#teensknowbest

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Book Review: Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World

Reader: Lynn H

Age: 15

Book Title: Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World

Author: Pénélope Bagieu

Publisher: First Second

Pub. Date: Mar 8, 2018

Recommend? Yes

Why or why not recommend the book? IT’S AMAZING. Okay. So. I started this book by looking through the table of contents, recognizing some names and had no idea who others were. I read through every single chapter and learned something new in each one. Even with famous women who I’d heard about before, like Mae Jemison, the first female astronaut or Josephine Baker, a dancer and French resistance fighter, I got to see the “behind the scenes” stories. The majority of people in this book I was either vaguely familiar with or had never heard of, such as Nellie Bly, a journalist who traveled around the world; Christine Jorgensen, a trans actress who was widely known in the US; Therese Clerc, who made a utopian retirement home for women. Each chapter/section was unique and had its own cool color scheme, and there are many women who achieved things that you wouldn’t typically think of when you think of “achievements”, per se.

Are there diverse characters? Yes. There are women from all historical periods and cultures and of all different races, sexualities and ages. It’s cool to learn about women that we aren’t taught about in history class, or expand on the stories of those who are.

Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag? I think it could

Thoughts on the Cover: AMAZING. BEAUTY. GREAT.

Did you finish the book? Yes

Is this a Galley Book? Yes

Would you recommend this for Read Brave? No

Grade the Book: A

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Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World

Reader: Chiamaka C.

Age: 16

Book Title: Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World

Author: Pénélope Bagieu

Publisher: First Second

Pub. Date: Mar 8, 2018

Recommend? Yes

Why or why not recommend the book? I would recommend this book because I think it’s a very important book that everyone should read. It was a wonderful book about women of all backgrounds doing things that at their time were thought to be only for men, things that changed the world and paved the way for other women. The book is very easy to read, each story has a very thought out color scheme, and I love all of the art.

Are there diverse characters? Yes. This book tells of the stories of a wide spectrum of women. There are women from different times in history, places of the world, social classes, fields of study, ages, races, sexualities.

Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag? For sure.

Thoughts on the Cover: Love it. Love it very much.

Did you finish the book? Yes

Is this a Galley Book? Yes

Would you recommend this for Read Brave? No

Grade the Book: A

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Girl Made of Stars

Reader: Ada H.

Reader’s Age: 14

Book Title: Girl Made Of Stars

Author: Ashley Herring Blake

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Publication Date: May 15, 2018

Recommend: Yes.

Why or why not recommend the book?: This book is about a girl whose best friend accuses her twin brother of rape. Mara, the main character, has been sexually abused before and doesn’t know who she should believe. I think this is an important book to read because it deals with a heavy topic and is a good story, too.

Did anything surprise you about the book?: I was surprised how quickly Mara’s brother becomes mean to her and her friends. Mara loves him so much, and it’s clear that he loves her back, but he’s constantly saying things about Mara and the people she hangs out with that you wonder why Mara never noticed his behavior before.

Are their diverse characters?: Yes. The main character is bisexual, her friend is Asian, and her ex is nonbinary.

Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag?: No.

Thoughts on the Cover: The cover is pleasing, and is what made me pick the book up. It seems very calming and cool. When you read the back cover, this is proven not to be true. The stars are a nice touch, though, and are a part of the story.

Did you finish the book: Yes.

Is this a Galley Book: Yes.

Would you recommend this for Read Brave?: No.

Grade the Book: A

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Book Review: Every Exquisite Thing

Every Exquisite Thing

Reader: Brooklyn

Reader’s Age: 16

Book Title: Every Exquisite Thing

Author: Matthew Quick

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Publication Date: May 2016

Recommend: Yes

Why or why not recommend the book?: This book was a very quick read. It was intriguing and well written. I think this book displayed high school experiences that we don't see much of, making it relatable for many teens.

Did anything surprise you about the book?: Not particularly. This book wasn't predictable but not much came as a shock.

Are there diverse characters?: This book wasn't very diverse at all.

Thoughts on the Cover: I liked the cover. It wasn't anything special but it is definitely what drew me to the book at first.

Did you finish the book: Yes

Grade the Book: B+

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Review: Surviving Adam Meade

Reader: Sophie

Reader’s Age: 17

Book Title: Surviving Adam Meade

Author: Shannon Klare

Publisher: Swoon Reads

Publication Date: August 14th, 2018

Recommend: No

Why or why not recommend the book?:

Where to start, where to start. The main character’s main personality trait is her fighting with other people but not in a cute way just in a fighting way. Her mom’s main trait is that she is bad at cooking. Her dad’s traits are that he fights with the main character and also is a coach.

