The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever Author: Jeff Strand Published by: Sourcebooks Fire Publication date: March 1, 2016 Pages: 272 Genres: Contemporary, Horror, Humor *ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* Summary from Goodreads: The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever is so bad, it could wake the dead… After producing three horror films that went mostly ignored on YouTube, Justin and his film-making buddies decide it's time to make something epic. In fact, they're going to make The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever. They may not have money or a script, but they have passion. And, after a rash text message, they also have the beautiful Alicia Howtz as the lead. Hemmed in by a one-month timeline and a cast of uncooperative extras, but aching to fulfill Alicia's dreams, Justin must face the sad, sad truth: he may, in actuality, be producing The Worst Zombie Movie Ever. “The only comment anybody posted about his latest film had been, ‘This twelve-year-old filmmaker sort of shows promise,’ which really frustrated Justin because he was fifteen.” Justin lives movies. If you know anything about ‘90s pop culture, than you know he’s a lot like Dawson Leery from the creek. Justin and his friends Gabe and Bobby have already made several horror movies (their favorite genre). They make a plan to make one more—the greatest zombie movie ever—in one month before Gabe leaves for the summer. This puts them under a tight deadline; morals, standards, and friendships may be compromised. “What I’m saying is that we should be ahead of the curve. We should be making movies that people can’t believe were made by fifteen-year-olds. I want people to be stunned at what we’re making. I want people to accuse us of being genetically enhanced.” A determination to make the greatest zombie movie quickly degrades into creating a final product with a “lack of embarrassment.” Justin won’t call quits for anything, not an infected eyebrow piercing, an interruptive party clown, a broken camera, a house fire, getting hit by a car, or watching his love interest smooch another guy. Honestly, I kept thinking I was going to loose interest in this plot. Not a lot happens. Sure they run into a few speed bumps, but what kept me interested in this story was the writing. Jeff Strand is hilarious. This is probably the funniest YA book I’ve read all year. His fast dialogue and quick wit kept reminding me of the Gilmore Girls, if Lorelai and Rory had been fifteen-year-old boys. And then, I really did want to see if they’d finish their movie and how things would end. Strand’s good characterization and humor drove this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Would I let my teen read this book? Besides the humor, there are several things I loved about this book that make it recommendable: 1. Good roll models It’s always nice to read about teenagers with serious interests and drives (though Bobby mostly seems like part of the team by association and willingness to be the guinea pig). The boys may be pulling all-nighters, and Justin might miss a few tests, but it’s not without the realization that school is important, otherwise Justin will be making a “documentary about living in a cardboard box in an alley, scavenging half-eaten lizards for his dinner, and burning his hair to stay warm.” 2. Teens interacting with adults Justin and his parents get along fine. His parents are encouraging, but also realistic about balancing his passions and responsibilities. I appreciated what felt like a respectful, loving relationship. The boys interact with some unreasonable adults, who do not understand them and have no interest in understanding them, even though the boys are being respectful. Justin learns his boss, who he doesn’t like, might have a different side to him. Justin learns that adults are capable of being understanding and gracious, even when he’s done something wrong. I loved these different perspectives; adults in young adult literature can often be one-sided or nonexistent. 3. Squeaky Totally clean. There is little that would offend anyone in this book. They’re making a movie about zombies, but the one graphic scene is littered with humor and a character’s disgust of fake guts: “Gnaw on it! Gnaw, Bobby! Gnaw!” I recommend this book for everyone 12 and older, though some parents might deem it appropriate for their mature young readers. Age recommendation: 12 Language – None Drugs & Alcohol— None Sex – Narrator witnesses a couple kissing Violence – A boom is dropped on a character's infected eyebrow piercing; One scene with theatrical gore interlaced with silliness and humor My Goodreads rating: 4 out of 5 stars Pre-order The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever on Amazon
