tkbstpaul-blog
Teens Know Best St. Paul
Teens Know Best (TKB) is a book club in St. Paul, Minnesota that receives exclusive, advanced copies of young adult books from publishers. TKB teens (12-18) meet monthly to discuss the book they’ve read over pizza, and they also submit book reviews to the publishers. TKB is one of the teen groups whose opinions help determine the Read Brave book, Saint Paul Public Library’s annual, citywide programs for teens and adults. TKB is a collaboration between Metropolitan State University and Saint Paul Public Library.
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Someday, Somewhere
This is my second time reading this. My original review is here!
Reader: Finn
Reader’s Age: 14
Book Title: Someday, Somewhere
Author: Lindsay Champion
Publisher: KCP Lot
Publication Date: April 3rd, 2018
Recommend: Yes.
Why or why not recommend the book?: My opinions haven’t changed much from my original review. I still love this book, plot, characters, setting and all. However, the ‘stalkerism’ stuck out much more to me. The chances of Dom seeing a person she only glanced at, along with the chances of being able to talk to him, along with the chances of him loving her back, are all very slim. I guess this goes hand in hand with true love, yet it’s still a little unrealistic.
I also ‘appreciated’ Ben’s mental illness more. Not only did he have OCD and was bipolar, but he was also a violinist at a prestigious (no doubt toxic) music university. Obviously, this isn’t a good combination.
Are their diverse characters?: The diversity consists of Dominique and Cas, although my brain somehow makes Ben a POC also. I’d say that the diversity is substantial.
Thoughts on the cover: The cover is pretty. The color scheme is pleasing, along with the silhouettes of Dominque and Ben on the cover.
Did you finish the book?: Yes.
Is this a Galley book?: Yes.
Would you recommend this for Read Brave?: No.
Grade the book: A.
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Book Review: Dry
Reader: Stella M.
Reader’s Age: 15
Book Title: Dry
Author: Neal and Jarrod Shusterman
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: October 2018
Recommend: Yes
Why or why not recommend the book?
It has many points of view but the main characters are Alyssa and her brother Garrett. It is set in California during a drought called the “tap-out” caused by climate change. Alyssa is forced to make life or death decisions for her family when Garrett, her and their neighbor, Kelton go in search of water. I really like the group aspect of this book and how the authors made mini points of view for just random people so the reader can see not only what the main characters are going through, but also the people around them that may not be an important character. The plot was really unpredictable, so I never knew what was going to happen next, and I was always surprised. One of the things I didn’t like about the book was how it escalated so quickly, but other than that it was a great book.
Did anything surprise you about the book?
I was surprised at how much every character changed from the beginning of the book until the end.
Are their diverse characters? Not really.
Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag? No
Thoughts on the Cover:
The cover is really well designed with the water drop with fire in it, and I really like it.
Did you finish the book: Yes
Is this a Galley Book: No
Would you recommend this for Read Brave? No
Grade the Book: A-
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Book Review: Circe
Reader: Nadia
Reader’s Age: 15
Book Title: Circe
Author: Madeline Miller
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: April 10th, 2018
Recommend: Yes
Why or why not recommend the book?: It is the only story I am aware of that is written from Circe’s point of view. The book contains many of her adventures and offers new explanations for her actions as well as being worded in interesting ways. The book even explored her childhood and family relationships. By the end of the story someone could really sympathize with her after having seen many sides of her personality and struggles.
All that bothers me is some lack of description in a few places, which sometimes actually worked better for the story, but at other times was confusing.
Did anything surprise you about the book?: I was surprised how the author chose to portray Circe more as a person than an evil witch. You can see both good and bad in her.
Are there diverse characters?: Yes
Did you finish the book?: Yes
Is this a Galley book?: No
Would you recommend this for Read Brave?: No
Grade the book: A-
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Girl Made of Stars
Reader: Finn
Reader’s Age: 14
Book Title: Girl Made of Stars
Author: Ashley Herring Blake
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication Date: May 15th, 2018
Recommend: Yes
Why or why not recommend the book?: Mara’s twin brother, Owen, is accused of rape by her best friend, Hannah. Along with this, Mara is facing issues with her ex-girlfriend, Charlie, and another friend Alex. You start to really… pity… Mara, because the weight of all of these issues really gets to her (as one can expect), which leads to many emotions, many tears, and many deep conversations. Basically, this book is sad. It’s sad because it reflects so many issues in this world so accurately, and along with Mara, you feel hopeless sometimes. Yet, this book was amazing. It covers everything that goes with sexual assault, along with LGBT+ and gender issues as well. The character building and character development were amazing, and the plot was never predictable.
