"Suspicion" by Joseph Finder

Suspicion by Joseph Finder deals with a dad whose daughter attends an exclusive school.  When he cannot come up with the money for a school trip to Italy and falls behind on her tuition, another dad whose daughter attends the same school pays it for him.  Problem solved, or is it? 

This book is filled with twists and turns which make it a real good page turner.  I always wanted to pick it up to see what would happen next!  Do not miss this one!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Keep Quiet" by Lisa Scottoline is One We Both Liked (UPDATED)

Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline is a good book because the family it is about has likeable characters that I could easily identify with.  When the dad who is trying to get closer to his teenage son uses poor judgment by acting like a friend rather than a responsible parent, it starts a whirlwind of trouble.  This book is about how far parents will go to protect their loved ones and how things aren't always as bad as they may seem.  Although I liked the ending, it seemed too neat and not very believable.

I loved this book because it moved along quickly and held my interest all through.  I couldn't help but ask myself what I would do in their situation and was pleasantly surprised by the ending.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

In this novel, a father looks to have bonding time with his son, but a tragic accident brings them together like never before. This is a real page turner with very good twists and turns that I did not see coming. It goes fast and it does not take long to get hooked into it. Lisa always puts out great books and this one is no exception! Do not miss it!
(Gerard's review posted 5/30/14, 5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Tease" by Amanda Maciel: Two Opposite Opinions Here

Tease by Amanda Maciel is based on a true story and deals with bullying.  Two girls bullied another girl who killed herself.  The twist in this book is that it is told by one of the girls who did the bullying.  I thought that was a novel concept.  I really loved this book a lot!  I got into it from the first page and was always anxious to get back to it.  The characters are very believable and true to life.  The writing was very good as well.  So far, this is my book of the month for May.  
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

I started reading Tease but didn't like it enough to finish it.  To me, the main character wasn't very likeable and I didn't care for all the swearing in it either.  It also kept jumping from the present to the past, back and forth which I found distracting and annoying.  Maybe it would appeal to a teen, but it didn't appeal to me. 
(Karen's thoughts)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Love Letters To The Dead" by Ava Dellaira

It started as a school assignment--to write a letter to a dead person, but for Laurel, it's not that simple.  She is still dealing with the death of her sister, May.  As she writes letters to dead people, they learn about her life now and what led up to the death of her sister. 

There is some very good stuff here and the letters are very well written.  This was a page turner for me!  Give it a chance.  You will be glad you did.   
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Priority List" by David Menasche

The Priority List--A Teacher's Final Quest to Discover Life's Greatest Lessons by David Menasche is a true story about the author, a high school teacher who was diagnosed with brain cancer.  He lost his vision and for the most part, his mobility.  Vowing not to go out without a fight, he decides to go on a long trip with the help of his former students.  I could tell he must have been a fantastic teacher because his former students go way out of the way to help him.  One of the best parts of this book is the written test for many of his former students.

Here's a teaser from page 23:

I couldn't hear bear the idea of him being gone.  Or even worse, of him suffering for years to come.  I didn't know what to say or what to do.  All I could do is cry.  Then he said something I'll never forget.

I loved this book--it's a great story!  David shows that even now, he is still teaching.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Panic" by Lauren Oliver -- An Entertaining Y/A Read (Updated 4/4/14)

Panic by Lauren Oliver is good right from the start and keeps getting better as it progresses!  It’s about a tradition in a small town where any senior who wants to participate in the Panic challenge at the end of the school year pays $1 a day into the pot.  After graduation, the winner and two judges who made up the challenges split the pot.  The pot was $67,000 that Heather, Nat and Dodge were competing for.  Each of the main characters had a different motivation for participating.  Most all of the class participated, which I found unbelievable considering the challenges were illegal or life threatening.  (No way would I have participated, but it made for a good read though!  The ending was great!  

I loved the suspense each challenge created and it was fun trying to guess the winner.  I’d recommend this if you are looking for an entertaining YA read.  

(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Panic by Lauren Oliver is a Y/A novel that happens in a small town.  Every year after the school year ends, the graduating seniors who want to play a game called "Panic."  The winner gets a lot of money.  The book focuses on Heather and Dodge who each have their own reason for wanting to win.  The people in the story are very true to life. 

I loved this book because I got into it really fast and it was hard to put down.  
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
 
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock" by Matthew Quick

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick is a really good quick read YA novel! It's Leonard Peacock's 18th birthday and he has something special in mind. He plans to kill his former best friend, and then himself!

I enjoyed this book very much, it has a good story line that kept me turning the pages. I finished it in just two days! I liked the ending too. If you are looking for a good quick read, this is it.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Variant" by Robison Wells is Unpredictable!

Variant by Robison Wells is about Benson Fisher, a foster kid, who chooses to enroll in Maxfield Academy, a boarding school.  As soon as he arrives though, it seems more like a prison and finds that very strange things happen there.  It is surrounded by a high fence and wall with cameras everywhere but no teachers or grades!  The student body of only 75 students is split into three gangs:  Variant, Havoc and Society.  The gangs have made a truce and divided up the work contracts.  Benson wants out from the time he gets there and cannot understand the complacency of everyone else!  This is not what he expected!!

