Reviews written by Kim Baccellia, Staff Reviewer

Rachel's father has moved out. She is determined to go to Florida and try to get her parents back together. After she 'takes' from her college fund to pay for the airline ticket, she helps her mother at her cleaning job, hoping to earn enough money to put...

One thing I have to say is right off the bat is I totally loved the voice of Boy, the son of Frankenstein and The Bride. Only in this story, Boy lives with his parents and other 'creatures' in New York who all are part of a modern day...

Laurie Halse Anderson isn't one to shy away from sensitive subjects. In THE IMPOSSIBLE KNIFE OF MEMORY she tackles another tough subject with amazing results. Hayley has been on the road with her former military dad Andy for five years. During this time she's been...

I'm a huge fan of diversity in YA. OPEN MIC is a collection that addresses the sometimes sensitive topic of race in ways that reflect the diversity of the authors. Most are written in such a way that bring light-heartiness without tearing down a culture. More than...

I'm a huge fan of adaptations of Shakespeare. My favorite has to be Hamlet. A WOUNDED NAME is a modern day adaptation of Hamlet only told through the eyes of Ophelia. From the very first sentence, I was hooked. Sixteen-year-old Ophelia is a student...

Now that Sarah has made the very hard decision in regards to whether or not she should break up with Dave, she wonders if Will will stay true to his promise of breaking up with Tricia. Emotions tug at Sarah on what she really feels for Will. Is...

I'm finding that I'm really loving anthologies, especially ones by YA authors. I was excited to find a copy of LOSING IT on my porch and couldn't wait to read the selection of short tales. I read this collection in a few hours as I couldn't put it...

In this second installment of While You're Away, Sarah questions whether or not she should follow her heart with Will or stay in her 'safe' relationship with Dave. It's so hard to decide what to do and it doesn't help that her BFF claims 'Switzerland' on the whole thing....

I love it when publishers think outside of the box. WHILE YOU'RE AWAY is a YA romance told in six different installments. Think Dickens meets the YA world with romance. Tons of steamy romance that is! What I loved had to be the emotional...

This is a fun collection of historical public figures that asks the question--Would you date them? There's some really fun trivia on each of these 50 individuals including a 'heat factor' that ranks their worthiness to be a crush. Here's some of my favorites: ...

I'm a huge fan of YA horror novels and THE WAKING DARK fits the bill! What worked for me had to the horror element that was creepy and very suspenseful. This novel reminded me of Stephen King with the subtle horror elements woven throughout. ...

What I liked: I really loved how the author is able to weave in intense emotions between her characters. In ONCE WE WERE readers see the conflict that arises between two souls trapped in one body. Think THE HOST meets GOLDEN COMPASS. Eva is the recessive soul...

Chloe is a mediocre student who has a huge crush on fellow student Blake. One day, while in study hall, she falls asleep and finds herself six months in the future. She can't remember what happened in those missing months. Now she has a 2155 SAT score and on...

As a self-proclaimed Artie, I knew I had to read this story when it came out! What is an Artie? An Artie is someone who dyes her hair red or enhances the color. What worked for me had to be how the...

I'm a huge fan of non-fiction stories that aren't afraid to show the struggles and challenges people go through. In this case a story of a teen coming to terms with his own faith. In RAPTURE PRACTICE we meet Aaron Hartzler as a child remembering the...