A Word on Censorship

I saw this video a year or two ago and just stumbled upon it a second time. It's definitely worth watching if you're much of a reader at all.

Penguin gathers some well-known Young Adult authors to weigh in on the topic of censorship and why banning books really isn't okay.

Authors showcased in this video:
Jacqueline Woodson,
Lev Grossman,
Carolyn Mackler,
M.T. Anderson,
Sarah Dessen,
Maureen Johnson,
Lauren Myracle,
Heather Brewer,
Ellen Hopkins,
Nina LaCour,
Meg Rosoff,
T.A. Barron,
Chris Crutcher,
Rita Williams-Garcia,
Dave Barry,
Kathy Reichs,
John Green,
Laurie Halse Anderson,
Jay Asher,
and Anthony Horowitz.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

I lift my arm out of the water. It's a log. Put it back under and it blows up even bigger. People see the log and call it a twig. They yell at me because I can't see what they see. Nobody can explain to me why my eyes work different than theirs. Nobody can make it stop.
The merry-go-round spins again. To get off this thing I think I have to scream. But I can't. My bone corset is laced so tight, I can barely breathe.

I have recently become a pretty big fan of Laurie Halse Anderson. As you may remember (if you've been following this blog of mine), I read her book, Speak, a few months ago and immediately added it to my list of favorite books. It's the most popular of her books and for good reason. It was amazing.

I picked up Wintergirls because she was the author and because it looked like it would be quite interesting. I saw that it was about a girl who was struggling with anorexia and, after watching our society's skinny obsession pick off my friends one by one over the last few years, I knew it would be something I wanted to read. And I was absolutely right.

Cassie had been Lia's best friends since the two of them were in kindergarten. They lived across the street from one another and were practically attached at the hip for most of their lives. In fact, it was with Cassie that Lia made the oath that they would be the thinnest girls in school. Only Cassie and Lia stopped being friends a few months ago, after Lia's second stay in New Seasons: a home for girls battling eating disorder, and her parents had her cut off all communication with Lia. And now Cassie is dead.

Alone and still battling demons of her own, Lia continues to shed weight, refusing to believe she is anything other than huge, refusing to admit that what she's doing to herself may cost her her own life-- and irreparably damage those around her.

I deeply enjoyed Wintergirls. Though it's one of those books that makes you want to cry through half of the story and keeps your stomach churning through the rest, it's the type of story our generation (and the generations coming after us) sorely needs.

Anderson handled the material extremely itself extremely well, but she also managed to create a novel whose poetic language draws the reader in more deeply than anything else ever could. Wintergirls is deeply beautiful book, even as the story itself plunges into a darkness that feels tangible at times. (Yet it is that tangibility of the emotions and the darkness surrounding Lia that makes this book so very good.)

I honestly didn't think Anderson could match the fabulous job she did with Speak, but it appears that I was wrong. This is just as good and just as relevant. It's definitely written better than the other novel. (Though I'm quite certain Speak will still continue to be my favorite of the two books, it's at least a close competition.) Also, Anderson herself is quickly climbing her way up the list of my favorite authors. She's just too amazing to not be one of my favorites!

I purchased the book immediately after having finished it and will most assuredly be singing its praises to everyone I come in contact with for months to come.

Rating: ~ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ~

We held hands when we walked down the gingerbread path into the forest, blood dripping from our fingers. We danced with witches and kissed monsters. We turned us into winter girls, and when she tried to leave, I pulled her back into the snow because I was afraid to be alone.

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

"Here's the deal," I say low and harsh as I grab his shirt and twist it up close to his throat. "You stop bringing up Maggie or jail or the accident. Got it? If you want to keep running your mouth off, that's fine, but next time you do it you'll find my fist in it. Guarunteed." 
"I was just kidding," Drew chokes out, a faint thread of hysteria in his voice. "Jeez, Caleb, lighten up."
I let go of his shirt, but give him one last warning. "Up until two weeks ago I was living with a bunch of gang members. Don't tell me to lighten up."

It's pretty rare that I find myself in between books for more than a few minutes. Usually the moment I finish one book, I write my review and grab the next one. However, work has decided to wedge itself so deeply into my life that my free time comes in weird spurts now, thus the reason I found myself at library yesterday whilst still in-between books.

I was wandering through the YA Lit section when I found this little beauty on one of those stands where it's the only one in the row facing outward. Being a bit of a tattoo fangirl, I immediately focused in on guy's tattoo and picked up the book. After reading the back, I was interested and decided to take it home with me, starting it as soon as I got in the house.

One year ago, a single action changed Maggie and Caleb's lives forever. That action caused Maggie to spend a good portion of the next twelve months in the hospital and battling through physical therapy. It sent Caleb to jail. Now he's out and coming back to the small town of Paradise. Not only that, but he's coming back to being Maggie's next door neighbor again.

Neither have been back to their school since the incident, but now senior year is starting and both must face the stares, the questions, the overall gawking of their fellow students. At the same time, they try to give each other a wide berth, but fate throws them together when Caleb's community service and her job force them unexpectedly together. It isn't long before the two find themselves unable to resist the other. They soon begin to grow closer to one another, even as the people around them try to force them apart. Can a real relationship be formed from the shattered pieces of their lives? And can either of them ever fully trust the other?

This book was surprisingly good. I was a little worried it would end up being awkward or forced, but everything came together seamlessly and left me wanting more. I was surprised and happy, though admittedly skeptical, when I realized there was a sequel. Definitely going to get my hands on that one in the near future.

