A few years ago, this was a “1book1community” pick. I had picked up a copy but forgot about it until recently. By the time I picked it up again, I forgot the premise and didn’t bother to read the description. So at first, I thought it was about a boy who was on a ship […]
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A former student of mine left me this book at winter break a year or two ago. Its absurdist nature is reminiscent of The Stranger and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, two works we read the previous year in our literature class. In the novel, a man named Cincinnatus is condemned to death for a […]
Author Adriana Mather is a real-life descendant of Cotton Mather. In some ways, this young adult novel is inspired by her real-life interest in her family’s history. In the novel, Samantha Mather, a descendant of Cotton Mather, moves to Salem with her step-mother. Her father is in a coma, and life in New York is […]
I received this book for free (from the publisher) as a review copy for possible use in my teaching. I teach AP Literature and am always on the lookout for modern books of literary merit that balance the ability to analyze elements such as symbolism with reader interest. The plot intrigued me, and the novel […]
This book was given to me in a box of my own works that came to me from my late uncle. I was curious as to why he had it: either he or my grandmother had purchased it on May 28, 1992 (I know because the receipt is still in the book). My uncle, as […]
This was my last YA book club read for the school year. I was intrigued by the plot. Dimple is a recent high school graduate raised by a traditional Indian family in America. Her parents have expectations that she meet the “ideal Indian husband,” but she has an independent streak and wants to follow her […]
I chose this book as one of my picks for a young adult book club I’m in. The description intrigued me since it’s about a “strong female character” growing up in a time when females were discouraged from being scientists. What also intrigued me was the dark streak inherent in the title: the book centers […]
I chose this novel as part of my young adult book club, during which we evaluate books for possible use in the classroom. It’s a national book award winner and about an underrepresented group, Native Americans. Taking place in the late 1980s, the book details the brutal rape and attempted murder of the main character’s […]
Following a sixteen-year-old named Sarah who is having a self-proclaimed existential crisis, this book is gritty and strange. This review contains spoilers. At the very beginning of the novel, I got the impression that Sarah was just an angsty teenager frustrated with life, which made the book seem like a cliché of a YA novel. […]
I read this collection of short stories for part of my young adult book club. As such, I’ll be looking at it primarily for its use in the classroom. The stories are primarily about relationships or characters seeking better lives. They span America and India (and some other locations). First, a brief overview of each […]
