Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken My rating: 4 of 5 stars As a sequel goes, this book is much better than a typical second book, but that’s probably because Bracken has avoided a trilogy. Nicholas and Etta begin separated and, while readers know from the end of PASSENGER that Etta is alive, we don’t know where or when she is. Neither does Etta for that matter. Lots of surprises in this installment…

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is a BIG book. Lots of pages, yes, but Bracken tackles a lot with time-travel world building including passages to different eras and locales. Her main character is a headstrong, violin playing, steel-willed heroine, Etta, who pairs up with a biracial, former slave now self-proclaimed “privateer” (read pirate), Nicholas, to steal a…

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North My rating: 0 of 5 stars Harry’s story is intriguing and tragic, yet despite that, I couldn’t keep reading. Maybe if I had been reading it instead of listening to it I might have been able to finish it. The concept is interesting: a man is part of a special group of people who relive their lives over and over again retaining the knowledge and…

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston My rating: 3 of 5 stars BRIDGE: (obvious) A Winter’s Tale by Shakespeare, Tess of the D’Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy, or House of Mirth by Edith Wharton READ ALIKES: The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, or REVIEW: I’m usually a sucker for a happy ending, but this one left me with a weird taste in my mouth. I saw E.K.…

George by Alex Gino My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is the most important book I’ve read this summer-maybe the most important book since Speak. George is certain of her identity but uncertain about all her family and friends’ reactions. With the help of her friend Kelly, she is able to navigate letting the world know that she is a girl. There are so many students who need this book and families who…

Winger by Andrew Smith My rating: 5 of 5 stars Excellent look into the mind of an adolescent boy in all his sexually charged, self-doubting glory. Ryan Dean is endearing and aggravating at the same time. The Annie plot-line is predictable but sprinkled with good banter. The conflict involving Joey builds subtly for the second half of the book while Smith does some superb distraction with JP.…

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher My rating: 5 of 5 stars Unbelievable world building and dueling narration make this a can’t miss. Incarceron is a centuries-old self-contained, idealized prison that has become a Lord of the Flies-esque battle for survival for its inmates. I wish the differences between the Civicry and the other groups of inmates had been explained better. The immensity of…

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts One and Two by J.K. Rowling My rating: 4 of 5 stars It was great to be back in Harry’s world. It’s so interesting to see all the characters again and how they’ve matured as middle-aged adults versus their adolescent selves I know and love so well. The play format, staging, and stage directions add an element to the story that is new and intriguing. The…

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye My rating: 5 of 5 stars The references and parallels to Jane Eyre are clever. Jane is equal parts wretched and conniving. She suffers and loves in equal measure; the fault of herself and others. A great book to pair with the Bronte Classic. One could create a scavenger hunt for younger readers to find the similarities and have older students compare thematic and…

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye My rating: 5 of 5 stars The references and parallels to Jane Eyre are clever. Jane is equal parts wretched and conniving. She suffers and loves in equal measure simultaneously the fault of herself and others. A great book to pair with the Bronte Classic. One could create a scavenger hunt for younger readers to find the similarities and have older students compare…