There were quite a few scenes I went back and read after I finished the book because of how much I enjoyed them. Not to mention, I couldn't help admiring the way Elkeles found a plausible way to thrust the two protagonists together without making it entirely unrealistic.

All in all, I would suggest this book for a good, easy read. It's not anything award-winning, but it's a fun read that will keep the reader happily entertained for a few hours. More of a vacation read, but one I really enjoyed.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

"I wasn't going to kiss you." 
"You weren't?" I look up at him. Well of course he wasn't, stupid. Why would he hook up with me when he can be with someone who actually knew what they were doing, someone who isn't responsible for sending him to jail, my brain tells me.
"Nope. The next time I kiss you, I'm gonna take my time, and you said your mom's coming home any minute."
I check the clock on my nightstand and nod.
He bites his bottom lip, deep in thought. "No, the next time I kiss you it'll last a long, long time. And when we're done you're gonna realize being turned on is not about experience."
While I'm still awestruck, Caleb heads out of the house.

Speechless by Hannah Harrington

I'm not crazy; I'm perceptive. What comes out of my mouth is the root of my problems, so the solution is for nothing to come out.

I picked up Speechless by Hannah Harrington while visiting my brother in Lubbock a few months ago (the same day I purchased Bitter End). The gorgeous pearl colored cover, with no other decoration other than the raised letters that make up the title. It's beautiful cover immediately had my attention and, once I read the synopsis, I was sold.

When sophomore Chelsea Knot in on two guys making out at her best friend's New Years Eve bash, she can't help but make it public almost as soon as she has the chance. After all, she's known for not being able to keep a secret and she isn't exactly sober at this point in the night. She assumes it's harmless, just a bit of juicy gossip, but then two boys from her class decide they're going to teach the two "a lesson" and leave the party, she realizes that it might not have been as harmless as she thought. The next day, she learns that Noah, one of the boys she had walked in on, is in the hospital in a coma caused by a beating he received the night before. Her best friend swears her to secrecy, but Chelsea's conscience compels her to speak and the two boys who left the party are arrested on assault charges.

Disgusted by the way her own mouth has caused so much pain and suffering, Chelsea decides to take a vow of silence. If what she's said has caused this much damage, she decides she won't say anything at all. Upon her return to school, not only is her vow tested by teachers who believe she's only finding a new way to slack off, but by the harassment of classmates. Not only has she been pegged as the girl who caused Noah's beating via her loose tongue, but she has also been outcasted and harassed by those who used to be her friends for turning in the attackers.

Refusing to back down in her decision, she keeps her mouth shut in the face of this, even as she begins fear for her own safety in the face of the growing harassment. It isn't long before she makes some unlikely friends in the face of all the drama and, slowly, Chelsea learns that sometimes it's better to speak up than to stay silent after all.

I really enjoyed this book. Each of the characters was well-rounded and believable; the pacing was perfect and the plot itself carried out impeccably. It's very important, when dealing with such important content as Speechless did, that everything be as realistic and believable as possible and I really think Harrington cleared that hurdle with flying colors.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a good read with an interesting topic and characters that feel like they could walk right out of the pages. It's quite the page-turner and I honestly would have read the entire book in one sitting if sleep hadn't been absolutely necessary. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more of her works, because Hannah Harrington definitely knows what she's doing.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

"I just think she could really use a friend right now."
"And you're volunteering for the position," he says skeptically.
"I don't think she has anyone else," she tells him. "Everyone is mad at her."
"I'm not saying we should be gathering the pitchforks or anything, but come on. Did it ever occur to you maybe she deserves it?"
"You don't know, Sam. It's not just about Noah . . . it's about her ratting out those basketball players."

Revived by Cat Patrick

"At some point, you have to admit that death is coming and be grateful for what you've had instead of pissed that it's going away."

I picked up Revived the other day while Christmas shopping after spotting it on the shelf and recognizing the author's name. I had read her debut novel, Forgotten, in late 2011 and really enjoyed it. I was excited to read her second novel and see if it was as good as the first. It was even better.

Daisy Appleby is stung by a bee, which she's deathly allergic to, and dies on the track field at her school in Michigan. She wakes up eight hours later as Daisy West and is forced to relocate to Omaha, Nebraska with her handlers. This is the fifth time Daisy has died.

After dying at the age in a school bus packed with children that swerved off a cliff, Daisy, along with most of the other children involved in the crash, was brought back to life by an experimental drug called "Revive."

Now fifteen and starting her sophomore year in high school, Daisy has officially died five times. Each time has resulted in she and her handlers being uprooted from whatever suburban area they had most recently made their home, changing their last names, and finding a new place in which they can start a new life. An orphan at the time of the crash, Daisy is taken care of by two agents in the system (called Disciples) and it's they who revive her, take care of her on a daily basis, and pose as her parents when in public.

Upon getting settled in, Daisy starts at a new school and soon finds that she's getting more attached than she's ever been before. Before now, she's always been isolated, fully aware that any friends she made would never truly know her, that she would never truly be able to confide in anyone the dark secrets that set her apart. Yet, here she finds herself not only making a best friend, but falling in love with a wonderful boy in her English class.

