Children

47

47 is a fourteen-year-old slave living on Corinthian Plantation in 1832. A kind woman  has looked after him but he now needs to go live with the other sl…

Read the full review of 47

A Company of Fools

A Company of Fools by Deborah Ellis is a beautifully written story about young people confronting the plague in 14th century Europe. The novel il…

Read the full review of A Company of Fools

A Crack In The Line

Aleric's life was turned up-side down when his mother was killed in an accident two years ago.  His home life has deteriorated and his relationship with…

Read the full review of A Crack In The Line

A Frog Thing

A Frog Thing is a short illustrated book with an audio CD of the text.  It comes from the author of Elison the Elephant, Leo the Lightni…

Read the full review of A Frog Thing

A Northern Light

In 1906, Chester Gillette murdered Grace Brown on Big Moose Lake, NY. In 1926, Theodore Dreiser novelized the murder in An American Tragedy.  In 1…

Read the full review of A Northern Light

A Step From Heaven

This novel for older children and teens tells the story of a girl who moves to the US from Korea. Young Ju is four when she arrives in California with h…

Read the full review of A Step From Heaven

A Wish for Wings That Work

This short picture book for young children tells the story of Opus the penguin who wishes he could fly. But being a penguin, his wings don’t work.…

Read the full review of A Wish for Wings That Work

Adam Canfield of the Slash

Adam Canfield is the co-editor of the Harris Elementary/ Middle School paper The Slash. He is overworked and needs to prioritize. His co-ed…

Read the full review of Adam Canfield of the Slash

After

After by Francine Prose is a well-written suspense filled tale about a high school in the aftermath of a shooting at a neighboring high school. Th…

Read the full review of After

Alice MacLeod, Realist at Last

Alice McLeod is not an average sixteen year old. She has just returned to public high school after being home schooled for years, her wardrobe is based o…

Read the full review of Alice MacLeod, Realist at Last

All the Way

This little book published in Canada is aimed at young people contemplating the start of their sexual lives.  It is nicely designed, with drawings and so…

Read the full review of All the Way

Among the Hidden

Among the Hidden (Shadow Children sequence, Book I) by Margaret Peterson Haddix is a well-written suspense filled tale about a futuristic America…

Read the full review of Among the Hidden

Among the Impostors

Among the Impostors (Shadow Children sequence, Book 2) by Margaret Peterson Haddix is a well-written sequel to…

Read the full review of Among the Impostors

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging

This book is absolutely brilliant! I laughed until I cried reading the "diary" of fourteen year-old Georgia. While it officially aimed at teens, adults s…

Read the full review of Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging

Annie's Baby

Annie is a fourteen-year-old eighth-grader desperate for attention.  Unfortunately for her, she grabs the attention of older football player Danny.  She…

Read the full review of Annie's Baby

Arizona Kid

Sixteen-year-old Billy is on a train to Tucson to spend the summer with his uncle Wes, who he has never met. Billy has lived a pretty mundane life in Bra…

Read the full review of Arizona Kid

Assessment and Treatment of Childhood Problems, Second Edition

Schroeder and Gordon's second edition of Assessment and Treatment of Childhood Problems is an excellent resource for those clinicians who work wit…

Read the full review of Assessment and Treatment of Childhood Problems, Second Edition

Away Laughing on a Fast Camel

Away Laughing on a Fast Camel is the fifth novel for teens by Louise Rennison that started out with Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging.…

Read the full review of Away Laughing on a Fast Camel

Beating Heart

There are two main protagonists in Beating Heart.  The first is Cora, a teenaged girl who died in the house about a century ago.  She writes in po…

Read the full review of Beating Heart

Because of Winn-Dixie

                India Opal Buloni has recently moved to Naomi, Florida with her father so that he can take over the Open Arms Baptist Church of Naomi. Sh…

Read the full review of Because of Winn-Dixie

Between Mom and Jo

Nick thinks he's the luckiest kid in the world since he has not one but two moms. He realizes that he's different from other kids but he knows how m…

Read the full review of Between Mom and Jo

Big Mouth & Ugly Girl

Joyce Carol Oates’ first novel for young adults is about two 16-year-olds in a New Jersey High School, in Rocky River, in the rich sprawling suburb…

Read the full review of Big Mouth & Ugly Girl

Boy Kills Man

Boy Kills Man is a brutal hopeless story based upon true events. The story takes place in Medellin, Colombia in modern times, and is about a boy a…

Read the full review of Boy Kills Man

Boy Proof

Victoria an "A" student with a rough exterior considers herself boy proof.  She's too smart and too tough for any boy to like her. Vic…

Read the full review of Boy Proof

Boys

This set of stories revolves around the lives of a bunch of schoolboys in 1966, something the author (or the publisher) takes the trouble to inform us of…

