YA Book Reviews

A high school teacher gives quick(ish) takes on YA books, with some graphic novels and adult books thrown in

[ateacherreviewsya]

Neverworld Wake

Neverworld Wake (2018) by Marisha Pessl

The six were the best of friends at school, until one of them - Jim - died under mysterious circumstances. The school ruled it a suicide, but that just never seemed like Jim. Beatrice, Jim’s girlfriend, has felt disconnected from the others since then. But now, one year after graduation, they’re meeting at their old hangout, an estate on the ocean, and Beatrice hopes she’ll finally get some answers.

But when a mysterious man knocks on the door, everything stops. He tells them that they were in a car accident and that they are hanging in between life and death. They will continue to live out the same time loop over and over again. At the end of each loop, they will all vote for one of them to survive. If the vote is ever unanimous, that person will exit the loop and the others will die for good. Otherwise, the loop will continue forever.

I wanted to really love this book, but I never really connected to the characters, which lowered the stakes significantly. The second half picked up a bit, but not enough. Overall, this felt like a case of better concept than execution. The cover is incredible, though!

3/5

[ateacherreviewsya]

All Rights Reserved

All Rights Reserved (2017) by Gregory Scott Katsoulis

As soon as Speth turns fifteen, she will have to pay for every word and gesture. She knows in her family, that means certain debt that she’ll struggle to get ahead of for the rest of her life - and electric shocks to the eyes when she uses words she can’t pay for.

Just before her fifteenth birthday, Speth’s friend Beecher kills himself, and Speth assumes that this is to avoid his family’s crippling debt. On Speth’s Last Day, her fifteenth birthday, she is expected to make a pre-scripted speech. Instead, she says nothing - and vows to continue to stay silent in defiance of the rules. Those who make the rules, though, are sure to be unhappy with her - and that could spell disaster for Speth and her family.

This is such a fun concept, and while it’s not maybe brilliant, it will grab lots of readers - and I’m looking forward to seeing how this story continues in the sequel.

3.5/5

[ateacherreviewsya]

Darius the Great is Not Okay

Darius The Great is Not Okay (2018) by Adib Khorram

For the first time, Darius and his family travel to Iran to visit his grandmother and ailing grandfather. Darius doesn’t know Farsi, leaving him out of conversations between his little sister and his mom - and now out of many conversations in Iran. His main connections to the culture seem to be through food, though that’s complicated as Darius’s dad makes comments about his weight every time he has something besides a salad. Maybe that’s why he loves tea so much - a flavor connection to his culture without calories. In America he doesn’t feel American enough, and in Iran not Iranian enough - the struggle of so many kids. When he meets the boy next door, though, suddenly things seem so much better.

Darius is a funny, self-deprecating narrator, feeling his outsider status in many ways. Family relationships, cultural norms, and sexuality feature prominently - and within a culture that we don’t often get books about, especially YA novels. Loved this. 

5/5

[ateacherreviewsya]

Picture Us in the Light

Picture Us in the Light (2018) by Kelly Loy Gilbert

Danny comes from an Asian family, though not a very stereotypical one - they support his art in a non-Tiger-mom kind of way. Immigration status and issues surrounding that are key here, and so important to talk about. Immigration status, race, and class are all intertwined, as they often are. Danny and his family and friends have multiple tragedies and secrets in their past, and the dynamics between them change with each of these serious events and revelations.

This is probably a more realistic portrayal than most of how a community deals with suicide, and how much more careful we should be about high achieving kids and the pressure we as adults put on them - and what they put on themselves.

I was left with questions and wanting more - and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. The complexity of the story left me feeling a little cheated, like the friends story could be its own book, and the family story could be its own book, and putting them together short-changed each of them. The beginning didn’t really grab me, though I think that was at least partially due to my personal state of mind at the moment. I ripped through the second half in one sitting. This was a good book, but it could have been amazing.

4/5

[ateacherreviewsya]

The Names They Gave Us

The Names They Gave Us (2017) by Emery Lord

Lucy has always felt pretty secure in who she is, with the loving family, the caring boyfriend, and her church community. When her mother’s cancer returns, she’s shaken. Things only fall apart more for Lucy when her boyfriend breaks up with her - and then, her family tells her they don’t want her to work at the church camp she’s always gone to. Instead, they want her to be a counselor at a camp for kids who have faced some sort of adversity in their lives.

Reluctantly, Lucy goes to this camp, meets new people with all sorts of different life experiences Lucy can only imagine, and learns a lot about herself, her family, her faith, and her world. It sounds cliche, but it’s sweet, thought-provoking, and engaging to walk with Lucy through this self-discovery. It’s a beautiful book filled with emotional moments and a powerful protagonist.

