“Attachments” is lovely. It takes place at newspaper towards the end of 1999 with the Y2K “crisis” in full swing. Beth is funny, engaging, writes for the entertainment section, and has been dating a local rock star for nine years. Her best friend Jennifer is delightful, witty, works as a copy editor, and has a… View more
The fifth and final book in the Percy Jackson series was, as you might imagine, an adventure of mythical proportions. It begins with Percy and Co. waging yet another battle against Luke/Kronos, one that ends in a stalemate sending Percy into the depths of the ocean. Being the son of Poseidon and all, this is… View more
“Hollow City” picks up where “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” left off with Jacob, now a part of the 1940s world of Peculiar Children and discovering his own peculiarity. Their time loop however has been discovered and attacked by the dreaded Hollows and Wights, neither of which should be physically capable of entering the… View more
Despite being a relative newcomer to the magical world of fantasy, Ransom Riggs makes a darn good introduction. The first in the “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” series begins with Jacob Portman, a rather uninterested and uncommitted average teenager in Florida who is, well, bored. He’s bored of his life as it is and… View more
The sequel to The Emerald Atlas picks up nine months later with Kate, Michael, and Emma back in their rather disagreeable Baltimore orphanage where Dr. Pym leaves them after mysteriously leaving on Christmas Eve. When monsters interrupt the uppity orphanage director’s party, the trio make their hasty exit through time and space. Or rather, Michael… View more
It seems you can’t turn a corner without running into a post-apocalyptic teen dystopia but I read “The Maze Runner” nonetheless and really did enjoy the story. It features a young teen boy, Thomas, who awakes inside a rising elevator. When it opens, he discovers he is trapped in a new and unfamiliar world surrounded… View more
Kate, Michael, and Emma are sibling who have been tossed from orphanage to orphanage, something found terribly wrong with them at each one. Kate, the oldest, is left with the task of trying to mother her siblings; Michael, studious and obsessed with dwarves; and Emma, the youngest and a fighter. Eventually the three are shipped… View more
The Iowa Children’s Choice Award books this year cover a wide array of interests and are certainly catered to very different youth audiences. “Pie” by Sarah Weeks is more of a general audience pleasing book without a direct theme and could easily be enjoyed by multiple groups. It features Alice Anderson, a young gal whose… View more
Kids love books about animals. Adults love books about animals. We all love books about animals, especially about animals who overcome obstacles. “The One and Only Ivan” by Katherine Applegate is the 2013 Newbery Award winner and well-deserving of such an honor. It is told from the perspective of Ivan, a silverback gorilla taken from… View more
It seems that young adult literature has reached new peaks of popularity – YA books are being sold to movie studios and adults everywhere are browsing teen reading lists. “If I Stay” by Gayle Forman certainly falls into both of those categories. Adults are (im)patiently waiting for their turn on the hold list for a… View more