The love interest treats her badly from day one and really has no character development. It seems like it’s supposed to be a hate to love relationship but he never stops acting horribly and their relationship has no chemistry. All of their interactions are so unnatural.

Also, the title of this book. Is it really a good relationship if you’re “surviving” someone?

Did anything surprise you about the book?: Not really.

Are their diverse characters?: No

Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag?: No.

Thoughts on the Cover: The cover is an accurate representation of what you are going to get.

Did you finish the book: Yes.

Is this a Galley Book: Yes.

Would you recommend this for Read Brave?: No.

Grade the Book: F

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Book Review: Graveyard Shakes

Reader: Vivian

Book Title: Graveyard Shakes

Author: Laura Terry

Publisher: Scholastic

Publication Date: September 2017

Recommend: Yes

Why or why not recommend the book? I recommend this book because it was fun to read. I didn’t really analyze the book, so I might have missed some stuff, but it was fun to just read. The book doesn't seem to be very subtle, but it didn’t really need to be. It was just a cute story about two sisters, a boy, and a ghost. Well, and a man trying to murder the sisters.

Did anything surprise you about the book? No, not really.

Are there diverse characters? No

Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag? No

Thoughts on the cover: I rather like it, it made me interested to read the book.

Did you finish the book: Yes

Is this a Galley Book: Yes

Would you recommend this for Read Brave? No

Grade the book: B

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Book Review: Animus

Reader: Asher

Reader’s Age: 12

Book Title: Animus

Author: Antoine Revoy

Publisher: Macmillan First Second

Publication Date: May 8, 2018

Recommend: Yes

Why or why not recommend the book? I enjoyed this book because it was a graphic novel, and it held my attention.  It was unusual because the setting was a playground in a busy neighborhood.  There were these two kids that go to the playground and see a kid there with a mask on. His name is Toothless.  They ask him about his name, and he smiles a wide, nearly toothless grin. Through encounters at the playground, they find out the playground has powers.  For instance, if you go down the slide you become older.  This book was fun to read, and I recommend it.

Did anything surprise you about the book? No

Are their diverse characters? Yes, there are old people in the book.

Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag? No

Thoughts on the Cover: It is very intriguing.

Did you finish the book: Yes

Is this a Galley Book: Yes

Would you recommend this for Read Brave? Yes

Grade the Book: A

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Book Review: The Midnight Dance

Reader: Finn Z.

Reader’s Age: 13

Book Title: The Midnight Dance

Author: Nikki Katz

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Publication Date: October 17th, 2017

Recommend: Yes.

Why or why not recommend the book?: I had a hard time deciding whether or not to recommend this book. Basically, not of the girls who go to this school of dance have memories you can trust, because Cirillo has altered and tampered with them. For example, if you remembered having no dessert for dinner, he could alter it to you remembering that you did (and other more major things). And so you never know if what you’re reading is true or not, which makes it kind of hard to read. I think of Alice in Wonderland when reading this style of writing. But this book was good. It had a good plot, mediocre characters, and an intense mystery. A thing I didn’t enjoy was how controlling Cirillo/Master was. Yes, I realize you had a hard childhood, but that shouldn’t allow you to tamper with people’s minds and be so abusive.

Did anything surprise you about the book?: I do think that everything was surprising in this book, due to Penny not having stable memories and the mysterious personalities. I didn’t predict anything, which is something I personally do not prefer. I like to have a little something to try hang on to no matter what sort of roller coaster ride the book goes on. I did predict Penny and Cricket’s relationship, however, and I enjoy it and think it’s cute (but not my OTP in any way).

Are their diverse characters?: Because the story is set in mid-1800s Italy, you can’t expect a lot of diversity in races or sexualities. The girl’s personalities are pretty similar also, but if you know their backstory with being mind-controlled, it is to be expected.

Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag?: No, not necessarily.

Thoughts on the Cover: The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and it relates to the book very well. It consists of a girl (most likely Penny), in a perfect position that only a dancer could achieve, with a clock around her, and her hands covering 12:00.

Did you finish the book: Yes.

Is this a Galley Book: Yes.

Would you recommend this for Read Brave?: No.

Grade the Book: B

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Book Review: A Short History of the Girl Next Door

Reader: Sophie L.

Age: 16

Book Title: A Short History of the Girl Next Door

Author: Jared Reck

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: September 26, 2017

Recommend: Yes!

Why or why not recommend this book? This book just felt very realistic to me. The way people acted towards each other in the book is something I see often in my high school. It had emotionally complex characters (specifically male ones)  which is something you don’t always see in YA; it’s often the “perfect athletic dream boy” rather that the “boy with actual feelings who reacts in a human way when bad things happen” (which this book had). This book is good because the story really could happen.

