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YA Book Review: Frankie

YA Book Review: Frankie

Frankie by Shivaun Plozza Publisher: Penguin, 314 pages Format: Ebook Source: Net Galley What it’s about: Frankie lives with her Aunt Vinnie above Terry’s Kebab Emporium, her addict mother having walked out years before. Currently suspended from school for engaging in a fight with the class bully, Frankie is tough and scrappy because she has to be. As the novel opens, Frankie discovers a brother, a talented street artist, she never knew she had. However, shortly after their meeting, Xavier…

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U is for Untamed

U is for Untamed

U is for Untamed It’s day 21 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter U Day for my theme Novels for Young Adults. Sometimes teens just want to have fun and thrills. Just let their hair down and turn wild and untamed, if only vicariously through literature. Today’s two selections–one classic and one contemporary–offer untamed possibilities. Undercover Cat by Gordon and Mildred Gordon (Not a typo. The first author’s name really is Gordon Gordon.) If you’re hankering…

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T is for Tested

T is for Tested

T is for Tested It’s day 20 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter T Day for my theme Novels for Young Adults. A key aspect of moving from child to adult is to face adversity, and, hopefully, learn from it. Sometimes if we’re lucky, we can face adversity and grow stronger through characters. Growing up can be a lot less painful if characters do some of it for us. I can’t think of a good young…

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S is for Special Interest

S is for Special Interest

S is for Special Interest It’s day 19 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter S Day for my theme Novels for Young Adults. Sometimes teens and other readers can pick up interesting information as they follow along with characters. For instance, I learned about making honey from the coming-of-age novel The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I love acquiring new knowledge from characters, and many teens do, too. Something Like Normal by Trish…

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Q is for Quick-witted

Q is for Quick-witted

Q is for Quick-witted It’s day 17 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter Q Day for my theme Young Adult Novels and Novels with Young Adult Narrators. Yesterday in the P is for Perseverance post, we discussed the challenging ordeals teen narrators face down. One way teens face down these obstacles is by using their brains to outwit circumstances. Today’s selections showcase two such young narrators. Q & A by Vikas Swarup You’re probably more familiar…

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O is for Orphan

O is for Orphan

O is for Orphan It’s day 15 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter O Day for my theme Young Adult Novels and Novels with Young Adult Narrators. Have you ever noticed how many young adult novels feature an orphan as the main character? That’s something I’ve thought about for some time. A docent at the Mountain View cemetery in Oakland once told me that the orphan is a symbol of rebirth. (She also told me the…

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A is for Audacity

A is for Audacity

A is for Audacity. It’s here! What day is it? It’s day 1 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter A Day. What is it, you ask? And how can you participate? Bloggers from all over the world write 26 posts in the month of April, one blog for each letter of the alphabet, six days a week with Sundays off. Anyone who blogs or likes to read blogs can join in. Click here to get started!…

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Review: Life Interrupted by Kristen Kehoe

Review: Life Interrupted by Kristen Kehoe

  Tour Schedule Life Interrupted by Kristen Kehoe Life Interrupted by Kristen Kehoe Book description: Rachel Reynolds isn’t running from her past, but she wouldn’t mind if it stopped chasing her, either. A senior in high school getting ready to graduate, Rachel is trying to look ahead toward her future, while forgetting the one night two years ago that set events in motion which altered the course of her entire life. Part of the future she’s looking for includes falling…

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