The List by Siobhan Vivian

Click here to put this book on hold at your library.

It is a tradition at Mount Washington High School for a list of the four prettiest girls and the four ugliest girls to be produced just before Homecoming.  One girl is chosen from each grade.  This book tells the story from the perspective of all eight girls.

I enjoyed reading the book, including the twist ending.  It’s interesting to see how the list affects the girls positively and negatively.  The girls most hurt by the list are not the ones that you would think.  The book is both realistic and eye opening.  It’s more serious and fun then I thought it would be when I picked it up, but I really liked the book.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Click here to put this book on hold at your library.

After the death of his grandfather, Jacob, starts seeing odd things and is convinced that he needs to travel to the island where his grandfather grew up in order to reconcile the things his grandfather told him and what everyone else tells him. He finds adventure and a reality that he was not expecting.

It seemed that everyone was reading this book so I resisted for a long time.  A book club that I’m a member of picked this book and I read it.  The book started out strong with an interesting premise and a realistic main character.  As the story went on I found myself predicting what would happen and being disappointed with the way the story was being told.  That said, it is a book for teens so maybe they would not see the ending coming from a mile away.  The pictures are very cool and it’s nice to have an mystery/adventure to give to teen guys.