Read the full review of Boys

Breaking Point

Books for young adults are starting to struggle with the problem of high school violence and murder, following the tragedy of Columbine. Breaking Poin…

Read the full review of Breaking Point

Bronx Masquerade

Who am I, really? Who do I want to be?  How can I get people to accept the real me, once I know who the real me is? These are all questions tackled in Ni…

Read the full review of Bronx Masquerade

Catalyst

It's no surprise that Kate Malone is so neurotic. Her mother died suddenly from pneumonia when Kate was young and her father is a clergyman.  She is…

Read the full review of Catalyst

Caveat Emptor

Caveat Emptor: Let the Buyer Beware by Richard Cloutier, Jr. is a supernatural thriller. It is a chilling tale about a dream house turned nightmar…

Read the full review of Caveat Emptor

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Roald Dahl's classic book for children is probably best known these days through its Hollywood adaption,…

Read the full review of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Expectations are high when Eric Idle reads a novel by Roald Dahl.  Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator is the sequel to Charlie and the Chocol…

Read the full review of Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Claiming Georgia Tate

Georgia Tate Jamison has not had an easy life. Her mama died when she was a baby, and her father proved to be unfit after one vacation spent with him. He…

Read the full review of Claiming Georgia Tate

Claws

Claws by Will Weaver is a well-written novel about the unraveling of a high school junior's charmed life after he discovers that his father is hav…

Read the full review of Claws

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen

It's every teen's nightmare to be torn from the familiar home, school, and friends that provide the comfort and security of an unchanging landscape that…

Read the full review of Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen

Coraline

Coraline is the story of a young girl who lives in an old house, with typically British parents and some eccentric neighbors.  One day when she is…

Read the full review of Coraline

Country Girl, City Girl

Phoebe is content to tell her goat fairy tales and fantasize about Michael, the older boy who works on her family's farm. All of these plans change the d…

Read the full review of Country Girl, City Girl

Cruise Control

Paul is a high school senior with a perfect life or is it.  He has looks, he's athletic and a straight "A" student.  But there is one thing in…

Read the full review of Cruise Control

Destination Unexpected

It is said that life is a journey and experience is a teacher, but those who have their eye on the destination often miss the trip. Donald Gallo has amas…

Read the full review of Destination Unexpected

Diva

This is a book about pain, desire and imperfection.  Caitlin discovers not so perfect relationships combined with not so perfect parents can lead to…

Read the full review of Diva

Doing It

The British writer Melvin Burgess has written several books for young adults, including Smack, a novel about teenage heroin addicts.  Doing It is more light-hearted but equally provocative, telling the stories of the sex lives of three best friends, Dino,…

Read the full review of Doing It

Doing It

The British writer Melvin Burgess has written several books for young adults, including…

Read the full review of Doing It

Drawing a Blank

Carlton Dunne IV is a character in his own right which the reader will easily identify with.  From the elite boarding schools of Connecticut to the…

Read the full review of Drawing a Blank

Ellison the Elephant

Ellison the Elephant is a picture book and audio CD for young children.  Ellison is a young elephant who can't make a trumpet blast like the other…

Read the full review of Ellison the Elephant

Everything on a Waffle

Primrose Squarp denies that she is an orphan, even though her parents were lost at sea during a terrible storm. She is sure that they are still alive. Bu…

Read the full review of Everything on a Waffle

Fade to Black

This novel focuses on three main characters involved in a hate crime. Alex is the HIV positive victim who was attacked while sitting in his car. Clinton…

Read the full review of Fade to Black

Feather Boy

Feather Boy is a wonderful novel for young adults. Robert is 12 years old. He gets picked on at school, and girls are not interested in him at all…

Read the full review of Feather Boy

Finding H. F.

In Morgan, Kentucky, a town the size of a quarter, Heavenly Faith (H.F.) Simms, the young lesbian narrator in Julia Watts' award-winning novel, Finding H…

Read the full review of Finding H. F.

Firegirl

Tom is in seventh grade of Catholic School in Connecticut.  He's a little overweight and he doesn't talk much in class.  His best frien…

Read the full review of Firegirl

Flashcards of My Life

Flashcards of My Life is a great book, not just for its story (which is a cute, funny one!) but also for the pictures and illustrations.…

Read the full review of Flashcards of My Life

Fox

A dog with a missing eye takes a bird to his cave to tend to her burnt wing.  But Magpie whispers, “I will never again be able to fly.” Sh…

Read the full review of Fox

Freaky Green Eyes

Franky Pierson's family has always been one to envy, famous football player father turned broadcaster whom America adores, his doting wife and their smar…

Read the full review of Freaky Green Eyes

Friction

E. R. Frank's novel Friction is a powerful novel for teens and young adults dealing with difficult issues.  Alex is a 12-year-old girl who goes to…

