The Hate U Give By: Angie Thomas ( Explicit Content )

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When racism is disguised by fear and hidden behind rumors innocent people suffer for it. One of those being Starr Carter's best friend Khalil. Starr lives a double life going from Garden Heights Starr to Williamson Starr everyday. But, when Khalil is wrongly murdered by officer One-Fifteen in front of her eyes her two worlds collide. Smashing into each other with enough force to shake the nation. Starr must choose to speak out against the brutality she has seen or be silent and stay safe. She has to choose whether or not to fight.

Police Brutality is alive today and Angie Thomas does an incredible job in highlighting the flaws and bias in our legal system. She shows an outstanding first person story of what affect crimes like this can have on the people. This is a thrilling story made to pull at the heartstrings. In gives readers a bitter-sweet taste of reality. Although many will try to silence those fighting against oppression there will always be those ready to use their voice as a weapon, and fight back. ( 20/10 stars ) 

The Program by: Suzanne Young

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Teen Suicide runs rampant. Depression is a sickness, a virus, it grows deep within its victims and spreads until there is no other choice but Quikdeath. Sloane refuses to let it take her. She's seen what it can do. After her brothers suicide Sloane refuses to follow suit. But, nobody escapes the Program.


The program is a solution, at least that's what the propaganda shoved down teen throats says. You'll come back shiny and new with no memory of your life before. You'll come back better. The program is here to fix what's broken. Sadly, most would rather be broken. The pills wipe away the bad and the good. There is no cloud or backup drive to save you. Once your memories are gone, they're gone. It's Sloane's worst fear and greatest nightmare. One terror she can't wake up from.

While the Program has a plot that would seem to thrill, it focuses more on romance then the dystopian society it has built up. The young adult novel is more focused on romantic tension and bonds rather than destroying an oppressive society. If love amongst chaos is your go to then I recommend this. But, if your priorities lie elsewhere I would not say this is an adventure you would like to partake in. ( 2/5 stars )

Code of Honor By: Alan Gratz

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2 brothers closer than you could imagine. They know everything about one and other too the smallest minute detail. At least they thought they did. Kamran thought he could trust Darius. Until the News Feed came. How could this happen? His brother, his Army Ranger brother, a terrorist. It just wasn't possible. Deep down he knew that it couldn't be true, but how can he prove it. He knew how, and it was farfetched, insane even. A code made so long ago; a code between brothers. Their code of honor. If Darius was still true, maybe just maybe, he could bring him back. Now he just has to convince the US government.

Code of Honor has the perfect blend of heartfelt family, societal issues, and military drama. The exciting twist and turns keep readers hooked. Award winning author Alan Gratz brings about a new perspective on your everyday Armed Forces adventure.

Dark Energy by: Robinson Wells

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Humans have always wondered what lies beyond the dark starry sky. What else is out living and surviving in the universe? What will happen if they find us? Out in the middle of nowhere Iowa, it seems they have. A spaceship larger than a skyscraper has tore through the land killing thousands. The people are enraged, the aliens are silent. For days they stayed locked inside their beaten ship. Until finally they emerge, shocking not just the nation, but the world. When terror and lies threaten to end humanity it is up to a NASA scientist daughter to save not only our world, but theirs too. Friendships formed from the sparks of conflict will grow like wildfires. Whereas dangerous lurking in the dark may hold truths we wish not to know. Events spiral down further and further as new truths are brought to light. Who are these strangers? Why are they here? An who's going to follow?

At first glance Dark Energy may seem as your run of the mill Sci-Fi novel, but i assure you,  Robison Wells has an ace up his sleeve. A rag tag bunch of teens, aliens from amongst the stars, death far greater than ever before, it will draw you in and never let you leave. The story flies right off the page leaving readers itching for more. Hugging the edge of there seat and devouring line after line. No one can get enough of this fantastic new adventure.

Highly Illogical Behavior By: John Corey Whaley

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  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.

Just a Drop of Water by Kerry O'Malley Cerra

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Jake Green is struggling with every-day middle school troubles. He's annoyed that he's not the cross-country team captain, mad that a new addition to the team gets that spot, and even more angry when his old friends start welcoming the new guy who stole his spot.

Then September 11th happens, and his whole world is changed. His best friend Sam-- a Muslim American-- is suddenly distant and suspicious as the community begins to suspect his family had something to do with the attacks. Sam's mother is paranoid and moody and suddenly seems to not trust her son. Sam's father is still traveling, even in the aftermath of the attacks. And Bobby-- the school bully-- is worse than ever. He's even starting to become physically violent. How will Jake cope in a world where everything seems stacked against him?

