Codes for Reviews

First Initial (Overall Rating):
E = Exceptional
VG = Very Good
G = Good
F = Fair
NR = Not Recommended

Second Initital (Reading Level):
A = Average Reading Level
E = Easy
M = Mature

“The views expressed are of individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views of their respective institutions.”

For more information about YAR, please email Dora Ho at dorah2005@gmail.com


Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Flash Burnout

High School Fiction

G/A Madigan, L.K. Flash Burnout. Houghton Mifflin, 2009. 332p. 978-0547194899. 16.00.

Sophomore Blake loves photography and his perfect girlfriend, but he can’t help but get entangled in fellow photographer, Marissa’s troubled life. Keeping his girlfriend’s jealousy under control and his friend’s personal problems secret make his life complicated. Even though the book deals with many serious topics, Madigan’s use of humor makes the story less dark and gloomy and more enjoyable. Watching Blake grow and mature through his relationships makes for a good read. Winner of the 2010 William C. Morris Award for first time authors of YA fiction. Loren Spector, LAPL, Felipe de Neve

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Sideshow: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists, and Other Matters Odd and Magical

High School Fiction Short Stories

G/M Noyes, Deborah (editor). Sideshow: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists, and Other Matters Odd and Magical. Candlewick, 2009. 240p. 978-0763637521. 16.99.

Kids who have graduated from Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark and want darker, creepier tales, will love this collection from editor Deborah Noyes. It has 10 stories (7 short stories and 3 graphic stories) written by beloved Young Adult authors, such as Vivan Vande Velde and Annette Curtis Klause, that are all based around the theme of freaks and human oddities. A couple of the stories fall flat, but the majority are not only creepy, but entertaining too. Favorites include: The Bread Box, Jargo and Those Psychics on TV. Loren Spector, LAPL, Felipe de Neve

Alchemy and Meggy Swan

High School Fiction

VG/A Cushman, Karen. Alchemy and Meggy Swann. Clarion, 2010. 176 p. 9780547231846.

Meggy Swann is a young woman growing up in Elizabethan England. She has hip dysplasia and walks painfully with crutches. After her grandmother dies, her mom sends her to live with her absent father in London. He is an alchemist who has no time for anything but his work. Despite her physical difficulties, Meggy begins to make friends and a life for herself. But all of that is put in jeopardy when she overhears a nefarious plot that involves her father.

Sarah Mae Harper, CoLAPL, AC Bilbrew Library

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Book Reviews

Young Adult Librarians,
Please post reviews under comments!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Welcome to Young Adult Reviewers of Southern California

Welcome Young Adult Reviewers Members!