Read the full review of Friction

George's Marvelous Medicine

One Saturday morning, George's parents leave him with his grandmother. She orders him around and never stops complaining. She tells him he is growing too…

Read the full review of George's Marvelous Medicine

Girls in Pants

The girls from the Sisterhood are back for their third summer with the Traveling Pants.  Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget are facing their last summer to…

Read the full review of Girls in Pants

Girlsource

Reminiscent of Our Bodies Our Selves, GirlSource is a book of advice for young women about how to cope with school, work, relationships, se…

Read the full review of Girlsource

GLBTQ

GLBTQ is a guide for young people who know or suspect they are not straight.  It takes a positive and encouraging attitude toward being gay, lesbi…

Read the full review of GLBTQ

Good Girls

There's a new trend in teen fiction to get more sexually explicit, and most of the books in this genre seem to be badly written (…

Read the full review of Good Girls

Gossip Girl

What is better than being young, rich, pampered, and living in NYC? Being in a position to gossip about those who are! That is the premise behind…

Read the full review of Gossip Girl

Gotta Get Some Bish Bash Bosh

Originally published in the UK, Gotta Get Some Bish Bash Bosh is a short comic novel for young adults and anglophiles about the trials and tribula…

Read the full review of Gotta Get Some Bish Bash Bosh

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

Sharon Creech's skills aren't immediately apparent because her writing seems so natural and simple.  But in a series of books, she has shown a wonderful…

Read the full review of Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

Guts

Guts is a picture book for children who want to learn more about the human digestive system.  It includes photography, color-enhanced imaging, and…

Read the full review of Guts

Handbook for Boys

Walter Dean Myers is one of the most prominent African-American writers…

Read the full review of Handbook for Boys

Happy Halloween, Li'L Santa

Happy Halloween, Li'l Santa is a graphic novel for children, in the same style as the author's earlier…

Read the full review of Happy Halloween, Li'L Santa

Hear Us Out!

For me, it was The Coming Out Stories, by Susan J. Wolfe and Julia Penelope Stanley (published by Persephone Press in 1980, for those of you try…

Read the full review of Hear Us Out!

Hitler's Daughter

Hitler's Daughter is a gripping story for preteens about human evil and family love. It asks the very challenging question: what would you do when…

Read the full review of Hitler's Daughter

Hoot

Hoot is an entertaining story for young people set in Trace Middle School in Coconut Grove, Florida.  Its hero is Roy Eberhardt, who recently arri…

Read the full review of Hoot

I Saw It Happen

This book is intended for use by a psychologist helping a child that has witnessed a traumatic, violet event.  It contains assorted activities ranging fr…

Read the full review of I Saw It Happen

If We Kiss

Charlie has a major dilemma. Would it be wrong to want to kiss your best friend's boyfriend who may become your step-brother?  Charlie has always felt in…

Read the full review of If We Kiss

In the Company of Crazies

Mia Singer is a talented 13-year-old who often is top of her class.  Yet after one of her schoolmates dies in a car accident, she starts getting into tro…

Read the full review of In the Company of Crazies

It Happened to Nancy

This is a true story based on the life of a 14-year-old girl who faces her worst nightmare.  It begins with Nancy going to a concert with her gaggle (as…

Read the full review of It Happened to Nancy

It Was A Dark And Silly Night

Given the quality of the work in the previous two Little Lit books, Little Lit…

Read the full review of It Was A Dark And Silly Night

It's Me!

It's Me is a picture book featuring young Patricia, who dresses up as Princess Finula-Lily at first, then as the evil witch Patrooshka, and finall…

Read the full review of It's Me!

Jakarta Missing

Dakar and her older sister Jakarta have always been best friends. When their parents decide to move to North Dakota, to her mother’s childhood home,…

Read the full review of Jakarta Missing

James and the Giant Peach

James and the Giant Peach tells the story of James Henry Trotter, an orphan who starts out living with his two horrible aunts.  They insult him an…

Read the full review of James and the Giant Peach

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

Joey Pigza is so out of control that it’s pretty scary. He is constantly getting into trouble because he gets so revved up. He puts a key on a piece…

Read the full review of Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

Joker

This is a book about inner struggle, persona and the quest for life's meaning.  The book is more palatable for young teens than Shakespeare'…

Read the full review of Joker

Jumping the Scratch

Jamie is eleven years old and his family is going through a difficult time.  His father has left his mother for another woman.  His aunt Sapphy…

Read the full review of Jumping the Scratch

Keeping the Moon

How can you resist an opening like this? “My name is Nicole Sparks. Welcome to the first day of the worst summer of my life.” Just the…

