Emily and the Scot by Kathryn Smith

It has been a tough year for Emily. First, her father dies causing her brother to go insane and attempt to kill her half-brother. Now, the prime catch of the London season has proposed to her on a bet. Tired of the whispers and stares of London society, she decides to pack up and move to Scotland with her half-brother Ewan and his wife Anna. Ewan's cousin Jamie is a proud man, content with his simple life. Jamie and Emily form an instant dislike for each other. Yet, as they get to know each other better, they find themselves prefering each other's company.

Part of what I liked about this story is that Emily and Jamie did not fall in love at first sight. They went from dispising the other, to occasionally getting along, to forming a friendship, to finally realizing they were in love. I epecially liked that it was a continuation of the story from Anna and Ewan's story. There were some interesting secondary characters, such as Angharad and Alexander- I almost wish that there were stories about them as well.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (Audio)

Nathaniel is a boy magician-in-training, sold to the government by his birth parents at the age of five and sent to live as an apprentice to a master. Powerful magicians rule Britain, and its empire, and Nathaniel is told his is the "ultimate sacrifice" for a "noble destiny." Nathaniel's master, Arthur Underwood, is a cold, condescending, and cruel middle-ranking magician in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Nathaniel gets along over the years in the Underwood household until the summer before his eleventh birthday when he is publicly humiliated by the ruthless magician Simon Lovelace. Nathaniel vows revenge on Lovelace and the master who did not defend him. He devours magical texts and hones his magic skills, all the while trying to appear subservient to his master. When he musters the strength to summon the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus to avenge Lovelace by stealing the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, the boy magician plunges into a situation more dangerous and deadly than anything he could ever imagine.

I absolutely love this book- unfortunately, the audio just doesn't do it justice. The narration was no where near how I pictured the characters to sound. It is still a wonderful story, though I recommend the book over the audio.

Anna and the Duke by Kathryn Smith

Ewan MacLaughlin grew up in Scotland believing that his father abandoned him and his mother, which ultimately broke her heart and caused her death. When a messenger arrives announcing that his father, the Duke, has passed away and named Ewan as his heir, Ewan is in disbelief. He travels to England to claim his inheritance and to meet the stepfamily he'd never met. While his step-mother and step-sister welcome him warmly, his step-brother Richard is not pleased to have lost the inheritance he grew up expecting. Richard plots with his fiancee Anna's mother to expose Ewan as illigitimate so that Richard will become Duke. Meanwhile, Ewan and Anna are quickly falling in love, and Anna must chose between the man she loves, and the man she has promised to marry. However, it soon becomes apparent that Richard will stop at nothing to become the Duke.

Those who like a little bit of suspense with their romance should enjoy this historical romance. It's very much a typical romance- not outstanding but not terrible. The story was enjoyable, though I found it difficult to get into until almost the very end of the book.

The V Club by Kate Brian

When Mrs. Victoria Treemont dies, she leaves a $160,000 college scholarship to the local high school. The catch to the scholarship is that the candidate must exemplify purity of soul, spirit, and body- which leaves everyone with one conclusion- the recipient must still be virgin. Four friends Kai, Mandy, Eva, and Debbie, have each decided to go for the scholarship- each girl has her own reasons and her own secrets and insecurities that end up not only threatening their chances for the scholarships, but also threatening to ruin their friendships.

I found myself drawn into this story- and I'm not really sure why. I liked the fact that it was not preachy and does not moralize. It's a very light, quick read. I especially liked the end of the story, which is set in the future and focuses less on who ended up winning the scholarship, and more on the dynamic between the friends and what has happened to them since graduation. It was a nice closure to the story.

Flipped by Wendy Van Draanen

The first time she saw him, she flipped. The first time he saw her, he ran. That was the second grade, but not much has changed by the seventh. She says: “My Bryce. Still walking around with my first kiss.” He says: “It’s been six years of strategic avoidance and social discomfort.” But in the eighth grade everything gets turned upside down. And just as he’s thinking there’s more to her than meets the eye, she’s thinking that he’s not quite all he seemed.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a light, quick read. I loved the alternating perspectives between Bryce and Julianna and their different interpretations of the same event.

Mary Jane 2 by Judith O'Brien

Life continues for Mary Jane Watson. She is dating Peter Parker, has a small role in the school play, and has been awarded a full scholarship to her dance academy. Things are not all good, however, as she is not on speaking terms with her best friend, she fears that Peter has feelings for another girl, her mother has a new boyfriend, and she has begun questioning her devotion to ballet.

Mary Jane's insecurity was at times frustrating, but it was otherwise a cute, light, very quick read. Not good if you're looking for any type of depth, but fans of the spiderman movie will probably enjoy it.

The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

Ruby Oliver has had a rough ten days- she has broken up with her boyfriend, lost her best friend, lost her other friends, drank her first beer- and got busted by her mom, lost a lacrosse game, failed a math test, became a social outcast, and has started to see a shrink as a result of panic attacks. Ruby explains her boyfriend list, her relationships with these guys, as well as her relationships with her friends and parents to her psychologist.

Drama, drama, drama… oh did this bring back flashes of middle school and high school. Occasionally humorous, but more often than not had my rolling my eyes and wanting to shake Ruby silly. Of course, then I would remember the drama I had in middle/high school and how I reacted in ways similar to Ruby so... The book itself is alright, if you can get through the drama. Ruby's voice is realistic and her narration is just like a girl her age would talk. I found it frustrating, however, that Ruby didn't seem to change, even at the end of the book. I wanted to see her grow more as a character.

