Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Day 3 of Book Week - Spotlight on Young Adult Books


Today's weather for St. Peters: Chance of flurries, high 29 degrees.

It's not always easy to get pre-teens, teenagers or young adults to read, but when an author writes a series that captures their imaginations, the book's popularity spreads by word-of-mouth. Here are a few books I've read and reviewed (and my granddaughter and her friends have also read many of them):

Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli is a thoughtful and moving book about families and friendships and what’s really important in life. A wonderful book intended for ages 10 and up (but I think teenage boys especially will also enjoy it) with an important message written by an award-winning author. You can read my entire review by clicking on the link above.

The Clique, Summer Series, by Lisi Harrison - Massie is the first installment followed by: Dylan, Alicia, Kristen and Claire. The series gives insight into what the "Pretty Committee" girls are like--shallow, yes, and focused on shoes and designer clothing. But each book in the series has a message--be proud of who you are, stand up for yourself, family is important, or be true to your friends--that resonates with teenage and pre-teen girls. If you click on the link above you can read my review of the entire series on Teenreads.com.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. Controversial, yes; entertaining, you betcha; overly long, yes; well written, let's just say it's a very entertaining page-turner that appeals to young adults and adults alike. (I've seen mothers reading it in the carpool line.) It's the first in the series about a "good vampire" and a teenage girl who falls in love with him, and it has been made into a movie.
Tomorrow will spotlight fiction books.

2 comments:

  1. Great reviews!
    Beth Fehlbaum, author
    Courage in Patience, a story of hope for those who have endured abuse
    http://courageinpatience.blogspot.com
    Ch. 1 is online!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Beth,
    Wow! I read part of Chapter 1; what a story--compelling voice and story line.
    I will leave your link up in case others want to check it out.
    Thanks for visiting.
    Donna

    ReplyDelete

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