Book Reviews from Young Adults
RSSSneak Peek Reviewers Club
Looking for a little bit of magic? Well, you've come to the right place. In Jackie Kessler's Loss, a boy with a bullying problem is transformed into a Rider, capable of poisoning the world with disease. In Saundra Mitchell's Springsweet, Zora's broken heart begins to heal when she realizes that she has the ability to find water—a talent that's surely appreciated by the residents of her small town in Oklahoma. In Sarah Porter's Waking Storms, the sequel to her very popular Lost Voices, mermaid Luce finds her father, forbidden love, and hopefully, shelter from an oncoming winter storm. With winter break coming, it's the perfect time to prepare a reading list to help your teens discover a little of their own magic. KESSLER, Jackie M. Loss. Graphia, March 2012. pap. $8.99. ISBN: 978-0-547-71215-4. This story is similar to other adventure stories: the main character travels and learns new things and later saves the world. And like other books for teens, this one also has a small love story and bits of humor. Plus, its major scenes help the story move quickly compared to other adventure books. Overall, I thought this story was decent. Its story arc is similar to other adventure books I've read. The only thing that really interested me was the idea of the Riders of the Apocalypse. This is the third book in the series by that name. Although I might not read another book in this series, I say give it a chance and see if you like it.—Wesley L., age 16 MITCHELL, Saundra. The Springsweet. Harcourt, April 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN: 978-0547608426. This book is absolutely amazing. It keeps the reader drawn into the story, and it has unexpected surprises along the way. You never know what's going to happen next. The book also has a great setting, memorable characters, and a terrific storyline. The way it's written, you can actually picture what you're reading, and that's the best thing about this book. I'd recommend it to anybody who wants to read a great love story.—Natalia S., age 14 PORTER, Sarah. Waking Storms. Harcourt, July 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN: 978-0547482514. Gr 9 Up—In this sequel to Lost Voices, Luce finds herself living on her own, an outcast of her own mermaid tribe. She finds peace while being alone, and starts to focus her energy on trying to control her voice. Meanwhile, Dorian, the boy she once saved, has been trying to find a way to make Luce pay for killing This sequel is a lot like the first book, in which the only way you would have known it ended that it just stopped—there were no more pages. The ending basically left you with an abrupt explanation of the state of Luce's father. It's hard to have a sense of time while reading because the book is very fast paced, and when you might be moving at a day-by-day pace one chapter, the next you are moving week by week or even month by month. The story is very captivating and will hold the reader's attention until the very end.—Moire B., age 13 This article originally appeared in School Library Journal's enewsletter SLJTeen. Subscribe here.
Gr 8 Up—William Ballard has been bullied constantly since elementary school. Now in high school, Billy still has the same problem, but that's about to change. When Death comes to his door, he's not there to take Billy away—he's there to turn him into a Rider who's capable of spreading disease throughout the world with just a bow. He joins some of the other riders whose names are War and Famine. However, his power is needed to keep the world from ending and Billy has to stop the previous Rider before him, the White Rider, from spreading a huge plague that could end the world. Will he be able to defeat him?
Gr 7 Up—When 17-year-old Zora's fiancé tragically dies, she's completely torn apart and can barely talk to anyone, not even her mother. Her mother decides that it would be best if Zora moved from Baltimore to West Glory, OK, to live with her widowed aunt. While living in the small frontier town, Zora begins to feel better, talk more, and discovers that she's a "springsweet"—someone who can tell where there's water under the parched ground. As Zora lives out West, she becomes more like herself, but will she stay that way?
his family and leaving him an orphan. With the FBI on the mermaids' tails, and a huge winter storm brewing, they all must leave to find a warmer haven. Spoiler alert: this sequel ends abruptly after Luce finds her father alive, but in a state of pure insanity. He's being kept hostage by voices in the air.
