Teen and Young Adult Fiction Reviews
The five-star rating system.
There’s a difference between deaf and Deaf. The former is a physical condition, the latter is an identity. Having grown up with a deaf sibling, I’d always been aware of the frustrations in communicating with someone who can’t hear, but until recent years I had not known there was an official community.… Read the rest
Peas and Carrots by Tanita S. Davis, a Coretta Scott King Honor Winner, is the story of a journey of trust.
Fifteen-year-old Dess—white, rebellious, defensive—who long ago learned that she had to depend on herself has accepted the necessity of becoming a foster child.… Read the rest
Were you one of those children who adored horses? Do you have a child who 
devours every book on horses that she can get her hands on?
Then you have probably read books by Marguerite Henry.
I didn’t. As a kid, I liked horses.… Read the rest
I’m always good for a compassionate tear-jerker of a story, and Lety Out Loud with its sympathetic characters and focus on abandoned pets blessed me with three separate crying jags.
Lety Muñoz is an ESL student fresh out of fifth grade.… Read the rest
T.J. Akers describes The Final Paladin as “urban fantasy.” I would amend that to historical urban fantasy given that its real-world setting takes place at the turn of the 20th century.
Filled with crusaders, murders, a mysterious key, and a host of fantastical creatures, I recommend this YA novel for older readers of the genre.… Read the rest
Because I loved Rebecca Stead’s novel, When You Reach Me, I picked up Bob, hoping I would like it just as much. Yes and no.
By page 11, ten-year-old Livy is talking about zombies. Hmmm. I don’t do zombies.… Read the rest
Pirates. Life on the high seas. Betrayal. Held for ransom. Pirate’s Wager fulfills
the dream of every reader who loves swashbuckling adventure.
Thirteen-year-old Samazor struggles to find shelter and food in Port Azor, but when his father loses a bet with an infamous pirate captain, Samazor loses his freedom.… Read the rest
Synopsis
After a series of bad choices rocked his world, seventeen-year-old Preston charts a new course as far from his ladies’ man ways as he can get. He distances himself from the dating scene and avoids his party-loving friends—the things that once dominated his life.… Read the rest
Last month I interviewed one of the Scriblerians’ own, Cynthia Toney, regarding her Birdface series. Cynthia also has another book out which is historical fiction, and I loved the story. I don’t give five stars all that often, so you know it’s wonderful!… Read the rest
Third in a series of reviews about deaf characters and their siblings, Of Sound Mind zeroes in on the burdens a CODA (child of deaf adults) carries when his parents cannot or will not connect with the hearing world.… Read the rest