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Title: Like Candy Author: Debra Doxer Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. Publication date: July 28, 2015 Pages: 299 Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Mystery *ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* Summary from Goodreads: Candy Seaborne knows she’s badass. She takes after her father, an assassin and possibly a spy, although he won’t admit to either. She idolizes him. Her dream is to follow in his footsteps. But first, she has to finish high school. Biding her time, waiting for real life to begin, Candy craves drama and isn’t above manufacturing some. If you’re a classmate who wronged her or a boyfriend who cheated, watch your back. She’s no pushover, and revenge may be her favorite pastime. Jonah Bryson is the senior class heartthrob who breaks all the stereotypes. He’s a jock, but he isn’t the typical player. He’s moody and antisocial. No girl has gotten anywhere with him since his last girlfriend broke his heart. Candy sees Jonah as a challenge and the perfect distraction. But she may be in over her head because unlike everyone else, Jonah isn’t buying her tough act. He sees the lost, lonely girl inside. He sees too much. When he looks at her that way, she wants to let her guard down and be vulnerable. But that’s the last thing she should do because her father’s world is spilling over into hers, and life is about to get real much sooner than Candy expected. Self-published author, Debra Doxer, writes a building, page-turning mystery in Like Candy. From the summery, I expected this book to be adventurous and fun, but the themes are more serious. Candy says she’s tough, and I think she is, but it comes from a need to protect herself. She’s lost her mom, lived with relatives who mistreated her, has an emotionally disconnected, hit-man father, and her best friend is terminally ill. When she dishes out revenge pranks (some extreme) her “successes” come off as more immaturely ruthless. I couldn’t decide if I was cheering for her or not. She comes off as a character misguided. Her father’s profession continues to be cloaked in mystery. Should Candy look up to him? Candy is determined to believe he’s one of the good guys, but is her opinion swayed by her need for his approval? Her budding relationship with Jonah proves that she longs to be truly cared for and seen. If she had an attentive relationship in her life, would she feel the need to take revenge on those around her? Jonah also hides behind a façade, protecting himself from getting hurt by a relationship (so we think). The more time Candy spends with him, the more she discovers he’s compassionate and kind, utterly charming—opening doors for her and carrying her books. But as Candy discovers a threat to her father, and said threat targets Candy as a way to get to her father, she realizes Jonah might not be as trustworthy as he seems. This has happened to me a lot lately: Start book engaged in book and characters excited for the reveal get to 10% left on my Kindle in particular book and realize “oh no, this can’t possibly be resolved in the allotted time” realize I’m reading a series instead of a stand-alone novel… Doxer leaves us with one intense cliff-hanger. The good news: according to Goodreads.com the next book, Sweet Liar, comes out in October! If this story appeals to you, it’s only $2.99 on Amazon.com. Would I let my teen read this book? Some people might think Like Candy idolizes revenge, and maybe Candy’s strengths do play a little heavily into her ability to manipulate and carry out pranks. However, Candy is emotionally dealing with so much in her life that, as the reader, it’s hard to trust her judgment. Overall, it’s a clever mystery and romance with themes of grief, love, sacrifice, and trust. Also, expect the teens in this book to act like teens. There’s some language. The boys are full of sexual innuendos. There’s an unsupervised party with alcohol. Despite these things, the book felt relatively clean to me. If you don’t remember high school, than you might disagree, but compared to the real high school lunchroom, Like Candy is tame. Age recommendation: 16 Language – mild Drugs & Alcohol— Underage drinking at party Sex – There’s some references to sex, like I said, boys with innuendos; Several kissing scenes Violence – Candy’s father gets strangled; Candy fires a gun My Goodreads rating: 3 out of 5 stars Buy Like Candy on Amazon.com for $2.99 Title: The Summer of Chasing Mermaids Author: Sarah Ockler Published by: Simon Pulse Publication date: June 2, 2015 Pages: 416 Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Fairy Tale Retelling Summary from Goodreads: The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d’Abreau was destined for stardom—until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago can’t sing. She can’t even speak. Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend’s invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse’s home in the Caribbean isn’t: An ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry—except for one. Christian Kane is a notorious playboy—insolent, arrogant, and completely charming. He’s also the only person in Atargatis Cove who doesn’t treat Elyse like a glass statue. He challenges her to express herself, and he admires the way she treats his younger brother Sebastian, who believes Elyse is the legendary mermaid come to life. When Christian needs a first mate for the Cove’s high-stakes Pirate Regatta, Elyse reluctantly stows her fear of the sea and climbs aboard. The ocean isn’t the only thing making waves, though—swept up in Christian’s seductive tide and entranced by the Cove’s charms, Elyse begins to wonder if a life of solitude isn’t what she needs. But changing course again means facing her past. It means finding her inner voice. And scariest of all, it means opening her heart to a boy who’s best known for breaking them . . . I picked up Chasing Mermaids because it seemed like a fun, summer read loosely based on The Little Mermaid, and I was intrigued by the premise about a girl coping with the monumental lose of loosing her voice. It’s also exciting to read a book with diverse characters. Elyse is from Tobago, a small island in the Caribbean. Sarah Ockler writes wonderfully, and I was at ease reading through the prose. The thing I like most about Chasing Mermaids is the topic of figuring out life when all your expectations and opportunities are removed. Elyse has no choice but to move on, because her dream depended on having an auditory voice. She has to face her fears, learn to depend on others, and discover who she is when all her hopes and dreams are washed away. She’s going through all the stages of grief. Despite the things I like about this book, like the faithful girl friendships and some strong family ties. Chasing Mermaids left me feeling MEH in the end. Here’s why: Christian is a playboy and I’m so tired of this character. Why authors regularly default to this kind of love interest is confusing to me. Is it the fantasy of taming the boy? I don’t know. I also don’t like that there never seems to be any consequences for these playboys and the womanizing life they’ve been living. They get to sleep around with lots of girls and still get the girl in the end, but there’s never any thought about dealing with the guys past in the new relationship. If you think there wouldn’t be conflict in a relationship with a history like that, you’re delusional. The mysticism, magical references were confusing and didn’t add to the story for me. (Minor spoilers, so skip to next paragraph if you’re not interested) I understand the need for Elyse to face this magical presence in the end, but I didn’t like that facing Atargatis was the means to Elyse’s recovery. Maybe it was supposed to be metaphor, but I thought she could’ve accomplished healing outside of Atargatis. Would I let my teen read this book? I don’t think this should be Young Adult. The characters are adults (18-20), and the sexual content is more graphic than what I think kids who can pick up books in the YA section should be exposed to (as young as 12…advanced readers age 8-9 in some cases). I’ve recommended 17 and up for this book. Ideally, this could be a good book to read with your teen, since there are many good discussion topics. Age recommendation: 17 Language – moderate; 4-5 F-bombs Drugs & Alcohol— Underage drinking at parties Sex – The sex scenes were a little graphic, with some details. Elyse masturbates in her room at night; two sex scenes Violence – none My Goodreads rating: 2 out of 5 stars Buy The Summer of Chasing Mermaids on Amazon.com Title: Song of Summer Author: Laura Lee Anderson Published by: Bloomsbury Spark Publication date: July 7, 2015 Pages: 250 Genres: Romance, Contemporary *ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* Summary from Laura Lee Anderson’s website: The thirteen qualities of Robin’s Perfect Man range from the mildly important “Handsome” to the all-important “Great taste in music.” After all, Westfield’s best high school folk musician can’t go out with some shmuck who only listens to top 40 crap. When hot Carter Paulson walks in the door of Robin’s diner, it looks like the list may have come to life. It’s not until the end of the meal that she realizes he’s profoundly deaf. Carter isn’t looking for a girlfriend. Especially not a hearing one. Not that he has anything against hearing girls, they just don’t speak the same language. But when the cute waitress at Grape Country Dairy makes an effort to talk with him, he takes her out on his yellow Ducati motorcycle. Music, language, and culture sing back-up as love takes the melody, but just how long can a summer song last? Robin lives for music. Gifted with a melodic voice and a practiced musician of several instruments, she can’t imagine life without music, let alone dating someone who can’t share in her love. So, when Carter walks into her life—wealthy, hot, motorcycle riding, sweetie pie…and deaf—she’s understandably confused. He’s gorgeous and interested in HER, but he can’t hear. You’d think it’d be a deal breaker for the music worshiping Robin, but it’s not, and they begin a summer love with little over a month until Carter has to return home to New York City. Turns out, Robin’s a quick study in ASL (American Sign Language). They communicate easily enough through some ASL, some lip reading, and some written word on notepads. However, Robin’s