This is a page turner that I really liked because of the characters. The plot really doesn't make much sense, but it makes for a fun read and I enjoyed it right up until the very end which I did not like.  The interaction among the characters kept my interest and I especially liked the paintball parts.
(Karen's review, 4 stars--it would have been 5 except for the dumb ending)   

In Variant by Robison Wells, Benson Fisher thinks that his life is on the upswing now that he is going to be enrolled at Maxfield Academy; however, 24 hours later all he can think about is how to escape! Why the change? You will have to read the book to find the answer. There is just enough action to keep me going and the build up to the ending is really good! It has a twist that I did not see coming. Enjoyed it and now am going to start the next book in this series, Feedback.
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

NOTE: I read 200 pages of Feedback and thought it was stupid so finally quit on it. Wells should have stopped after his first one!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton Disclafani

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton Disclafani is the story about a young girl who gets sent away to camp after an incident comes to light.  The camp is a riding camp for girls.  She learns a lot more than just horses.  There is not a lot of action, but I really enjoyed the main character's interaction with her family and the other girls at the camp.  It has a pretty good ending too.  (4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Permanent Record" by Leslie Stella

Permanent Record by Leslie Stella is a young adult novel about a boy going to a private high school.  There are two problems:  (1) he does not practice the faith of the school; and (2) he does not go along with the rules of the school as in selling candy bars and following the football team.  Consequently, he gets bullied a lot! I thought this book was pretty spot-on in showing what goes on in private high schools (I went to one myself and got bullied).  There are some laughs along the way and a couple of surprises.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Tutor's Daughter" by Julie Klassen

The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen is a clean historical romance that held my interest all through with the mysterious events that happen to Emma, the tutor's daughter while staying at the cliff-top manor where her father tutors two teen boys. This book is very interesting because of the family secrets, interesting characters and the family dynamics involved. Emma knew the older two Weston boys, Philip and Henry, from when they attended her father's boarding school. Their father invited Mr. Smallwood to live at his manor and privately tutor his two younger sons, Julian and Rowan, when the academy's last student left.

I liked this book very much because although it is a romance novel, there is a lot of mystery in it as well and it doesn't have any sex scenes at all. It's a very enjoyable read and a couple times while reading I actually said, "oh no!" right out loud! This is also one that when reading on the bus, I almost missed my stop. I looked up just in time. I highly recommend this one for a book club because it has interesting discussion questions in the back covering topics such as life choices, homeschooling, special needs kids, history of shipwrecks and the characters in the book. I liked this one much better than the first book I read by Julie Klassen, The Girl in the Gatehouse.
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Linking up with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop, responding to the prompt to share a book review.

"Teaching In The Terrordome" by Heather Kirn Lanie (UPDATED)

Teaching In The Terrordome--Two Years in West Baltimore With Teach For America by Heather Kirn Lanier is the true story of a young teacher's first time teaching in an inner city school in Baltimore called "The Terrordome." As I read this book, I quickly learned why! I enjoyed this book very much because Heather told it as it was and pulled no punches. It is funny, sad, eye opening and real. I think the best pat is the epilogue when she tells you there is no magic wand that can fix the problem, but to her credit, she still wants to try. If you liked this kind of book about real teaching experiences, you will enjoy this one!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Teaching in the Terrordome by Heather Kirn Lanier tells about her two-year experience of teaching 9th grade English for Teach For America in a Baltimore inner-city school at risk of being taken over by the state. She shares about the 6-week training she received to prepare her to teach and her feelings and thoughts about the inequality of education between the middle class and lower income kids. It had my interest at the beginning but by the second year, it dragged along for me. This is a realistic account of how the norm of teaching in an inner city school for Teach For America is. She felt like a failure because the majority of her students were still barely passing and nothing much changed from when she started except for being made aware of how bad off some schools really are.
I liked other ones much better. Guess I just like happier endings and more inspirational ones like I'd Like To Apologize To Every Teacher I Ever Had by Tony Danza, and Nobody Don't Love Nobody by Stacey Bess.
(Karen's review, 2 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Danny's Mom" by Elaine Wolf

Danny's Mom by Elaine Wolf is about Beth Mauler, Danny's mom who is a guidance counselor at the high school. Danny dies in a car accident when Beth's husband lets him use the car against her wishes. After the accident, Beth's home life and her job are a mess! This book kept me turning pages. No "wow" factor, but worth your time reading.
(Gerard's review, rating 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had” by Tony Danza (UPDATED)

Update 9/22/12:
This non-fiction book was a whole lot better than I thought it would be! I always liked Tony Danza from his TV shows. In this book, it's the kids that steal the show. That's not to say that Danza isn't good, he is. I enjoyed this book very much—it made me realize how difficult teaching actually is. I sure wish I could have seen the A&E show about his class, but this book will have to do. Loved it! 
(Gerard's review, rating:  5+stars)

 
I’d Like to Apologize To Every Teacher I Ever Had—My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High by Tony Danza is an eye opening read that shows what a hard job teaching is. When pushing 60, Tony Danza realized he was running out of time and seriously considered a change of direction. He looked into Teach For America and found out that technically, he qualified. He was approached about making a reality TV show using his class which he and the school agreed to reluctantly. He made it clear there would not be a script to add drama. All he had to teach was one English class for a double period, but that was plenty challenge for him. He also assisted in rounding up students for class and was an assistant football coach. He said his year of teaching was the greatest year of his life because he learned more and worked harder than he ever had. As he engaged his students in learning, he won their respect and grew to really care about them as individuals. I loved the exuberance he felt at the end of the year.

