Category: YA Novels

young adult novels (for 13+ yo)

Posted in So Many Good Books, YA Novels

Girl, Stolen

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Take a teenage boy who’s only hope in life is to please his angry father, an Escalade with the keys left in the ignition, a teen girl asleep in the backseat, and what starts out as a simple car theft becomes a kidnapping.

girl_stolen_cover.jpgGirl, Stolen (Henry Holt & Company, 2010) by April Henry is told in alternate viewpoints of sixteen-year-old Cheyenne, who has pneumonia, and Griffin, who accidentally stole her. Cheyenne is a very strong heroine, who has a big handicap in a self-rescue scenario–she’s blind!

April Henry is the author of other mysteries which I am checking out. Go to her website where you’ll find out fun things like… being published in a magazine when she was twelve… You’ll have to read the details there.

Posted in So Many Good Books, YA Novels

My big nose and other natural disasters

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

My big nose and mybignose.jpgother natural disasters (Houghton Mifflin, 2009) by Sydney Salter is another one of those books where the character is real and unforgettable.
17-year-old Jory doesn’t fit in with the rest of her beautiful family. Her friend Megan calls this the summer to find their passions. Jory’s passion, besides getting Tyler to like her, is to improve her nose. She gets a job driving delivery for a bakery/flower shop (even though she wrecked her own car) so she can save up money and have plastic surgery to fix her big nose. Of course, nothing works out as she plans.
Not only did I enjoy this book, but from the writer standpoint, I learned more about writing. Thanks, Sydney! Definitely go to her site and read about her writing journey where you’ll see part of what inspired this story. Check out her other books, too. I definitely plan to…

Posted in So Many Good Books, YA Novels

Absolutely Maybe

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

absolutelym.jpgAbsolutely Maybe (Arthur A. Levine Books, 2009) by Lisa Yee is memorable. Usually her books are memorable for their humor–this one is much more serious “coming of age” story. Here’s the set-up.
Maybelline’s mother, Chessy, won’t tell her who her father is. Maybe’s best friends Ted and Hollywood help her stay sane when Chessy seems to admire her charm school girls more than her own daughter. When Jake, soon to be husband number 7 attempts to rape Maybe, she escapes with Ted in Hollywood’s car to LA where Hollywood is going to school and Maybe plans to find her real dad.
This books went through numerous drafts–you can see them here–but I’m grateful Lisa persevered. And after you read it, you will be, too. Although, I must warn you, you’ll be wanting to eat the tacos that Maybe learns to make.
Check out the bonus info, like Maybe’s Hangouts, and info about the cover on Lisa’s Absolutely Maybe page.

Posted in Award Winners, So Many Good Books, YA Novels

The Demon King

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

I was already hooked on Cinda Williams Chima‘s Heir Chronicles and now I’m hooked on her Seven Realms novels. The former are set in contemporary times in America and England. The latter are set in a fascinating complex world of magic, castles, sword fighting and more. Let’s talk about them now.
demon kingThe Demon King (Hyperion, 2009) is about Han Alister, thief, former streetlord, and friend of the Clans, and Princess Raisa ana Marianna, descendent of Hanalea and half Clan herself. They both live in the city of Fellsmarch, but in two completely extremes of society.
Han’s nickname is Cuffs because of the silver cuffs around his wrists that can’t be removed. He takes an amulet away from a wizard on the mountain of Hanalea, which ends up putting his mother and young sister at risk. Will the rich and the wizards take everything away from Han in return?
Raisa flirts and exchanges kisses with the same wizard mentioned above, Micah Bayar. Yet now she’s worrying that his father has too much control over her mother the Queen. Her father is away with the Clans. Can she be like her warrior queen ancestress or is she just going to be an ornamental princess?
Read it to find out! But you won’t want to stop there.
Exiled queenThe story is continued in The Exiled Queen (Hyperion, 2010) and will conclude with The Gray Wolf Throne–not out until September 2011. SIGH! (I don’t like waiting…)
I enjoyed both of these books–I didn’t want to do anything but keep reading to find out what was going to happen. The characters are believable people each struggling with their situations in their dangerous world. My husband is reading them, too.
Read about fantasy author Cinda Williams Chima at her site. You can find out about more books in the works, good news, appearances, and more. Go to her blog for writing advice.

Posted in So Many Good Books, YA Novels

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

danielXI recently discovered The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (Little, Brown and Company, 2008) by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. It reminds me of Men in Black except the aliens are dangerous and must be destroyed. Especially the ones who assassinated young Daniel’s parents. Yet Daniel, the Alien Hunter, himself is an alien, who has special powers.
danielXTwoThe next book in the series is Daniel X: Watch the Skies by James Patterson and Ned Rust. I plan to read it soon. Then I’ll follow up with the third book, Daniel X: Demons and Druids by James Patterson and Adam Sadler.

James Patterson has a site called ReadKiddoRead to encourage kids to become readers for life. The site includes these categories:
– Illustrated Books
– Transitional Books
– Pageturners
– Advanced Reads
and also offers many other resources.
Read more about co-authors Michael Ledwidge, Ned Rust, and Adam Sadler on these sites.