The only thing that really bothered me was Mara and Owen’s relationship. They both feel this extremely strong connection and bond because they’re twins born as Gemini. And I could try to see how this strong relationship exists between them. But the author doesn’t develop that relationship well enough. I realize that you have a set number of pages, but I feel you can add more to their relationship than the introductory scene and memories of Mara. I need a stronger bond before I can feel empathetic about what she’s going through when it comes to her and Owen.
Did anything surprise you about the book?: As said above, I was never able to predict anything in the book. It does follow the ‘stages of grief’, yet not in a set order.
Are their diverse characters?: When it comes to sexuality and gender, yes, definitely. However, the only POC in this book was Mara’s friend Alex, who’s Korean. I would definitely appreciate more diversity among the large number of characters.
Thoughts on the cover: The cover is beautiful, but it didn’t speak to me nor did I think it fit the book well.
Did you finish the book?: Yes
Is this a Galley book?: Yes
Would you recommend this for Read Brave?: YES.
Grade the book: A.
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Dealing in Dreams
Reader: Finn
Reader’s Age: 14
Book Title: Dealing In Dreams
Author: Lilliam Rivera
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: May 5th, 2019
Recommend: Yes
Why or why not recommend the book?: I had originally picked this up because Lilliam Rivera also wrote the Education of Margot Sanchez. Although that book was not my favorite, I still went into this book with expectations for, well, a good book. And this book met my expectations, it was good.
This book contains utopias, dystopias, deceiving characters, world-building, character development, and much more. The character’s personalities are diverse and interesting, allowing for you to keep flipping the page regardless of how slow or fast the moment is. If you’re looking for a quick fantasy book with modern-day themes, this is the one for you.
Did anything surprise you about the book?: I was extremely surprised by the betrayal by Nena to Truck. I would have never seen that coming. I was also surprised that the author ended it to allow it to be a series, at first I thought it would be a stand-alone. I’m very pleased that she chose to make it a series though, it has a lot of potential.
Are their diverse characters?: The author includes a lot of Spanish, and therefore a lot of Hispanic characters. Besides that, there is also diversity in sexualities and genders.
Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag?: No
Thoughts on the Cover: The cover is beautiful, and it is one of the reasons I picked it up in the first place. Although I don’t understand why the parrot is there (to my recollection it was never mentioned in the book), I do think the flowers are very fitting and beautiful.
Did you finish the book: Yes
Is this a Galley Book: Yes
Would you recommend this for Read Brave?: No
Grade the Book: A-
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Carols and Chaos
Reader: Finn
Reader’s Age: 14
Book Title: Carols and Chaos
Author: Cindy Anstey
Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
Publication Date: October 9th, 2018
Recommend: No
Why or why not recommend the book?: I went into this book with high expectations. I wanted that cozy winter feeling of sitting by the fireplace with socks and hot chocolate. However, this book did not relate too much to the Christmas season, so right off the bat, my enjoyment lowered.
The main problem in this book is that Kate Darby and Matt Harlow want to be in a relationship together, however, they ‘can’t’ because the person Kate is a lady’s maid for warns her against it. This really bothered me because there are so many other problems in this world that are preventing people from being in a relationship, therefore, this does not feel like a problem, especially one that an entire book should be focused around.
I was also bothered by Kate’s conflict with her mother. It didn’t seem accurate, nor something that would actually happen. Figure it out, and don’t devote so much time to it.
I definitely wouldn’t recommend this book. Maybe it wasn’t for me, but all the problems seemed trivial, the characters lacking depth, and the Christmas-y feel non-existent.
Did anything surprise you about the book?: Nothing surprised me about this book. Any suspenseful moments the author attempted to create ended up in very small, mediocre surprises.
Are their diverse characters?: Because it’s set in 1817 England, I wasn’t expecting much diversity. And there indeed, is no diversity. However, this applies to the personalities of the characters too. All of the characters are very one-dimensional, and I didn’t care too much for any of them.
Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag? Yes.:
Thoughts on the Cover: The cover is beautiful, but I don’t think it fits the mood of the book very well.
Did you finish the book: No.
Is this a Galley Book: Yes.
Would you recommend this for Read Brave?: No.
Grade the Book: C+
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How I Resist
Reader: Finn
Reader’s Age: 14
Book Title: How I Resist: Activism and Hope for a New Generation
Edited by: Tim Federle and Maureen Johnson.
