"Pivot Point" by Kasie West (YA Paranormal Contemporary Fiction)--UPDATED 2/25/14

A Fun YA Read

Pivot Point by Kasie West is a YA novel about a group of young teens with special abilities.  One of them is able to see into the future and see what the outcome of choices would be.  I enjoyed the young girl who was the main character very much.  The first part of the book was very teenish but the second part that dealt with the main story about her dad I enjoyed.  Worth your time, glad I stuck with it.
(Gerard's review 2/25/14, 4 stars)

Pivot Point by Kasie West is a fun teen read that combines normal and paranormal in our modern world. Ever think it would be cool when you had a big decision to make, to be able to see into the future to see what would happen for both choices? That is exactly the super “ability” Addie has and uses when her parents announce they are getting a divorce and it’s up to her to choose which one she wants to live with. Her mom is staying in the compound where other people live who have some paranormal abilities, but her dad is going to live with the “normal” and work for the FBI using his amazing power of lie detection. After doing a search of both possible choices, Addie finds she is screwed (having to choose a bad path to avoid a worse one).

This is a light, fun teen romance with super powers involved. Although the book is a lot of nonsense, it is an entertaining and somewhat amusing read. I especially liked Trevor, Addie’s “boyfriend” in the normal world but liked the high school football parts as well. I found it especially interesting that the normal football was much more interesting than the parafootball. This book goes to show that we are better off without the super powers and that nothing is wrong with being normal.
(Karen's review 4/4/13)


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!

Tuesday Teasers: 3 This Week

Gerard's:

Eleven-year-old Jonathan Steingraber opened his eyes.  Some kind of loud noise had jolted him awake.  Definitely screams, a woman's screams, and they sounded close, as if they were coming from the living room, or the kitchen.

From page 50 of The Death Class--A True Story About Life by Erika Hayasaki.  Click link for Gerard's review that went up yesterday.

There was no way I could make this decision.  It would've been better had they just told me what needed to happen, left me no choice in the matter.

From page 14 of Pivot Point by Kasie West.  (Click link for Karen's review.)


Karen's: 

I am so seized by fear I cannot think of a prayer to say, so I do what I do every day, I talk to my Father, and as I sit there, hands trembling, heart racing, rifle in my view, I ask one simple question:  "God, what are we going to do now?"

From page 13 of Prepared for a Purpose  by Antoinette Tuff. (Click link for Gerard's review.)


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just do the following

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page (well, we cheat and choose specific ones)
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on  that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away!   You don’t  want  to  ruin the  book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR  Lists  if they  like your teaser.   

Happy Reading!

"The Death Class--A True Story About Life" by Erika Hayasaki

The Death Class--A True Story About Life by Erika Hayasaki tells about an actual class called "The Death Class" taught by Norma Bowe.  The author of this book took the class for four years and there is a three-year waiting list to get into it.  The author tells the true stories of four of the students which are fantastic!  This is a real page turner for sure.  Norma is an excellent teacher who goes above and beyond for her students.  Erika tells the stories very well.  Put this on your TBR list--it's worth 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!

"Daughter of Twin Oaks" by Lauraine Snelling

 Daughter of Twin Oaks by Lauraine Snelling is the first book in her Secret Refuge Series that I enjoyed.  It is at the time of the Civil War and Jesselynn is the daughter left to run the family's tobacco plantation called Twin Oaks.  Her brother is off at war, her parents are both dead and her two sisters are living with an Aunt in Virginia.  Twin Oakes is in Kentucky and she is trying to keep her few horses from being taken for use in the war.  After giving all her slaves their freedom, they decide to stay and keep working at Twin Oaks anyhow.  She proceeds to take the horses to her Uncle's farm in Missouri until the war is over, thinking they will be safe there.  She takes a few of her former slaves along, a wagon, a mule and her little brother Thaddeus.  Dressing like man, she and her group start their trek, trying to keep from soldiers seeing them along the way.  The other story line was about Jesselynn's sister in Virginia who volunteered at the wounded soldiers hospital.  The faith of the daughters is challenged by all the bad things that happen.

This book is full of action and adventure.  I was beginning to wonder if they ever would make it.  It is a quick read and left me wanting more.  Interesting characters and it made me more aware of the obstacles families in the south had to deal with during the Civil War.  I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
(Karen'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!

"Prepared for a Purpose" by Antoinette Tuff with Alex Tresniowski--an Amazing Story!

Prepared for a Purpose by Antoinette Tuff with Alex Tresniowski is an amazing true story about how Antoinette stood up to a gunman who came into her school where she works and her own personal story.  Both are really good because this woman has been through a lot!  I enjoyed reading it and believe it will keep your interest as it did mine.  
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Prepared for a Purpose by Antoinette Tuff with Alex Tresniowskiis mostly about Antoinette's personal life and very little about the gunman at the school who she confronted.  She is definitely a strong woman, coping with many problems while praying for God's help which is mostly what this book is about.  I liked it all right but it didn't really grab me.  I did feel sorry for her though having to deal with so many issues.  It's worth your time.
(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!