Reviews written by Megan Kelly

Confession time: I always like the "bad guys" in books and movies. I wanted Winona Ryder to end up with Ben Stiller's character in Reality Bites. I thought Suzanne Collins assassinated the character of Gale in Mockingjay. So when I saw that the protagonist of Sarah Dessen's latest, THE MOON...

I'm starting my summer reading early. I want to be able to recommend some nonfiction titles from our school's list and the only one I have read is the fantastic CHEW ON THIS. When I found CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER in our staff room, I figured I...

After committing to a series, you always hope it will end in a satisfying way. Lauren DeStefano's The Chemical Garden Trilogy does just that. I was not a fan of FEVER, the second novel, but know that the second novel in a trilogy can be slow because it is building...

"It was a beautiful day. It was a beautiful field. Except for the body." This is a story starter that I would love to share with my middle school students as an example of a true hook. That's about the only thing in Barry Lyga's I Hunt...

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE was one of my favorite books that I read last year, so I bought the sequel the day it was released. Yet, somehow, it took me two months to slog through it. Where Laini Taylor's first novel in the series was all...

This one is going to be huge. I lose my mind for anything that includes a training montage or teenagers discovering their special powers. It’s the reason I have seen The Craft, The Karate Kid, and the X-Men movies a ridiculous number of times. It’s also the...

I tried starting COLIN FISCHER twice before it actually stuck. Once I got into it, though, I couldn't put it down and am eager to recommend it to my friend's eighth grade class. Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz have crafted a teenage detective with Asperger's, a character full of...

As I try to incorporate more nonfiction into my classroom library, I am trying to find a wide range of texts to share with my students. Young Olympic hopefuls and fans of the event will enjoy A PASSION FOR VICTORY. Although it includes much of the...

Jerry Spinelli can be counted to write heartfelt stories about good kids and their simple lives. THIRD GRADE ANGELS, the prequel to FOURTH GRADE RATS, is no exception. This easy novel follows the adventures of Suds and his friends in their quest to earn halos from their teacher, Mrs. Simms....

“History is broken, and we need your help to fix it.” With this appeal, Dak Smyth and Sera Froste are sent on a time travelling adventure to save the world from an evil organization that has changed history, while searching for Dak’s parents who are lost in time. A MUTINY...

On a whim, I checked out MIDDLE SCHOOL IS WORSE THAN MEATLOAF from the school library. It disappeared from my desk immediately and has been making the rounds among the girls in my homeroom, who begged me for another book like it. I am so excited to be able to...

Thirteen-year-old Clare Silver's world has been turned upside down: her mother recently passed away and her father moved them to Malawi so that he could work as a doctor for Global Health Project. Even on the other side of the world, her worries remain the same: will she fit in...

My first introduction to Scaredy Squirrel is sweet and too brief, much like the holiday season. This guidebook gives examples of many different things that one could worry about during Christmas, from crafting to tinsel garland. Author Melanie Watts is able to squeeze a decent amount of material out of...

Infamous bully Niko Kaylor is back and the new student at a hippie school where the only rule is "no bullying". Rather than giving up his ways, he decides to go undercover and cyberbully his classmates. I was really excited to get my hands on this book,...

I am greedy for books by Sharon G. Flake. The Skin I'm In is one of the books I recommend most, and also one of the books that most regularly "disappears" from my collection. I consider this the highest compliment to an author--that a book speaks so much to a...