Tag Archives: young adult

Whirligig – Paul Fleishman

“Whiligig” is a very thought-provoking young adult novel. Bruce Bishop is sixteen and determined to play everything right in his new private school. He concentrates on wearing the right clothes, knowing what to say to the right people, and always being “cool.” Coolness is very important to him, and as the new guy, he’s got to play it for all it’s worth. One night a friend invites him to tag along to a party, but forgets to tell him that there’s a theme – everyone is supposed to wear either all black or all white, so they can play a … Continue reading →

Someone’s Hiding on Alcatraz Island – Eve Bunting

This young adult suspense novel was really creepy—but in a good way. That is, if creepy can be good . . . Danny is a fourteen-year-old boy with some larger than average problems. A gang at his school, known as the Outlaws, has targeted him. He witnessed a mugging and turned the attacker in, not knowing he was the brother of one of the Outlaws, and they have vowed to make him pay. And when they say “pay,” they really mean it – these boys have committed assault and battery on many of the kids at school. Tired of being … Continue reading →

Dealing with Dragons – Patricia C. Wrede

“Dealing with Dragons” is a simply delightful young adult fantasy about a princess named Cimorene. Like all princesses, she is expected to act with a certain amount of decorum and she’s being educated in very useful things like embroidery and how to get rescued by princes, although she never can remember when she’s supposed to scream and when she’s supposed to simper. She sneaks off to various parts of the castle and learns a little bit of magic, a little bit of sword play, and the basics of cooking, but her parents find out about her clandestine education and forbid … Continue reading →

Daddy-Long-Legs – Jean Webster

I’ve heard about the book “Daddy-Long-Legs” on several occasions, and knew there was a Fred Astaire-Leslie Caron movie based on it, but it wasn’t until the other day that I finally picked it up. You know I’m a big Louisa May Alcott/L.M. Montgomery/Gene Stratton-Porter fan – this book fits right into that genre and I was captivated immediately. Jerusha Abbot has lived her entire life at the John Grier Asylum for Orphans. Now that she is seventeen, she’s lived there longer than most of their wards. The trustees have been at quite a loss to know what to do with … Continue reading →

The Giver – Lois Lowry

“The Giver” is an absolutely fascinating science fiction novel written for the young adult market. I spent last night glued to it. Jonas lives in a community where everything is run and regulated by the Elders. Imagine for a moment that there is no freedom of choice – your mate, your occupation, your food is all chosen for you. You don’t have your own children – they are provided by birth mothers, and are assigned to you. You never have to feel pain – as soon as you begin to ache, you are injected with a strong drug that takes … Continue reading →

A Summer to Die – Lois Lowry

Meg is not as beautiful or popular as her older sister Molly. She has always envied her sister’s golden hair, perfect complexion, and the way all the boys look at her. Meg’s the smart one, she is told, but that doesn’t do a whole lot to boost Meg’s self-confidence when she feels like she’ll never be pretty. Meg’s father is asked to write a book. Unable to work in town, he moves his family out to a small house in the country, and Meg and Molly must share a room. This is hard on both girls – Molly wants her … Continue reading →

Multiple Choice – Janet Tashjian

“Multiple Choice” is the story of Monica Devon, a teenage girl with an obsessive compulsive disorder that has not yet been diagnosed. She lives her life in a perpetual state of fear, worried that she’s going to say or do the wrong thing, rehashing everything that has happened and wondering what she could have done to make the outcome different, and blaming herself when things do go wrong. Her friends and family know that she is a little bit obsessive, but none of them realize to what extent she’s struggling. Monica is also somewhat of a genius when it comes … Continue reading →

When the Road Ends – Jean Thesman

In “When the Road Ends” by Jean Thesman, Mary Jack is a twelve-year-old who has spent her entire life in the foster care system. Passed around from home to home, she’s never had any constancy in her life until now, having been placed with Father Matt and his wife. Father Matt is a well-meaning man of the cloth – his heart’s in the right place, but he doesn’t often have the courage to follow through. His wife is an unkind, unfeeling woman who complains endlessly about all she has to endure, and Mark Jack finds herself taking up a lot … Continue reading →

The El Dorado Adventure – Lloyd Alexander

As you’ll recall from the first book in the “Vesper Holly Adventures,” Vesper is a seventeen-year-old orphan who has been turned over to Brinton Garrett and his wife Mary to be their ward. Although Brinnie, as she calls him, is getting on in years, he finds himself feeling somewhat enlivened through spending time with the youthful and exuberant Vesper, and it’s a good thing, too – she keeps dragging him into the most hair-raising adventures. In “The El Dorado Adventure,” Vesper has invited Brinnie and Mary to come live on her Philadelphia estate for the purposes of helping her sort … Continue reading →

The Three Investigators

As we continue our search for great summer reads for young adult readers, I’d like to introduce you to “The Three Investigators,” geared toward readers ages 10-14. I read nearly every one of these as I was growing up, and loved them. First introduced bearing the name of Alfred Hitchcock as an endorsement, this series soon grew beyond the need for the celebrity promotional. Several authors contributed to the series, namely Robert Arthur, William Arden, Nick West, M.V. Carey, and Marc Brandel. The Three Investigators are Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw, and Bob Andrews. Their headquarters is an old trailer in … Continue reading →