Did anything surprise you about this book? I was surprised by how much I liked it. On a side note, something that did not surprise me was the plot twist WHICH WAS WRITTEN ON THE BACK. If something happens more than halfway through the book, it’s a spoiler and does not belong on the back of the book. It didn’t specifically state the plot twist but it wasn’t that hard to figure out based on what it said.

Are there diverse characters? I don’t remember, so that probably means no.

Do you think this book warrants an #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag? No

Thought on cover: This is kind of vague: I don’t love the cover itself (too boring) but I think it has the right vibe for the book.

Did you finish the book: Yes.

Is it a Galley book: Yes.

Would you recommend this book for read brave: No.

Grade this book: A-

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Book Review: Into White

Reader: Finn Z.

Reader’s Age: 13

Book Title: Into White

Author: Randi Pink

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Publication Date: September 13th, 2016

Recommend: No

Why or why not recommend the book?: I don’t recommend this book for many reasons. When I first started this book, I had really high hopes for it. It seemed like one of those books like ‘Piecing me Together’ or ‘The Hate U Give’ that would be a real page turner and absolutely amazing. However, although it was a page turner, it wasn’t the book I had thought it would be.

Starting off right away, in approximately 5 pages, Latoya (Toya) turns white. This was way too quick for me, and could have really used a nice intro/background at the beginning rather than getting into a lot of that stuff later on in the book. I wasn’t surprised that she would turn white, however, all I could think while reading through that passage was: Why would Jesus pay attention to only her at that moment? Later on, Jesus comes back again and again to help Toya and talk to her, as if he had all the time in the world. Now I’m not very religious, but one thing that is very clear to me is that Jesus does not have that much time for just one person. That just really threw me off.

As the book progresses, the Author just scrambles around with the plot. It focuses on Toya and her sickness of being black for a while, then switches to her parent’s feuds, to their family history, etc. And sometimes the Author would just drop a point and never pick it up again. It was slightly odd.

The characters were kind of plain and typical/easy to read to me. There was the super smart nice brother, the evil popular guy, the twins who rule the school yet still compete for popularity, the unpleasant relative, etc. I never really got attached to one character, and they all lacked the depth and realness that I wanted.

One thing that I could just not bear about Toya was her hating of herself and being black. I know that not everyone and every book can promote self confidence and liking who you are, but she just couldn’t understand or comprehend in the slightest that people might like her for being black and that being black is beautiful. That ends up changing, but I really didn’t like it. Love yourself!

All in all, I feel this book had a lot of potential, but the author just kind of threw it away. It could have been amazing, but with the uncreative characters, muddled plot, self loathing, and more, I just really didn’t enjoy it, and I do not recommend it.

Did anything surprise you about the book?: Not really. A lot of the plot was easily guessable, and didn’t surprise me too much. One thing that did though, was Deante and Toya’s relationship. I really didn’t expect it with the way Deante treated her at the beginning of the book.

Are their diverse characters? It depends on what you consider diverse. The only diversity in this book is race, and by that, I mean Black/African American.

Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag?: Other than race, perhaps, it depends.

Thoughts on the Cover: I thought the cover was very creative and simple at the same time. It’s not eyesore, and everything just fits together really well.

Did you finish the book: Yes

Is this a Galley Book: Yes

Would you recommend this for Read Brave?: No

Grade the Book: C- or D

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Book Review: Wildman

Reader: Sam T.

Book Title: Wildman

Author: J. C. Geiger

Publisher: Hyperion

Publication Date: June 2017

Recommend: No

Why or why not recommend the book?

The description in the book is nice, and it’s often very vivid and interesting. The writing style is fresh and loose, occasionally bogged down by unnecessary information but relatively straightforward. Some of the scenes are really well-realized and vividly described, many of them even beautiful or moving.

The book itself, however, is bizarre and often irrelevant, like one big non sequitur. If that’s you thing, then you’ll probably enjoy this book. However, it was personally not for me.

The plot, however, was a main sticking point for me. I get that not all books have “lessons” to be learned or morals to impart—in fact, it would be terrible if they all did—but most books are at least about something. Ask someone about what Harry Potter is about in terms of themes and they’ll give you a story of friendship, courage, and coming-of-age, even though plotwise it’s simply the story of a young wizard at a school for magic. With most books you could have a half-hour conversation about the main themes and some of the complexities of the plot.