Read the full review of Keeping the Moon

Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas

It might be worth explaining the origin of the word in the title of the book: Nunga nungas is what Ellen’s brother and his mates call girls…

Read the full review of Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas

Last Call

Last of the Party Room trilogy, Last Call by Morgan Burke is an exciting murder mystery with twists and turns to keep the reader engaged.  The main chara…

Read the full review of Last Call

Leaping Beauty

The idea of writing twisted versions of fairy tales isn't new, but Gregory Maguire does it well.  In this unabridged audiobook he reads his own work, and…

Read the full review of Leaping Beauty

Lemony Snicket

The Unauthorized Autobiography will mainly appeal to those who have already read most of the books in A Series of Unfortunate Events. Even…

Read the full review of Lemony Snicket

Less Than Perfect

 Less than perfect is a wonderful story about young love, heartache and loss -- coping with life's imperfections and the imperfections in o…

Read the full review of Less Than Perfect

Little Chicago

Little Chicago by Adam Rapp is a vivid novel about a sexually abused child. The novel describes the social and psychological impact that sexual a…

Read the full review of Little Chicago

Lizzy's Do's and Don'ts

Lizzy is always getting into trouble, and her mother is always telling her off. The book is in rhyme: Don't try to reach what's out of reach. Don't bring…

Read the full review of Lizzy's Do's and Don'ts

Looking for Bobowicz

Looking for Bobowicz is a wonderful story for children about a boy who calls himself Nick but whose real name is Ivan Itch.  His family has just m…

Read the full review of Looking for Bobowicz

Looking for Normal

This is a story told by a 12-year-old girl about the day her father killed her mother.  Annie the main character is pulled out of class and told that her…

Read the full review of Looking for Normal

Love and Sex

Love & Sex, ten stories of truth, edited by Michael Cart, is a selection of stories and poems aimed at adolescents and the various circumstanc…

Read the full review of Love and Sex

Love That Dog

Love That Dog is an unusual and charming book for children by Sharon Creech – it is a collection of poems. In a sense they are fictional poem…

Read the full review of Love That Dog

Making the Run

Making the Run by Heather Henson is a well-written story about teenagers facing the end of childhood. It is a fast paced story of two high school soon-to-be graduates, their hopes, their dreams and their aspirations, and how life intervenes. Making the…

Read the full review of Making the Run

Making the Run

Making the Run by Heather Henson is a well-written story about teenagers facing the end of childhood. It is a fast paced story of two high school…

Read the full review of Making the Run

Margaux with an X

            Margaux has been exploited her entire life because of her staggering beauty.  Her gift of beauty has caused her to be the grand prize, won by…

Read the full review of Margaux with an X

MirrorMask

MirrorMask was originally a film directed by Neil Gaiman's longtime collaborator Dave McKean.  The story is a teen girl whose family owns a circus…

Read the full review of MirrorMask

Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism

It is a surprise to find that Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism is more than just a funny story about an orphan who learns how to hypnotiz…

Read the full review of Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism

More Than a Label

Although I understood and appreciated what author Aisha Muharrar was trying to accomplish in her book More Than a Label, I came away disappointed.…

Read the full review of More Than a Label

Mouse's First Valentine

This fun picture book for very young readers is very sweet. Minka, little Mouse’s sister, makes a Valentine card. She assembles the materials and put…

Read the full review of Mouse's First Valentine

My Brain Tumour Adventures

My Brain Tumour Adventure is a picture book for children telling the story of a very young boy who is seriously ill. We see him in the hospital be…

Read the full review of My Brain Tumour Adventures

My Heartbeat

Ellen is fourteen and she and her rather intellectual family live in New York City.  In the fall she starts attending the same private Manhattan hig…

Read the full review of My Heartbeat

My Perfect Life

My Perfect Life by Dyan Sheldon is the sequel to Confessions of a Teena…

Read the full review of My Perfect Life

Nastybook

43 stories in 183 pages, (or on 3 audio CDs).  Each story is of course nasty, twisted and unpleasant.  One or two of them are funny, and several may indu…

Read the full review of Nastybook

No Right Turn

Jordan's father died three years ago and Jordan still refuses to talk about it with anyone. He has secluded himself from most of his friends. He wants to…

Read the full review of No Right Turn

Not As Crazy As I Seem

Devon likes to do things his way. He likes to have his shirts buttoned all the way to the top, while on the hanger in his closet, arranged according to c…

Read the full review of Not As Crazy As I Seem

Nothing But the Truth

Patty Ho just wants to go through high school quietly, only being noticed by the love of her life, Mark Scranton. Patty has many issues that make this im…

Read the full review of Nothing But the Truth

Olive My Love

This little picture book for very young readers shows Olive the reindeer finding a large heart on her doorstep, dropped by her friend Dexter, a flying do…