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: May 1, 2018
Recommend: Yes
Why or why not recommend the book?: To me, this book really captures a major topic in today’s society: activism. A compilation of essays from different authors about how they resist and activism in their lives, this book was filled with poetry, to biographies, and even steps on how you can resist/be an activist.
I was extremely pleased with the amount of diversity in the authors who wrote these essays. I suppose, as it is a book about activism, I’d hope the editors focus on intersectionality. With this diversity, you don’t only get stories about activism from white women. You get stories about activism from many races, genders, sexualities, religions, ethnicities, and more.
One thing I do recommend when reading this book is taking it slow, and reading a few stories every day rather than binge-reading it. It makes it more meaningful, and less of a race.
Did anything surprise you about the book?: No.
Are their diverse characters?: Yes.
Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag?: No.
Thoughts on the Cover: I love the cover. It really helps me see who the story is coming from, and therefore consider what they’re writing in a different way than if they were writing as a different race, gender, etc.
Did you finish the book: Yes.
Is this a Galley Book: Yes.
Would you recommend this for Read Brave?: No.
Grade the Book: A-
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Review: Surviving Adam Meade
Reader: Sophie
Reader’s Age: 17
Book Title: Surviving Adam Meade
Author: Shannon Klare
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Publication Date: August 14th, 2018
Recommend: No
Why or why not recommend the book?:
Where to start, where to start. The main character’s main personality trait is her fighting with other people but not in a cute way just in a fighting way. Her mom’s main trait is that she is bad at cooking. Her dad’s traits are that he fights with the main character and also is a coach.
The love interest treats her badly from day one and really has no character development. It seems like it’s supposed to be a hate to love relationship but he never stops acting horribly and their relationship has no chemistry. All of their interactions are so unnatural.
Also, the title of this book. Is it really a good relationship if you’re “surviving” someone?
Did anything surprise you about the book?: Not really.
Are their diverse characters?: No
Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag?: No.
Thoughts on the Cover: The cover is an accurate representation of what you are going to get.
Did you finish the book: Yes.
Is this a Galley Book: Yes.
Would you recommend this for Read Brave?: No.
Grade the Book: F
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On a Sunbeam
Reader: Finn
Reader’s Age: 14
Book Title: On a Sunbeam
Author: Tillie Walden
Publisher: First Second
Publication Date: October 2, 2018
Recommend: Yes
Why or why not recommend the book?: I did not expect this book to be about what it was. It took a while to get used to the alternate universe that all these characters are living in. It’s far in the future, where intergalactic travel is very easy. There are two plots in this graphic novel, both tied around the main character named Mia. One of them is her relationships with a very special girl named Grace at a boarding school. The other plot is Mia’s job on a spaceship that travels around fixing ancient building and structures.
I really enjoyed this book, but for some reason, it wasn’t amazing like I could expect it to be for many other people. However, I definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a quick read, amazing world-building, and lovable characters.
Did anything surprise you about the book?: Nothing really ‘surprised’ me. There also weren’t any cliffhangers, which is a relief because I’m not planning on reading any future books of it.
Are their diverse characters?: The diversity in this book absolutely astounded me. I loved it.
Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag?: No.
Thoughts on the Cover: I feel that with all the beautiful art the author made in the book, the cover could’ve been better.
Did you finish the book: Yes.
Is this a Galley Book: Yes.
Would you recommend this for Read Brave?: No.
Grade the Book: A-
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Book Review: Dear Martin
Reader: Stella M.
Reader’s Age: 14
Book Title: Dear Martin
Author: Nic Stone
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 2017
Recommend: Yes!
Why or why not recommend the book?
This book was a really good read! I love the character development in the book and the great message it sends, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to read about current issues. The book talks about police brutality towards African American people and racial issues in America. I think that this book would good to read in the classroom and have discussions about. Although I really liked the plot of the book and the message it sends, it is evident in the writing that it was the author’s first book and there were a couple things that could be improved in both the plot and the writing.
Did anything surprise you about the book?
Yes. There was a lot of things that surprised me in the book.
Are there diverse characters?
Yes. The main character is African American and there are a lot of other diverse characters in the book.
Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag?
Maybe
Thoughts on the Cover: I really like the cover, especially all the colors, but I think that it could have some more detail and maybe something about Martin Luther King.
Did you finish the book: Yes.
Is this a Galley Book: Yes.
Would you recommend this for Read Brave? Yes.
