I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman

Pages: 393

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: Contemporary

Notes for Parents: Contains course language and mature content

The Back Cover

For Angel, life is about one thing: The Ark—a pop-rock trio of teenage boys taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark’s fandom has given her everything she loves—her friend Juliet, her dreams, her place in the world.

Jimmy owes everything to The Ark. He’s their frontman—and playing in a band with his mates is all he ever dreamed of doing.

But dreams don’t always turn out the way you think, and when Jimmy and Angel are unexpectedly thrust together they find out how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction in 2018.

What’s good?

Angel’s obsession with a boy band leads her to London where she stays with a friend Juliet and together they plan a week of activities around The Ark. Things, however, don’t go exactly as planned. The plot is simple but the story is multifaceted. There are many themes, including love v. obsession, public persona v. private life, meeting your heroes, religion, identity, mental health, healthy relationships, and so much more. The narrative stays light despite the many heavy subjects, but it gets serious when it needs to. The pace is good and the characters are diverse. The story is fun and engaging.

Best Part: Jimmy’s grandfather.

What isn’t good?

Some of the British colloquialism can be confusing, but there’s nothing too perplexing.

Worst part: Nothing was terrible.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☺ (4/5)

This is not a love story. Rather it’s a coming-of-age journey for a group of young people who come together in an unexpected way to learn about themselves and each other. In the end, the lesson is that people are complicated and we need to learn how to care about ourselves before we can truly care about each other. Recommended.

Oseman, Alice. I Was Born for This. New York: HarperCollins, 2018.

City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson

Pages: 401

Intended Audience: Mature Teens

Genre: Contemporary / Crime mystery

Notes for Parents: Contains violence, illegal activities, and descriptions of mature scenes.

The Back Cover

After fleeing the Congo as refugees, Tina and her mother arrive in Kenya hoping for a better life. They can’t believe their luck when Tina’s mother finds work as a maid for the Greyhills, one of the city’s most illustrious families. But there’s a dark secret lurking behind the family’s immense fortune, and when Tina discovers her mother shot dead in Mr. Greyhill’s private study, she knows he pulled the trigger. And she’ll do whatever it takes to prove it.

But there’s more to the murder than meets the eye, including harrowing secrets from Tina’s past that will change everything she thought she knew and reveal the painful truth behind her mother’s death.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The story begins five years after Tina’s mother’s death, as she puts her plan for revenge into action.

What’s good?

Tina has spent years planning how to ruin the life of the man responsible for her mother’s death. It should have been cut and dry, but a chance encounter with a childhood friend complicates everything. The plot is sophisticated and engaging. What begins as simple revenge develops into a complex mystery that involves gangs, warlords, illegal gold, and her mother’s hidden past. The female lead is strong, the setting is gritty and full of danger, and the overall tone remains tense throughout.

Best Part: As she tells the story, Tina shares the rules of being a good thief.

What isn’t good?

The pace is uneven, unfolding slowly with only the occasional burst of action. The mystery of who killed Tina’s mother is predictable when it comes to who didn’t do it. The ending is tidy, but maybe too tidy.

Worst part: The romance, although limited, was still unnecessary.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☺ (4/5)

Set in the unforgiving streets of Kenya, this story is a different kind of contemporary thriller. The main character is an orphan, a thief, and a survivor, risking everything to avenge her mother’s death. The story is intense, albeit a bit slow, but worth the read. Recommended.

Anderson, Natalie C., City of Saints & Thieves. New York: Speak, 2017.

A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares by Krystal Sutherland

Pages: 349

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: Contemporary

Notes for Parents: Contains coarse language, underaged drinking, and some mature scenes.

The Back Cover

Esther’s family is riddled with fear. Her father is agoraphobic and hasn’t left the basement in six years. Her twin brother cannot be in the dark. Her mother is terrified of bad luck. According to the family curses, they are destined to die from the very things they fear most.

Esther doesn’t know what her great fear is yet (nor does she want to). So she avoids nearly everything, keeping close track of every phobia in her semi-definitive list of worst nightmares.

Then Esther is pickpocketed by Jonah Smallwood, an old elementary school classmate. Along with her phone, money and a fruit roll-up she’d been saving, Jonah also steals her list. And so begins Esther’s ultimate challenge—to work her way through the list, tackling one fear at a time.

Including one that Esther hadn’t even considered: love.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

There’s a bit of a possible paranormal element to this story—maybe.

What’s good?