Read the full review of Olive My Love

Olivia

Olivia is a terrific picture book about Olivia, a piglet.  She is full of energy and creativity.  She dresses up, sings songs, builds sa…

Read the full review of Olivia

Olivia Saves the Circus

Following up on the first Olivia book, Olivia Saves the Circus is e…

Read the full review of Olivia Saves the Circus

On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God

The further confessions are just as good as the original, if not better. Georgia gets…

Read the full review of On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God

Out of Bounds

"...at the end of the twentieth century, history was turned upside down.  The oppressors opened their prison doors and sat down with those they had…

Read the full review of Out of Bounds

Patrol

This picture book combines text by well-known writer Walter Dean Myers and collages by Ann Grifalconi.  It tells one soldier’s story of his tim…

Read the full review of Patrol

Peaches

Murphy McGowan is always the center of attention and it is usually not for the right reasons. Leeda Cawley-Smith is the center of attention for people th…

Read the full review of Peaches

Period Pieces

This is an anthology of stories for 8 -12 year old girls about first experiences of menstruation.  Every woman has her own story.  My granny was terrifi…

Read the full review of Period Pieces

Planet Janet

Planet Janet is the fictional diary of Janet Bandry, a teen girl in Britain. Very much in the tradition of…

Read the full review of Planet Janet

Prince William, Maximilian Minsky & Me

Nelly Sue Edelmeister is like any other 13-year-old girl who wants to be a cosmologist; she is not very well liked. She is awkward, brilliant and does no…

Read the full review of Prince William, Maximilian Minsky & Me

Princess in Love

What is essential for a princess to live happily ever after? If you answered Prince Charming, you are correct. In Meg Cabot’s third volume, Prin…

Read the full review of Princess in Love

Princess in the Spotlight

"Just when Mia thought she had the whole Princess thing under control…things get out of hand fast!" This is how Meg Cabot's second volume, Prince…

Read the full review of Princess in the Spotlight

Prisoners Under Glass

Rachel's trip to Venice turns into a nightmare after losing her mother. She has a feeling that things are not right when she goes into a tourist shop. He…

Read the full review of Prisoners Under Glass

Rainbow Party

Rainbow Party is a novel for young adults about the sex lives of sophomores at "Harding High."  The time frame of most of the novel is j…

Read the full review of Rainbow Party

Revolting Rhymes & Dirty Beasts

This wonderful unabridged audiobook brings Roald Dahl’s extremely funny verses to life. One side tells the true story behind fair tales, including J…

Read the full review of Revolting Rhymes & Dirty Beasts

Rosy Cole's Memoir Explosion

Rosy Cole's Memoir Explosion is a short story for young children -- its lead character, Rosy, is 11 years old, and potential readers are probably…

Read the full review of Rosy Cole's Memoir Explosion

Sabriel

   Sabriel by Garth Nix is an entertaining fantasy novel for young people with a strong female protagonist. Young Sabriel is…

Read the full review of Sabriel

Say Yes

This novel for young adults tells the story of 12-year-old Casey who lives in New York City with her stepmother Sylvia. Casey is an orphan, and Sylvia is…

Read the full review of Say Yes

Shadows on the Wall

Shadows on the Wall by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is a well-written suspense filled tale filled with ghosts, gypsies, and dark scary places. It tells th…

Read the full review of Shadows on the Wall

Sins of the Fathers

Drew, Skitz and Hector have gone to school together since they were six at Blessed Sacrament. They are always helping each other out of trouble. Drew is…

Read the full review of Sins of the Fathers

Smack

Smack tells the story of two teens who run away from their homes and become addicted to heroin.  It is set in Britain in the mid-1980s, and both t…

Read the full review of Smack

Small Avalanches and Other Stories

Reading Joyce Carol Oates is not light reading. She writes stories that typically involve teenagers, with a darker side of life as her theme. Most of the…

Read the full review of Small Avalanches and Other Stories

Someone Like You

Someone Like You is a well-told tale of a teenaged-girl's junior year, addressing similar themes to…

Read the full review of Someone Like You

Something About America

These poems by Maria Testa are in the voice of a young teenage girl. Her family is from Kosova, and they same to America when she was five to escape the…

Read the full review of Something About America

Sophie Pitt-Turnbull Discovers America

This short novel for teens tells the story of Sophie, an English sixteen-year-old who spends a summer in Brooklyn.  She comes from a rather prim family l…

Read the full review of Sophie Pitt-Turnbull Discovers America

Startled by His Furry Shorts

Startled by His Furry Shorts is the seventh in the Georgia Nicoloson series, and it is very much as the same vein as the previous six books.  Geor…

Read the full review of Startled by His Furry Shorts

Stone Water

"The message inside the envelope -- a deeply troubling request disguised as a fable -- can not be ignored.  ...whether to act on his grandfather's l…

