Tag Archives: teen

Teen Wintery Reads

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Looking for a teen read to get you in the holiday spirit? Check out one of these wintery reads!

Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Told in the alternating voices of Dash and Lily, two sixteen-year-olds carry on a wintry scavenger hunt at Christmas-time in New York, neither knowing quite what–or who–they will find.

 

What Light by Jay Asher

When Sierra falls for Caleb, a boy who made a terrible mistake years before, she is determined to help him find forgiveness, despite the disapproval and suspicions they meet.

 

Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless by Liz Czukas

The day before Christmas, money goes missing from a donation box at GoodFoods Market and Chloe and her five of her teenage co-workers, held in the break room until the police arrive, try to identify the real thief.

 

The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand

After being visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve, Holly Chase chooses not to mend her spoiled ways, and upon her death discovers her selfishness has caused her to work for eternity as a ghost of Christmas past.

 

My True Love Gave to Me edited by Stephanie Perkins

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with this book. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love.

 

 

Review: Ten

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Ten
by Gretchen McNeil
4 stars

Based loosely on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, YA novel Ten by Gretchen McNeil is like a slasher movie in print. I felt like I was in the middle of a 90s teen horror movie like Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer. Meg and her best friend Minnie head off for a weekend of partying at their friend’s house on Henry Island. They soon find themselves without a way to communicate with the mainland and trapped on the island due to a storm…then people start dying in increasingly gruesome ways. The killer is obviously among them, but who is it?!

Ten is a fast-paced thriller with plenty of whodunit drama, best friend drama, and boy drama. It was a fun bit of escapism that kept me entertained!

 

Recommendations:

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

 

Review: My Plain Jane

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My Plain Jane
by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
3 stars

It felt like I waited FOR-EV-ER for My Plain Jane by the writing crew known as “The Lady Janies” to hit the shelves.  Their first book, My Lady Jane, is one of my all-time favorite reads so to say I was super eager to get my hands on their latest story would be an understatement.
My Plain Jane is Jane Eyre meets Ghostbusters .  Yes, you read that correctly.  The story begins in a terrible, horrible, no good very bad school where orphaned Jane Eyre befriends the budding novelist Charlotte Bronte.  Charlotte likes the quirky Jane, but things get a little crazy when she discovers that her new friend has the ability to communicate with ghosts.  The story unfolds much like the classic tale except for the introduction of a dashing supernatural investigator and an epic ghost hunt, which, you have to admit, sort of fits.  Jane finds herself working  as a governess at the home of Mr. Rochester when things start to get a little creepy.  And there unfolds a dastardly plot years in the planning.
While some of the charm and humor that I loved so much in My Lady Jane was missing, the interludes from the narrators still tickled my funny bone.  The introduction of Charlotte Bronte into the story as a main character was also genius and a fun explanation for how she came up with her much beloved tale.  You should definitely do yourself a favor and check out The Lady Janies and their strong, fierce female characters – especially if you’re in the mood for a laugh.

 

Read-alikes

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Binge-worthy Teen Reads

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If you’re anything like me, when winter hits all I want to do is curl up on the couch with a blanket, some hot cocoa, and either (1) Netflix or (2) a good book. In fact, during the winter I tend to go on TV and reading binges. It’s too cold to do anything else! So I thought, why not combine some of my favorite things and put together a list of books that are like some of my favorite TV series? And then I thought, why don’t I make a list for you too?!

Check out the list for some great teen reads like some of your favorite teen TV shows!

If you like Riverdale, you might like:

If you like 13 Reasons Why, you might like:

If you like Stranger Things, you might like:

If you like The Flash, you might like:

Great 2017 Teen Reads

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2017 was a great year for teen fiction.  Our new teen fiction shelves were filled with diverse books that put a spotlight on complicated characters, cultural identity, and relevant topics that demand attention and conversation.  There was something for every type of reader – for those that read to escape into story and others that are in the search for ways to connect and expand their understanding of their own experiences.

Our “Ten Reads for Teens” display in TeenHQ is currently highlighting some great reads released this year.  Check out one of these stand-out books and pick up a Great Reads of 2017 flyer today!

Here are a few titles to give you a taste of the awesome available for your reading pleasure:

Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham

When seventeen-year-old Rowan Chase finds a skeleton on her family’s property, she has no idea that investigating the brutal century-old murder will lead to a summer of painful discoveries about the past, the present, and herself.

 

 

They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera

On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day.    

 

 

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Vivian Carter is fed up. Fed up with her small-town Texas high school that thinks the football team can do no wrong. Fed up with sexist dress codes and hallway harassment. But most of all, Viv Carter is fed up with always following the rules.

 

 

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

When geek girl Elle Wittimer sees a cosplay contest sponsored by the producers of Starfield, she has to enter. First prize is an invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot.

 

 

Warcross by Marie Lu

Teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players of Warcross who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy.  Emika is shocked when she gets a call from the game’s creator with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem .