The Sweetness of Salt

Title: The Sweetness of Salt
Author: Cecilia Galante
Pages: 305
Language: PG13 10 light swears, 5 "F"
Level: High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  Julia is a high school valedictorian with a college scholarship and a coveted summer internship. But when her older sister, Sophie, shows up at graduation determined to reveal some long buried secrets, Julia’s carefully constructed plans come to a halt. Julia follows Sophie back to Vermont, where Sophie is opening a bakery. What follows is a summer of revelations—some heartwarming, some heartbreaking, and all slowly pointing Julia toward a new understanding of herself and of the sister she never knew.

Review: I read the book, needing to read a book with a "yellow" cover.  I expected it to be a cute book, maybe a little bit "bitter" from the title.  The book was full of secrets and characters who had a lot of "problems" to figure out.  I enjoyed the read, but found myself wishing the author had omitted the "F" words, as they didn't add to the storyline at all.  Good characters with a great coming of age storyline.

Stung

Title: Stung
Author: Bethany Wiggins
Pages: 304
Language: PG
Content: PG
Level: Middle School/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: Fiona doesn't remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered-her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right wrist-a black oval with five marks on either side-that she doesn't remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. And she's right. When the honeybee population collapsed, a worldwide pandemic occurred and the government tried to bio-engineer a cure. Only the solution was deadlier than the original problem-the vaccination turned people into ferocious, deadly beasts who were branded as a warning to un-vaccinated survivors. Key people needed to rebuild society are protected from disease and beasts inside a fortress-like wall. But Fiona has awakened branded, alone-and on the wrong side of the wall . . .

Review: A fun twist on the dystopian genre.  This book had an original storyline and I didn't feel like re-reading a book.  The characters were believable and I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen to Fiona.

Wentworth Hall

Title: Wentworth Hall
Author: Abby Graham
Pages: 276
Content: PG/PG13
Language: PG
Level: High School
Recommendation: Okay Read

Summary: Eighteen-year-old Maggie Darlington has turned into an entirely different person. The once spirited teen is now passive and reserved. As one of Britain’s most elite families, they need to keep up appearances that things are as they have always been…even as their carefully constructed façade rapidly comes undone.  Maggie has a secret. And she’s not the only one…

Review: I read this mostly because I am a "Downton Abbey" fan - and was hoping that this would be similar to the series.  The book was interesting enough, and I enjoyed the satire's interspersed throughout the book, but a few of the secrets were a little bit too easy to guess before it was spelled out.  

Models Don't Eath Chocolate Cookies

Title: Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies
Author: Erin Dionne
Pages: 256
Content: G
Language: PG
Level: Middle School/High School
Recommendation: Okay Read

Summary: Thirteen-year-old Celeste Harris is no string bean, but comfy sweatpants and a daily chocolate cookie suit her just fine. Her under-the-radar lifestyle could have continued too, if her aunt hadn't entered her in the HuskyPeach Modeling Challenge. To get out of it, she's forced to launch Operation Skinny Celeste-because, after all, a thin girl can't be a fat model! What Celeste never imagined was that losing weight would help her gain a backbone . . . or that all she needed to shine was a spotlight.

Review: I am happy to see the topic of weight presented in a light and oft times comic way.  The story was interesting and explored the insecurities that most girls deal with, both teenage and preteen. I was expecting Celeste to find out that she was beautiful just the way she was but she had to lose weight to feel good about herself. 

Unigfted

Title: Ungifted
Author: Gordon Korman
Pages: 288
Language: G
Content: G
Level: Middle/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: When Donovan Curtis pulls a major prank at his middle school, he thinks he’s finally gone too far. But thanks to a mix-up by one of the administrators, instead of getting in trouble, Donovan is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students.

Although it wasn’t exactly what Donovan had intended, the ASD couldn’t be a more perfectly unexpected hideout for someone like him. But as the students and teachers of ASD grow to realize that Donovan may not be good at math or science (or just about anything), he shows that his gifts may be exactly what the ASD students never knew they needed. 

Review: Fun, refreshing, although it probably appeals more to boys, girls can also enjoy this book.  The content and subject make this a great book for reluctant readers and/or troublemakers! 

This Is What Happy Looks Like

Title: This Is What Happy Looks Like

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Pages:404

Language: G

Content: G

Level: Middle/High School

Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: If fate sent you an email, would you answer? When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds. Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

Review:  It is refreshing to read a book without worrying about sexual content and/or language.  This book was interesting enough to keep my attention through the complete 400 pages – something that I was worried wouldn’t happen when teens picked up the book.  However, I think that the storyline and characters will keep the readers attention long enough to get through it, and find that sometimes, things really are worth fighting for!

Blood-Kissed Sky

Title: Blood-Kissed Sky
Author: J.A. London
Pages: 338
Language: PG13
Content: PG13
Level: Upper Middle School/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  There's nowhere left to hide.  

I thought vampires were our enemies--they controlled our lives, isolated our cities, and demanded our blood-- until I met Victor.  With Victor taking over as the new Lord Valentine, things were supposed to get better.  Instead, they're worse than ever.

Day walkers, a new breed of vampires who can walk in the sun, are terrorizing the city.  Blood supplies are low, and if Victor's vampires don't get enough, they will become infected with the Thirst-- a disease that will turn them into mindless killers.

To stop it, I must journey across the desolate wasteland to the very place where the sickness began.  I can only hope that the answers that await me are enough to save us all... before it's too late.

Review: This is the second in the Dawn Series.  The first did not keep me as interested as the second did.  There is one use of the F-word and a bedroom scene which includes making out and petting.  The main character does drink a glass of wine --she is underage-- but drinking is not a major theme in the book.  Overall, I would recommend this novel to anyone who is into the paranormal genre.  Quick and easy!