Read the full review of Stone Water

Surviving Hitler

Sitting in the auditorium at Etowah High School on February 22, 2002, I, along with the entire 8th grade class, was anxiously awaiting the arrival of Ja…

Read the full review of Surviving Hitler

Targeting Autism

In her updated edition of Targeting Autism, Shirley Cohen presents a pragmatic, objective, yet empathic introduction to life with this baffling ga…

Read the full review of Targeting Autism

Teen Angst? Naaah

Teen Angst? Naaah: A Quasi-Autobiography by Ned Vizzini is a hilarious romp through the teen years by someone young enough to still vividly remem…

Read the full review of Teen Angst? Naaah

That Summer

In That Summer, 15-year-old Haven does a lot of growing up. This is partly physical – she is already tall and she just keeps on shoot…

Read the full review of That Summer

The Actual Real Reality of Jennifer James

Jennifer James is your average high school geek with one true friend Vickie and a growing crush on school babe Marcus who happens to be dating her nemesi…

Read the full review of The Actual Real Reality of Jennifer James

The Amnesia Clinic

Anthony, who goes by the nickname Anti, befriends the outgoing Fabian when his parents move their family to Ecuador from their native England. Fabian is…

Read the full review of The Amnesia Clinic

The Artsy Smartsy Club

As a fan of The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, I can report that The Artsy Smartsy Club is a worthy member of the series featuring Nick Itch an…

Read the full review of The Artsy Smartsy Club

The BFG

This wonderful tale of the Big Friendly Giant has lessons about toleration of different people, the battle of good and evil, friendship, and how humans a…

Read the full review of The BFG

The Big Burn

The Big Burn is a novel for young adults that tells the true story of a terrible forest fire of 1910 in northern Idaho and western Montana,…

Read the full review of The Big Burn

The Buffalo Tree

Buffalo Tree by Adam Rapp is an intense novel about life in a juvenile detention home for boys. The novel describes the day-to-day existence of a…

Read the full review of The Buffalo Tree

The Carnivorous Carnival

As a college philosophy teacher, I am hoping that within a decade I can expect a surge in interest in ethics courses from students who read the enormous…

Read the full review of The Carnivorous Carnival

The Creek

The Creek by Jennifer L. Holm is a taut suspense filled coming-of-age novel about a young girl growing into womanhood in a stressful environment.…

Read the full review of The Creek

The Dating Game

The Dating Game is a lively novel for teens -- probably teen girls. The basic idea is that three girls living in northern California start a webs…

Read the full review of The Dating Game

The Daydreamer

In Britain during the 1970s, a new group of poets and writers arose, led by Craig Raine and Ian McEwan. The poets were sometimes referred to as “the…

Read the full review of The Daydreamer

The Diary of a Killer Cat

This little book for young children should please all cat lovers.  Ellie's cat Tuffy brings in a couple of dead birds to the horror of his family,…

Read the full review of The Diary of a Killer Cat

The Diary of Pelly D

V is on a work assignment to rebuild City Five. He has strict orders to turn over any personal belongings he finds in the rubble. He recovers what appear…

Read the full review of The Diary of Pelly D

The Dulcimer Boy

            The Dulcimer Boy by Tor Seidler is a strange story. It has a very mystical quality about it.  It tells the story of the life that two…

Read the full review of The Dulcimer Boy

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things

Virginia Shreeves is 15 years old and she lives in New York City.  Her mother is an adolescent psychologist, her father is a software executive, her…

Read the full review of The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things

The Ersatz Elevator

In this story, the Baudelaire orphans move back to the city of their happier days before their parents perished in a fire. They become the wards of Esm&#…

Read the full review of The Ersatz Elevator

The Flight of a Dove

The Flight of a Dove is a short illustrated child's book about a young child, Betsy, who has autism.  It shows how she starts to become different…

Read the full review of The Flight of a Dove

The Geography of Girlhood

The Geography of Girlhood is a short novel in verse, about a teen girl who runs away from home with her older boyfriend.  Writer Kirsten Smith has…

Read the full review of The Geography of Girlhood

The Giantess

The Giantess is a beautifully illustrated children’s book about a woman who lives in isolation because of her physical difference from others…

Read the full review of The Giantess

The Great Brain

Set in the early 1900s, The Great Brain is the tale of the Fitzgerald brothers growing up in Utah. The book starts with the narrator, young J.D.,…

Read the full review of The Great Brain

The Grim Grotto

The Grim Grotto bodes well for the coming climax of the thirteen books in the Series of Unfortunate Events.  It introduces some wonderful n…

Read the full review of The Grim Grotto

The Hookup Artist

Lucas is the resident cupid at Thomas Jefferson High School. His matchmaking is well thought out and highly successful. When his best friend Cate need…

