"Ana of California" by Andi Teran is Heartwarming and Enjoyable! (Updated)

Ana of California by Andi Teran is the heartwarming story of Ana Cortez, an orphan who is approaching 16 and has been bounced around from foster home to foster home. She lives in L.A. where her father, mother and grandmother were shot by rival gang members. She finds herself in a new situation to avoid living in a group home, being a summer intern on Abbie and Emmett’s farm in northern California. When she is attracted to Cole, a boy everyone warns her to stay away from, she ignores their advice and they become friends.

I loved this story because Ana is such a likable character who tries to do the right thing but still ends up in bad situations. She always worries that Abbie and Emmett will send her back so tries very hard to work hard and please them. It shows how one person can make a difference and overcome one's past by moving forward. I loved how Ana found ways to use her artistic abilities too. I recommend this as a good beach read—very enjoyable!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's thoughts:
Ana of California by Andi Teran is about a young teen girl named Ana. Ana is an orphan and has made the rounds of foster homes. Now she is down to her last chance. Make it work at this place—a farm or else she goes back to a group home. Can Ana do it? Can she make a go of it at the farm or not. I really liked this and cheered for Ana the whole way. I thought this book had enough action to keep my interest and is well worth reading. (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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Beyond the Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier

Beyond the Chocolate War by Robert Cormier is the sequel to The Chocolate War and continues on with the Vigils and their shenanigans at the Trinity High School. Obie and Carter join forces to bring down Archie. Obie becomes distracted with a girl and Archie doesn’t like it. Jerry lived in Canada after recovering from the beating he took last fall, but returns and Goober feels guilty and very protective of him. This story becomes one of life and death as the year takes its toll on the boys. With one suicide and two attempted murders, this book shows a dark side of high school.

I didn’t care as much for this book as I did the first. It covered many different boys, which was a little hard to keep straight at first. If possible, it even got darker than the first one in my opinion. It too though is a quick read.

SPOILER ALERT – STOP IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THIS BOOK YET. I was shocked really to see how Obie got so caught up in revenge that he became as bad as Archie. Once again, Archie is in control and even after he graduates, keeps his control over the school. It’s pretty amazing how he manages it. (Karen's review, 4 stars)


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"In Between--Katie Parker Production" by Jenny B. Jones - book 1

In Between by Jenny B. Jones is a delightful Christian fiction YA book 1 in the Katie Parker Production series.  This is about Katie, who moves from the group home that she is in because her mother is in prison for dealing drugs, to a foster home with a Pastor and his wife in the little town of In Between, Texas.  She has a very low opinion of herself and doesn't trust anyone at the beginning of the story, but after making some poor choices and experiencing kindness, her attitude slowly changes and she adjusts to her new life. 

I really liked the writing style and the story.  I liked how the church youth group welcomed and accepted Katie and how Frances was such a good friend to her even when Katie resented her a bit.  The grandmother was hilarious and I enjoyed the humor and the close relationship that developed between her and Katie.  The characters were believable and the story moved along quickly.  I was drawn into it right from the start and was never bored.  It was heartwarming to see the growth in Katie throughout the book.  I recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading about teens and their personal growth.  This is the first in the series and I hope to continue in it.   
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Book 2 - On the Loose (Loved this one too!)

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"Survive the Night" by Danielle Vega

Survive the Night by Danielle Vega is a YA novel that centers on a young girl named Casey.  Just out of rehab, she goes to a sleepover with her friends from the soccer team.  Once there she blows it off to go to hang out with a group of girls that have a different life style than her soccer friends.

This book goes very fast and kept me interested.  I thought the characters were realistic but the ending was not all that great.  Overall, I liked it and thought it was pretty good.

Here's a teaser from page 111:

"Is that what she's telling you?  That you don't have a problem?"