5/5

[ateacherreviewsya]

Moxie

Moxie (2017) by Jennifer Mathieu

Vivian is done with the sexism at her school - the way the football team can do and say whatever they want, the way the dress code is selectively enforced. When she finds her mom’s old feminist ‘zine, Vivian decides that creating her own anonymous feminist ‘zine is how she can speak out, and maybe even create some real change.

This isn’t the first “feminist fights back against school patriarchy” book I’ve read this year, and I love that this conversation is finally happening. Based on my own experience, Moxie is probably the best, most real feminist YA book I’ve read. Moxie deserved more buzz than it got, and should become a big part of the conversation.

5/5

[ateacherreviewsya]

Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now

Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now (2018) by Dana L. Davis

I loved this.

Tiffany’s mother just died from cancer, and she’s being shipped off to live with a father she never met. Turns out she also has sisters she never knew about, and a whole new life to adjust to. Her father has way more money than she’s used to, and more rules than she could have ever imagined. There’s also a mysterious boy across the street with a painted face that Tiffany’s been forbidden to talk to - but just might be her favorite person in town. Oh, and this father may not actually be her father - but that’s her secret. Another man will be showing up in seven days for a paternity test, so this adjustment to a new life might be pretty short-lived.

Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now addresses so many important issues, including anxiety, race, class, autism, adoption, religion, and what it means to be a family. It somehow manages to deal with all of these so effectively without being preachy. It’s not perfect (especially how it deals with the father’s relationship with his daughters), but it opens up so many important conversations.

This is one of my favorite books I’ve read so far this year - the characters are very, very flawed at times - but I cared deeply about Tiffany Sly, and I think most readers will.

5/5

[ateacherreviewsya]

The Prince and the Dressmaker

The Prince and the Dressmaker (2018) by Jen Wang 

Frances is hired by the prince to be his tailor- only to find out that she’s really going to be making dresses for the prince’s secret alter ego, Princess Crystallia - who quickly becomes a famous fashion icon. Frances likes her job, and enjoys her friendship with the prince - but she hates having to be kept a secret.

This is a sweet graphic novel that made me smile throughout. Good for middle grade & up - maybe a little younger, too.

4.5/5

[ateacherreviewsya]

After the Shot Drops

After the Shot Drops (2018) by Randy Ribay

Bunny and Nasir are best friends, or at least they were until Bunny accepted a basketball scholarship to the private school across town. Bunny is sure this is the key to a college scholarship, but Nasir is just pissed his friend left the team. With Bunny gone, Nasir starts hanging out more with his cousin Wallace. Wallace is desperate for cash, and starts betting against Bunny - putting Nasir in a worse and worse spot.

This book does a great job of creating three-dimensional characters with understandable struggles. It sends excellent messages about prejudice, judging others, and friendship without being preachy. Good for sports readers, but doesn’t exclude non-athletes.  From the middle to the end, I didn’t want to put it down until I found out how the conflicts were resolved.

4.5/5

[ateacherreviewsya]

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2015) by Jenny Han

This has been on my TBR for so long, but all the buzz around the Netflix movie moved it to the top of the stack. I’m so glad it did! I didn’t think this would be my thing (love triangle!) but this Jenny Han does the love triangle right.

Lara Jean is trying to be the “woman of the house” since her mother died years ago and her older sister is now off to college in Scotland. She’s trying to keep things together, and trying to forget that she has a crush on her sister’s (ex-?)boyfriend Josh. To help get over Josh, Lara Jean writes Josh a love letter that she’ll never send, and puts it in her hatbox with the four other similar love letters she wrote in the past. But somehow, those letters end up sent - and everything gets turned upside down.

Lara Jean is a biracial Asian protagonist, something we don’t see often enough, espeically in a romantic lead. The characters here are likeable but realistically flawed, and the novel includes one of the most realistic portrayals of the extreme hot and cold nature of many sister relationships.

This was a fast, fun read. The cliffhanger ending is a little frustrating, but it does effectively make me want to read the sequel. The Netflix movie is also a very true depiction and worth a watch. Adorable!

4.5/5

[ateacherreviewsya]

Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World

Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World (2018) by Penelope Bagieu

Brazen is a series of graphic comics (each one a few pages to a dozen). Each one is a biography of a woman in history who in some way rebelled against society’s expectations. The concept for this is incredible, and many of the comics are amazing. A few didn’t quite interest me as much (and I’d rather have a few more contemporary ones) but that may just be personal preference.

This could work for young adult or adult audiences - some of the women are dealing with some serious stuff for sure, but the book isn’t ever graphic or profane. Recommended for a wide audience, and include a wide variety of different types of women. I only knew a handle of these women before reading this book - always happy to learn about more badass ladies.

