Teen Comments on Books Eligible for 2007 & 2008 Awards
Barnes, Jennifer Lynn Tattoo Delacorte 2007
This book was what I say is “GREAT!” I really like this book. It told the story well. And it didn’t leave you wondering, “What is going on?” in the middle of the story. I also liked the fact that the story was sold in the third person narration. I would like this book. Nominate? yes. 4Q. 4P. --Tanner H., 15
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Just so you know, I wouldn't usually pick up a book called 'Tattoo'. But this one intruged me, I mean, how many tattoos give you super powers? I liked this book as a whole, but there are a few thing that are bugging me; One, I am easily confused, so what is it with the strange voices coming out of Bailey's tattoo? Two, could we have a bit more grounding in the original Celtic legends? and three, what do seals have to do with anything? Other than that, 'Tattoo' was an okay book I'm giving this one to Logan. Nominate? no. 3Q. 3P. Alice, 13
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Four girls get temporary tattoos from a strange vendor lady in the mall and put them on. Little do they know that the tattos give them magical powers and they must save the world before the tattoos wear off! Tattoo is your average super-chick novel. It's slim enough that most of your average high school girls' attention span will not lapse. There's lots of action and lots of giggly girly fun. Overall, Tatto is not the best literature, but it's good enough that it'll capture a casual reader's interest. Nominate? no. 4Q. 3P. Robbie, 18
Cabot, Meg, et.al. Prom Nights from Hell HarperCollins 2007
This book held somewhat of interest to me. I was only able to focus on the stories written by Lauren Myracle and Kim Harrison. I thought that their stories were awesome. I do suggest this book for anyone who is attracted to the living dead. I would like this book. Nominate? yes. 3Q. 3P. Bobbi P., 15
Castellucci, Cecil and Jim Rugg The Plain Janes DC Comics 2007
i give this book three tumbs up, you just kant put it down its grate those other three books are prety good i wish i had them Nominate? yes 5Q 2P nate r., 13
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I loved The Plain Janes, it is a fabulous graphic novel with compelling characters and a superb plot. This book is about a group of girls who share one thing in common, and one thing only, the name Jane, just spelled differently. Yet with four distinctly different girls comes a wonderful friendship. The main Jane, or the main character, comes up with the idea to create random acts of art in the secret club called P.L.A.I.N., or People Loving Art In Neighborhoods. From there the trouble, as well as fun, escalates to new proportions but a wicked good story comes from it all. I would highly suggest this book to someone who enjoys graphic novels, or even just a good short read. Katherine 17
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This graphic novel was quick, but I loved the story line and the creativity. Jane and her group of friends made of reject from around the school, commit acts of art around the neighborhood at night. It help the friends to see beauty in life. But the police and parents suspect the acts of art as threats from a terrorist group. The only thing I didn't like was how Jane never came out about her being the one how did the acts of art. Nominate? yes. 4Q. 4P. Kara D., 13
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The Plain Janes has a great message to share with the world; there is beauty everywhere, if you just know how to find it. So, as a message-deliverer, Janes is great. As just a book, however, it has some failings. While the characters practically jumped off the page and the plot kept me intrigued, the ending left me feeling abandoned. I kept flippint the last pages and thinking to mysef, Where’s the rest of the book?! Even five more pages would have been enough to really wrap things up. Despite the lemming ending (it just jumps off a cliff and plunges into nothing) I liked this book. I didn’t love it, but I liked it. It said a lot in under 150 pages, and it was easy to relate to the characters. All in all, 3.5 out of 5 stars. Emily 18
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I think the book was quite powerful for just a graphic novel. I am normally not one to enjoy many pictures and few words. But this book helped me break that thought.The main character Jane faces many problems with personal expression and freedom after a major bomb(i think) hits a town called Metro City. 3Q. 4P. Susan, 13
Selznick, Brian The Invention of Hugo Cabret Scholastic Press 2007
Although this book might have been good if I was about 7-9, but I really didn't like how there wasn't much of a plot line and the characters made some less than smart dicisions. Also, I didn't like how it was supposed to be his invention, but his dad found it and then the kid said it was his invention. In contrast, the pictures were very neat and they had a great effect on the story line of the book. Also, the black outlines were very classy. However, I think that the book was generaly not very good. 3Q. 3P. Lewis, 13
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Brian Selznic is an amazing author. Not only does his story move along at a quick pace, but it doesn't move to fast that we miss plot. His full size pictures that dominate a good portion of the book are seamlessly sewn together in a manner that makes it more sophisticated than most books with pictures. With the amazing plot and the amazing pictures, this book could win the Caldecott Medal and the Newbery Medal all in one year. Since this book came out very recently, I cannot be sure of the popularity right now. But when it finally comes out of the gate, it will smash right through. I have read a lot of books, but this one, by far, is one of the very best. Everyone should read this book. Nominate? yes. 4Q. 4P. Josh, 13