Read the full review of The Hookup Artist

The Horse and His Boy

 The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis is the third book of the popular Chronicles of Narnia series. In it, a poor young orphan runs aw…

Read the full review of The Horse and His Boy

The Hostile Hospital

This episode in the Series of Unfortunate Events has two great features. It provides some of the funniest moments of the whole series with the songs of t…

Read the full review of The Hostile Hospital

The Last Chance Texaco

Last Chance Texaco is a story about a girl who finds herself at odds with the world.  Until one day, someone believes in her.   Lucy Pitt is the m…

Read the full review of The Last Chance Texaco

The Little Tern

The Little Tern is a picture book for young children about a small bird that loses the ability to fly. He has no physical injury, so the cause mu…

Read the full review of The Little Tern

The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs

This is a book of obsession, passion and guilt but yet transcends to a higher level with the innocence of a child loving so strongly that it becomes a cu…

Read the full review of The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs

The Men They Will Become

            One of the upsetting things about good books is that too few people read them. The Men They Will Become is one of those books that al…

Read the full review of The Men They Will Become

The Neil Gaiman Audio Collection

This 50-minute CD contains four children's stories by Neil Gaiman, read by the author, plus a short interview by his daughter.  It is strange to produce…

Read the full review of The Neil Gaiman Audio Collection

The Order of the Poison Oak

Brent Hartinger may be known to readers for his previous novel Geography Club,…

Read the full review of The Order of the Poison Oak

The Palace of Laughter

Miles Wednesday is the boy that lives in a barrel. He was orphaned as a baby and escaped from the horrible Pinchbucket orphanage so that he can live on h…

Read the full review of The Palace of Laughter

The Penultimate Peril

In book twelve of A Series of Unfortunate Events, the three Baudelaire siblings Violet, Klaus and Sunny continue their sorry adventure of escaping…

Read the full review of The Penultimate Peril

The Princess Diaries

Most little girls dream about being a princess. For Mia Thermopolis this dream, has not only become a reality, it has become a nightmare. This is the premis…

Read the full review of The Princess Diaries

The Rules of Survival

In Nancy Werlin's The Rules of Survival, three children living with their mother live in fear of her sudden anger and cruelty.  The boo…

Read the full review of The Rules of Survival

The Sands of Time

This second adventure of Hermux Tantamoq, a watchmaker mouse, is even better than the first,…

Read the full review of The Sands of Time

The Serious Kiss

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Mary Hogan's The Serious Kiss.  The best moments occur when fourteen-year-old Libby Madrigal explains her co…

Read the full review of The Serious Kiss

The Shakeress

The Shakeress by Kimberley Heuston is a most engrossing and very educational account of the religious environment of 1830’s New England. This…

Read the full review of The Shakeress

The Silly Book

Originally published in 1961, The Silly Book has not aged. It's simply a silly book, and maybe young children will like it, but it adults are prob…

Read the full review of The Silly Book

The Sledding Hill

Billy Bartholomew is dead, or is he?  Eddie Proffit Billy's best friend finds Billy lying on the floor with sheet rock on top of him.  Billy's neck is br…

Read the full review of The Sledding Hill

The Slippery Slope

At 337 pages, The Slippery Slope is the largest yet in the Series of Unfortunate Events, although it is still a long way off from Harry Potter siz…

Read the full review of The Slippery Slope

The Snow Speaks

This illustrated book for very young children is about the first snowfall of the year. The text is poetic and mystical: “The children know there is…

Read the full review of The Snow Speaks

The Steps

In The Steps, 12-year-old Annabel tells the story of her visit to Australia over the Christmas vacation. She and her mother Manhattan on the Upper…

Read the full review of The Steps

The Thief Lord

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke has been favorably compared to Harry Potter. It is the delightful tale of two orphan boys who runaway from their…

Read the full review of The Thief Lord

The Twits

This wonderful story of Roald Dahl has been newly released as an unabridged audiobook performed with great panache by Simon Callow (best known in the USA…

Read the full review of The Twits

The Vile Village

It is a great relief to read The Vile Village. There are a number of reasons for this. It is a relief to know that the Baudelaire orphans manage t…

Read the full review of The Vile Village

The Virginity Club

This teen novel about high school seniors who form a club as a way to vouch for their virginity is moderately entertaining, and it explores several issue…

Read the full review of The Virginity Club

The Wish House

Richard spends a month every summer at the beach with his family. He finds that this summer is going to be different from all of the others when his usua…

Read the full review of The Wish House

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare is a heart-warming love story for young adult set amidst the prejudice, hardship, and supe…

Read the full review of The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Then Again, Maybe I Won't

