Th1rteen R3easons offers fresh approach to staid topic

Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher tells a heartbreaking tale of hopelessness and raw emotion through the lives of various teenagers. In his debut novel, Asher reveals the importance of reaching out to others and recognizing those who silently beg for help. He also shows how seemingly insignificant events can build up into unexpected consequences. In addition, Th1rteen R3asons Why expresses the need to feel a sense of belonging and honesty. READ MORE>>

Impossible promotes triumph in adversity

Lucy Scarborough lives her life as a normal teenager who runs cross-country and has boys trying to date her. It seems like she has it all but her insane mother, Miranda, keeps coming back into her life, singing a song called “Scarborough Fair.” Lucy will not realize until it’s too late that the song is the most important thing she will ever be given. READ MORE>>

In Between disappoints as predictable Rosie read

While staring at the cover of In Between by Jenny B. Jones, which is the first book in the Katie Parker Production series, I could tell that this was a beach read, the type of book that doesn’t require too much effort on the reader’s part. My mindset stayed the same even after I finished the book. Though the book had some unique elements in it, it was very predictable and the writing quality was extremely poor, making me wonder why it was even on the Rosie nominee list. READ MORE>>

My Life as a Rhombus is an original commodity

Math whiz Rhonda Lee doesn’t tutor high school students. This is what she tells Bryce, the head of her public library’s tutoring organization, before she is forced to start tutoring Sarah Gamble, her school’s queen bee. Through the course of the story, Rhonda must come to grips with the fact that she had an abortion at the strong recommendation of her father three years earlier. She can’t help wondering how her life has changed since then, and how it could still be changing. READ MORE>>

Snitch entertains as an irresistible read

Growing up in the quiet and calm suburbia that is Carmel, I have to admit that there is little I know about notorious gangs like the Crips and the Bloods. So when I decided to read and review Snitch by Allison van Diepen, a contender for this year’s Rosie award, I was surprised to find that the book was actually quite interesting and enjoyable. READ MORE>>

Stealing Heaven entertaining but not memorable

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott tells the story of a teenage girl struggling to find her own identity in a life of lies and deceit that has been forced upon her. This novel addresses issues such as honesty, loyalty to family and loved ones and feelings of being torn and uncertain. Scott illustrates the life of those who live on the other side of crime, the ones mentioned in newspapers and skillfully running from the law, in a believable, honest light. She also demonstrates the twists and turns of everyday life for a struggling teenager, regardless of his social status or family situation. READ MORE>>

Boot Camp falls short of Rosie expectations

“Resistance is futile,” said the first text that I had gleaned from glancing at the cover of Boot Camp by Todd Strasser. It instantly led me to think that this Rosie contender was yet another book that detailed the inevitable struggles of a delinquent against his superiors. And yes, my thoughts proved to be true. From the first sentence to the last word in the book, everything Strasser wrote followed exactly my predictions. Despite the book’s good intentions and purpose, Boot Camp should not be on the list of Rosie nominees. READ MORE>>

Graceling simply another young adult  fantasy  novel

In Kristin Cashore’s debut novel, Graceling, she tells the tale of a young teen protagonist, Katsa, who is blessed with the ability to kill. The novel has no major faults; nothing that actually jumps out at readers as a flaw, but at the same time it holds no values which separate it from other books. Cashore follows the general ideas of a young adult fantasy strictly and barely breaks from any of them. The same goes for the plot: it may be enough to entertain the reader, but nothing that captivates to the point of finding time in a schedule to read it. READ MORE>>

The Long Road Home meets Rosie standards

The Long Road Home by Martha Raddatz tells the true story of the U.S. troops deployed in Sadr City, a neighborhood in Baghdad, Iraq.  The novel, written by the Chief White House Correspondent for ABC News, offers such detailed perspective of the war and attacks on the troops that the reader wonders if Raddatz was with the troops as the battles occurred. Although grim at points, and not a novel to be taken lightly, Raddatz portrays the heroism and the hopefulness of the soldiers and their families with success. READ MORE>>

The Hunger Games: A perfect combination of love and murder

With its prestigious title as one of the 2010 Rosie books, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins fits well in my list of the best books that I have read. It lives up to the high expectations held due to people’s personal reviews and its receiving a Rosie award. READ MORE>>

Wake captivating but not groundbreaking

Wake by Lisa McMann is a New York Times Bestseller and the first book of the Wake trilogy. This novel addresses issues such as confronting childhood problems, the power of dreams and using gifts and talents for the benefit of others. While McMann enhances her main character with a unique “super power,” she also illustrates the twists and turns of everyday life for an average teenage girl struggling with her low social status and unconventional family situation. READ MORE>>

Hero Type: satisfactory at best

“There I was one night, just a normal guy. And then there I was the next night… I was still just a normal guy.” – Bruce Springsteen, speaking to the crowd on July 7, 1978 at The Roxy, Los Angeles, CA. With a quote this good prefacing the story, you would think that the story would not only reflect in satisfaction but also in content. READ MORE>>

Bog Child makes history relatable

Violence between Catholics and Christian Protestants has been the main theme of Ireland ever since Martin Luther published his Ninety-Five Theses. Many novels have captured the vast history and intense emotions that characterize these conflicts, but often times it is forgotten how recent and seemingly tangible these events are to current generations. Siobhan Dowd does a real stand up job in Bog Child of portraying the Irish wars as less of a pointless, religious squabble and more of clash of real people with real feelings. READ MORE>>

Mistaken Identity: Slow at first, but worth reading in the end

Many people say that if a reader is 50 pages into a book and isn’t intrigued enough to go on, she should stop and find another book worth reading. As well as this rule has served me, preventing me from wasting countless hours finishing terrible books, I have to say that it would have failed me when reading Mistaken Identity by Don and Susie Van Ryn and Newell, Colleen and Whitney Cerak with Mark Tabb. While this book had too many religious references for me to appreciate, it had a captivating plot line that made me appreciate what the two families went through together. READ MORE>>