YA Book Reviews – Page 2

A Million Shades of Gray

Posted on June 15, 2019May 9, 2022 by iefaber

By Cynthia Kadohata.

A book review and commentary.

This young adult story takes place in 1975 in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. I wanted to read it because I have a fascination with history and untold truths and because I highly admire elephants. While I did enjoy the story, I couldn’t help wonder about it being categorized as young adult. The tale is told from a 13-year-old’s perspective, but it is in wartime with unsettling truths and hardships. This book not only tells an interesting story of a young Vietnamese dealing with war in his village but also stirs up other questions about how we educate and broaden the minds of our children. Continue reading “A Million Shades of Gray” →

A New Darkness

Posted on January 13, 2019March 28, 2019 by iefaber

Recently I finished The Starblade Chronicles series by Joseph Delaney and did not come to the end with the usual sadness and grief I have when finishing a well-loved book. I enjoyed them, but as my nephew said when I asked how he liked them, they were “eh”. This could, of course, be because Delaney’s previous series The Wardstone Chronicles was so incredibly addictive to both me and my nephew. The original series has 13 books total and when I had first learned of them my nephew owned three. He urged me to borrow all three but I was doubtful and only borrowed the first titled “The Spooks Apprentice” of which most people are familiar. After reading the first book, I hastened to read the other two he had, and then before I knew it had purchased the entire series for him just so I could read them. Continue reading “A New Darkness” →

Book Reviews, Middle Grade Book Reviews, YA Book Reviews

Remembering the Good Times

Posted on July 17, 2018March 28, 2019 by iefaber

by Richard Peck

When I think back on this book it is very much like thinking on old friends. Such an incredible book that it absolutely has to be on my list of the three most influential books from my childhood. Previously I wrote about Prince Ombra and Out of the Bug Jar. They were both fairly innocent introductions to the world of fantasy and adventures, but nothing could have prepared me for the experience I had while reading Richard Peck’s book, which is not a fantasy at all. It is a drama for young adults, which seems very boring and certainly not anything I was interested in at the time. Continue reading “Remembering the Good Times” →