I Am J

I am J is about a transgender boy who goes by J. Everybody, including his parents, expect him to act like the girl that he appears to be, but J just wants them to recognize him for who he really is inside—a boy. However, many people, including J’s father, refuse to accept him, so J leaves home to try to transition on his own. 

This is a very moving story with very real characters that are easy to relate to. I would recommend this to teens who like realistic fiction or who are interested in LGBT issues. 

Adriana, 13

Cloudy with a Chance of Boys

Something that I liked about Cloudy with a Chance of Boys is that almost everybody can relate to a character in the story. There are bunches of funny parts. For example, whenever it says 'Sock Monkey Fortune Telling to Come' then that means Alex is going to talk to her stuffed monkey. I would recommend this book.

Sydney, 8

A Dog's Way Home

A Dogs Way Home by Bobbie Pyron is a wonderfully written book about a girl, Abby, and her beloved dog Tam. They are miles and miles apart after a terrible car accident. Will Tam find his girl? Will Abby find her dog? Read about Tam and his adventures, and Abby and hers. Will Tam ever see Abby again? This is a fun book, you'll never be able to put it down! A good read for animal lovers!

 Evie

The Last Martin

I really liked The Last Martin. The book is about Martin Boyle, a boy, living with his mom, dad, and sister Lani. On a visit to the cemetery, he discovers a curse on him, and if he can't stop it, he will die in only month!!! Together with his friends, he tries to find a way to stop the curse before it's too late!!!

Adal, 11

Dogtag Summer

If you like books about historical fiction and girls searching to find clues about their past, you'll like Dogtag Summer! This is a great book about how a Vietnamese girl, Tracy, is trying to figure out more about her past in Vietnam and how it relates to her adoptive family. Tracy and her best friend Stargazer work together throughout the book to find clues and answers about Tracy's life in Vietnam before she came to America. This is a very interesting book that's hard to put down and I definitely recommend it!

Kate, 11

Liar, Liar

I think other kids would like Liar, Liar because the author gets you to feel sorry for Kevin and want his friends to like him. It teaches you a valuable lesson at the end, that lying makes it very hard to have friends.

Darcy, 8

Blink & Caution

Blink & Caution is a boy, Blink, and a girl, Caution. They have nothing to do with each other until they meet at a train station. Both of them are running from something. Blink has witnessed the fake kidnapping of a businessman, and now he is on the run from the police. Caution is afraid that her jealous ex-boyfriend is going to find her. Neither of them have anything in common until she tries to steal his money and they get on the same train. And suddenly each of their problems are the other ones too. I loved this book, though I found the writing to be a bit confusing in the beginning. Once I got through about 30 pages got used to it and fell in love with the characters. This is a book filled with mystery and romance, a great read.

Jenna, 14 

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The Vespertine

I enjoyed The Vespertine though I found it to be very verbose. Often times I found myself bored with the way that it was written. Once I got about halfway into it the story grabbed hold of me and I forgot about the writing. The plot is about a girl who goes to Baltimore in the summer of 1889 to find herself a suitable husband. But once there she discovers a power that she never knew she had, the power to see the future. That and the fact that there is a man that is strictly under her stature to date, much less marry, who has taken her heart will make it a very interesting summer indeed.

Jenna, 14