Heist Society by Ally Carter

Heist Society was an absolutely adorable book.  I found myself becoming very connected to the books main character Katarina Bishop.  Kat, as most people call her, is not your average teen.  Kat along with her family have basically been world class thieves for most of their lives.  In an attempt to live as a normal teenager, Kat cons her way into boarding school.  Unfortunately, her family and friends pull her right back into the lifestyle she is trying to leave behind.  In a fight to save someone in her family, Kat must pull off one of the biggest heists of all time.

Kat Bishop is a very strong female character.  The interesting thing is that her strength as lead character seemed to hold her back when she was faced with an emotional moment.  Part of her journey as a character was to learn how to respond to emotion and express her emotions as well.  I really enjoyed reading this book and found it to be a really fun read.  Once the book gets going the plot moves very quickly while still making you wonder what will happen next.  Their even is a little bit I romance in the book, which is essential for most young adult novels.  Another great thing about this book is that Ally Carter is working on a sequel.  I can't wait to read about more exciting adventures in Kat's life.

Ship Breaker

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

I have to admit I made my husband read this book before I did because it was out if my typical comfort zone. He actually really enjoys learning about large ships and he also has a lot knowledge about steel. Upon finishing the book he suggested that I would learn a lot from reading this book. When I finally come to pick up this book I found myself lacking in a little background knowledge about actual ship breaking. So I put the book down and watched some presentations on youtube. Wow, it was really enlightening to see how morose and unimaginable ship breaking can be. This book is an important work of fiction in that it brings to light an important environmental issue that occurs today. As far as the plot goes this was a very fast paced plot with several intense characters. Nailer the main character works on a light crew in which he recovers valuable steel from ships that have been left for scavenge. Nailer is a very dynamic character and as a reader, you will have a definite appreciation for his survival skills. Not only does Nailer have to deal with basically living in uninhabitable conditions, his father turns out to be the worst type of person imaginable. Paolo Bacigalupi story is both enlightening and entertaining at the same time. The characters are very strong and the story line will keep you going. In addition there is something to be learned about the world of ship breaking and its effect on the environment.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

The Sky is Everywhere is a book that truly touched my heart. I am not usually the type of person who becomes strapped with emotion while reading a book. This book will truly pull at your heat strings. Lennie Walker is dealing with the unexpected death of her sister Bailey and on top of it she hasn't seen her mother in 16 years. The amount of grief and sorrow in Lennie's life will truly pull at your heart strings. Lennie must learn to deal with all the loss in her life as well as grow as a person. While reading this book I found myself wanting to know what I was going to learn from Lennie, what she could teach me about loss and how to deal. She is a wonderful protagonist: real, honest, and funny. I feel a connection to this book and her struggle. Death is such a serious topic and I feel like Jandy Nelson wrote a book that manages to be more than a good work of fiction, she has written a book that serves as a support to those who have ever experienced loss in their lives. Hopefully you can enjoy this book as much as I have.

Shiver - Book Trailer

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Well I am very concerned about beginning this and doing a horrible job. My purpose is to document my journey in reading young adult literature.  I am excited to share my journey, although I hope that I can manage the technology and provide an exciting platform for this project.

So here goes. I recently finished a book called "Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater. After finishing this, I was inspired to begin this blog. "Shiver" is the story of Grace and Sam. Grace is a well grounded young teenager who finds herself yearning for the creatures in the woods. Then there is Sam, who is a wolf. He spends much time watching Grace as if she is a fantasy trapped eternally inside the confines of a mesmerizing snow globe. I started reading this thinking, I had a "Twilight" knock off on my hands. As I continued to look over the relationship of Grace and Sam they developed their story. This story totally drew me in. I read it every time I had a chance. So upon finishing "Shiver" I knew that I wanted to consume books this summer more than I ever have in the past. So I am in a sense challenging myself to actually spending more time reading over the summer