Miranda and the Warrior by Elaine Barbieri

Miranda, the only child of a U.S. Cavalry major, has grown up in a very protective environment, yet still remains fiercely independent and stubborn. Shadow Walker is a respected Cheynne Warrior, with a reputation among not only his people, but the U.S. Cavalry as well. While out riding, Miranda is taken captive by Shadow Walker. During Miranda's captivity, she and Shadow Walker become closer than either of them imagined.

Part of the Avon True Romance series

Ok- not the most realistic or believable romance I've ever read, but I think that's part of what I liked about it. For the most part, until the end the romance was low key, and the story focused more on the characters getting to know each other and learn from each other. The ending was extremely abrupt and left me with a lot of questions, which I did not like.

Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper

Julio is furious that his parents have moved him from him home in Texas to cold, dreary Cincinnati, Ohio. Things finally begin to look up for him, however, when he meets Romiette in an online chat room. It turns out that they attend the same high school and decide to meet for lunch. Sparks between Romiette and Julio are instantaneous. The school's gang, The Devil Dogs, object to the interracial relationship and the pair soon find themselves caught up in a modern day version of a Shakespearian tragedy.

This is probably one of the better modern retellings of Romeo and Juliet that I have read- even the names are extremely similar Romiette Capelle and Julio Montague. The romance between Romi and Juilo is very sweet, very high school first love warm and fuzzy. I really liked the secondary characters of Destiny and Ben- they were funny and very real to me (and acted more their age than I felt Romi and Julio did). All that being said, however, I had a hard time getting drawn into the story. I felt very detached from the story- more like it was being described to me, rather than I was there experiencing it with the characters. I really wished that I had connected better to it, and I wished that it had more depth to it. Though it is no Shakespeare, for a modern retelling it's not too bad.

The Misfits by James Howe

What does a twelve-year-old tie salesman, a tall, outspoken girl, a gay middle schooler, and a kid considered a hooligan have in common? These seventh graders have been best friends for years- and among them have been called over seventy-five different names. When Addie decides that she is no longer going to say the Pledge of Alligence in school, the foursome suddenly find themselves making a stand for "libery and justice for all." Their journey has them running against the more popular students in the upcoming student council election. Addie's lofty ideals and speeches end up offending fellow classmates, teachers, and the principal. It is Bobby's "No-Name Party" and platform, however, attracts people's attention.

This book was really difficult for me to get into. But once the "No-Name Party" was created, however, I found myself sucked back in time to my middle school days. I knew exactly what Bobby meant when he came up with the slogan "sticks and stones may break our bones, but names will break our spirit". The "No Name Calling Day" idea, which was was created in this book- and was the inspiration for No-Name Calling Week- is a wonderful idea. As for the book itself, I felt the characters were not the most realistic seventh graders- to me the talked and acted more like high school students. I found myself wanting more depth to the characters, especially wishing that some of the narration came from other characters.

Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher

The Tao Jones, known as T.J., is black, Japanese, and white. His mother abandoned him when she got heavily into crack and crank. As a child he was full of rage, but with the help of a therapist and his adoptive parents, he has turned out to be smart and funny. Injustice, however, still fills him with fury. When football star Mike Barbour bullies brain-damaged Chris Coughlin for wearing his dead brother's letter jacket, T.J. becomes infuriated. T.J. assembles a swim team of the most outrageous outsiders and misfits that he can find, and finagles it so that they will each receive a sacred letter jacket at the end of the season- which would be the thing that would anger Mike Barbour the most.

2002 Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults
2002 Best Books for Young Adults

Wow. I loved this book, I couldn't put it down. I really wanted to see how it would play out- would T.J.'s team of misfits actually win letter jackets? Does Heidi ever recover from the horrible abuse of her ignorant and cruel step-father. This book has it all, I laughed, I cried- literally.

Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson

Eighteen-year-old Ashley wants nothing to do with her senior prom, but then disaster strikes and the faculty advisor is busted for stealing all of the prom money. Her best friend Natalia is head of the prom committee and desperate to have the night of her dreams, despite the obstacles. Before she knows it, Ashley finds herself frantically trying to pull together a great prom at the last minute- while dealing with all of the other drama in her life (an eighth-month pregnant mother, a loser boyfriend, an evil vice-principal, a daily battle to graduate, etc.)

Disappointing. I was so excited to read her new book since I absolutely loved, Speak. This book, however, does not hold a candle to Speak. As a quick, "chick' read, the book does ok. The narrator provides a real voice with real problems.

Mary Jane by Judith O'Brien

An updated retelling of the Spider-Man story for Mary Jane Watson's point of view. The book is all about Mary Jane's life and talks about how Peter became Spider-Man, and how their relationship began.

I really got into this quick read. I really enjoyed the new perspective and I especially liked learning more about Mary Jane's life. I was bothered by MJ's anorexia- it felt somewhat forced and was resolved so easily that it seemed unrealistic. Other than that, it was an enjoyable, light, quick read. I'm looking forward to picking up Mary Jane 2.

A Heart Divided by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld

When her parents decide to move from New Jersey to Tennessee, 16-year-old Kate is bitterly unhappy about giving up her friends and her spot in a prestigious playwriting workshop. Racial tensions abound in Redford and Kate learns quickly that she is a very northern girl in the middle of a very southern town. She decides to write a play about the town's act of flying the Confederate flag and the opposition that it causes. When she meets Jack Redford, a Romeo-and-Juliet-type romance begins. Kate joins the students trying to get their school's team name changed from the Rebels and the Confederate flag taken down, and Jack struggles to explain to his mother that he does not want to attend the Citadel, even though it is a family tradition.

One of the best books that I have read recently. The cultural aspects, the drama, are all very powerful and thought provoking