Everything, Everything

The Bookworm says... Yes! Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon is such a great read. Maddy has Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, so she's basically allergic to everything. Because of this, she hasn't left her house in seventeen years. She hasn't even had a reason to desire leaving, until Olly moves in. She feels herself falling for him, and she hasn't even met him yet. If and when they do meet, Maddy knows she will be doomed with a love she can't tend to. 

This was such a great book. Maddy is clever and smart while being sheltered and naive at the same time. The email dialogue between Maddy and Olly is perfect, and gives the reader a more personal sense of relation with each character. 

"Everything's a risk. Not doing anything's a risk. It's up to you."

DISCLAIMER: review is based off of an uncorrected galley. Official release date is Spetember 1st, 2015. 

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

The Bookworm says... Yes! The Disreputable History of Franke Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart is a terrific novel! At Alabaster academy, a prestigious New England prep school, there is a secret society called "The Order of the Basset Hounds". The club is known for causing trouble, throwing parties, general mischief, complete secrecy, and being all male. Frankie will not stand for being treated as an inferior from her boyfriend, her uncles, her cousins, or her peers because of her gender for a second longer. She sets off on a quest to find out the club's precious secrets, and get herself in. 

I absolutely adore this character that E. Lockhart has brought to life. Frankie Landau-Banks is the ultimate high school feminist, and essentially who I aspire to be in life. She's cunning, she's sneaky, she's clever, and she's efficient. The manner in which Lockhart writes is unforgettable; liquid sentences flow across the pages. I also picked up a new favorite vocab word- schadenfreude. Happiness or amusement at the misfortune of others. A truly wonderful book. 

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is a National Book Award finalist and a Printz Honor book. 

"It is better to be alone, she figures, than to be with someone who can't see who you are. It is better to lead than to follow. It is better to speak up than stay silent. It is better to open doors than to shut them on people."

More Happy Than Not

The Bookworm says... Yes! More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera is a great book!! Aaron lives in the Bronx projects, where two things are true; being gay is a crime, and miracles don't exist. Aaron is gay, but he is still very much in the closet and has a girlfriend named Genevieve. His father killed himself, his "friends" aren't his friends at all, his mom makes barely enough money to pay rent on their one bedroom apartment, and he may or may not have a crush on his one true friend. Everything is going wrong for Aaron and he wishes he could forget everything, but that's impossible. Until the Leteo Institute opens. Leteo specializes in relief of memory, or helping to forget. If Aaron can find the cash and confidence to go through with it, Leteo may be the unlikely miracle he is hoping for. 

Reminiscent of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, More Happy Than Not confronts race, sexuality, and economic class. Adam Silvera pushes deep into the world Aaron is trying so hard to forget, dragging out every painful detail. The questions Aaron asks himself are those that all teenagers ask themselves over and over again. Adam Silvera is a piercing voice diving into young adult, and let me tell you, you do not want to miss this book. 

"In that moment, I wish my existence were as simple as being set on fire and exploding in the sky."

Tentative release date is June 2015. 

Lies We Tell Ourselves

The Bookworm says... Yes! Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley was a very good book. Sarah Dunbar and her younger sister, along with several kids from their neighborhood, are the first black students in an all white high school in 1959 Virginia. Jefferson is supposed to be a better place for them, where they will get a better education, even though they will have to integrate for it. Easier said than done. Jefferson High and the torments it brings to Sarah are practically unbearable. She gets assigned a French project, on which she will work with two white girls. Forced to do the project, Sarah, Linda, and Judy have to be civil. Over the course of the project, the girls learn how to coexist, find right from wrong, have their own opinions, and search deep inside themselves for their true thoughts about each other. 

An amazing story of willpower, courage, and determination. Sarah Dunbar and her friends are some of the most courageous characters I have ever read about. A story that confronts some of the social issues that held us in iron claws in 1959, and continues to grip us so tightly today. Monumental and drowning in emotion,  Lies We Tell Ourselves confronts just that, the lies we tell ourselves. 

"Everyone is counting on me. I can't be a failure. I won't."

Sold

The Bookworm says... YES. Sold by Patricia McCormick was absolutely incredible. Lakshmi is a thirteen year old girl living in mountainside Nepal with her ama, her baby brother, and her stepfather that has a gambling problem. After the drought, their family is struggling. The crops have dried up, and the last of their savings has been gambled away on a motorcycle. Lakshmi is sent by her stepfather to the city, where she will work as a maid and send her earnings back home. Lakshmi is excited, and proud to be the first of her family to leave their small mountain side village. However, when she reaches the city, she sees the harsh reality of her situation. She is not going to be working as a maid; she has been sold into prostitution. She will "work" for Mumtaz, alongside several other young girls, until she can pay back her debt. Mumtaz cheats the girls out of their earnings, making it next to possible to escape. The friendships make the time pass quicker, but the girls are still stuck in a prostitution house. Unless an escape walks through the front door, they are doomed. 