Then Again, Maybe I Won’t was published in 1971, but since it deals with issues that many boys still face today. 13-year-old Tony Miglione li…

Read the full review of Then Again, Maybe I Won't

Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers

Yet another entry in the series of Louise Rennison's comic novels about British teen Georgia Nicholson, Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers is a great d…

Read the full review of Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers

They Broke the Law-You Be the Judge

Thomas Jacobs, a former juvenile court judge, takes an interactive approach to teenage crime and the juvenile justice system in They Broke The Law €“…

Read the full review of They Broke the Law-You Be the Judge

Things I Have to Tell You

Not surprisingly, most of the writing in this companion piece to You Hear Me? is…

Read the full review of Things I Have to Tell You

Thirsty

Thirsty occupies similar ground to Buffy the Vampire Slayer: a teen finds that he has supernatural powers but worries that this will interf…

Read the full review of Thirsty

Time Stops for No Mouse

This odd mystery story for children features a mouse watchmaker as its main protagonist, in a world populated by other rodents in a variety of jobs. Herm…

Read the full review of Time Stops for No Mouse

Truesight

Jacob lived on a planet called Nova Campi far from Earth. Nova Campi was where the blinders lived. The blinders were people who once inhabited Earth.…

Read the full review of Truesight

Twisted

While Laurie Halse Anderson is best known for her fiction depicting the emotional lives of American girls, her new young-adult novel Twisted has…

Read the full review of Twisted

Very Far Away from Anywhere Else

"The rule for primates, maybe, is to keep moving on and building nests, one at a time, until they learn to do it right." Owen Thomas G…

Read the full review of Very Far Away from Anywhere Else

Walking on Glass

Blank verse poems that tell stories for young adults seem to be becoming more popular.  It is a difficult genre to master; there's a danger that…

Read the full review of Walking on Glass

We're Not Monsters

            With my teen years in the not too distant past it is hard to believe just how out of control kids have become.  In her book, We're Not Mon…

Read the full review of We're Not Monsters

Welcome to the Ark

In Stephanie S. Tolan's Welcome to the Ark, it is the task of four gifted children to bring peace to a violent world. Outcasts as individuals, the…

Read the full review of Welcome to the Ark

Whale Talk

Whale Talk is the story of T.J. Jones, a high school senior near Spokane, Washington. He is intelligent and articulate. He is almost 6’2”…

Read the full review of Whale Talk

What Happened

The unnamed narrator of this books describes the night that he and his brother Kyle are out with friends drinking and smoking when they hit a homeless ma…

Read the full review of What Happened

What Would Joey Do?

It’s hard to imagine that any children really have families as dysfunctional as Joey Pigza’s, except when one thinks about people one knows, an…

Read the full review of What Would Joey Do?

When Jeff Comes Home

When Jeff Comes Home by Catherine Atkins is an interesting novel about the return of a kidnapped boy. Told from the boy’s point of view the…

Read the full review of When Jeff Comes Home

Where The Kissing Never Stops

Walker's father died a few years ago, and his mother has just taken a job as an exotic dancer to make ends meet.  She is not even embarrassed by…

Read the full review of Where The Kissing Never Stops

Will You, Won't You?

Some people might say that the worst thing about being a teenager is a nosy interfering mother who reads your diary. Others might complain about being se…

Read the full review of Will You, Won't You?

Witch Child

Witch Child by Celia Rees is a most engrossing and very educational account of the impact of witchcraft accusations on an individual and a communi…

Read the full review of Witch Child

Wolf on the Fold

In the short story collection Wolf on the Fold, Judith Clarke explores the emotional life of an Australian family over the course of seventy years…

Read the full review of Wolf on the Fold

Worlds Apart

13-year old Winnie May lives a comfortable and happy life in Chicago with her parents, medical Doctor Maxwell and stay-at-home mother Colleen. She belong…

Read the full review of Worlds Apart

Wurst Case Scenario

Through a series of diary entries, author Catherine Clark has quite adeptly created a parallel universe located in America’s heartland where people…

Read the full review of Wurst Case Scenario

Yoga 4 Teens

Yoga 4 Teens is an instructional DVD for young people.  A short introductory section explains how the exercise of yoga can help the turbulent emot…

Read the full review of Yoga 4 Teens

You Hear Me

"What could have been running through their minds?," we ask about those September 11 hijackers. "Who were they, anyway?," we wonder. Wel…

Read the full review of You Hear Me

You Know You Love Me

You Know You Love Me is the second book of the Gossip Girl series. In this installment, Blair Waldorf celebrates her seventeenth birthday,…

Read the full review of You Know You Love Me

Zazoo

 Zazoo by Richard Mosher is a bittersweet young adult novel about the long-term effects of war. In this first-person narrative, a young Vietn…

Read the full review of Zazoo