Tag: young adult

If I Stay, by Gayle Forman

10 Comments

If I Stay by Gayle Forman: CD Audiobook CoverFinished audio 9-6-09, rating 4/5, YA, pub. 2009

I don’t read many young adult books, haven’t since I was a teenager, but I saw so many positive reviews of this one I thought I’d give it a try.  I’m so glad I did!  It is the wonderful story of  Mia and her very cool family and friends. 

Mia is in the car with her family on a snowy Oregon morning when  the unthinkable happens.  She wakes up on the side of the road looking at the wreckage of her life.  Then the reality of her new  life is and memories of her past collide and she must decide if she stays.

It is easy to get pulled into this story.  Mia’s family is so fun and loving and supportive.  Aging rockers, her parents are the sort that every kids wants growing up.  And Mia’s boyfriend, Adam, is the perfect boy for a first love.  Music is the main thread through the book highlighting its healing power and the ability it has to bring people together.

It really is hard to describe this book without giving too much away and I don’t really want to spoil it for anyone.  I loved the heartfelt story and the compelling and accessible characters.  A great YA book that many will appreciate.  I did.

Scarlet Moon, by Debbie Viguie

3 Comments

Cover ImageFinished 2-8-09, rating 3.5/5, ya fiction, pub. 2004

“Darling child, what you do does not dictate who you are.  Clothed in furs and jewels you would be the same person as you are when covered with ash and soot.”

“Do you really think that’s true?”

“I know it is.  I loved your grandfather, and we were very different people.  In loving him, though, and marrying him, I didn’t lose myself.  Rather, I gained something I had long been in want of.  Love makes you more than what you are, not less…”

This slim youg adult novel is the retelling of the classic Little Red Riding Hood story and I was enchanted.  Ruth was attacked by a wolf in the woods as a child and saved by her brother, Stephen, when he attacks and wounds the wolf.  Ruth heals, but carries the wounds from the wolf into adulthood.  Her brother and cousin, Peter, go off to fight in Jerusalem and Ruth is left to help her father as a blacksmith.  She makes frequent trips to her Grandmother in the woods and learns from her the power of healing and an enlightened way of looking at the world.

Nine years after the wolf attack Peter returns home from fighting without Stephen and Ruth is heartbroken.  Even Peter’s spirit seems to be broken. Then one day Earl William walks into her life and everything changes.  Ruth suddenly feels like a woman.  Except that William is harboring a mysterious and dangerous secret that could devastate her.

I have never been a huge fan of the Red Riding Hood tale, but I really liked this adaptation.  Ruth is a strong and brave young lady and a perfect heroine for young adults (hormones included!).  The parts of the story told from William’s perspective were chilling and compelling. 

This is one of several fairy tale books from Viguie and I plan on reading more.  It was a pleasant way to spend a few hours!

How I Found the Perfect Dress, by Maryrose Wood

1 Comment

Book CoverFinished 10-13-08, rating 3.5/5, young adult, pub. 2008

This is the sequel to Why I Let My Hair Grow Out.

I won this book last month over at Writerspace after being entered into a drawing with 200 books to be given away.  I had no idea that Writerspace authors included young adult writers, so, when I received the book I was intrigued by the funky cover, but not sure about reading it.  But, Maryrose wrote a nice note to me the front page and I felt enough guilt to give it a shot.

Morgan is also half-goddess Morganne and is still in love with Colin, the 20 year old boy she met last summer in Ireland.  Morgan is just a normal 16 year old girl with fighting parents, a kid sister, and a relationship to repair with her best friend, while also being Morganne who pals around with faeries and has seen the Tooth Fairy.  It’s been six months since she’s seen Colin and his emails have become almost nonexistent.  Morgan is ecstatic when she learns that Colin will be coming to Connecticut for a few weeks in March, but will soon learn that being loved by a half-goddess is doing harm to Colin.

I have not read a young adult romance since I was a teen and I was surprisingly enchanted with this whimsical tale of magic and love.  I would recommend this book and the rest of the series about Morgan for teen girls.  I’m tempted to read the rest of them myself!