In the midst of this, she begins to discover that something's happening in the program that could put her and everyone she cares about in danger. Even Mason, her handler, is concerned. And when she discovers a new case, one outside of the group of test subjects that are meant to be the only ones receiving the drug, Daisy realizes that the creator of the drug is up to something and no one is safe.

I really enjoyed Cat Patrick's debut novel, but Revive absolutely topped it. The science fiction aspect of the novel was totally grounded and fascinating, but instead of focusing on that part of the story, most of it pivots on Daisy and how she grapples with life and the concept of death. Patrick found the perfect balance for her story, positioning it so that the reader bites their nails about what's going on in Daisy's secret world of agents and people who have been brought back from the dead as well as the world in which she deals with the terminal illness of a friend that can't be cured by the serum.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a pretty easy read, yet really interesting. Everything was brought around full circle and no loose strings were left dangling. It was perfectly fascinating and a great read for these winter months in which we're all tempted to stay indoors with our coffee cups and our fleece blankets.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

But I can't. I can't speak. And I can't take Matt's pain, because I have too much of my own, and I have no place to put his.

Bitter End by Jennifer Brown

He let go of my neck and I crumpled to the floor, holding my face and sobbing. Too afraid to run. Too surprised to stand. Too hurt to be brave or indignant or anything other than broken.

I picked up Bitter End at the Barnes & Noble next to my brother's college, the one I always seem to find myself at when I go visit him, and knew I had to get it. It looked both interesting and heartbreaking and exactly the type of book I would want to read. The kind that would affect me. The kind that would make me think. One of the things I love most about reading is getting the chance to be someone else and see through their eyes for a while. And getting the chance to see how someone could fall into and stay in an abusive relationship was something I was very interested in understanding.

When Cole, a gorgeous transfer from a nearby school, makes his way into Alex Bedford's life, she immediately falls head over heels for his charming manner and his sweet ways. Cole is the perfect boyfriend, always ready to assure her of his love and affection, giving her that tenderness she's always wanted . . . until she makes him angry one day and he gives her the first bruise.

Apologizing profusely, Cole makes it up to her, promising to be a better person. He swears it will never happen again, but already Alex is cautious around him. If she can just keep herself from setting him off, everything will go back to normal. But even during this time of tentative peace, she is pulling away from the friends and family that once meant so much from her. Her friends' dislike of her new boyfriend isolates her from them and she quickly finds herself unable to speak and unsure if she even ought to.

Bitter End is a realistic look at the problem of abuse and how easy it is to find oneself in a place where there seems to be no way out. Love truly is blind and the heart is deceptive. It's easy to follow your heart in one direction even when your mind is screaming for you to run in the opposite direction.

Brown does a wonderful job in portraying the mindset of someone going through this very ordeal in a manner that is entirely realistic and heartbreaking. In particular, I love the way she creates the dynamic between Alex and her best friends slowly shift and decay even as they grow more and more concerned about her, creating the very distance between them that makes our protagonist feel even more alone and confused.

I really enjoyed this book and it is absolutely worth picking up next time you're in the bookstore. It is the perfect read for young adults who don't necessarily understand the complexities of abuse and anyone who wants to further comprehend what it's like to be on the receiving end of abuse and why they can't always "just get out of it."

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

"Yeah. But he's going to kill somebody someday, and if I can stop it from happening to you, then maybe I didn't live through the most horrible time of my life for nothing."

Lovely, Dark and Deep by Amy McNamara

Wish, wish I were back at the house. Or running. Anywhere but here, feeling like this. And that's just it. This is how it is. Always. To pay attention to things. People. It's too easy to fail other people. And the good-byes. You never have the time you think.

I picked up Lovely, Dark and Deep after hearing an interview with the author, Amy McNamara, on the podcast "Authors are ROCKSTARS!" On the podcast, McNamara shared about the loss that inspired her book and how different it was to move from poetry to writing Young Adult Fiction. I was immediately interested and went out to buy the book a few days later.

And of course, when I saw that gorgeous cover, there was no talking me out of it.

When Wren wakes up after the car crash that killed her boyfriend, she knows immediately that her entire life has shattered before her eyes. She retreats inside herself--the only way she knows how to cope--and pulls away from everyone. Unable to sleep soundly and prone to frequent anxiety attacks, Wren deems herself ruined. How can she ever recover from the pain inside her?

She moves in with her father in order to get away from it all and ends up meeting Cal, a sweet guy who has troubles of his own, yet can't help reaching out to her in the midst of it. She begins to have feelings for him and starts to feel happy again, but she still can't manage to shake that feeling of being trapped--like she's still stuck upside down in her seatbelt. Wren wants to learn how to deal with what has happened to her and learn to deal with other people again without hurting them. She wants to be normal again, but maybe there's no going back to normal. Maybe she has changed for good.

Written more beautifully than probably any other book I've ever read, Lovely, Dark and Deep is stunning in every detail. I couldn't help but shake my head and wish that more authors would sprinkle poetry throughout their work in the same manner as McNamara.

Everything about this book is beautiful. The title is very apt, as it perfectly fits the contents of this novel. McNamara used her own grief and her own struggle to deal with the loss of a close friend to feed the emotions portrayed within Wren's story and she does it so perfectly one can hardly remember that this is a work of fiction. I very much hope to see more YA Fiction from her in the future.

I honestly can't sing the praises of Lovely, Dark and Deep enough to do it justice. My suggestion?: Pick it up immediately!