Having been a substitute teacher myself and having taught Sunday School for many years, I really enjoyed this book. I liked how he actually went into what went on in his class and shared his innovative ideas as to how he tried to engage the students. I also liked seeing him grow as a teacher and gain the respect of not only the students, but also the veteran teachers and administrators. It is an inspiring read that anyone connected with education would probably enjoy.
(Karen's review)


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Catching Fireflies" by Sherryl Woods

Catching Fireflies by Sherryl Woods (A Sweet Magnolia Novel) is about a small town romance between a doctor and a high school English teacher who both are concerned about a girl in her class who is being bullied, both at school and on the Internet.  This did not grab me like I expected it would.  I know this is a popular series so perhaps my expectations were higher than they should have been, but it seemed to plod along and the dialogue seemed lame to me.  I enjoyed the storyline about the bullying more than I did the romance, but even that lacked spark.  It was more about how the adults stepped up to stop the bullying than it was about being bullied.  I know Sherryl Woods is a "Bestselling Author" but I was not thrilled with this one.
(Karen's review, my rating 3 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Dare Me" by Megan Abbott

Dare Me by Megan Abbott uses a cheerleading squad to explore some common teenage girl issues such as jealousy, betrayal, hurt, manipulation and loyalty. This book was a bit of a disappointment to me because I didn’t like the coach at all. Her behavior throughout the book was inappropriate and it turned into a murder mystery that wasn’t all that big a mystery. The most interesting aspect in Dare Me for me was the tension between the coach and Beth. After reading this book, my impression of cheerleaders is even lower than it was before—it presents cheerleaders in a bad light. It left me feeling sad for Beth and angry at the coach.
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life by Tara Altebrando

The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life by Tara Altebrando is a quick teen fiction read about a scavenger hunt that a high school holds every year at the end of the school year. It was fun reading about how they found stuff that was on the list and the bonds of friendship in the group. This isn't a must read but still worth your time. I think you would enjoy it--I did!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Pushing the Limits" by Katie McGarry

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry is told by Echo, a young teen girl who was Miss Popular. Then a nightmare happened that still haunts her, and she can't remember it! Noah, is a young teen boy who is dealing with the death of his parents and trying to get his brothers and him together again. The attraction between Echo and Noah forces her to push the limits.

This book is awesome! I got into it from page one and just kept turning pages. Echo and Noah seemed so real, it really didn't seem like a book at all and I loved the ending. Make it a point to read this YA book--it's that good!
(Gerard's review, rating 5+ stars)

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry is a teen romance between a girl named Echo and a boy named Noah who both have scars from personal issues and are helped by the same clinical social worker.  Their relationship has ups and downs which make it believable and both decide to work together to get a look at their files for answers.  Loved the ending which inspires kids to look to the future and not get stuck in their past!

I was surprised at how good this book is—better than I expected and I loved the ending.  My favorite character was Noah but also liked Mrs. Collins, the clinical social worker.  It was also refreshing to finally read a book about foster care that showed a true picture with a variety of different types of foster homes including a very good one.  I recommend this one to anyone who enjoys books about teens.  I look forward to reading Dare You To, a story about one of Noah’s friends, Beth.
(Karen's review)

For another review of this, see Jodi's Book Reviews.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Unlocked" by Karen Kingsbury is Inspirational Christian Fiction

Great Christian Fiction--Favorite read for July!

Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury is an inspirational and heartwarming read that I truly enjoyed!  It's a love story about an Autistic high school boy, Holden, with a kind heart and a high school girl who is kind to him and notices his interest in music.  I especially liked Holden's prayers and the faith He has.  He became Autistic (quirky and uncommunicative) when he was three years old and his parents feel as though they lost the real Holden and want him back! 

This book deals with bullying, suicide, friendship and family struggles.  This is Christian fiction at its best, showing how Christians can make a difference! I highly recommend this one to teens and parents.
(Karen's review--read on Kindle)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments.  Happy Reading!  

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"One Moment" by Kristina McBride

One Moment by Kristina McBride captures the intricacies of teen love and friendship and the heartache of an early death of a friend.  Maggie learns that "all it takes is one moment for your entire world to turn upside down.  One wrong decision, and it's over." (p. 116)  This story is about a close group of high school juniors who knew each other since kindergarten and promised never to rat each other out.  Even within their tight group though lies betrayal, jealousy and lies.  I enjoyed this book because of the mystery involving Joey's death and the truth finally coming out.  I really liked the ending!  If you like teen romance, I recommend this.
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.