Posts tagged with teen-literature
The Calling, by Kelley Armstrong
The Calling is the second book in Kelley Armstrong's "Darkness Rising" trilogy, which is in turn loosely connected to her bestselling (and ridiculously enjoyable) "Darkest Powers" trilogy. The Calling opens moments after the events of the earlier book: shape-shifting teenager Maya Delaney and a handful of her classmates have been bundled into a rescue helicopter after their remote Vancouver Island town is threatened by a forest fire...
The Gathering Storm, by Robin Bridges
It always feels weird to complain about a story having too much plot, but sometimes I can't help it: Robin Bridges's novel The Gathering Storm—the first book in a projected trilogy—races along at a breakneck pace, but it would have been improved by more world-building and less straight-up storytelling.
Could it really be true?
Will 2012 really bring us a Diablo Cody-penned Sweet Valley High musical? And is the world ready for that much after-school-special-influenced cheese?
The Game of Triumphs, by Laura Powell
15-year-old Cat Harper, the orphaned protagonist of Laura Powell's debut novel The Game of Triumphs, is not your typical wide-eyed fantasy heroine. After witnessing a murder, streetwise, pragmati...
Werewolves on the Titanic!
My e-mail this morning included a promotional note about Claudia Gray's recently-released novel Fateful, which I skimmed with tepid interest. The cover didn't catch my eye, and our "To Be Read" s...
The Nine Lives of Chloe King hits Hulu
The first episode of ABC Family's The Nine Lives of Chloe King (based on the YA novel by Celia Thompson) is now available on Hulu. Here's the trailer, which looks entertaining enough, if a little...
Exposed, by Kimberly Marcus
Kimberly Marcus's Exposed is a YA novel written entirely in free verse. It's a gimmicky approach, but the poetry format proves to be a perfect fit for this book—it takes a dark, gripping story an...
Jessica and Elizabeth ride again
This in-depth look at Francine Pascal and her Sweet Valley High books is a fascinating read. (No joke.) My parents never let me read the Sweet Valley books when I was in middle school, and I hav...
Torment, by Lauren Kate
As I turned over the final page of Torment, the second book in Lauren Kate's best-selling Fallen series, my first thought was Aw, man... now I'm totally gonna need to read the third one. Not the ...
Sherlock Holmes (as portrayed by Justin Bieber)
Ever since I heard about this project, I've been keeping an eye out for the first book in a new series featuring Sherlock Holmes as a teenager. The Times liked Andrew Lane's Death Cloud, and it's...
Everybody's doing it
Huh. The Go Fug Yourself ladies have apparently written a young-adult book.
I do like her haircut, though.
I've never been particularly impressed by Emma Watson's acting, but maybe I'm alone in that: she's apparently starring in two buzzed-about YA movie adaptations: Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Bein...
The Gallagher Girls series, by Ally Carter
I charged through Ally Carter's YA caper novel Heist Society like a rhinoceros on a mission, so I was hoping her Gallagher Girls series would prove equally absorbing. Unfortunately, I'd Tell You ...
Gimme a Call, by Sarah Mlynowski
Contest Book #17I've been following Sarah Mlynowski's career ever since the publication of her first novel: 2001's Milkrun, one of the first offerings from Red Dress Ink, the now-defunct Harlequin...
A gift from Scholastic to you...
The fine people at Scholastic have made Alexandra Bullen's YA novel Wish available as a free e-book download. From now until January 3rd, click here to read Wish in its entirety. (You can also p...
The Cardturner, by Louis Sachar
Contest Book #14Seventeen-year-old Alton Richards, the protagonist of Louis Sachar's novel The Cardturner, is furious when his parents insist he spend the summer working for his wealthy great-uncl...
Linger, by Maggie Stiefvater
Contest Book #10Writing the middle novel in a trilogy must be tough. Authors need to sustain their momentum and provide at least a little plot resolution, but they also have to leave enough loose...
The Flappers: Vixen, by Jillian Larkin
Contest Book #7Note: Since we didn't get a chance to post yesterday's review, you'll be getting two contest titles this evening.Vixen, the first book in Jillian Larkin's new Gossip Girl-meets-Thor...
I Am Number Four, by Pittacus Lore
Before we begin, a small disclaimer: I have never read James Frey's notorious “memoir” A Million Little Pieces, but any man who compares writing a falsified autobiography to Picasso...
Artemis Fowl the movie: MIA
Entertainment Weekly's Popwatch column has posted an article guessing at the next YA book to be adapted for the big screen. Most of the story is pure speculation—will Hollywood ever made a 3-D ad...
Right there with you, NPH
Wow, this movie (based on the YA book Beastly by Alex Flinn, and inspired by the "Beauty and the Beast" fairytale) looks seriously terrible:I'm actually almost impressed by how bad this looks.
Build your own book review
I had never heard of Common Sense Media before yesterday, but their purpose statement sounded innocuous enough: they're a nonprofit organization dedicated to "improving the lives of kids and famil...
I'm not gonna lie; I will probably watch this.
I have this 14-year-old family friend who only seems to enjoy books featuring preternaturally good-looking people dying horrible deaths. She's a big fan of the "Pretty Little Liars" series by Sar...
A Kiss in the Dark, by Lauren Henderson
Lauren Henderson's Kiss in the Dark is the third book in her series about Scarlett Wakefield, a wealthy, orphaned teen attending Wakefield Hall, her iron-willed grandmother's exclusive English boa...
Cinderella Cleaners: Change of a Dress and Prep Cool, by Maya Gold
Maya Gold's Cinderella Cleaners series has the bright, cheery appeal of a Disney Channel made-for-TV movie, cut with some Nora Roberts-style respect for service-type jobs. I was dubious, but foun...
They Never Came Back, by Caroline Cooney
Caroline Cooney has never quite achieved household-name status, but she's made a successful career out of writing suspense novels for young readers. Her latest effort is They Never Came Back, a f...
Vintage Veronica, by Erica S. Perl
15-year-old Veronica Walsh, star of Erica S. Perl's debut novel Vintage Veronica, has big plans for her summer. She's going to work in the consignment section of Clothing Bonanza, drink mocha smo...
The Dead-Tossed Waves, by Carrie Ryan
The Dead-Tossed Waves is the sequel to Carrie Ryan's 2009 novel The Forest of Hands and Teeth and it's just as cheery as its predecessor—which is to say, not even remotely. Ryan's second book feat...
Chalk and cheese
Weird pairing news: Warner Bros. has apparently hired R.J. Cutler (the dude who directed the well-respected documentary The September Issue) to helm their adaptation of Melissa de la Cruz's (deepl...