(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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We Both Liked "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier (Updated)

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier is a sad story about an all-boy Catholic high school that has a “secret” organization called the Vigils who actually rule the school while the teachers look the other way. Archie is a master con who manipulates not only students, but also the teachers. He is the one who assigns tasks to students he chooses. When Jerry gets mixed up with the Vigils, his “assignment” gets out of hand and he realizes too late the participation in the chocolate sale for the school really wasn’t voluntary after all. Can Jerry really go against the Vigils and survive?

This is a quick YA read that I liked because of all the group dynamics involved. It is not only about bullying, but also about manipulation and being true to oneself. This is a powerful book that shows how devastating peer pressure can be. What started as an innocent prank mushroomed into much, much more! I plan to read more books by this author. The sequel is Beyond the Chocolate War.
(Karen's review, 8/20/15, 5 stars)


The Chocolate War by Robert Comier is about an all-boys Catholic school that sells chocolate bars as a fund raiser.   It is a tradition, but this year one boy refuses to do it!  Will this catch on with the other boys?  What will the consequences be for his refusal?

I lived this book in real life so it brought back lots of memories for me.  The author is spot on with his telling of it.  The characters were brought out very well and I enjoyed it.  It is a quick read that you can do in a day or two at the most.
(Gerard's review 8/10/15, 5 stars)

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"Brutal Youth" by Anthony Breznican

Brutal Youth by Anthony Breznican centers on St. Michael's, a school that now accepts questionable students and highly religious students which is not a good mix.  There is lots of bullying going on.  I really enjoyed the character of Father Mercedes and Sister Maria.  I thought Brutal Youth has good action and it held my interest throughout.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Every Last Word" by Tamara Ireland Stone - Two Different Takes On This One

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone is about Samantha, a popular high schooler.  She hangs around with a popular group of girls that she has been with since kindergarten with a secret that she has kept hidden all this time.  What that is you will have to read this book to find out.  She gets an urge to leave the group, but does she have the courage?

WOW!  This book was really good!  I thought all the characters were well developed and got into it very quickly.  I really liked Samantha, the main character.  I did not see the twist coming at all and the ending was fantastic!  A must read!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)


Karen read it too (2 stars):
I was not as impressed with Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone as my husband was.  It is realistic contemporary YA fiction about Samantha, a popular high school girl who loves swimming, the number 3 and struggles with obsessing thoughts because of OCD.  Through regular visits with her therapist and medication, she begins to make some changes in her life but still wonders if she is crazy.

I thought this was okay but didn't have much action or plot to it, other than Samantha learning to cope better with OCD by changing friends and writing poetry.  It does give some insight as to what OCD is like and it was inspirational when she experienced some small victories along the way. This book is mostly about friendship and accepting yourself for who you are.  Compared to the fun, fantasy page turners that I've been reading, this one just seemed to fall a bit flat.  I thought the unexpected "twist" was kind of dopey.

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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Slammed" by Colleen Hoover Was Better Than Expected! (UPDATED)

Slammed by Colleen Hoover is about an 18-yr.-old girl, Layken, who grows a lot in just a year. She has a lot of drama going on her senior year including her father’s death, moving, romance, lung cancer and caring for her 9-yr.-old brother. That’s half the story, with the other half being about her 21-yr.-old neighbor across the street named Will and his 9-yr.-old brother. Will’s parents both died in a car accident and Will became his younger brother’s legal guardian. He is working towards a teaching job but then falls for Layken.

This book just drew me in very quickly and deals with heavy issues in such an interesting way. It is packed with feeling and mostly good advice that is given through Will and Layken’s mother, Julia. I was both amused by funny things that happened and touched by some tender parts. I even cried at one part involving Layken’s best friend, Eddie. One of the themes is poetry-what it is and why write it. This is the first book I read by this author and look forward to reading more.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard read this too--here's his review:
This YA novel is about a young girl named Layken (Lake).  Her mom, younger brother and her move from Texas to Michigan.  Her dad passed away.  She meets a young man named Will.  His younger brother  connect right off, but does Layken and Will connect?

This is an outstanding read because all emotions are at play here.  You feel connected to the characters very quickly.  This is a page turner I loved!  The good news is that there is a follow up book that I will read too.  (5++ stars)


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"All the Rage" by Courtney Summers - Better Than Expected!

All the Rage by Courtney Summers is told by Romy, a young teen girl who was attacked by a boy who was well known in her town and well liked so no one believed her.  She goes to a party and has no recollection of anything the next day, but a close friend of hers is missing.  Does she know something about this?  If so, will anyone believe her?

I liked this better than I thought I would.  Give it a try, you might be pleasantly surprised too!
(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!

"Rites of Passage" by Joy N. Hensley

Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley is about Sam McKenna, the only teenage daughter in a military family who is one of 5 girls who are the first to enroll in Denmark Military Academy.  She wants to please her dad and takes her brother's dare.  Once there, she finds it is even worse than she expected but is determined to stick it out for the year.

This book has a lot of military training included to show how tough this girl is and how her Corporal does just about everything he can think of to get her to quit.  If you are not interested in military-type books, this one is not for you.  I liked it though but thought Sam McKenna was nuts for trying to break into the all-boys military school and put herself through that, risking her life!  The bright spot during her year there at the school was her drill sergeant.  I liked the ending because it was pretty good and realistic. 
(Karen's review, 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!

"All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven is told by Finch, a young boy and Violet, a young girl.  They have something in common and to find out what that is, you will have to read the book.  I'm not saying.  They form a relationship and that is the basis for this YA novel.  I LOVED IT!  It was something to read as these two kids got to know each other.  It goes quick; I finished it in just two days.  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 Competition" by Marcia Clark is a Real Page Turner

In The Competition by Marcia Clark, a high school gym is shot up by two shooters during a pep rally.  Two female detectives are on the hunt for them.  Will they find them before they get away or will they strike again?  This is a real page turner.  I went through a list of suspects and found clues that I thought lead to the real killers, but I was fooled.  There is plenty of action in this one—I LOVED IT!  This is my book of the month so far. 

(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!

"Say what You Will" by Cammie McGovern

This book deals with a young teen girl named Amy.  She is a special needs teen who needs help to get her through the day.  In her senior year of high school, she persuades her mother to hire classmates to help her instead of adults.  Matthew decides to help her but is pretty sure he will not make it through the first day.  The communications between Amy and Matthew are fantastic and is what makes this such a good read.  Along the way are some twists that test them both!  I LOVED this one and read it in just two days.  This past up my previous "book of the month" in my opinion.  It's a must read!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Now see what Karen thought of it:


While Gerard was reading this one, I took a look at it and after reading the first chapter, decided to keep going.  Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern is a teen novel about Amy, a girl who has Cerebral Palsy, and Matthew, a boy who has OCD.  When Matthew gets hired by Amy’s mom to be a peer helper for her once a week, they become friends and help each other.  This book has some funny parts as well as some serious issues.  I liked this book because it was interesting to see how Amy and Matthew’s friendship developed and their separate set of problems.  Between Amy and Matthew, I liked Matthew better.  (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!

"What Has Become of You?" by Jan Elizabeth Watson (Writer's Workshop)

What Has Become of You by Jan Elizabeth Watson is about a young woman named Vera who is a substitute English teacher at an all-girls school and one of her students named Jensen.  I loved the character of Vera and Jensen too.  Much of the book is journal entries the girls write to Vera.  If you are familiar with The Catcher in the Rye, you may find this book more interesting because that is the book the English class is discussing and there are a lot of references to it.  Gerard thought it moved along at a good pace and kept his interest; however, Karen was completely bored with it for the most part and kept dozing off when reading it, not even making it to the end.  Gerard thought the ending was a little strange and gives it 4.5 stars.  Karen hopes to go back to it someday to finish it, but is taking a break from it for now and will read something else.  

Now you should read it to see which of us you agree with since we both had different opinions about this one.
(A combined review by Gerard and Karen)

We received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest 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!

Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop prompt:  post a book review.