4.5/5

[ateacherreviewsya]

I’ve been MIA this summer, but a bunch of reviews are coming your way in the next couple of weeks. I read some amazing books over the summer, so look out for lots of titles to add to your fall TBR!

[ateacherreviewsya]

Monday’s Not Coming

Monday’s Not Coming (2018) by Tiffany D. Jackson

Allegedly was one of my top YA books of this school year, one I knew I could hand off to a kid and they would rip through it. I was so excited that Tiffany D. Jackson had a new book out - and while the first section dragged for me a bit, the second half lived up to my expectations.

Claudia’s best friend Monday has stopped going to school, and no one else seems to be worried. There’s something off here, and Claudia isn’t going to stop until she finds out what happened to Monday and her family.

My biggest complaint about this book is the timeline. Before, After, Before the Before, a Year Before the Before, etc. - I was confused for a large chunk of this when things were happening exactly, though I’m sure that was intentional. The confusion bothered me for a while until I started to piece together the why, and what those ambiguous time terms really meant.

The sections headed by month names were particularly beautiful pieces of writing, describing different characters using the language of color. Those are definitely passages I plan to show my students and have them try mimicking as a writing exercise.

I’m looking forward to Jackson’s next book and where she goes from here.

4/5

[ateacherreviewsya]

Patina

Patina (2017) by Jason Reynolds

Patina is the second book in Reynolds’ Track series, each book following a different member of the track team. (They work well together, though could be read as standalones without too much trouble.) This one follows Patina “Patty” who is living with her little sister and their godparents, after their mother loses her legs to diabetes. Patty feels responsible for taking care of her sister, even though she admits that their new guardians are doing a pretty solid job.

Of course, being a book in the Track series, Patty is a runner, and uses her passion for running to fuel the rest of her life, and as an escape from the parts of her life that aren’t going how she expected.

I listened to this on audiobook, and it was a great one. The cadence and attitude of the character came out so vividly through this narrator that I strongly recommend this one on audio. The other Track book narrators are here too as side characters: Ghost, Sunny, and Lu. I’m looking forward to reading more about Sunny (out now) and Lu (out in October). A solid middle grade/lower YA read.

4/5

[ateacherreviewsya]

A Taxonomy of Love

A Taxonomy of Love (2018) by Rachael Allen

Spencer and Hope meet just before 7th grade, and they become fast friends. As they get older, though, Spencer starts to question what their relationship really is. He starts making little “taxonomies” to try to figure out how pieces of his life fit together. (The taxonomies are adorable, and definitely something we could use to have students “classify” things.)

This is such a sweet book, that manages to be cute without being too cutesy. I also like its portrayal of Tourette’s Syndrome, as it is so often misunderstood.

4/5

[ateacherreviewsya]

Leah on the Offbeat

Leah on the Offbeat (2018) by Becky Albertelli

This is the sequel/second book in the universe of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (which became the Love, Simon movie). We already know these characters, but we get to zoom in on slightly different ones and continue from there. I read this just after seeing the movie (good timing, publishers!) so I was already re-invested in these characters, and it fully lived up to my expectations.

Leah is such a genuine character - a drummer, a little overweight, a child of a single parent, sarcastic. She’s bisexual, but only her mother knows - she hasn’t even told her gay best friend Simon, though she’s not sure why. She loves her friend group even when she doesn’t seem to be just like them, and when they start to fracture, it’s in her best interest to try to figure out how to fix it.

All of the Creekwood characters are excellent, and I loved getting a closer look at Leah while still getting some updates on Simon and all the rest. Their relationships feel authentic, and I loved spending some more time with them. It’s a sweet, funny read in a sea of often very heavy YA.

4.5/5

[ateacherreviewsya]

I’ll Give You The Sun

I’ll Give You the Sun (2014) by Jandy Nelson

Jandy Nelson is one of my favorite YA authors (who sadly only has two books). I’ve read I’ll Give You the Sun before, but I’m rereading it alongside one of my colleagues, and I couldn’t resist writing about it.

In this dual narrative novel, Noah tells his story at age 13 while applying to an art high school, while his twin sister Jude narrates from age 16 - grieving a loss, and attending that art school, though Noah isn’t. In the earlier years, Noah and Jude are inseparable, while by the later years they barely talk. Neither twin has the full story of why this shift has happened. The narrative style of two characters in two time periods leaves it to the reader to piece together much of what the characters haven’t yet.

So much of this book is about the art they create, and the artistry of the characters is mirrored in the beautiful, creative writing. The language is so much of what I savor here - but I also love the way Nelson explores relationships - sibling relationships, parent-child relationships, romantic relationships, and more - including the relationship between the living and those they have lost.

5/5