Rating: ~ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ~

"The thing about grief is that you have to let yourself feel it. Even the worst parts. Especially the worst parts. Pass through it. Let it pass through you. It's our strength--your humanity-- your openness to your feelings. Even when you think you might not come through."

Dovey Coe by Frances O'Roark Dowell

My name is Dovey Coe and I reckon it don't matter if you like me or not. I'm here to lay the record straight, to let you know them folks saying I done a terrible thing are liars. I aim to prove it, too. I hated Parnell Caraway as much as the next person, but I didn't kill him.


When eleven-year-old Dovey Coe is found holding a knife and standing over the body of Parnell Caraway, the very man she has adamantly claimed to hate for years, she is charged with his murder. But Dovey is innocent of those charges. When she was knocked out, Parnell was standing over her, not the other way around. She has hated Parnell for as long as she can remember, but that doesn't mean she killed him.

Now Dovey is being defended by a lawyer who has never worked a case before and having to deal with the distaste of the entire community where she was raised. She knows she didn't do it, but who is going to believe her? And if she didn't kill Parnell, who did?

I read Dovey Coe for the first time in late elementary school and immediately loved it. Going back to it now, I see why it was such a favorite. Dovey is a strong character who is known for not being afraid to speak her mind. She's protective of her brother, who is deaf and therefore treated cautiously by the rest of the community, and she isn't afraid to bloody her knuckles to defend him.

One of the things I really appreciate about this book upon rereading it was the dialect in which the entire narrative is written. Dovey's accent bleeds through the pages as if she were speaking it aloud to reader. This minor touch goes the extra mile in pulling one into the story and immersing them in it.

This was definitely worth it and I would wholeheartedly suggest it to preteens and young teenagers especially--particularly those girls who need a strong role model their age that they can look up to.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

"How'd you get in here?" I asked Huck, who'd gone over and laid next to Tom, little whimpers coming out of his mouth. I looked about the room, wondering how long I'd been knocked out.
That's when I seen Parnell.
He was lying on the floor as stiff as Tom, one of them metal canisters a few feet away from his head. I crawled over to him and passed my hand over his mouth. There weren't a breath left in him.
"Oh, Lord," I said out loud. "Oh, my Lord."

My Secret: A Postsecret Book by Frank Warren

"Let me tread my own path. Don't worry, I will be fine." 


PostSecret started out as an online art project by Frank Warren. He asked people to send in their secrets on artfully made postcards anonymously and he posted many of them online for others. It wasn't long before he was receiving more postcards than he knew what to do with. He still receives hundreds of postcards a day!

Since this project started, Warren still runs his website, which is updated every Sunday with new secrets, and has published multiple books with these secrets as the content. I've been wanted to read one for a while and finally bought My Secret on Amazon.

Wow! This compilation of secrets was just as good as I expected. There's something inherently soothing about reading other peoples' secrets and being able to identify with some or wonder about others; just as its soothing to send in a secret anonymously and know that someone else knows your secret, you don't have to bear it alone--you aren't the only one who's been through that.

This book is addicting and it won't take you long to finish. You'll want to keep flipping through, reading each new secret, until you reach the end. I have no doubt that I'll still be flipping through these pages, reading particular ones over and over again in the future. And maybe I'll send in a secret of my own.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

"I lied to fit in and now feel more alone than ever before."

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Mr. Freeman thinks I need to find my feelings. How can I not find them? They are chewing me alive like an infestation of thoughts, shame, mistakes.


This is yet another book that I read after seeing the movie, finding out it was originally a book, being frustrated, and rushing out to find a copy. I didn't even realize until I was at the library that I have already read and currently own another of the author's books, Fever, when I was in middle school. I remembered loving it, which made me even more excited for this novel.

When Melinda Sordino enters her freshman year of high school, she had already been blacklisted. Having managed to find her way into a high school party at the end of the summer, she had ended up calling the police and getting several students in trouble or arrested in the process.

But no one thought to ask her side of the story. It never occurred to anyone that she had needed to call the police--that she had been hurt. Now, entering high school friendless and traumatized, she begins to isolate herself. She stops speaking unless necessary. She shuts down.

The only place she feels safe is in art class, where her quirky teacher, Mr. Freeman, both challenges and inspires her. He shows her that, through art, she can breathe again and begin to heal.

Melinda is deeply scarred and feels trapped in the silence that once gave her a sense of comfort. She is still in danger and if she doesn't speak up, someone else could get hurt. But can she overcome her fear and finally speak? She isn't so sure she can--or that anyone will listen if she does.

Speak is a wonderfully written novel about coming of age, healing from deep wounds, and speaking up. Laurie Halse Anderson leaves no doubt through her skillfully crafted imagery that words can create just as well as paint. Her ability to mold the details and the words just the way they needed to give the reader a perfect picture that resonates with them long afterward left me awestruck.

Not only was her capability as a wordsmith one of the things that made this book easily soar to my favorites category, but her ability to capture what it looks like to be a terrified girl who feels trapped in her own emotions left me stunned. Melinda jumps off the page, as real as a character can possibly be without stepping clean out of the book and talking to the reader in person. There isn't a single moment that you find yourself battling with disbelief. Anderson lets you empathize with her character and see what it's like to step inside her mind.

This book is a must read. I cannot express enough how well written and necessary this book is to a generation that has dealt with more pain than any before it. Pick it up immediately. Whether you're in middle school, high school, or even gearing up to cash in that retirement fund: Speak is a book you have to get your hands on.

