The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Alexie, Sherman. The  Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown & Company, 2007. Print. 9780316013680. Hardback. $16.99.

Junior is not your average every day teenage boy. He is Spokane Indian. He was also born with hydrocephalus which has caused him to have a ton of health issues and be small for his age. This leads to him being bullied. The reservation is not known for having money, but Junior loses it when he is assigned his geometry book and realizes his mother’s name is written in it. The book is at least thirty years older than him. He transfers to Reardan High, a rich white school off the reservation. Here he learns that even though the whites have money they are not without their own problems.'

Anya's Ghost

Brosgol, Vera. Anya’s Ghost. Square Fish, 2014. Ebook. ISBN: 978-1250040015 Price: 7.06

Anya is an immigrant from Russia who is struggling to fit in at her private school. Anya manages to fall down a hole where she encounters a skeleton with a ghost still attached named Emily. The ghost, Emily, makes an appearance at the school after Anya is rescued from the whole. Anya realizes she accidentally took a tiny bone with her, or did she?  Emily vows to help Anya become popular and fit in at her new school. Anya notices though that Emily is becoming a little too attached and starting to look a lot like her. Anya realizes that maybe Emily isn’t there to help at all but to take over. The art of this book is simple but beautiful with dark colors that mimic that of the story.

The Coldest Winter Ever

Souljah, Sister. The Coldest Winter Ever. New York. Atria Books, 1999. Print. ISBN: 0-7434-9938-7

“We pay for every little choice we make. You traded everyone else’s life for yours. I traded my life for everyone else’s.” 

Winter is the daughter of a very wealthy drug lord in Brooklyn, New York. She has the life. Her father lavishes her with expensive gifts and all is grand until the FBI get involved. Winter’s father is sent to prison, and she just narrowly escapes being sent into Child Services. Winter quickly learns her father’s ways and hustles any way she can to get what she wants. Can Winter escape the same fate as her father or will she follow in his footsteps?

This is a book that anyone who loves crime movies or shows will enjoy. It is a detailed look into a girl’s life who falls into the trap of her upbringing. It can be a little vulgar and violent, but it is worth the read.

Dork Diaries: A tale from a Not-so-Happy heartbreaker

Russel, Rachel Renee. Dork Diaries: A tale from a Not-so-Happy heartbreaker. New York. Aladdin, 2013. Print ISNB:978-1-424-4936-3

“I felt SO insanely happy I could just . . . VOMIT sunshine, rainbows, confetti, glitter and . . . um . . . those yummy little Skittles thingies!” 

Nikki Maxwell is coming up on the most important dance of the year. She desperately wants Brandon to go with her, but she has no clue how to ask him. She doesn’teven know if he would be interested in going with her. It is likely he is more interested in Mackenzie. Blah!! Nikki decides to create a Valentine asking Brandon to the dance only she drops it and it slides to the very front of the class. OMG! What is Nikki going to do?

This is a fun book for any age to read to be honest. We have all been in those positions when the boy we desperately likes goes out with our mortal enemy. On top of it we have all had a letter or text confiscated by the teacher and read in front of the class. Anyone can relate to the OMG and Eew feelings of Nikki.

Matched

Condie, A. Matched. Penguin Young Readers Group, 2010. Digital

ISBN:  9780525423645

Cassia lives in a Society where things are always decided for you. They don’t have to worry too much about things. The Society even choses who their match for life will be, and Cassia has always trusted this process. When Cassia is paired with Xander she is certain this is right until for a split second she sees a picture of Ky flash. The Society assures her that it was just a glitch but Cassia isn’t so sure. Maybe the Society isn’t so fail proof after all.

This book is interesting and falls right into that dystopian category. The world is divided into classes and so and so forth. It is a book that we have all read before. Nothing super interesting but not boring.

Dorothy Must Die

Paige, Danielle. Dorothy Must Be Die. New York, Harper Collins, 2014. Digital

ISBN:  978-0-06-228068-8 Price: 7.99

What if Dorothy didn’t stay in Kansas after OZ? Amy leaves in a trailer park with a mom that is more concerned about drugs and alcohol than she is about raising her daughter. As Amy’s mom is leaving one day a tornado hits, and Amy is swept away and dropped in a place that feels awfully familiar. She is in OZ like the Wizard of OZ and Dorothy Gale. Amy soon discovers that his isn’t the OZ that she remembers from the fairytales. OZ has become a dark place with very little magic left, but how can Amy change this and battle the evil in OZ?

