SHARE
I love the stage my girls are in. My older two girls are now reading all sorts of books that I enjoy too. Of course it started with Harry Potter many years ago, but lately Ellie, Jill and I have been trading books back and forth. (Actually, we are sharing them electronically and borrowing a lot of them from Auntie Jo Jo. Thanks Jo!)
Contrary to what you may think, not all Young Adult fiction is about Vampires or is dystopian. I’m not a big fan of either so you can trust me there! I thought I might share our favorites from the last few months. (If you click on the book name it will take you right to Amazon.)
The Fault in Our Stars– Don’t let the fact that this book is about cancer scare you off. I said that wrong. This book is actually a love story where both main characters just happen to have cancer. Author John Greene does an amazing job of writing from the perspective of a 16 year old girl!
The Future of Us– This book was a total crack up. It wasn’t trying to be, and my kids didn’t get the humor but anybody over 35 will understand. The premise is that the main characters (teenagers Emma and Josh) get a new computer in 1996 and when they first log in they miraculously end up on Facebook and see what they are up to 15 years in the future. They also see what their current actions do to their future selves. Jill and Ellie didn’t get all of the 1996 jokes but I had a good time laughing at the AOL CD they got in the mail with free online minutes, the fact that Emma had to log off the computer every time her parents needed the phone and the Sony Diskman she used when she jogged. Add in some teenage angst and you get a recipe for success!
Wonder– My girls haven’t read this one yet. Joelle recommended it and she was right. It was WONDERFUL! (All puns intended.) I loved it so much I think I am going to read it out loud to all three of them. It’s absolutely appropriate for younger listeners too. It’s about a 5th grade boy with a terrible facial anomaly. He has been previously home schooled so he is entering middle school (5th grade is middle school in this book) knowing nobody. The book is written from the boy’s perspective and from quite a few other characters too. Such a great lesson in kindness and how what you think is your own cross to bear affects so many others too. Awesome!
Divergent– I admit that I almost didn’t read this one. I’m not a big fan of dystopian books and any book that uses the word FACTION more than once is off my list. But my girls became obsessed with it and my sister really loved it so I caved to peer pressure and read it. Glad I did. It’s a very clever book about a future society where people are segregated by their overriding personality trait and each ‘faction’ is responsible for taking care of a certain part of the society. It was interesting to think about where we would all be categorized and I enjoyed the fast paced storyline. This one was very well written. (I did not enjoy book two, Insurgent, though and quit half way through.) The movie is coming out early next year and we may have to go to that midnight show!
Second Chance Summer– We found this book on Good Reads. Boy is it EVER a good read. This is another cancer book (not going for a theme here, just happened to be what we found) but this time it is the main character’s father who has cancer. When he is diagnosed they all go away to the summer cabin that they haven’t been to for many years to spend time as a family. Like a lot of families all three of the teenage kids had grown busy and grown away from their parents and this summer was about reconnecting as a family. And of course there is a long lost best friend and first boyfriend too. This book does a great job of getting to the heart of relationships and may be my favorite of the bunch. Keep tissues handy for the end. Totally worth it!
Divine Intervention– We met this author, Martha Brockenbrough, at a book signing at Costco. We’d never heard of this book but picked it up for fun. I enjoyed the whole premise of this book. The thought that we might have a guardian angel looking out for us (even if he is a bit misguided) is intriguing. Martha did a great job telling a funny story about death and resurrection. (Doesn’t sound possible, right?) This book was a quick read and has been picked up for a movie too!
I am sorry to say that I didn’t do any of these books justice with any of these blurbs. Just read them. You won’t be disappointed!