BookBrowse Editorial Review
Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner
(4/19/2017)
Guilt can be a heavy burden for anyone to manage, but it's especially difficult for teenagers. Jeff Zentner's YA novel, Goodbye Days, explores this consuming emotion in an authentic and, ultimately, affecting way.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson
(3/8/2017)
Part of what makes this story so wonderful is that Watson never condemns any one person or any one side of any issue. It’s both the mentor and the mentee who offer wisdom. The old life and new lifestyle both offer healthy contributions to Jade’s life. There is good to be found in the wealthy and the poor. Real life reflects this kind of healthy weaving of disparate parts and Watson reminds us that when everything works together, we often have a healthier whole.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
(2/1/2017)
There are unexpected twists and surprises along the way, which add to the believability of the story. Silvera more than proves himself here as a writer who can work wonders with his pen. While it has so many successes, the highlight of History is All You Left Me is Griffin’s characterization. From the opening pages, I felt like I knew him, and I was always rooting for him.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Books for Living by Will Schwalbe
(1/18/2017)
Books for Living isn’t as emotional or consuming as The End of Your Life Book Club, but few books are. What we have, instead, is a book asking us to think – yes, to think about what we are reading – but more specific than that, begging us to think about how what we are reading can make us better people and lead richer lives. And that’s something to celebrate.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
All We Have Left by Wendy Mills
(9/7/2016)
As Mills’ novel nears its ending, the two sections collide, and the impact is truly astonishing. There were moments where I felt breathless. All We Have Left, with its realism and genuine feelings, creates a rare kind of reading experience where you don’t want to – no, I mean can’t – put the novel down.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Memory Book by Lara Avery
(8/24/2016)
The Memory Book has more than its share of pain, anger, and suffering, but it also has plenty of laughter, joy, and especially hope. It’s a novel that touches on the full spectrum of adolescent (and adult) emotions. Sammie’s story is special. It’s the kind of book that readers won’t want to put down and one that will be shared among groups of friends during these last weeks of summer.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
(6/22/2016)
If I Was Your Girl is an extremely kind novel. Sure, there are episodes of tension and cruelty, but goodness prevails at the heart of the story. It’s the sort of novel that makes you want to step out and hug somebody – or even hug yourself. Grant tells Amanda, “Everybody’s got a past.” Then, he continues, “That doesn’t mean you can’t have a future.” His inspiring words exemplify why Meredith Russo’s If I Was Your Girl will make readers believe that the best is still yet to come fo
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Flannery by Lisa Moore
(6/1/2016)
Moore's handling of dialogue is simple, yet effective. These are real voices, speaking in situations that are purely authentic. Young adult readers, especially those who struggle to remain above the fray in their own relationships, will find comfort in the quiet successes found within the pages of Flannery. Flannery says about herself, "I am a person who likes to feel awe." So am I, and I felt it when I finished Moore's wonderfully moving novel.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Last Boy and Girl in the World by Siobhan Vivian
(5/4/2016)
Vivian is a master at creating tension. Her descriptions of the destruction are powerful: “The river had poured into the first few streets, filling them up like little streams and tributaries, transforming the houses into islands. You couldn’t see any blacktop. Just water. It gave the neighborhood a creepy and surreal look. The water cut everything in half and then doubled it, like a rippling fun house mirror. Houses with two roofs, trees with trunks that sprouted two sets of leaves, cars with t
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Saving Montgomery Sole by Mariko Tamaki
(4/20/2016)
Younger and more conservative readers might find sections of Tamaki’s novel difficult to digest. While the novel never falls into the trap of becoming too preachy or too offensive, Saving Montgomery Sole does openly explore various perceptions of sexuality and religion. But there is a lot to admire in the novel. Tamaki captures the voice of a struggling young person so splendidly. Although some of Monty’s remarks made me cringe, I couldn’t help but to root for her as she strives to solve
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
(3/16/2016)
The Serpent King is a mesmerizing piece of fiction – one full of heartbreak and wonderment. It shows us that life, even one full of struggle, is still worth living. As Dill’s story comes to a close and he reflects on all he’s overcome, he admits, “I’ll miss this.” When I finished the last page, I felt the same way. What a ride Zentner takes us on. What a glorious, beautiful ride.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
My Name is Not Friday by Jon Walter
(1/20/2016)
My Name is Not Friday feels necessary. Walter has crafted a wonderfully moving young adult novel that deserves mentioning alongside M. T. Anderson’s recent classic Octavian Nothing books.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
A Step Toward Falling by Cammie McGovern
(11/18/2015)
McGovern expertly mixes sentimentality with grit, and she gets the balance just right. What she’s painted here is a beautiful portrait of a real teenage world that is capable of hopefulness and healing.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
We Were Brothers: A Memoir
by Barry Moser
(11/4/2015)
In the final third of We Were Brothers, Moser shifts from prose to epistolary storytelling, and the change works for the better. The prose is fine, being both effective and engrossing; however, the included letters from the estranged brothers are the kind of raw and emotional writing that changes lives.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Did You Ever Have A Family by Bill Clegg
(10/7/2015)
...the quick and episodic structure of Clegg’s novel doesn’t allow for enough development. That said, I don’t actually think Clegg intentionally neglects his characters. Rather, it seems like the emotional separation he gives us is intentional. It feels as if the overwhelming density of characters and circumstances is supposed to be a metaphor for the larger loss of life that pervades the novel, a sort of suffocation in grief.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Best Boy by Eli Gottlieb
(9/2/2015)
Gottlieb writes Todd’s story in a language that is accessible yet poetic. He creates great, metaphorical moments that describe how consuming autism can be, and also scenes that flow like soft, vulnerable affirmations that any person, on the spectrum or not, might make.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
(6/17/2015)
Silvera writes in a YA voice that is so true - so near perfect. Aaron wants to fit in; he wants to be like everyone else. His words are so believable as a young man who is vulnerable yet determined. Genevieve and Thomas are rendered quite nicely, too, as young characters emerging into their own identities.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Miracle Girl by Andrew Roe
(4/29/2015)
The style Roe employs in here is delicately balanced. His language is plain without being pretentiously derisive. The balance of perspectives, from daughter to mother to father to visitor, is consistent. The narrative is confidently told, and it glides along smoothly, free of bumps or bruises. Moving from chapter-to-chapter, I felt like I was in good hands.