Rating: ~ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ~


David: "But you got it wrong. The suffragettes were all about speaking up, screaming for their rights. You can't speak up for your right to be silent. That's letting the bad guys win. If the suffragettes did that, women wouldn't be able to vote yet."
I blow a bubble in his face. He folds the gum wrappers into tiny triangles.
David: "Don't get me wrong. I think what you did was kind of cool and getting stuck in MISS wasn't fair. But don't expect to make a difference unless you speak up for yourself."

Wired by Robin Wasserman

We were on our own. Two machines. Two orgs. Four teenagers with no power and no plan.


(Click here to see my review of book 1: Skinned and book 2: Crashed; predecessors to Wired in the Cold Awakening Trilogy)

The final installment of the Cold Awakening Trilogy, a Young Adult Science Fiction series, Wired lived up to every expectation I had for this book. The first two books were wonderful and intriguing; the world Wasserman created were nearly even more so. I was a little nervous that she wouldn't be able to make the conclusion as good as the story had been up to this point. Rest assured, she managed it.

In Wired, we find that things have steadily moved from bad to worse. The Brotherhood of Man is still gunning for the extermination of the mechs and now it looks like they may have found a way to do that. Suddenly the threat is much more than they could ever have anticipated.

As if that weren't enough, Lia soon finds out that things are more complicated than she had first thought. It seems that everyone is lying about something and no one can be trusted.

When everyone Lia cares about come under fire and are put in danger along with her, she must do everything she can to save them. It's clear that the threat must be stopped. The question is: can it? Things have never looked so hopeless.

But Lia has never been more determined.

Wired was the perfect ending to this stunning and intriguing trilogy that had me hooked from start to finish. When I started it, I honestly didn't expect it to be all that good, so it's pretty clear that I've been blown away by its fantastic execution.

Robin Wasserman proved undeniably that she knows what she's doing when it comes to writing fiction--particularly science fiction--and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more from her. She's one of those authors you don't want to miss, because her work is too good to stay out of the spotlight for long.

I'm very happy I managed to find this series and can't wait to see the author at LeakyCon. I can't express enough how much I enjoyed this series. It makes the reader stop and think. It makes you grapple with moral and ethical issues of great importance all while reading an enthralling story that keeps you wondering just what is going to happen next. Nothing is predictable. Nothing is certain.

Go pick up the first book at your library or your local bookstore. You won't be sorry.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," Riley said, as we were leaving. "They can't make you."
I kissed him and wondered when he'd gotten so naive.

Crashed by Robin Wasserman

"I can't escape," the train of thought went. "And they can't kill me. They can't hurt me in any way that counts." 
So why think about what's going to happen next?
Why not just stop being afraid?
And then the lights went out.

The sequel to Skinned, Crashed is the continuing story of Lia's life as a mech. When she died, her body was placed into a mechanical body that was meant to simulate the experience of being human. After the incident at the waterfall and a falling out with her sister who doesn't believe she is the real Lia, our protagonist leaves home to live with the other mechs she knows.

It's been six months since the events of the last book and things are steadily growing worse. The world is turning against mechs in a way they haven't before. An uprising is imminent and things are become more and more dangerous for those the humans call "skinners."

In order to protect herself and others like her, Lia must team up with Jude and Riley to figure out how they can win this. But the stakes are higher than they've ever been, the past is coming back to threaten them all,  and the enemy is willing to go to moral depths that Lia's not sure she can follow. How can she be expected to make the right choice when no one seems to be the good guy?

Once again, Wasserman has done a wonderful job in crafting a believable world and tackling moral questions that most novelists wouldn't touch with a stick (or at least, I haven't seen them touch it yet). Her characters are believable and well-rounded (even if some are so irritating that you find yourself ranting at them while you read), while her plot is seamlessly executed and shocking all the same. Every thing about this book was well-done.

I think I enjoyed the sequel even more than the original and I can't wait to see what she does with the final installment of the Cold Awakening Trilogy. It ought to be good.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

"Then we come up with another plan!" I insisted. "I'm not-" I didn't even want to say it out loud. The words would have sounded ludicrous coming out of my mouth. I'm not killing anyone. As if I was the type of person for whom that was even an option. Unrecognizable was one thing. This was alien. This was unthinkable. "Tell him, Riley. Tell him we can't do this."

The Clearing by Heather Davis

"If I could go back in time, Amy, I'd give that gift to you-- and I'd remind you that you're special every time I could. Not just when I showed up with a jar of jam with a bow on top."


When Amy moved out to the country to live with her Aunt Mae, it was an escape. She had needed a change. She had needed to get away from her abusive ex-boyfriend and the mental and physical bruising he had given her. She wanted a new start, something different.

The last thing she could have expected to find was Henry. Though she had all but sworn off boys in an attempt to recover herself and the spirit she thought she had lost, Henry somehow manages to sneak past her defenses. He is everything she needs and so much more than she could have imagined.

But Henry has his own pain. He too is running, running from what the future has in store. In 1944, he prayed that things would go back to the way it had been before everything in his life started deteriorating. And by some miracle, it had worked. His farmhouse, his mother, his grandfather, and Henry are all still in 1944.

When Amy stumbles upon Henry and his home, though, everything starts to change. Amy is a breath of fresh air he could never have imagined. Henry is her safe place. And the two begin to heal each other in ways they never could have anticipated. But things can't always go on the way they have before, sometimes healing means letting go of the hurts that once shackled you and stepping out of your comfort zone.