Sold was amazing. Absolutely amazing. It was painful, it was sorrowful, it was depressing, and it was scarring, but above all it was real. A world wide wakeup call, this is a harsh reminder of why we need feminism. Girls all over the world, especially in middle eastern countries, are sold in to prostitution each day. If this book isn't a haunting enough implication that we need to make a change, I don't know what is. 

Sold is a National Book Award finalist.

"My bundle is light. My burden is heavy."

Took

The Bookworm says... Maybe. Took by Mary Downing Hahn was good!!! The Anderson's move from Fairfield, Connecticut to rural West Virginia leaves the whole family a little disoriented, especially Daniel and Erica. The kids at school are tormenting them with ghost stories surrounding their new house, and Erica is terrified. When she disappears, it's hard to deny that something supernatural is occurring, but the police won't have it. It's up to Daniel to get her back before it's too late. 

Not horribly scary, Took was enjoyable. It was a clever story but it wasn't very substantial. It was scary enough to keep you interested, but not enough to keep you up at night. It would be perfect for young readers that have a sweet spot for the supernatural. 

"We made us our own tale didn't we- a tale like the tellers told back and back and back to the first tellers sitting around their fires, keeping the dark away with their words."

DISCLAIMER: review is based off of an uncopyedited galley. Tentative publication date is September 15, 2015. Cover photo reproduced with the permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Press.  

Proof of Forever

The Bookworm says... Maybe. Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer was a very good book!! Camp Okahatchee is a second home for hundreds of campers, providing a second family for them as well. Joy, Zoe, Talia, and Luce were as close as you can get without being family. Now they barely speak to each other. When they go to their Camp Okahatchee Reunion Night and all meet up in the photo booth, they get transported back to the summer they were all turning fifteen. That was the last year they attended camp together, and the year everything went wrong. They have the chance to change their fates, or do everything over again. That being said, they're stuck in the past with four days to get back to the present, whether they fix things or not. 

This was a cute book!! It was a little bit like Freaky Friday meets Back to the Future meets The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. That combination could hardly be bad. My only problem was how slow the beginning seemed to be. It took me a while to get into it, and for that reason, I say maybe. Once the action started, it was terrific! 

"It's neither the past nor the future--everything that has happened before now mashes up to everything that will happen one day, and she feels endless: young and ancient at the same time, like she's always existed, like she's shining brilliantly. She feels beautiful."

DISCLAIMER: review is based off of an uncorrected proof. On-sale date is June 2nd, 2015. 

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

The Bookworm says... YES YES YES. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz is absolutely outstanding. Aristotle and Dante are the same, but very different. The wall that Ari has built up around himself begins to crumble the moment Dante asks if he wants to learn how to swim. This bond that forms between the two of them is nothing if not unexpected and unconventional. They make it their goal to discover the secrets of the universe, but the secrets that they so desperately want to uncover may not be hidden within the universe, but within themselves. 

Benjamin Alire Sáenz, this is an incredible book. It blew me away. I had very high expectations for this novel, and they were all completely met. Every single expectation I had was met. The writing style is flowing and smooth, yet choppy at the same time. It's not something you forget easily. The characters are incredible- Ari, Dante, Bernardo; they all seem impossibly real, like you would walk past them on the street. Finally, the ending was incredible. The last ten pages of the book may have been the best ten pages. READ THIS BOOK.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is the winner of the Stonewall Book Award, the Pura Belpré Award, the Lambda Literary Award, and is a Printz Honor Book, among others. 

"The problem with my life was that it was someone else's idea."

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children

The Bookworm says... YES! Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills was an amazing book. Biologically, his name is Elizabeth, but he's a guy. Announcements like Gabe's don't tend to sit well with some parents, friends, and the general public. Gabe takes to a radio show to let his B side play. The B Side- the side of a record that isn't played as often, but is usually just as good, if not better. The Ugly Children specialize in B Sides, and Gabe is their wring leader. This is their chance to let the world hear their B Sides. 

I loved this book. Gabe is an amazingly thought out character. His bravery and passion are incredible. I laughed, I cried, and I gasped, all over the course of 262 pages. Truly wonderful book. 

"You shoved me off the cliff. Turns out I can fly."

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children is a Stonewall Book Award Winner 

All We Have Is Now

The Bookworm says... Yes! All We Have Is Now by Lisa Schroeder was a great book. Emerson's world is scheduled to end in 24 hours when the freak asteroid hits North America. The lucky ones got away, moved to different continents. Those like Emerson and Vince, living on the street, are left behind. With their last 24 hours, Emerson and Vince borrow a strangers idea: help people. Grant wishes. Do what you can for others. Their last day doesn't have to be their worst day, it could be the best. 

In this apocalyptic love story, everything works. The characters, the weaving plot structure, and the pages of prose. It works perfectly. Especially the poetry littered throughout the book. An extremely well written novel from Lisa Schroeder. 

"But there's a million stars. Maybe I want to be the one and only moon instead."

DISCLAIMER: review is based on an uncorrected proof. Hardcover on-sale date: July 28, 2015.