Teen and Young Adult Fiction Reviews
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
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
We’re adding a new segment to Scriblerians book reviews–reviews on books written by the Scriblerians! Several of us have been very busy in the publishing world, and it’s time to crow a little over our successes.
Cynthia is one of the original Scriblerians, initiating a small critique group for yet-to-be-published young adult/middle grade authors.… 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
When Antony John’s wife challenged him to write a book about rock music and its personalities from a deaf person’s point of view, Five Flavors of Dumb was the result.
Synopsis
Eighteen-year-old Piper Vaughn lost her hearing in fifth grade, so her speech is pretty clear, and she’s mastered the skill of reading lips.… Read the rest
My local library had the foresight to carry several novels with deaf characters for children and teens. Rocky Road is one of them. In the coming months, I will be including additional reviews as part of a “Deaf Series.”… 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
It’s Over by Laura L. Smith is the second book in the Status Updates series, suitable for ages sixteen and up. Check out Kathrese McKee’s review of the series’ first book, It’s Complicated.
I agree with Kathrese who placed this series, that follows Claire, Hannah, Palmer, and Kat as they head off to college, on both the Young Adult and New Adult shelves.… Read the rest
Esperanza lives in the projects in Chicago. She knows she’s poor, but not as poor as many of her neighbors. She knows the streets can be dangerous, and she fears people of a different color. She sees the abuse endured by some of her friends.… Read the rest