The Clearing by Heather Davis is a story of healing and dealing with your past. Our first reaction, when something bad happens, is to retreat inside yourself. But that never helps resolve issues. Davis does a wonderful job in portraying how facing your fears can be the best action you could possibly take and that true love can change your life forever.

I found this story both compelling and touching. I was nearly brought to tears on more than one occasion. Davis does a great job at hooking the reader with her tale of fear and love, drawing you in to the point where you must turn the page, you have to know what comes next.

I found Davis's writing technique quite interesting, as well. I don't think I have ever seen an author mix first and third person narrative the way she did and, I might add, she pulled it off quite nicely. The chapters alternate from Amy's first person perspective to Henry's third person perspective and it creates an intriguing dynamic.

This book was well-written and executed wonderfully. I definitely enjoyed the journey and would suggest it to anyone who wants a good and touching story about love and how its healing can transcend even the boundaries of time.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


"All of us live in pain, Henry. That's the human condition. Some pain you can see from the outside, and some is buried deep on the inside. We all have our crosses to bear." 

Crusade in Jeans by Thea Beckman

"No," cried Rudolf. "It can't be true! It is a nightmare. Soon I will wake up. A children's crusade! It is just too ridiculous. It is unthinkable. Crusades are for men; for knights on horseback, in coats of armor. Not for children!" 

Crusade in Jeans is a fictional children's book originally written in Dutch by its author, Thea Beckman. After having seen the movie adaptation a few years ago, I found that it was a book and had been translated to English. Of course, I had to get my hands on it.

In her book, Beckman tells the story of a fifteen-year-old boy named Rudolf (Dolf) who convinces two scientist friends of his father to send him back in time with a time travel machine they have created. Dolf lands near the city of Spiers in the kingdom of Germany.

When his return to his own century goes terribly wrong, Dolf is stranded in the thirteenth century and ends up stumbling upon a children's crusade. Eight thousand children from Germany and its neighboring lands are on a march to conquer the Holy Land after a shepherd boy named Nicolas claims he has been told by God that he will part the sea for them and the Seracens will flee before their innocence.

As he watches the procession move by, though, he sees that the children are in terrible shape. They are malnourished and sick, they are literally dropping dead at the back of the procession or falling behind. Some were being picked off by wild animals, others by slavers and kidnappers. Dolf and his new friend, Leonardo, decide they must act and both join the crusade, quickly calling for a reform in the way things are done. They take responsibility for the welfare of the children and quickly rise in the ranks of the assembled.

Clearly these children believe the call to which Nicolas has urged them, but Dolf doubts he will be able to part the sea and suspects the two monks who are also helping to lead the procession are frauds. There  is something that isn't right about this entire ordeal, both Dolf and Leonardo agree, and they are keeping their eyes peeled in order to discover what is actually going on here.

In the meantime, though, they have other worries to attend to. The journey is long and the path is fraught with perils. Wild animals such as wolves and bears lurk in the darkness about them and not all kidnappers are dissuaded by the sheer number of the pilgrims. Then there is food and shelter to worry about. The question is: can they even make it to the sea at all?

This book was so much better than I could have anticipated it. As much as I enjoyed the movie, much like Eragon, I have to say that is a mockery in comparison to the book. I don't think I would be able to watch it again without being sorely disappointed in how far it deviates from the true story. Not to mention, Dolf is so much better in the text. In the movie, he was irritating and not nearly as smart as he is meant to be.

Honestly, the only problem I have with Crusade in Jeans is its opening. I have a very hard time believing any scientist would honestly be so irresponsible and stupid enough to send a fifteen-year-old back in time in their PROTOTYPE material-transmitter. Yes, they've had success in the past, but that is just ridiculous. Also there was the whole bit where Dolf seemed to keep "finding" things in his pockets that later became useful. It only happened about three times, but I still found myself irritated. He would have known from the beginning that he had those things in his pockets. He wouldn't have forgotten about them for a period of weeks when he was wearing the same pair of jeans the entire time.

Beyond that, though, it was excellently crafted and incredibly believable. Beckman had a firm grasp on the trials and issues that would have come up during such a trek and I found myself on the edge of my seat through the entire thing, eager to find out what would happen next. I would definitely suggest this book for a good read.

Though it is technically children's fiction, I would like to add that there are some dark themes in here. I would say it is good for 10+ would be a better age range. There is a good deal of death that might be scary for a small child and some religious themes that they may be too young to grapple with (Medieval Christianity vs. Modern Atheism).

It is historical fiction as well, however, and these are themes that ought to be considered at an older age. Beyond that, I was surprised at how many people I know had no knowledge of the children's crusades and that they were actually a historical event in the thirteenth century. It is a part of history that we ought not forget, as with most of our world's history, for fear of reoccurrence. I thought it was a good choice for Beckman to choose a historical event that ought to have more light shed upon it and use it as the center of her storyline.

All in all, I adored this book and am glad to have it upon my shelf. I bought it on Amazon after not being able to find it anywhere else and I treasure it fondly.

Rating: ~ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ~

"Now you ask me if I believe in miracles. My friend, I am experiencing nothing else."

Freefall by Mindi Scott

"I've never liked moving or having to make all new friends. But I'm noticing that people who go from elementary school to middle school to high school with the same kids never get a chance to start over. Like, maybe a certain guy will always be seen as a troublemaker, while some new girl can move to town and be accepted because no one knows her."


