Tom Harvey’s head is cracked open by an iPhone that was dropped from a 30th floor window. While doctors are able to remove most of the phone from his head, small fragments remain implanted in his brain. When Tom wakes up from a coma, he discovers that his brain has the capabilities of a smartphone….and [...]

Tags: friendship, gangs, rape, science fiction, secrets, superhero, technology
Filed under: Book Review

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
Filed under: Book Review

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

Following up Hate List, a book that explores how people heal in the aftermath of a school shooting, Jennifer Brown tackles another tough subject in Bitter End. Alex’s mom died when she was young; her dad dismisses her mom as crazy and doesn’t bring the topic up much. He doesn’t bring up much of anything [...]

Tags: dating, domestic abuse, family problems, friendship, grief, high schools
Filed under: Book Review

Julia’s mother was shipped off to Iraq to work as a nurse in the National Guard. Her father is too busy to watch her, so she spends her summer with relatives, including best friend Eliza. The two girls are inseparable, spending their time at the resort where Eliza’s father works, a place where they get [...]

Tags: coming of age, family problems, friendship, war
Filed under: Book Review