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It is a compelling book with a perfectly foreshadowed plot. The book is full of beautiful black and white pencil drawings. The main character Hugo is the runner of the clocks in a train station. He has one really big secret. He keeps a automaton in his workroom that was being repaired but never finished by his father(now passed away). The book is good for a suprisingly quick read! The amount of pictures helps move the story on quite nicely! Nominate? no. 3Q. 4P. Susan, 13
Wolf, Allan Zane's Trace Candlewick 2007
Zane's Trace blew me away. The troubles for a boy with a history of a mental illness and seizures. The main character Zane more or less takes his brothers car so he can drive to Zanesville. The place where his family owns a plot at a funeral. Zane has hypergrapia. A symptom of Gershwind syndrom. It causes him to write, and write a lot. He wrote all over his bedroom walls and now is starting to write on his car. Zane meets up with this girl Libba. She is a real strange person. She loves birds and having the last say in something. In the book two major things happen, one suprisingly in the middle and one at the end. But unlike most books that lose steam after what happens in the middle. The book actually gets better. 5Q. 5P. --Susan, 13
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This book, though a coming of age book, is not like others of that genre. Zane has hypergraphia, where he writes all the time, specifically with Sharpies on his bedroom walls and car dashboard. Zane is off to Zanesville, Ohio to kill himself on his mother’s grave. On his way, he picks up a hitchhiker, Libba, and learns all about his genuine family history. I thought this book was very unique and the events in it keep you on your toes. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves having mysteries about the characters past reveled to them throughout the book. Nominate? yes. 4Q. 4P. Kara D, 13
Yancey, Rick Alfred Kroop: The Seal of Solomon Bloomsbury 2007 - May
I only read the first two chapters because it didn’t really grab me, and that is the kind of books I like. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy reading books that slowly grabs your attention. It has bumpy change of settings which is kind of distracting. I also think this book tries to do a stream of consciousness and I don’t like that. 3Q. Michael J. P. ,15
Silverboy is about a young spellstone grinder who teams up with a girl named Akenna on a mission to overthrow their worlds government. I really liked how the book kept you in suspense about some things, and revealed others, but I thought that the book could have mooved a little bit faster. However, when you get to the end, all of the little strings seem to tie up, and it is just a really fun book to read. I hope there is a sequel, but I doubt that possibility. Nominate? yes. 4Q. 5P. Lewis, 13
Johnson, Kathleen Jeffrie Gone Roaring Brook Press 2007
I really enjoyed this book. I've had a few teachers that I wanted to get to know better than a teacher. Even though this is only a dream, this book made it come to life. I would recommend this book to any teenager. This is coming from someone who doesn't like to read. Nominate? yes. 4Q. 4P Ian D., 17
Horowitz, Anthony Nightrise Scholastic 2007 - May
Nightrise is the third book in the Gatekeepers series, and it kept me just as enthralled in the story line as the first 2. The one annoying thing about this book was that in the first 2 books, we're only seeing through Matt's point of view. Then, all the sudden, Anthony Horowitz decides to change to Scott's point of view. It just annoys me when authors do that. Otherwise, no problems with this book. I would like a copy of this book. Nominate? yes. 4Q. 4P. Andrea F., 14
Carman, Patrick Into the Mist Scholastic 2007 - September
Into the Mist is the fourth book in the Land of Elyon series, and is hard to follow if you don't read the first three books first. Like the first three books in the series, Into the Mist follows Alexa Daley on her adventures, but unlike the first three books Into the Mist goes in between Alexa's present tale and the tale her guardian, Roland, is telling. I personally loved this book and thought it was well written and keeps you wanting to read it to the very end. Nominate? yes. 4Q. 4P. Claire, 13
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'Into the Mist' was an amazing companion/sequal to the Alexa Daley chronicles- The Dark Hills Divide, Beyond the Valley of Thorns, and The Tenth City. 'Into the Mist' picks up Alexa's story only days after the end of The Tenth City, while she, along with Yipes and Roland are sailing on the Lonely Sea. But, this story's main character isn't Alexa though. It's about Roland, and his brother, Thomas Warvold. The whole book is a story being narrated by Roland, unraveling his and his brother's past. You will be led on adventures through a horrid orphanage, the thickest mist, and a tower with unmeasurable heights. 'Into the Mist' will hold you until it's very last page, and as you read the last three words, you are left wondering what thrilling adventure lies next for Alexa, Roland, and Yipes. This was an excellent adventure that lived up to the first three books. I missed hearing about Alexa though, but this was okay for one book, because it tied together a lot of lose threads from the previous ones. I would strongly recommend reading the first three books in the series (listed previously) before reading this one, but it is possable, if you really want, to read it on it's own. Carman's writing is impecable, in style and in content. I can't wait until the next book! Nominate? yes. 4Q. 4P. Elle, 13
Abdel Fattah, Randa Does My Head Look Big in This? Orchard Books
i really appreaciated the topic of the book and thought that the story was full of choices and feelings a Muslim beginning to wear the headscarf full time at a non-muslim school might feel. I liked that it truly sounded like the author was writing from expiriance! Nominate? no. 3Q 4P. Ellen, 12