Seth McCoy is a sixteen year-old boy with debilitating stage fright who happens to be a musician and is dealing with the recent death of his best friend, Isaac. After finding Isaac dead in his front lawn after a night of partying, Seth blames himself.

Then he meets Rosetta. Rosetta is somewhat new in school and she throws him for a loop. It's not long before he's stumbling head over heels for her. But Rosetta has her own fears and regrets, secrets that haunt her in very much the same way as Seth's do.

The two of them falling in love sounds crazy. It would come with so many challenges, so many issues they would have to push through. But maybe it's worth it. And maybe the other is exactly the push they need to deal with the problems they've bottled up for so long.

Freefall by Mindi Scott sounded good when I saw the cover and read the summary, but it exceeded my expectations by a long shot. Freefall is more than a teenage love story. It's about choosing who you want to be, learning from your past, and overcoming your fears. Scott's writing is well-done and her characters are so believable that I could see them walking off the page and commencing life as planned. Each character, as in real life, has their own set of problems and issues that they need to work through. Not all do, but some are able to come through this sequence of events for the better.

The pacing was perfect and the situations written exactly how they ought to be. Nothing was rushed or confusing. Overall, it was a lovely journey that I enjoyed getting the chance to join. I definitely suggest picking this one up for a good read.

Oh, and a fun detail I didn't notice until after I finished the book and was flipping through pages: the page numbers on the side start at the top of the page and slowly move downward as if they're free falling throughout the story. I love it when there are little gems like that in the design of a book. Very cool.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


"That's why bungee jumping is such a rush," she said, seeming not to notice what she was doing to me here. "Because you know the jump should kill you. They say the people with the most fear of jumping are the ones who end up loving it the most. So I went for it."

The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams

I shake my head and as as I do, a tear shakes off my cheek, and I realize that I've been crying, but I don't know when it started . It's not the kind of crying that you force up and out of your throat but the kind of crying where the tears slip out your eyes and down your cheeks, dissolving into one another at your chin in a stealthy escape.

I picked up this book at the library because the binding looked nice, but the cover blew me away. A book with a cover (seen on the right) as cool as this one deserves to be read, in my opinion. Once again, my tendency to judge a book by its cover led me to a pretty great book. The Space Between Trees is definitely in my top ten favorite books, if not my top five. 

In The Space Between Trees, Katie Williams tells the story of Evie, a teenage girl with a tendency to improve the truth and straight out lie without thinking of the consequences. After the death of a girl Evie knew as a child, this bad habit is exactly what leads her on a collision course with the girl's father and her best friend, Hadley. 

Somehow, despite Evie's initial lie, she and Hadley become friends. This is a first for Evie, who has always something of a loner. But this new friendship launches the two girls into searching for the person who murdered Hadley's best friend, Zabet. Things quickly grow out of hand and Evie has to figure out where to draw the line in being a loyal friend and putting herself and others in more danger than she could have anticipated.

Altogether, I found this to be a wonderful book. Filled to the brim with intriguing descriptions that really pull the reader in, the detail is drool-worthy. I found myself poring over paragraphs, trying to analyze exactly how Williams was able to describe things in just enough detail to keep you interested without becoming overwhelming. There are plenty of life lessons to be learned within the pages of The Space Between the Trees, as well as a good amount of symbolism and an ending you couldn't have anticipated.

This was a lovely book that I look forward to rereading in the near future. There are few books that I finish and want to immediately read again, but this was definitely one of those. Everything about it was well-done. I ended up purchasing this book because I enjoyed it so much. 

I suggest picking up The Space Between Trees at your nearest convenience.

Rating: ~♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥~

And so there it is, the answer. It doesn't feel like how I thought it would at all. I don't feel the urge to gasp or say aha! I am not wiser or safer. The world is not set to rights. It is a small, sad, messy world, and I am a small, sad, messy girl.

Freak by Marcella Pixley

"She's a freak," Jenny said.
I held myself still.
"She's such a freak the guy would rather puke than kiss her."


Freak is the story of a girl named Miriam Fisher, also known by the nickname "Shakespeare" due to her love of poetry and proficiency in writing it. Miriam is a seventh grade girl who just wants to have the freedom to be herself without being ridiculed for it, but that's not the way life turns out for her. Instead, she's labelled a freak, ignored in her own home, and singled out at school.

When she's had enough, Miriam picks a fight with the most popular girl in school -- the one who has been tormenting her from day one. As things steadily grow worse, she wonders why life has to be so terrible for her. But it's not long before she learns that she is not the only girl with problems. And hurt people hurt people.

Freak is both an easy read and and a difficult one; easy in that it's not very long and it only takes a few hours to finish, difficult in that it deals with the isolation of a girl that just wants to be herself and can't understand why that means everyone must abandon her and treat her like she is something disgusting and offensive.

Pixley shows herself to be both a masterful poet and a thought-provoking writer. Her description of emotion is compelling and beautiful, both in the poems written by the main character and in her inner narrative. Peering into the mind of a truly creative person is always a gift and should be fully appreciated in the pages of Pixley's debut novel.

This book will make you think. It will cause you to consider everything that's going on here. Because sometimes we have to stand up to our bullies; and sometimes the bullies are being bullied as well.


Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥


Laughter
rises out of the stomach
like fire
spits from the pores
burns, sears, scours
singes off hair 
rips razors across wrists
leaves notes without any answers

Hold Still by Nina LaCour

"Sometimes inspiration strikes; other times you have to hunt it down."


In her debut novel, Hold Still, Nina LaCour proves herself an immensely artistic and heartfelt author. I was blown away by the depth of emotion in this book and never lost interest for a second. This author is definitely one I'm going to keep an eye out for in the future. I definitely want to make sure I read whatever else she chooses to write.

Writing from the perspective of teenage Caitlin, LaCour tells the story of a girl dealing with heartbreak of the worst kind -- the death of a loved one. The book begins when Caitlin receives the news that her best friend has committed suicide. Blindsided and shattered, Caitlin must learn how to heel and how to move on after losing the person who knew her best, the one she thought she knew so well.

It's an extremely emotional story as LaCour brings you along for the ride, baring Caitlin's meltdowns and heartbreak. We come alongside the teen as she struggles with making new friends though the prospect of maintaining and possibly losing those friendships terrify her.

I chose this book off the library shelves at random because the binding stood out to me and, once again, I'm extremely glad I did. LaCour has an immense talent for writing and imagery. Her description of the way Caitlin struggles and comes to terms with life are spot on and incredibly believable. Prepare yourself for a few intense moments. You may need to keep a tissue box handy during some of these scenes.

Altogether, it's a wonderful book and one I would heartily suggest to anyone who wants a good read, is dealing with a loss of their own, or is even thinking of ending their own life the way Caitlin's friend did. Suicide hurts everyone involved and leaves a gaping hole in the hearts of the people around them. Your life is too precious a gift to give away.

Heartbreak and new love, despair and hope, breaking and restoration: this book is one hell of a journey and one that will surely touch your heart. You don't want to miss it. I'm glad I didn't.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


Here she is, once again, never saying things just to say them.

Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories

Here's the answer: learning to fit in, learning to get along, ignoring it, and being the better person don't work.
Asking victims to save themselves doesn't work. People need to intervene.


Funny story: Somehow I managed to buy the unedited proof of this book. I don't know how I, or the salesperson, didn't notice the big red square on the side that said "Unedited Proof: Not for Sale." It wasn't until I was partway through the book that I noticed it. I'm not sure how different it was from the one that ended up getting printed, but I only found one typo. That was the only "problem" I saw with the book in its entirety.

Back to the book review: In case you couldn't tell by the title, Dear Bully is an anthology of experiences. It's a collection of the stories of 70 authors who were, in some shape or form, bullied. The purpose is to bring awareness to the situation that is still perpetuated in the lives of many teenagers and children. The purpose is to reveal just how dangerous, and damaging, bullying can be.

This book really touched me. Seeing the perspective of the kids who dealt with such incredible amounts of torment on a daily basis was eye-opening.

Speaking as a girl who was at the bottom of the food chain in school for a few years, I know what it's like first-hand to be rejected. I know what it's like to have someone's words or actions impact you for years after the initial event. I was never downright bullied, but I got pretty close. At the same time, I treated a few others badly. I didn't bully, but I sure didn't treat them the way they ought to have been treated. I may never know what impact I had on their lives.

The point of this book was to talk about bullying from the perspective of those who were bullied, those who were too scared to speak up, those who did speak up and changed someone's life. People don't realize the impact of the things they do. People don't realize that one word, one rejection, can change someone's life.

I adored this book. Every story was heartfelt. Every experience brought new light to what bullying is and how we can stop it. It's definitely a recommended read for all ages. Parents should be reading this so they can teach their children to be better. Teachers should read it so they can keep an eye out for this sort of behavior. Teenagers should read this so they can discover how the way they're treating that other person is affecting them; and so those who are bullied can discover how to fight back.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


Schools, parents, and educational endeavors  should encourage people not just to empathize but to discover and celebrate the weirdness in others and in ourselves. We need not just to think but to live outside the box. Weirdness is good. It keeps things interesting.

Skate by Michael Harmon

Fighting the system was fine, he said, but fighting it the right way was key.


Michael Harmon has, to date, written three novels. I have read each of these novels precisely in the opposite order in which he wrote them. That was entirely unintentional, but that was they way it worked out.

In having said that, I have enjoyed each of his novels equally. Mr. Harmon knows how to speak from the perspective of a teenager who feels different from the world around him and like everyone has turned against him. Each of his heroes (or -- in the case of his third novel, Brutal -- heroine) gives the reader a clear view of what it's like to be ostracized for being different and how there is always a way for that very person to rise above it all and be the hero of their own story.

Skate chronicles the story of Ian McDermott, a teenager whose home life is already hard enough when the certain members of the school faculty decide to turn against him. Ian is known for having a propensity to talk back and speak his mind. He's no stranger to conflict because he has earned tough skin in his short, yet challenging, life.

But one day, he takes it too far and his entire world seems to come crashing down around him. The only option he feels he has is to run away with his younger brother in an effort to find their father, hoping he might have a way to right the wrongs that have been committed by and against them.

Skate is one of those books where the characters are real. Everything about it makes you feel like this could easily happen. This could easily be you or someone you know. Mr. Harmon's poignant writing about the woes of a broken and damaged society hits right where it ought. It's a good read and one that will get you thinking. I'm definitely a fan.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥


"Because something terribly wrong happened here, and it's not all your fault. I'm not giving up on this. Or you."