Troll Hunters by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Krause

Trollhunters by Daniel Kraus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Trollhunters by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus
Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Book Group and Disney-Hyperion for the ARC, Troll by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus. What a spellbinding read! Daniel Kraus has done it again, crafting a horror story where the evil doers are so disgusting, you root for Jim Sturges and his best friend, Tubby, to triumph. Jim is a very normal teen with an overprotective dad, who suffered the loss of his brother 45 years ago as they rode bikes under a bridge. When 190 children went missing along with his brother, Jack; Jim’s dad changed. He outfitted their house with special locks and shutters and has had many hard and fast rules pertaining to safety for as long as Jim can remember. As Jim and Tub suffer bullying daily at school, other kids are starting to disappear again. Only now is Jim beginning to believe there really are monsters under his bed and under bridges. When Jim is called upon to save the missing kids, his lady love and his town; will he be able to muster the courage to be a trollhunter by night? Can he be a trollhunter fighting evil beside his 13 year old Uncle Jack and other disgusting monsters? Teens will love this illustrated, scary book and will want to read more, more, more; I hope a series is in the works! Highly recommended for those who love horror, building tension, thrilling plot twists and fierce characters.


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Strings Attached by Joanne Lippman and Melanie Kupchynsky

Strings Attached: One Tough Teacher and the Gift of Great Expectations by Joanne Lipman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Strings Attached is such a great teacher book and so much more. Told in alternating voices by Joanne Lippman (one of Mr. K's violin students) and Melanie Kupchynsky (Mr, K's daughter)the reader learns about their love of music, family, and the inspiration that was their teacher, Mr. K. His methods may have been unconventional but he reached his students so deeply with his love of music that they endured his craziness and bloomed as a result. This is not an easy book to read either; but one that must be read in order to feel and know what Mr. K (and his life in Lithuania during the war) stood for as a coach, father, teacher, and musician. Highly recommended- this book will be discussed in a Twitter Chat #ISTElitchat Tuesday July 21 at 8:30 EST, feel free to join in!

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Acid by Emma Pass

Acid by Emma Pass
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What an Amazing Audiobook! This was another audiobook in the Hub Challenge 2015 I totally enjoyed. I couldn't stop listening as Jenna Strong is imprisoned by the police (called ACID) for murdering her parents when she was 15 years old. But all is not as it seems; if you love action, suspense, thrillers; you will not soon forget Jenna's world of lies, espionage, brutality---what will she do to remember her life as it was and as it is now? This audiobook has riveting plots, characters (nasty and nice) and a dystopian world you won't forget! Highly recommended.

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Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love Sarah Dessen's books and Saint Anything is deeply moving and probes the depths of family loyalty, love, and friendship. Sydney is a nice, kind girl unlike her older brother Peyton, who has always pushed boundaries, gotten into trouble time and again, until one day he drives under the influence and maimes a teen, sentencing him to life in a wheel chair. As Sydney tries to cope with aching loneliness and her distant parents, she makes some decisions. Will attending a new high school be an answer to a new life? I could not stop turning the pages of this book as Sydney navigates life, questions herself and her parents, and tries to be a good person. I admired her strength, her insecurities, and her loyalty through many trials. This book will take the reader on an unforgettable journey with Sydney not soon forgotten. Highly recommended.

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Completed 2015 Hub Reading Challenge

Which 25 titles did you read or listen to? *I read and listened to 26 titles to complete the 2015 Hub Reading Challenge.  I have linked the titles to my Goodreads reviews (see the blue titles).  What I like about this Challenge is that I had read many more books on this list (over the years and recently) but I was not willing to re-read them – so I branched out and listened to awesome audiobooks and read more graphic novels and even jumped into a photography book! Next to the title I will put the YALSA award. For those looking for some great summer YA reads, try this amazing list!

2015 HUB Reading Challenge

 

• ACID by Emma Pass – Amazing Audiobooks
• Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger - Amazing Audiobooks
• Define Normal by Julie Ann Peters  - Amazing Audiobooks
• Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders by Geoff Herbach - Amazing Audiobooks
• Glory O'Brien's History of the Future
• Half Bad by Sally Green - Amazing Audiobooks
• Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira - Amazing Audiobooks
• Skink -- No Surrender by Carl Hiassen- Amazing Audiobooks
• William Shakespeare’s Star Wars Collection
• Five, Six, Seven, Nate!
• Wolf Children: Ame & Yuki
• I'll Give You the Sun
• And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard – Printz
• The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley - Printz, Morris, & Best Fiction

