Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

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Andi is devastated by the death of her little brother and the end of her parent’s marriage. She blames herself for a lot of what happens and she tries to save her mom from a deep depression while attempting to hide from her own dark feelings of desperation and sorrow. Andi is a wealthy girl who goes to an elite school. When situations start to get out of control at home her father takes her on a business trip to Paris. He thinks she will work on her senior paper and get away from the things that are troubling her. What she finds in Paris is the diary of a girl her own age. The girl lived during the French revolution and was nanny to the last heir to the throne. In alternating stories we hear the events of both girls’ lives as they deal with two separate but oddly similar tragedies.


I usually don’t read said or realistic fiction. I like zombies and ninjas thank you very much, but this book blew me away. The pain is so realistic and not at all gratuitous. Donnelly tells the story so well that you can smell the gun powder from the fireworks, and feel the chill of a New York City night. I recommend this for anyone who likes realistic fiction, historical fiction, or stories about the intricacies of families. If you’ve never read YA fiction this book would be a good place to start. I also recommend Donnelly’s other book, A Northern Light.

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Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

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Lisabeth is anorexic but she won’t admit it even to herself. One night after a bad fight with her boyfriend she tries to kill herself. Death appears before her with the Scales of Office. She will be the Black Rider; One of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. She, a suburban teen with an eating disorder, will be Famine. As her supernatural powers grow, so does her control over her own body. She meets the other Horsemen and learns that there are no easy ways out.


When I heard eating disorder I almost put the book down because I hate reading those books. Those stories are too serious and too sad. I’m glad I read it. The story was powerful and the author really captured what it’s like to have an eating disorder. The writing is realistic and heartfelt, but without sacrificing humor. The book is well written and powerful. My only complaint is that she revealed the inside joke about death. I liked that only someone in their thirties would recognize the description of death for who he was. As the book goes on the author gives away the secret with big hints. I like knowing something that the teens in my book club don’t know about the book. I wish she would have kept the secret a little better. I recommend this book to guys and girls who have had or know someone who has had an eating disorder, and to those who like reading about the four Horsemen.

There is a new book in the series.  It will be published on 4/4/2011.  I can't wait to read it.

By The Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters

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          Daelyn hates her life. She has tried to kill herself several times, but she has never been successful. She won’t make another mistake. This time she will get her suicide right. She joins a website called www.through-the-light.com. This is a site for completers; people who want to get their suicide right.
          The story opens after Daelyn gets out of the hospital from her last attempt. The last time she tried to commit suicide she damaged her vocal cords and now she can’t talk at all. She uses her silence as a shield to keep everyone away from her.
          To spite her best attempts to alienate everyone and keep herself from feeling anything, she meets and is befriended by a boy who lives across the street from her school. Will one friendship be enough to live for, or will she really end her life?
          I usually hate books like this. I don’t like the serious tone, or the fact that I know real people feel the way that this girl feels. It puts a knot in my stomach to know kids get bullied. Sometimes the event itself is minor, but then it becomes bigger as the kid thinks about it and lives with it. I liked the book. It took me out of my comfort zone. It’s a great book to read and think about. It’s a discussion starter of a book. .
          This book reminds me of Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Both books are about suicide. Both books are about bullying. In Thirteen Reasons Why the parents are absent. We don’t really find out much about them. In this book the parents are there every day. They do what good parents would do. I like that the adults are caring and that they play a major part in the story. With Thirteen Reasons Why you know there will be no happy ending from the very first page. This book gives you a little hope…But is it enough. Both books are must reads.