Sunday, June 9, 2013

Smile, by Raina Telgemaier

Smile (Smile, #1)Smile by Raina Telgemeier

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Having nearly knocked two teeth out about a month into my 7th grade year, I empathized with poor Raina more than the average reader (happily, after being moved back and splinted into place for a couple months, my teeth survived). A heartfelt, well-drawn (figuratively and literally) story.



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Shadows by Ilsa Bick

The End Games, by T. Michael Martin

The End GamesThe End Games by T. Michael Martin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Even though at first glance it may look like your standard YA zombie novel, The End Games, at its heart, is a story of the lies we tell ourselves just to get from one day, one trial, to the next. All of the characters have one, from the 5 year old who needs his big brother to lead him to the cult leader who needs hope to survive a horrible loss. It was only after I finished the book that the thread among all the characters became apparent.

Being from WV, the setting was especially evocative. Because, let's face it, most former coal towns look like the apocalypse hit. How could you tell the difference between a community that hasn't seen new jobs in 20 years where anyone with any sort of spark left the day after high school graduation, and one where 9/10 of the residents died gruesome deaths and the rest are holed up with shotguns behind boarded up windows?

I'm already looking forward to Martin's next work.




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