However, the same cannot be said for Wildman. Although the plot is refreshingly slow, a welcome break from the constant action and drama of some other YA books, the plot feels like it has no direction. It feels aimless, wandering about like the main character, and it never really seemed to go anywhere in the end. Again, I get that not all books have to have a beginning, middle, and end, in that exact order, and that sometimes the main thesis of a book is that life has no inherent “point”, but Wildman’s lassiez-faire plot barely stumbles along. The main character essentially mopes around in a gross motel room because he doesn’t want to leave his precious, precious Buick behind, meeting somewhat annoying people who could possibly called “friends”, falling in love at first sight with the special girl (ugh) and thus cheating on his perfectly nice girlfriend back home. I’m not entirely sure what the book was trying to convey, or what its thesis was. Live in a crappy motel with brown water far away from home and cheat on your girlfriend with a stranger and meet a bunch of marginally terrible people? In fact, the only one of the “friends” I actually liked was Stone, but he’s dead for no reason, so yeah.

The main character kept making so many irritatingly terrible decisions (staying with the car instead of going home, giving it to the shady “mechanic” he knows nothing about, threatening someone with a knife, jumping on a train and nearly getting killed, cheating on his perfectly nice girlfriend back home, etc.) that I hoped he’d get run over by the train. Nope, it was Stone, literally the only likeable, genuinely cool guy in the book, that was killed. In fact, none of the other characters are at all likeable and relatable. I hated Lance and his terrible decisions, hated his overly unique and “special” love interest (and the love at first sight… ugh!), Mason’s subtle misogyny, Breanna’s constant whining, and the uselessness of everyone else (Rocco and Meebs, I think their names are). Stone was the quiet guy who just wanted to make French fries and play his guitar and see Colorado, and now he’s gone, and all of the irritating people are still alive.

I also didn’t understand the whole point of why William the “mechanic”/”artist” wanted the car when he couldn’t do anything to fix it. It was a really strange detour to the plot that never seemed to fit with the rest of it.

And then there’s the titular nickname, which seems completely forced and ridiculous. I couldn’t imagine these tough kids calling a nerdy kid with an oh-so-precious trumpet and a 4.0 GPA “Wildman” unless it was an ironic nickname, which we know it wasn’t because they vote to change it later when they find out what he’s really like. (Also, threatening somebody with a butter knife isn’t “wild”, it’s almost kinda funny.)

 Overall, the plot is aimless and almost nonexistent, not taking the book in any direction, and most of the characters are unlikeable. But the writing style is alright. 

Did anything surprise you about the book?

I was surprised at the main character’s initial bad decisions and complete carelessness that didn’t seem to square with his goody-two-shoes academic performance back home. As the book went on, however, I just got less surprised and more and more irritated with him.

Are their diverse characters? (e.g., racially, sexual orientation, disability, etc.)

No LGBTQ, African-American, Hispanic, or other diverse characters in the main storyline. If they were in there, they got so little screentime I forgot about them.

Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag?

No

Thoughts on the Cover:

The cover is actually pretty cool, and ties in nicely with the ending. Scenery is nice too. I just wish the book itself was better.

Did you finish the book: Yes

Is this a Galley Book: Yes

Would you recommend this for Read Brave?  No

Grade the Book: D+

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Book Review: More of Me

Reader: Nicole M.

Book Title: More of Me

Author: Kathryn Evans

Publisher: Amulet Books

Publication Date: June 2017

Recommend: No

Why or Why Not Recommend the Book? I felt this book had a lot of potential it never really lived up to. There were large sections in which nothing really happened, and the concept felt half-baked, as if the author had not really taken the time to think about where they actually wanted to take the book.

Did Anything Surprise You About the Book? I was very intrigued by the premise, but ended up being disappointed by the actual content.

Are There Diverse Characters? Yes, a few

Do You Think This Book Warrants A #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag? No

Thoughts on the Cover: The cover is pretty simplistic and appealing. I thought it related to the book pretty well.

Did You Finish the Book? Yes

Is This a Galley Book? Yes

Would You Recommend This For Read Brave? No

Grade: C-

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The Way You Make Me Feel

Reader: Finn

Reader’s Age: 14

Book Title: The Way You Make Me Feel

Author: Maurene Goo

Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux

Publication Date: May 8th, 2018

Recommend: Yes

Why or why not recommend the book?: I originally read Maurene Goo’s ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’, which inspired me to pick up this book. The first 50 pages had me a little unsure of whether or not I’d like this book, especially with Clara’s personality. Yet I really, really loved this book.

Clara doesn’t take life seriously, which at first doesn’t cause any consequences for her, but after pretending to be covered in blood at her prom queen acceptance speech, leading to things starting on fire… yeah. And so she’s assigned to work at her dad’s food truck with her enemy, Rose, for the summer.