desire for Carter to hear lingers guiltily in the background. Carter, too, has his reservations about dating a hearing girl, especially a musician. These doubts and hidden desires set their relationship up for a roadblock. The narrative seems to blame Robin for most of the miscommunication between the two, but both Robin and Carter are stepping outside their comfort zone by dating, and both make mistakes. In the end, they both mature through a better understanding of each other. There are some interesting religious themes in Song of Summer. Robin belongs to a church and participates in their worship band, talks highly about the worship pastor, and stops herself from going “too far” physically with Carter because she “just can’t,” but other than that her beliefs are vague. Carter wonders about awakening a “soul sense,” which seemed like a weird, made-up term for soul searching. Ultimately, he is convicted that there is something bigger than him, and a soul sense is composed of “love and beauty and life.” The end of the book took me a little by surprise. I wasn’t expecting it to end like it did. I thought some of the revelations both characters had about one another came too close to the end, and I wonder if Laura Lee Anderson will continue Robin and Carter’s story in a sequel. Would I let my teen read this book? I really liked the premise of this book. There are some great concepts for discussion here, about the importance of communication, going outside your comfort zone, the expectations we put on others, and acceptance of our differences. Surprisingly, it’s not always easy to find a contemporary YA romance that does not include sex. This is a clean read (a plus)! I recommend Song of Summer for teens 14 and up, and you can pre-order it before July 7 for only $3.82 on Amazon! Age recommendation: 14 Language – mild Drugs & Alcohol— none Sex – Several make out scenes where the characters risk getting carried away, caressing backs, heavy breathing, etc; Nothing graphic Violence – none My Goodreads rating: 3 out of 5 stars Buy: Song of Summer for only $3.82 on Amazon.com! Title: Everything Everything Author: Nicola Yoon Published by: Delacorte Press Publication date: September 1, 2015 Pages: 307 Genres: Romance, Contemporary *ARC provided by Random House Children through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* Summary from Goodreads: My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly. Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster. Madeline, our heroine of Everything, Everything has SCID—in short, the bubble-boy disease. She’s allergic to everything and can’t leave her house. The only human interaction she has is with her mother (also her best friend and doctor), her nurse, and one or two of her school tutors. She lives in a whitewashed, plastic environment and wears jeans and a white t-shirt every day. The only way she experiences the world is through books and movies. This all changes when Olly moves in next door. Their relationship begins with a suicidal, indestructible Bundt cake and grows through instant messages, emails, and eventually face-to-face meetings. But Maddy’s budding relationship with Olly teaches her to want; nothing frightens Maddy more than becoming unsatisfied with her lot in life. She didn’t mind living in Kansas until she experienced life in Technicolor. “One thing I’m certain of: wanting just leads to more wanting. There’s no end to desire.” I loved this book. It’s full of questions about risk, love, sacrifice, and forgiveness. Can you give up on someone you love? Is living in quarantine really living? Maddy and Olly’s relationship is so sweet and fun, and full of heart-pulling angst because of Maddy’s illness. Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that the ending is equally tragic and joyful. Another thing I loved about Everything, Everything is how Yoon utilizes diagrams, illustrations, diary entries, and instant messaging formats to tell this story. It gives the reader a more intimate understanding of Maddy and gives the book an almost whimsical quality. Would I let my teen read this book? There are some great themes here, and Madeline and Olly are admirably both smart and witty. However, I do think this book is for mature teens. Olly is dealing with an abusive father. There’s some language, and a sex scene. See my details below. Age recommendation: 16 Language – Olly regularly uses “jesus” and “goddamn” as curses Drugs & Alcohol – Olly’s teenage sister is a smoker and his Dad is a drunk Sex – several kisses; one sex scene – not particularly graphic but mentions some details Violence – No graphic violence, mention of Olly’s Dad hitting his Mom. My Goodreads rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Buy: Everything, Everything on Amazon.com |
Lindsey Learn
I read a lot. I'm a Mom. I'm officially in my 30s, but strangers often don't believe I'm old enough to drink. I love Young Adult fiction, and thought it was worthwhile to help teens and adults find age-appropriate options. Categories
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