Highly Illogical Behavior By: John Corey Whaley

Highly Illogical Behavior on Amazon.com

  16 year old Solomon hasn't left his house since the 7th grade. His condition is widely referred to as agoraphobia, the fear of going outdoors. In Solomon, like most cases, it developed from a panic disorder. He's carried this all his life, and in 7th grade he climbed in a fountain and decided he was fed up with it. He hasn't left his house in almost 4 years, and he's fine with it.

Lisa on the other hand is not. Ambitious High School Senior Lisa has her sights set on a future in psychology. But, to get into her future school she needs a project that sets her apart from the other applicants. This project being Solomon. She will go to any means to, "fix" Solomon and introduce him back into the real world. Through time Solomon, Lisa, and her boyfriend Clark all become insanely close, maybe too close? When jealousy and confusion strikes, tragedy threatens to pull the new found friendship apart. Will Solomon finally be able to rejoin the world, or will Lisa's attempts at help leave him damaged far worse than before.

Filled to the brim with a lovable cast of characters, everyone can find somebody to connect with in John Corey Whaley's novel exploring the interesting world of an Agoraphobic teenager. This book is nothing short of a masterpiece. Highlighting an interesting viewpoint on the complex and ever changing world of the American teenager, it leaves you breathless. 5/5 stars to John Corey Whaley's accurate representation of the fears of coming of age and growing up, all while dealing with the day to day pressures of the world.

All Fall Down By: Ally Carter

All Fall Down on Amazon

The first book in the thrilling Embassy Row trilogy focuses on the return of Grace Blakely to Adria, home of Embassy Row. Grace is not crazy, despite popular opinion. Her mother was murdered, it wasn't an accident. The scarred man killed her, and now he's going to kill again. Grace pulls out all the stops to discover the Scarred Man's conniving intentions toward some important employee on Embassy Row. With the help of Noah the classic boy next door and official best friend, Megan the tech wiz, Rosie the acrobat, and Alexie her brother best friend since forever, she plans to foil the plots of the Scarred Man. But with secrets better left untold hiding in the shadows, danger lurks beyond ever cornor for our slightly insane protagonist. A past of loss, and a future not yet foreseen, what lies a head may be the downfall of Grace Blakely once and for all.

Full of colorful twist and turns All Fall Down is a classic government adventure novel. With a plot that engulfs the reader into a world full of corrupt politicians and unlikely alliances, you'll never want to put it down. Ally Carter does it again with this wonderful new edition, that is at home in any teen readers bookshelf.

The Honest Truth By: Dan Geminhart

The Honest Truth on Amazon

The mountain was calling him, he had to run away, he had to.
Mark has cancer, he's dying and he knows it. Tired of the coddling, the sad smiles, the looks that are already grieving. He can't do it anymore, won't do it anymore. It's been on off for seven years. Seven years since the phone call that made his mother cry, seven years of treatments and doctors and headaches. He thought he was getting better, for awhile it was clear. But it came back again, and this time hes not sticking around. Armed with the will of a thousand, a backpack, 100$, and his faithful dog Beau. He's going to climb the mountain, even if it kills him

Jess's best friend has disappeared. She knows why he left, but she can't tell. They keep each other's secrets. You don't share secrets. She wants to help him, but doesn't know how to. She could tell the cops, they'd bring him home and he'd be safe. Or she doesn't say anything he can live his dream, or die trying. As the storm gets thicker, so does her dilemma.

The Honest Truth is one of those books that pulls at the heart strings while keeping you on the edge of your seat. A neat new perspective from the eyes of a young boy battling Cancer. Dan Gemeinhart gave an interesting twist to the story by showing both the point of view of Mark and Jess. An excellent quick read for those of us wanting to taste the bittersweet side of life.