Grade the Book: B
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Life Inside My Mind
Reader: Finn
Reader’s Age: 14
Book Title: Life Inside My Mind
Editor: Jessica Burkhart, with many authors
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: April 10th, 2018
Recommend: Depends
Why or why not recommend the book?: I picked this book up because I’m afraid I’ve neglected my reading of books centered around mental illness. And this book didn’t disappoint. It was packed with stories about mental illness. The main problem I have with it though, is that many of them are about anxiety and depression, and very few are about more ‘uncommon’ mental illnesses. I’m not saying that I don’t want to read these so emotional and deep stories about anxiety and depression. But after 5 stories of the two, you almost get ‘sick’ of the stories. It felt to me that all the authors were trying to convey a similar (but still important) story, just with different words. Had this book had more stories about different mental illnesses, I wouldn’t have skipped through as many stories.
Nonetheless, this book was still very good. I feel that we don’t often get to hear such personal stories about mental illness in society, and this did a very good job fixing that. I also feel that it shows not everyone is perfect, especially so many of these authors that we look up to.
Did anything surprise you about the book?: I was surprised by a story about body dysmorphia. It’s not a very well known well-illness, and I definitely think that there could be more coverage on it.
Are their diverse characters?: Yes, I think the editor did a very good job compiling stories from a range of people.
Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag?: No.
Thoughts on the Cover: I dislike the cover. Yes, it conveys who’s all writing stories inside the book, but I’m able to find that with the table of contents. I think the cover could’ve been much more creative and much more enjoyable.
Did you finish the book: I skipped a decent amount of chapters, but yes.
Is this a Galley Book: Yes.
Would you recommend this for Read Brave?: No.
Grade the Book: B.
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Book Review: Google It: A History of Google
Reader: Asher M.
Reader’s Age: 12
Book Title: Google It: A History of Google
Author: Anna Crowley Redding
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: August 14, 2018
Recommend: Yes
Why or why not recommend the book?
I highly recommend this book because it is about the history of Google. We consult Google for a variety of reasons many times a day, yet there was a time when Google didn’t exist. This book talks about how the company was developed from a small idea, into something that revolutionized the way we access and interact with data.
Did anything surprise you about the book?
The whole book surprised me because I did not know anything about how Google started or developed.
Are their diverse characters? (e.g., racially, sexual orientation, disability, etc.) No
Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag? No
Thoughts on the Cover:
The cover is rather plain and ordinary.
Did you finish the book: Yes
Is this a Galley Book: No
Would you recommend this for Read Brave? No
Grade the Book: (A – F) A++
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If I Was Your Girl
TW: Suicide.
Reader: Finn
Reader’s Age: 14
Book Title: If I Was Your Girl
Author: Meredith Russo
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Publication Date: May 3rd, 2016
Recommend: Yes.
Why or why not recommend the book?: As a reader of YA (especially LGBTQ books), I don’t often come by books about transgender people, let alone transsexual people. My main reason for recommendation is because it opened me up to this whole new world, and taught me so much about the transitional phase many trans people face.
This book has a plot that would’ve been similar to any other book if it didn’t have Amanda’s past. Hot football boyfriend, homecoming, nice girls who took the new girl under their wing, etc. Yet I still really enjoyed the plot, and I really enjoyed the flashbacks of Amanda’s past that it included.
Something that really spoke to me in this book was Amanda’s suicide attempt back when she was a boy. It was so well written with her flipping a health textbook pages talking about boys and puberty, and taking pills every sentence. I don’t know why it spoke to me more than suicide attempts in other books, but it did.
Did anything surprise you about the book?: The only thing that surprised me was how Amanda’s past as a boy was revealed, not that it was revealed.
Are their diverse characters?: There are a lot of queer characters, so LGBTQ wise, yes. However, there was not a lot of racial diversity, which could be caused by the fact that it takes place in Tennessee.
Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag?: No.
Thoughts on the Cover: I think the cover is beautiful. The model is beautiful, and holds so much emotion on her face and posture, making it really easy for me to picture Amanda as her.
Did you finish the book: Yes.
Is this a Galley Book: Yes.
Would you recommend this for Read Brave?: I would for raising awareness of transsexuals, but otherwise no.
Grade the Book: A.
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Book Review: The Prince and the Dressmaker
Reader: Keena
Reader’s Age: 13
Book Title: The Prince and the Dressmaker
Author: Jen Wang
Publisher: First Second
Publication Date: February 13th, 2018
Recommend: Yes.
Why or why not recommend the book: The Prince and the Dressmaker is a well-plotted graphic novel with likable characters and amazing illustrations. I had previously read other works by this author and enjoyed them, so I started the book expecting to enjoy it. The content of the book was much better than I had hoped, and it blew me away. This book is a great read if you’re in need of a pick-me-up and will leave you hoping for a sequel.
