When I first heard about Stewart Lewis’ You Have Seven Messages, the first thing that came to mind was the movie One Missed Call. Now, I have not seen One Missed Call, but I think I can safely say that You Have Seven Messages is, in fact, nothing like it. For those of you whose [...]

Tags: coming of age, dating, death, family problems, grief, music, mystery, photography
Filed under: Book Review

The small, sleepy southern town of Lily, Arkansas goes into a frenzy when a birdwatcher thinks he spots a Lazarus Woodpecker, a species thought to be extinct. (“Lily is the kind of place you’d like to move to some short time before you die. If at any other time in your life you think you [...]

Tags: coming of age, family life, grief, kidnapping, mystery, religion, small town
Filed under: Book Review

Abby is beginning high school. It’s an exciting time, but also a terrifying one that signals a shift in her academic and social life. Abby struggles with the transition, and she’s afraid to talk to her family about it. The one person she feels she really can talk to about absolutely everything is Luke. Abby [...]

Tags: coming of age, family problems, internet safety, secrets, sex
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Pearl (aka Bean) and Henry are the best of friends. Having grown up as social outcasts in a small town, they have only each other to turn to when times get tough. For Bean and Henry, times are pretty much always tough. As the children of eccentric single mothers, life is often messy and complicated. [...]

Tags: coming of age, death, family problems, friendship, homosexuality, mothers and daughters, secrets, small town
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Lauren Myracle’s Shine is a departure from much of her other writing. Starting off with a news article about a hate crime in which a gay teen is beaten, tied up, and left with a gas hose shoved down his throat, this book wastes no time in getting to the heart of matters.While the teen [...]

Tags: coming of age, drugs, friendship, hate crime, homosexuality, mystery, social classes
Filed under: Book Review