Teen Book Reviews

The book Pack Your Bags, Maggie Diaz follows a young girl in middle school as she paves her way through newly presented challenges. Maggie faces drama between family and friends while trying to maintain good grades and go on her long-awaited seventh-grade trip to St. Augustine. The friend group starts to break off, leaving everyone but Maggie in pairs, and the trip gets swept under the rug as they prepare for a dance.

This book is a great coming-of-age story, accurately depicting the social struggles and changes many kids face in middle school. Maggie provides a great role model for anyone needing guidance from someone who’s been in her shoes. She is a relatable character who brings hope to the story. Watching her go through these unknown waters teaches the reader that even though life changes, it’s not scary and unknown forever, and it often has a good ending. While presenting challenges, the story also shows all the exciting aspects that come with being in middle school, such as school trips and dances. This is an interesting and fun read; very beneficial to kids in this age range.

The Last Kids on Earth: The Monster Dimension is about the heroes Jack, Quint, June, and Dirk, who are on a quest to destroy a tower that would bring an evil god into their dimension. When the tower suddenly powers on, some of the heroes are pulled into the monster dimension. As they travel through the dimension, Jack learns how to use his power more thoroughly, and then uses that power to defeat an enemy.

I would recommend this book because it has lots of action and suspense. There are several twists that I would have never expected, and there is not just conflict between the heroes and enemies, but also among the heroes. The main character has some growth along the way, and his beliefs are tested in an unforeseen manner. A really good part of the book is the humor. This book almost never has a dry moment, and that is shown throughout this entire series.

All This Time tells the story of Kyle, whose life falls apart after experiencing a hard breakup and a devastating car crash. As he grieves the loss of his ex-girlfriend and recovers from his own injuries, Kyle meets Marley, a young girl experiencing her own grief. As they slowly become friends, Kyle begins to recover from his loss, until he discovers the truth about his accident.

I recommend this book because the plot is very unique and it contains many major twists that keep the reader interested in the book. However, the book deals with many heavy topics such as grief and loss that may not be fit for younger readers. The writing can be confusing at times, but the book is otherwise well-written and the characters are very well-developed throughout the novel, especially Kyle.

Sawyer Taft is an ambitious eighteen-year-old female car mechanic with an often-absent single mother. When her estranged grandmother shows up, Sawyer discovers she actually belongs to a rich and powerful family. Her grandmother offers her money and the chance to find out who truly is her father. When Sawyer decides to join that part of her family, she is thrust into a world of wealth, scandal, and secrets.

I would recommend this young adult mystery because each of the characters introduced is very unique and interesting. Their actions and motives are never what you would expect. There is a lot of drama and curious twists. The author keeps the reader interested by switching every few chapters to a scene with Sawyer, her cousin Lily, and friends Campbell and Sadie-Grace being held in a jail cell. They are supervised by a rookie cop who has no idea why they are there. I liked this because it gives a glimpse into what happens at the end, but it’s vague enough to make the reader wait until the surprising finish to find out what happened to cause them to be in jail.

This short novella tells the story of Fearless, the last book in the central Powerless trilogy, through two points of view: the personification of death, Mara, and Kitt Azer. When Kitt drinks the plague, Mara is summoned to Ilya because of his sudden closeness to death. Kitt, suffering both physically and mentally, is grateful for a friend, even though he’s the only one who can see her. As the two develop a bittersweet relationship, Mara observes Lenny and Blair, who are starting to develop a connection of their own.

I highly recommend this book. Although it is a novella that is not necessarily crucial to the main trilogy’s plot, it offers insight into Kitt’s mind and what was happening with him throughout Fearless. Mara’s perspective is also very interesting to read, and as the story progresses, little hints of her past and identity start to slip into the narrative. I personally had always wondered what happened with Lenny and Blair, and this book explains that and more. Overall, this read was a rollercoaster of emotions packed into two hundred pages, and it was worth every second!