• Grasshopper Jungle
• This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki - Printz
• Forged by Fire
• Darkness Before Dawn
• The Battle of Jericho
• November Blues
• Tears of a Tiger
• Copper Sun
• Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen - Nonfiction
• Laughing at My Nightmare by Shane Burcaw- Nonfiction
• The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming - Nonfiction
• Ida M. Tarbell; The Woman Who Challenged Big Business – and Won!  by Emily Arnold McCully - Nonfiction
• The Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheinkin - Nonfiction
• All the Light We Cannot See
• Bellweather Rhapsody
• Bingo's Run
• Confessions
• Everything I Never Told You
• Lock In
• The Martian
• The Terrorist’s Son: A Story of Choice
• Those Who Wish Me Dead
• Wolf in White Van
• The Crossover by Kwame Alexander– Best Fiction, Quick Picks
• The Gospel of Winter
• The Jackaby
• Noggin by John Corey Whaley – Best Fiction
• The Story of Owen: Dragonslayer of Trondheim by E. K. Johnston – Morris, Best Fiction
• Vango
• We Were Liars
• The Young Elites
• My Friend Dahmer
• Catching Fire
• Hole in My Life
• The Fault in Our Stars
• Freedom’s Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories
• I Hunt Killers
• Lockdown
• The Rithmatist
• Maus: A Survivor’s Tale
• Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase
• Batman Science: The Real-World Science Behind Batman's Gear
• Find Momo: A Photography Book by Andrew Knapp – Quick Picks
• Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir
• Famous Last Words
• I Am Pusheen the Cat
• Through the Woods by Emily Carroll - Quick Picks, Great Graphic Novels
• Juvie
• Ms. Marvel: No Normal
• Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero – Morris, Quick Picks
• The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos - Morris
• The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton - Morris
• Beyond Magenta
• Afterlife with Archie: Escape from Riverdale
• 47 Ronin
• Seconds: a Graphic Novel
• The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang - Great Graphic Novels
• Trillium
• The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place
• Bad Machinery V.3: The Case of the Simple Soul
• In Real Life by Cory Doctorow & Jen Wang - Great Graphic Novels
• Girls Like Us
• Revolution by Deborah Wiles - Amazing Audiobooks

 

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The story of Rose Howard, her autism, her father, her dog, her uncle was recommended by Donalyn Miller in a Nerdy Book blog post. Boy am I glad I read this book! Rose is a very special character, girl, classmate. Her homonym LOVE and list made my English major heart happy- but was not necessarily appreciated by her classmates and father. Ann M. Martin has crafted a must read for students - both young and old, parents and teachers. Rose's autism was depicted perfectly by Ann M. Martin; the good and the bad traits. I did not want this book to end; Rose and her dog, Rain will resonate with me for quite some time!.

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The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of the adult books on my Summer TBR and like The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd's exhaustive research on the Grimke sisters, Sarah and Angelina, reveals difficult lives for women who wanted to listen to their "inner voice." Sarah Grimke abhors slavery and wants to be a jurist like her father and brothers. When her mother gives her a slave, Handful, Sarah wants to give Handful her freedom instead. Told in alternating chapters by Sarah and Handful, the reader is plunged into the horrors of slave life as punishments are exacted on slaves for the slightest infractions; there are much worse agonies for stealing, etc. and all the slaves must watch and learn from the whippings and such. Sarah's life is fraught with stammering, and older sister, Mary who is evil just like her mother, and a father Sarah thinks will accept her longings to be a lawyer like her brothers. There was beauty in the slave story quilts Handful and her mother made; but these quilts were a testament to the slaves' suffering and their yearnings to be free and fly away like their ancestors. Teens and adults who like historical fiction will love this story of Sarah's and Handful's lives, friendship, and connection; a must read.

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Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once again, I could not put down Lauren Oliver's book. Nick and Dara are sisters and have always been close. Even though Dara is one year younger, she has always hung out with Nick and their best friend/neighbor, Parker. But Dara and Nick were always very different; Nick being more reserved compared to Dara's wild nonconforming ways. And their closeness really suffers when Dara and Parker become an item. And the car accident where Nick and Dara slam into a wall. I loved how Oliver's chapters were told from Nick and Dara's POV and Before and After. When a nine year old girl disappears and then Dara does too; Nick unearths evidence the disappearances may be linked. With mind bending suspense, Oliver has written a challenging story about truth, jealousy, love, and sisters. And for a great interview from Lauren Oliver, read this from The Guardian - http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-...

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Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I took this book out of the library because it was new and written by Neal Shusterman. His books, Bruiser and The Unwind Dystology are favorites of mine. It really helped me continue to read this book that Laurie Halse Anderson gave it a great review. With that mindset, it was totally scary to plunge into mental illness with Caden Bosch. As the reader, it was a seesaw ride to be Caden in school with family and friends and then to be Caden who is going on a deep sea dive to the Challenger Deep with a captain and parrot who both have one eye and many other bizarre ship mates. I think teens need to read this book (adults too) since it does a very realistic job of portraying a teen's descent into mental illness. Early on, I realized what was going on with Caden, and this story quickly became very meaningful. It is during their teen and young adult years that many begin to struggle with mental illness. As Caden (and Shusterman)realistically (and scarily)portray; mental illness is something one deals and lives with forever and medical treatment, care, and prescription drugs are essential. Caden's journey is not one you wish on anyone, but as a fictional piece delving into mental illness; teens will most definitely benefit from reading this book, and talking about it afterward.

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Teresa of the New World by Sharman Apt Russell

Teresa of the New World by Sharman Apt Russell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a gem of a novel! I enjoy historical fiction and even more, I loved learning about the time of the Spanish Conquistadors in America in Teresa of the New World. Sharman Apt Russell’s writing is beautiful and simple detailing the world of the slaves, villagers, shaman, storytellers, and traders through Teresa’s young eyes, mind, and heart. Teresa and her father travel in search of his long lost friends from Spain. The reader aches with the sorrow, pain, and suffering of those who are stricken with a disease, sarampion, that wipes out villages, killing many children and elderly. As a child, Teresa was able to communicate with the Earth and animals. It is this ability that serves her well during this horrifying time of death and isolation. After she survives the disease herself, Teresa travels many miles and experiences many perils to seek the wise woman who will help her find her place in the world. Teresa’s dealings with Horse, a boy/jaguar, and Plague are suspenseful yet spiritual. I could not put this book down as I feared for Teresa and her future. This slim novel holds many treasures of storytelling, magic, and finding one’s way in a hostile, ever changing world. I would highly recommend this book to young adult and adult readers of historical fiction infused with mystery and magic.

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