Tag Archives: young adult

A Sudden Silence – Eve Bunting

Jesse, a college student home for the summer and his sixteen-year-old brother Bry went to a wild party. They got a ride there with a friend, but there was enough alcohol at the party that soon their friend was incapacitated and they decided they’d be safer walking home. It wasn’t that far, after all. It was pitch black dark at 11:30 at night, and suddenly Jesse noticed headlights up behind them, pointing right at them. He yelled at Bry to jump, and then he himself jumped off the shoulder of the road onto the property that stretched alongside. Bry never … Continue reading →

Seedfolks – Paul Fleischman

“Seedfolks” is a short novella, coming in at only sixty-nine pages. Amazing how just sixty-nine pages can pack such a punch. Each chapter is told through the eyes of a different person who lives near or along the edges of an old vacant lot, where garbage is piled high and vagrants come to spend the night. A run-down piece of ground in a run-down neighborhood, it becomes the site of a minor miracle. We begin with Kim, a young Vietnamese girl who came to America not long ago. Her father died some years ago, and it’s the anniversary of his … Continue reading →

The Beggar Queen –Lloyd Alexander

Finishing up the “Westmark” trilogy is “The Beggar Queen.” For the last two years, Theo has been acting as Queen Augusta’s consul, wishing they could go back to the days when she was just Mickle and they could be together. As her consul, they can’t get married until his term of service is over. But things are about to get even more treacherous – Cabbarus is planning his return to power in Westmark, acting in concert with Duke Conrad of Regia. Together the two men have plotted the death of King Constantine, but the young king figured out the plot … Continue reading →

The Illyrian Adventure – Lloyd Alexander

In “The Illyrian Adventure,” Lloyd Alexander kicks off a new series which is combination fantasy and archaelogy. Think Indiana Jones meets Amelia Peabody meets Arabian Nights, starring a teenage girl in the late 1800’s, and you’ve pretty much got it. Vesper Holly is that sixteen-year-old girl, and she’s just been informed that she’s an orphan. Her father was a great archaeologist, and she frequently studied alongside him, and so has quite a grasp on the subject matter. When her father’s good friend Brinton Garrett and his wife Mary are given the unfortunate task of telling Vesper that her father has … Continue reading →

The Window – Michael Dorris

Rayona knows her mother’s not responsible enough to take care of her, but that doesn’t keep her from having fierce loyalty. For years she’s made excuses for her mom’s midweek benders and hangovers, the lack of food in the fridge from grocery money spent on alcohol instead, and the days missed at work because her mom was too “sick” to go in. When Rayona’s dad comes for a visit and sees how things really are, he removes Rayona from the house and calls in a rehab clinic to take in the mom. At first, Rayona thinks she’ll be living with … Continue reading →

The Kestrel – Lloyd Alexander

“The Kestrel” is the sequel to Lloyd Alexander’s young adult fantasy novel, “Westmark.” Mickle, once a street urchin but revealed to be the long lost daughter of the king and queen, is now the ruler of Westmark. Her father passed away and the crown came to her, making her Queen Augusta. Still more comfortable in breeches than in a crown, she doesn’t want to merely sit on her throne; she wants to make a difference in the country. Cabbarus, exiled former cabinet minister of Westmark, has a plan for revenge. He has gone to the neighboring country of Regia and … Continue reading →

Westmark – Lloyd Alexander

After I finished reading every installment in the Prydain Chronicles, I began hunting down everything else Lloyd Alexander had ever written. I enjoyed the Westmark series nearly as much as I did the Prydain. “Westmark” is, appropriately, the first book of the series. Our hero is Theo, an orphan who has found an occupation as a printer’s devil. King Augustine, ruler of Westmark, is sick with grief over the death of his daughter and has essentially left the running of the kingdom to his right-hand man, the evil Cabbarus, who has made strict laws governing the press. Theo and his … Continue reading →

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle – Avi

If you have even a speck of adventure in your soul, you will enjoy “The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle” by master storyteller Avi. Charlotte Doyle was raised to be a proper lady. At the age of thirteen, she knows how to dress, act, and behave in a genteel fashion, just as her parents have always hoped. But when she is thrown, unprepared, into treacherous situations, she has to decide for herself how to get out of them. Charlotte was scheduled to sail aboard the Seahawk, a ship belonging to her father’s firm, which would take her from her home … Continue reading →

Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites – Chris Heimerdinger

In the novel that launched LDS author Chris Heimerdinger’s successful career, we meet Jim Hawkins, a teenage boy who’s been in a lot of trouble lately. He’s causing heartache to his parents and grandmother with his attitude toward church, and he needs a wake-up call in the worst way. His grandmother, ever vigilant about her family, says a special prayer that something will happen to Jim that will bring the spirit into his life. Garth Plimpton is Jim’s exact opposite. Nerdy where Jim is cool (or at least, where Jim perceives himself to be cool) Garth has studied the scriptures … Continue reading →

The Books of Carolyn Keene

When I was a pre-teen, I read every Nancy Drew and Dana Girls book I could get my hands on. Sure, they were a little campy, but what girl didn’t want to imagine themselves as a pretty super-sleuth, going forth and saving the world? You could do that with a heroine like Nancy Drew. As an aspiring author, I was also fascinated by Carolyn Keene. What type of woman must she be to be able to turn out so many intriguing stories? Then I found out – she’s not just one woman. She’s a whole team of them (and men, … Continue reading →