If the reader can stick it through the build up of the first 30 or so pages, the book definitely hooks you as the events unfold. After reading the teaser, I knew the book would be about 9/11, and I think I was just anxious to get to that part in the book-- this made the beginning feel a bit slow. Though the book is slow at first, I really liked the point of view that this books shares. Jake's post-9/11 fears and anger will really strike a chord with adult readers who remember the experience, and it will do a great job informing younger readers about the true effects of that day on average American citizens. It also gives a timely warning of what happens when we allow our choices to be tainted with prejudice and unfounded fears.

 I'd give this book a 4/5 stars!

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites By: Heather Brewer

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The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer is what I am going to be recommending. This book is fantasy.

Thirteen year-old Vladimir Tod is struggling. He has to suppress his vampire urges at school. At his middle school the principal is after him, bullies harass him, and the girl he likes wants his best friend. Vlad struggles to hide his enlarged fangs and his blood cravings. When a new substitute teacher at his school starts to question Vlad, he worries he will be caught. Vlad brings trouble with him everywhere it seems, since now he has a bigger problem. A vampire hunter is out to kill him.

This has 5 more books in this series. The next book is Ninth Grade Slays.

I liked the fact that the author didn’t make it like your stereotypical vampire book. She didn’t make him sparkle, which I am grateful for.

I didn’t like how it was kind of easy to guess what happens or who did this. I like more unpredictable books, where you have to think to figure out who did what or what’s going to happen.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

"Boost"-- A Great Book for Basketball Lovers!

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I'm a hard sell on books about sports. Sports aren't generally in my interests, but a good author can boost my interests (see what I did there?!). This is certainly true about Boost by Kathy Makel.
 certainly

Savannah "Savvy" Christopher and her family have had some seriously rotten luck over that last few year. After an accident ruins her father's professional golf career, Savvy and her family must move in with her great aunt halfway across the country from home. She has to make all new friends, cope with sharing a tiny room with her older sister Callie, and learn to work on her aunt's sheep farm. Things appear to get easier when Savvy makes in onto the 16 and under basketball team (she's only 14!), but her innate talent for the game and heigh make her not exactly welcome on her team.

To top off all of these problems, Savvy's sister starts acting strangely. One minute she's eating way too much, but then she's taking vitamin supplement to help her trim down for cheerleading. Will Savvy and her family ever get back to normal?

I'd give boost a 4 out of 5 stars. I really liked the story line, but sometimes I wished that the author could have been a little more descriptive. I really enjoyed the dialogue that Makel writes! Overall, it was a good read, and I'd recommend it to anyone-- especially those wanting to try a genre outside of what they might normally read.

Trouble By: Non Pratt

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I would recommend this book to a mature audience for things that it mentions or things that happen. I am recommending Trouble by Non Pratt. This book has a lot of drama and it is also romance.

Hannah should have been more careful. She knew the consequences that could happen if she wasn’t careful. Yet, she still did it, with him no less. It shouldn’t have been a problem for her if she had paid more attention, but she didn’t.

At fifteen years old, life smacked Hannah back when she found out she was pregnant. She has no one. Her best friend completely sold her out, revealed all of her secrets to the entire school. Her parents don’t know yet, and she’s not planning on telling them any time soon. No one wants to talk to her at all. Until Aaron comes along. The new kid doesn’t seem to care if she has a growing being in her. In fact, he actually offers to be the father. Hannah and Aaron go through many hard times with Hannah dealing with motherhood and Aaron trying to escape his past. Will they make it through or break in the middle?

I liked how this book also had Aaron’s point of view because it contributed a lot to how he was feeling towards everything and how he dealt with it.

I didn’t like how frequently it changed point of views because it eventually got confusing.

I give this book three out of five stars.

Adventures In Funeral Crashing By: Milda Harris

This book is called Adventures in Funeral Crashing: Funeral Crashing Mysteries #1 by: Milda Harris. Obviously it’s a mystery but it does have some romance in it.

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Kait Lenox is known as the weird girl in the school. Her ex-best friend turned into a mean popular girl and basically told people that she likes to go funeral crashing. What makes it worse is that it’s true. At one of her funeral crashes, she happens to go to the one that Ethan Ripley is attending. He is the most popular guy in school, but instead of embarrassing Kait in front of everyone, he asks for her help. Kait is now caught up in a murder mystery, but the most important thing running through her head is that Ethan actually knows her name! Will they find out who the murderer is? How will Ethan and Kait turn out? Will Kait’s sort-of-stalkerish fantasies about Ethan finally come true?

This is a series of two other books.

What I liked about this book is that the author detailed her emotions really well, it helped you connect to how you would usually feel in those situations.

There is not much that I don’t like about this book.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.