This book takes a fairytale that we all know and love and makes it awesome again. Dorothy wasn’t as nice as everyone thought. This is a book that teens will absolutely love especially any girl that was in love with the Wizard of OZ.

Anna Dressed in Blood

Blake, K. Anna Dressed In Blood. New York, Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, 2011. ISBN-13: 978-0-7653-2867-0. Paperback. $9.99.

What if not all ghosts are bad and some are just misunderstood? Cas has been given the ability to kill ghosts. He has been on the hunt for the ghost that killed his father and in the mean time works on getting rid of all the violent ghosts that he can. While he is on this trail, he comes across a ghost named Anna. Anna is brutal and kills anyone that gets in her way, but for some reason she spares Cas. He doesn’t know what to make of this. He continues to go back and see her while an unforeseen relationship forms between them. Anna the girl dressed in blood can’t possibly be good for this human ghost hunter, right?

This book is scary and will at times will make your head spin. The story is good and the plot is so much fun, but at the end of the day it leaves you wondering did the author take the whole romance and the paranormal a little too far?

The Gathering

Armstrong, K.  The Gathering. HarpersCollins Publisher, 2012. Digital. ISBN: 9780061797033

Maya is adopted, and she really doesn’t have anything at all to go on when it comes to who her real parents are. All Maya knows is that she has this weird paw print birthmark. She lives in a small town that is only occupied by people involved in this medical community. Strange things are starting to happen. Mountain lions are coming for visits. People are turning up dead. Maya is beginning to feel strange. It seems that this little medical community might have some hidden secrets of its own. 

The Selection

Cass, K.  The Selection. HarpersCollins Publisher, 2013. Digital. ISBN: 9780062059949

Thirty-five girls are selected for the chance of a lifetime. They get to compete for the chance to marry Prince Maxon. For America Singer, this chance is a hell on Earth. She has to live her family and the love of her life to compete for a guy she doesn’t even want. America soon learns that this gives her a platform to make some changes in the way the country is ran. She also realizes that Maxon isn’t as bad as she thought he was going to be. America is torn between what is right and what she wants.

This story is awesome! I honestly didn’t expect to like it at all, but it reminds me of a future version of The Bachelor. America and Maxon soon grab a hold of your heart and you start to truly root for them.

Chloe says, “It reminded me of Cinderella. Everyone loves the rags to riches story.”

Cruel Beauty

Hodge, R. Cruel Beauty. HarpersCollins Publisher. ,2015. E-Book  ISBN: 9780062224743

Nyx is caught in an unfortunate event. She has been set up for an arranged marriage ever since birth to the evil ruler of the kingdom. She has spent her entire life training to kill him. At seventeen she does the unthinkable and marries Ignifex, the evil ruler. Ignifex is not what she expected though. Nyx is finding that she is pulled to him. Can this really be the “evil ruler” that has placed her village under a curse 900 years? How does she choose between saving the village and saving her heart?

No One Needs to Know

Grace, Amanda. “No One Needs to Know.” Minnesota: Flux, 2014. Digital.

ISBN: 9780738740881 Price: $7.06

Review:

Olivia and Zoey both attend the same private school, but they couldn’t come from more different worlds. Olivia is a C student at best and her dad has funded half of the buildings at the school. Zoey is a scholarship kid and known as the school’s resident bad girl. Olivia and Zoey find out that not everything is as it appears. As they get closer and begin to share secrets while working on a school project, they realize that feelings neither expected are appearing and no one needs to know.

Fault in Our Stars

Green, John. “The Fault in Our Stars.” New York:  Penguin Books, 2012. Print.

ISBN:  978-0-14-24217-9  Price:  $12.99

Review:

Hazel Grace Lancaster is sixteen years old and has cancer. Augustus Waters is seventeen years old and his cancer is remission. Hazel and Augustus cross paths while attending a cancer support group. Hazel convinces Augustus to read her favorite book. Augustus becomes so enchanted with Hazel and her love for the book that he uses his wish to take Hazel to Amsterdam to meet with the author. Augustus and Hazel are inseparable, but unfortunately there is a fault in their stars.