Esther Solar is facing her fears with the help of Jonah Smallwood. With macabre humor and sarcastic dialogue, checking fears off her semi-definitive list becomes an adventure. Esther and Jonah are strong characters, and well-supported by Esther’s twin Eugene, who needs a constant source of light, and her friend Hephzibah, who has selective mutism. The plot is simple and perhaps a little predictable, but the pace moves steadily making it a fast read. The story touches on phobias, anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide, abuse, addiction, and more. And there’s even a hint of the supernatural, and a kitten.

Best Part: Lobster Shakespeare (pg. 73)

What isn’t good?

The Solar family was a bit over-the-top. To call them quirky feels like a bit of an understatement. As a result, the story felt a bit…theatrical. It also creates a confusing tone that changes from solemn to comical in the same scene. The end was satisfying but a little sappy.

Worst part: Nothing was terrible.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☺ (4/5)

It was that soft, supernatural element that won me over. Without it, this would have been just a weird story about family in desperate need of therapy. But it was heartwarming, and funny, and a little bit sad without being too serious or too flippant about the serious parts. I enjoyed it. Recommended.

Sutherland, Krystal. A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares. New York: Speak, 2017.

Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen

Pages: 410

Intended Audience: Mature Teens

Genre: Historical thriller / World War II drama

Notes for Parents: Contains violence and mature scenes.

The Back Cover

Sarah’s actress mother spent years teaching her how to become someone else. Now her mother is dead and Sarah is hiding in plain sight among the daughters of the Nazi elite. A brilliant con artist, she’s out to befriend the daughter of an important scientist and get her hands on the bomb blueprints in his heavily guarded manor. The more deeply embedded she becomes in this world of monsters, the graver the danger. But she’s determined to get her revenge on them all.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the first book in a series. The second book, Devil Darling Spy, is expected out in 2020.

What’s good?

Sarah is a Jew, but her blonde hair and blue eyes allow her to go undetected from the Nazis. While on the run, she meets a mysterious man, a spy, who needs her to infiltrate a boarding school and find the daughter of a man who’s building a bomb. She soon finds herself surrounded by cutthroat classmates, sadistic teachers, and disturbing Nazi propaganda. The author writes with rich imagery and brutal frankness, maintaining a dark tone while still managing to incorporate some humor. The pace is swift, and the plot is sophisticated. While this story is more plot driven, the characters are very well-drawn and even secondary characters contribute deeply to the story. There’s plenty of action and danger, with themes of bravery, loneliness, sacrifice, and perseverance.

Best Part: Her use of stage metaphors when she’s undercover.

What isn’t good?

My only complaint is that I would have liked to know more about the Captain. I’m sure more will be revealed in subsequent volumes, but I think readers deserved a little more information in this one.

Worst part: None.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☺ (4.5/5)

This story was so engaging! I was hooked early. This is an action/adventure story that, on so many levels, is also a survival story. While she’s trying to survive physically, she’s also dealing with grief, fear, and loneliness, not to mention the reality of living in a world full of people who hate her because she’s Jewish. But also, we learn what she, and others, are willing to do in order to survive. This would make an amazing movie.

Killeen, Matt. Orphan Monster Spy. New York: Penguin, 2018.

Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid by Jeff Kinney

Pages: 217

Intended Audience: Tweens

Genre: Humor, Contemporary

Notes for Parents: Contains some bullying

The Back Cover

Description from Goodreads.com:

Introducing the newest Wimpy Kid author—Rowley Jefferson! Rowley’s best friend Greg Heffley has been chronicling his middle-school years in thirteen Diary of a Wimpy Kid journals . . . and counting. But it’s finally time for readers to hear directly from Rowley in a journal of his own. In Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid, Rowley writes about his experiences and agrees to play the role of biographer for Greg along the way. (After all, one day Greg will be rich and famous, and everyone will want to know his life’s story.) But Rowley is a poor choice for the job, and his “biography” of Greg is a hilarious mess.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is a companion book to The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

What’s good?

Rowley Jefferson has decided to keep a diary just like his best friend Greg. As Rowley chronicles their adventures, it becomes evident that Rowley is trusting and kind, while Greg is manipulative and selfish. But Rowley is determined to be an awesome friendly kid. The book is quick and easy to read. Rowley is very likeable. The illustrations are fun and the plot is simple.  

Best Part: I like how hard Rowley tries to be a good friend.

What isn’t good?

The humor is mostly cringe-worthy stuff. Greg is terrible to Rowley and Rowley doesn’t quite seem to understand that he deserves better. It’s tough to watch.

Worst part: Greg

Recommendation ☺☺ (2/5)

I didn’t find it entertaining at all to read about a kid being treated badly by someone he considers a friend. I suppose those who have read The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books have a better understanding of the dynamics of Rowley’s and Greg’s relationship. I did not.

Kinney, Jeff. Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid. New York: Amulet Books, 2019.