The main thing I really love about this book is the main characters. Clara and Rose’s totally opposite personalities really conflict yet go well together, and Hamlet is a wonderful person who I just want to cradle in my arms. You can’t not love this trio. The character development they all have throughout this book makes them even more realistic and wonderful. I just love them. Plus the plot of this book really allows you to see all sides of them.

Did anything surprise you about the book?: Clara and Rose’s friendship really surprised me. At the beginning of the book, all I could think is how the only thing achievable between them was politeness as ‘co-workers’, not necessarily at each other’s throats but also not skipping down a sidewalk holding hands. However, once they overcame their tenseness and a friendship bloomed, I really enjoyed it and I thought it was actually realistic for them to overcome their hatred for each other that they had at the beginning of the book.

Are their diverse characters?: Yes. Clara and Hamlet are Asian, Rose is Black, and one of Clara’s other friends is gay. This book does not lack diversity.

Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag?: No.

Thoughts on the Cover: I like the cover except I don’t think it quite expresses Clara and her personality well. Clara is more of a joking, carefree person, and her holding her hand on her face and almost modeling does not seem to fit her. I’d like it for any other character, but it just doesn’t work with Clara.

Did you finish the book: Yes.

Is this a Galley Book: Yes.

Would you recommend this for Read Brave?: No.

Grade the Book: A-

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Book Review: 10 Things I See From Here

Reader: Peter N.

Reader Age: 13

Book Title: 10 Things I Can See From Here

Author: Carrie Mac

Publisher: Random House Children’s Books

Publication Date: February 28, 2017

Recommend?: Depends on the person...

Why or why not Recommend the Book?: I really think that this book is amazing, I truly do. It is such a lovely book, with an excellent problem and plot twists and romance and romance and just an AWFUL lot of romance. I mean like, to the point where it’s nearly graphic. Towards the end, the main character, Maeve, and her girlfriend, Salix, get in bed and do a special “dance without pants.” But otherwise I would say it’s excellent! This book was the perfect combination of love, problems, and tons of other story elements I’m currently blanking on. It’s about a girl named Maeve who leaves to go stay with her dad for a while so her mom can go down to Haiti and work. She has extreme anxiety for as long as she can remember, and this just adds more to the other problems that she is facing. But then she ends up meeting a girl named Sailx and a whole new world is shown to her. 

Did anything surprise you about the book?: Not really, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, it’s just that some parts are fairly obvious. 

Are there diverse characters?: Fairly, Maeve and Salix are gay, and there’s a drunk and high dad if that counts for anything...

Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag?: No

Thoughts on the cover: It’s very pretty and pink. But it could be shiny-er. Also they should’ve added the “friend of Dorothy.” that was a fairly important symbol. 

Did you finish the book?: Yepoooo

Is this a galley book?: No

Would you recommend this book for Read Brave?: No

Grade this book: -A

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At the Edge of the Universe

Reader: Finn Z.

Reader’s Age: 14

Book Title: At the Edge of the Universe

Author: Shaun David Hutchinson

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Publication Date: February 7th, 2017

Recommend: Yes.

Why or why not recommend the book?: I recommend this book because it’s so original and something that’s never been heard of in YA (at least not by me). Ozzie’s best friend and boyfriend, Tommy, has disappeared, no one else remembers him, and the universe is shrinking (according to NASA). It sounds really weird at first. But you get used to it as the book goes on. The book also includes Ozzie’s day to day life at school and at home, both of which consist of DRAMA. To say the least, this book is not boring.

One thing I REALLY enjoyed was how Ozzie got closer with a guy named Calvin through a physics project. It sounds boring, but Calvin has a very interesting past and personality, almost seeming to help Ozzie stay present in his life and not just turning into a sad shell who misses Tommy.

One thing I didn’t like about this book is how confusing it is until the last chapter. Did Tommy actually disappear? Is, and why, is the universe shrinking? What is Ozzie going to do with his life? It all smooths out by the end, but I need a little more explanation and material if I can keep track of everything.

Did anything surprise you about the book?: Nothing surprised me in this book, but I’m not saying it’s boring or predictable. It keeps you on your toes and is really captivating. You’re able to almost go with the characters throughout the story with how realistic and developed they are.

Are their diverse characters?: Extremely. Ozzie is gay, along with Tommy (who’s also black), and Ozzie’s best friend Lua, is gender fluid.

Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag?: No.

Thoughts on the Cover: The cover was a bit unappealing. It’s dark, a bit blurry, and not very captivating.

Did you finish the book: Yes.

Is this a Galley Book: Yes.

Would you recommend this for Read Brave?: No.

Grade the Book: B+