Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Pages: 306

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: Romance / Adventure

Notes for Parents: Contains sexuality, abuse, and other mature content.

The Back Cover

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window and I see him. He’s tall, lean, and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I, Maddy, am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The book was made into a movie in 2017. My version of the paperback included photographs from the movie.

What’s good?

The unfortunately circumstances in the lives of Maddy and Ollie make them perfect for each other. This is a love story between an overprotected girl and her abused next-door neighbor, both of whom are being denied the simple pleasures of being an average teen. The premise is simple, the chapters are short, and the pace is quick thanks to drawings, lists, and instant messages. The characters are well-drawn and very likeable.

Best Part: Carla and Rosa.

What isn’t good?

It was predictable. I guessed the ending about a quarter of the way in. I was disappointed with how underwhelmed Maddy is by all the new things that she experiences. For someone who’s been shut away her entire life, I would have expected much more emotion from her.

Worst part: Nothing is terrible.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☻☻ (3/5)

I liked the story, and I enjoyed the format even more. The messages, lists, notes, and drawings, made Ollie and Maddy’s romance even sweeter and more entertaining. Despite its predictability, the story unfolded quickly, with humor and charm, and an engaging, albeit small, cast of characters. Recommended.

Yoon, Nicola. Everything, Everything. New York: Penguin, 2015.

Disney Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly

Pages: 341

Intended Audience: Tweens and up

Genre: Fantasy / Adventure

Notes for Parents: There are a few scary parts that may upset sensitive readers.

The Inside Cover

Smart, bookish Belle, a captive in the Beast’s castle, has become accustomed to her new home and has befriended its inhabitants. When she comes upon Nevermore, an enchanted book unlike anything else she has seen in the castle, Belle finds herself pulled into its pages and transported to a world of glamour and intrigue. The adventures Belle has always imagined, the dreams she was forced to give up when she became a prisoner, seem within reach again.

The charming and mysterious characters Belle meets within the pages of Nevermore offer her glamorous conversation, a life of dazzling Parisian luxury, and even a reunion she never thought possible. Here Belle can have everything she has ever wished for. But what about her friends in the Beast’s castle? Can Belle trust her new companions inside the pages of Nevermore? Is Nevermore’s world even real? Belle must uncover the truth about the book, before she loses herself in it forever.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The author’s next book is another fairy tale original story. It begins where Cinderella ends, but it follows the story of Isabelle and Octavia, Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters. The author says, “It hews to the old-school, very Grimm version of the tale, in which toes are cut off in a vain attempt to make the slipper fit.”

What’s good?

Every bit of this story feels like a Disney movie! The characters are all familiar and the premise is the same. Lost in a Book actually starts in the middle of the Disney version of the story. Belle is already living in the castle when she finds the enchanted book that threatens to derail the well-known ending. Belle is a strong, smart, and curious young woman. The chapters are short and the plot, although a bit complex, is still easy to understand. Themes include friendship, determination, love, trust, and believing in yourself.

Best Part: “Love is not for cowards.”

What isn’t good?

Despite the interesting battle between love and death, the format is very simplistic. There’s not a lot of action, at least not until the end, and most of the story is what we already know. Perhaps most bothersome is that the end of this story is not the end of the story.

Worst part: The end.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☺☻ (4/5)

This novel was very entertaining. Despite my complaints, it really was a beautiful little story of friendship and love, with some adventure and danger thrown in at the end. Recommended.

Donnelly, Jennifer. Disney Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book. Los Angeles: Disney Press, 2017. (Hardcover)

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman

Pages: 552

Intended Audience: Adult

Genre: Non-fiction / Biography / World War II / Holocaust

Notes for Parents: This is about the Holocaust and therefore contains mature content.

The Back Cover

1939: the Germans have invaded Poland. The keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Jan and Antonina Zabinski, survive the bombardment of the city, only to see the occupiers ruthlessly kill many of their animals. The Nazis then carry off the prized specimens to Berlin for the program to create the “purest” breeds, much as they saw themselves as the purest human race. Opposed to all the Nazis represent, the Zabinskis risk their lives by hiding Jews in the now-empty animal cages, saving as many as three hundred people from extermination.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The novel was made into a movie in 2017.

What’s good?

The story of the Zabinskis is a captivating tale of courage and defiance in Poland during World War II. This true account of their experiences is both tragic and uplifting as they watch what they’ve built be destroyed, and use that destruction to subvert the Nazi regime. The section of photographs is a fascinating album of memories that reminds of what the family lost. The inclusion of Irena Sendler and other important members of the Warsaw underground, illustrate the level of risk and the importance of the work done by the Zabinskis.

Best Part: I love that all the “guests” were given animal names.

What isn’t good?

There was way too much insignificant information to wade through in order to get to the heart of the story. Things like the history of the architecture of a house, descriptions of beetles, and a page and a half about a cat forced to raise fox pups (which was not as interesting a story as it sounds) bogged down what could have been a very exciting account of bravery during the Holocaust.

Worst part: Ugh! There were so many parts I could have done without.

Recommendation ☺☺☻☻☻ (2/5)

This was difficult to read. The interesting part of the story was so often interrupted by trivial details about things that didn’t really matter. I would have preferred reading more about the people and the situations. The story of the Zabinski’s and the other people working to save Jews from deportation was fascinating! I have a feeling that the movie (which I haven’t seen yet) might be better than the book.

Ackerman, Diane. The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story. New York: W.W. Norton, 2007.

Brave by Svetlana Chmakova

Pages: 241

Intended Audience: Teens and mature tweens

Genre: Graphic novel

Notes for Parents: Contains scenes of bullying.

The Back Cover

In his daydreams, Jensen is the biggest hero that ever was, saving the world and his friends on a daily basis. But his middle school reality is VERY different—math is hard, getting along with friends is hard…Even finding a partner for the class project is a huge problem when you always get picked last. And the pressure’s on even more once the school newspaper’s dynamic duo, Jenny and Akilah, draw Jensen into the whirlwind of school news, social-experiment projects, and behind-the-scenes club drama. Jensen has always played the middle school game one level at a time, but suddenly, someone’s cranked up the difficulty setting. Will those daring daydreams of his finally work in his favor, or will he have to find real solutions to his real-life problems?

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is a companion book to the author’s graphic novel Awkward. However, it works as a stand-alone story. (Jensen appeared as a minor character in Awkward.) A third book is planned called Crush.

What’s good?

Jensen is so easy to care about. Many readers will immediately be able to relate to him. He’s sweet, friendly, loves to draw, and wants to help. He’s grateful for the friends he has and doesn’t notice that some of his “friends” aren’t being very nice. He dreams of being brave but doesn’t recognize his own resiliency and strength. The cast of characters is diverse. Sub-plots include Jenny and Akilah’s friendship woes, and the dress code rebellion. The artwork is beautifully expressive. Best of all, the author offers no easy answers—no quick solutions. The story is both realistic and hopeful.

Best Part: Jorge. He was a small but important part of Jensen’s story.

What isn’t good?

I suppose there was room for a more complex story, but I like the simplicity of it. The colors are muted, but the drawings are well done, so that’s not a complaint either. There really isn’t anything I didn’t like.

Worst part: Nothing.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☺☺ (5/5)

It was a quick and easy read with an unpretentious plot. The story touches on more than one kind of bullying, and creates a poignant and entertaining narrative of the middle school experience. Definitely recommended.

Chmakova, Svetlana. Brave. New York: Yen Press, 2017.