The story starts in France. A dressmaker named Frances makes an unconventional dress for a client and is noticed by the prince of Belgium, Sebastian. Sebastian, with Frances’s help, has a secret life. He becomes fashion icon Lady Crystallia and goes around Paris in different dresses that Frances creates. The only problem with designing these dresses for Sebastian/Crystallia is that Frances says she is the dressmaker for both so she cannot advance her career, which is something she desperately wants to do.
The main thing I love about this book is the characters. They are well developed, they have motives and fears, and they grow over time. It’s easy to fall in love with Frances and Sebastian/Crystallia, but you can also understand and enjoy the stories and personalities of the side characters.
Did anything surprise you about the book?: I loved the details put into the designs of the dresses and the clear yet still interesting plotline. I’ve already mentioned the well-developed characters, but I was also surprised by how well done the whole book was. My expectations were blown out of the water with this book.
Are there diverse characters?: Somewhat. There is no racial diversity, but the LGBTQIA+ diversity in this book was off the charts in comparison to many others I have read. Sebastian/Crystallia expresses feelings of gender fluidity, and those feelings were described movingly. Frances eventually falls in love with Sebastian/Crystallia, which could be interpreted as Frances being bisexual. All in all, there is more diversity in this book than some I have read, but it could be better. However, the diversity expressed fit with the story and the setting, so the diversity shown is historically accurate.
Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag?: Possibly. As I stated above, the book shows LGBTQIA+ diversity, but not diversity in race.
Thoughts on Cover: The cover was designed by the author and I love it. I enjoy the fact that readers can enjoy the cover differently before you read it and after you read it.
Did you finish the book: Yes.
Is this a gallery book: Yes.
Would you recommend this for ReadBrave: No, as I think ReadBrave should focus on encouraging people to read books they would not normally read. Graphic novels are very popular, from what I understand, so I think another book would be a better choice.
Grade the book: A-
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Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World
Reader: Chiamaka C.
Age: 16
Book Title: Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World
Author: Pénélope Bagieu
Publisher: First Second
Pub. Date: Mar 8, 2018
Recommend? Yes
Why or why not recommend the book? I would recommend this book because I think it’s a very important book that everyone should read. It was a wonderful book about women of all backgrounds doing things that at their time were thought to be only for men, things that changed the world and paved the way for other women. The book is very easy to read, each story has a very thought out color scheme, and I love all of the art.
Are there diverse characters? Yes. This book tells of the stories of a wide spectrum of women. There are women from different times in history, places of the world, social classes, fields of study, ages, races, sexualities.
Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag? For sure.
Thoughts on the Cover: Love it. Love it very much.
Did you finish the book? Yes
Is this a Galley Book? Yes
Would you recommend this for Read Brave? No
Grade the Book: A
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Book Review: Graveyard Shakes
Reader: Vivian
Book Title: Graveyard Shakes
Author: Laura Terry
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: September 2017
Recommend: Yes
Why or why not recommend the book? I recommend this book because it was fun to read. I didn’t really analyze the book, so I might have missed some stuff, but it was fun to just read. The book doesn't seem to be very subtle, but it didn’t really need to be. It was just a cute story about two sisters, a boy, and a ghost. Well, and a man trying to murder the sisters.
Did anything surprise you about the book? No, not really.
Are there diverse characters? No
Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag? No
Thoughts on the cover: I rather like it, it made me interested to read the book.
Did you finish the book: Yes
Is this a Galley Book: Yes
Would you recommend this for Read Brave? No
Grade the book: B
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Book Review: Animus
Reader: Asher
Reader’s Age: 12
Book Title: Animus
Author: Antoine Revoy
Publisher: Macmillan First Second
Publication Date: May 8, 2018
Recommend: Yes
Why or why not recommend the book? I enjoyed this book because it was a graphic novel, and it held my attention. It was unusual because the setting was a playground in a busy neighborhood. There were these two kids that go to the playground and see a kid there with a mask on. His name is Toothless. They ask him about his name, and he smiles a wide, nearly toothless grin. Through encounters at the playground, they find out the playground has powers. For instance, if you go down the slide you become older. This book was fun to read, and I recommend it.
Did anything surprise you about the book? No
Are their diverse characters? Yes, there are old people in the book.
Do you think this book warrants a #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks hashtag? No
Thoughts on the Cover: It is very intriguing.
Did you finish the book: Yes
Is this a Galley Book: Yes
Would you recommend this for Read Brave? Yes
Grade the Book: A
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