “ordinary” life in New York City, yet their minor escapades become “special” adventures.… Read the rest
Once a Princess by Sherwood Smith is an epic adventure fantasy with magic and swords, pirates and princesses, and a conniving villain. It is appropriate for ages 12 and up.
Many people on Goodreads dinged this books as a cliff-hanger, but that is not the author’s fault.… Read the rest
HITTY Her First Hundred Years was published before I was born, before my mother was born! I wanted to see if such books are still “readable” in the twenty-first century. My answer? It depends.
As soon as I opened the book, my heart sank.… Read the rest
Knowing this story won the Newbery Medal in 1931, I expected fantastic writing. Looking at the title, I assumed it was a book of faith. I was mostly correct. Yes, The Cat who went to Heaven is magnificently written, a wonderful read-aloud giving your child a full picture of the setting.… Read the rest
Until last week, I had never read Johnny Tremain. Shame on me! And shame on me that after the first thirty pages, I was ready to recommend only the most patient of readers should stick with the book.… Read the rest
The Forever Man is book #3 in the middle grade fantasy Warp Trilogy written by well-known Eoin Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl series.
Riley, a fifteen-year-old, lives in Victorian London as a magician. In book #1, he defeated his murderous master Albert Garrick, with the help of Chevie Savano, a seventeen-year-old FBI agent who travelled back in a time pod.… Read the rest
Sometimes, life gets too hard. How can the remnants of a family hold on to what was good?
In Miracle’s Boys, Jacqueline Woodson answers the question: how does a kid survive losing both parents before he’s reached adulthood?… Read the rest
Inside Out and Back Again is the second free verse middle grade novel that I’ve read and enjoyed recently. Perhaps, that’s because it’s the 2011 winner of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and a Newbery Honor Book for 2012.… Read the rest
Set in 1934 Oklahoma, Out of the Dust inspires its readers with the 
indomitable human spirit in the midst of tragedy.
Once upon a time, thirteen-year-old Billie Jo had talent as a pianist. Once upon a time, the family farm provided for their needs.… Read the rest