Kazumi Reads

Plot Summary:
 After the bathroom incident at her last school, Amanda has to decided to move in with her father and start over. Life for Amanda hasn't been easy because she has had to bury a secret that almost cost her her own life. Now that she has decided to not hide who she is, Amanda must pick up the pieces from her former to life in order to start anew. Although she and her father haven't really spoken since the divorce, he is trying to make amends for the fact that her father wasn't there at the hospital he refused to acknowledge the fact that Amanda was different. Apart from her mom and her best friend, Virginia, Amanda has to tread lightly with who she befriends for fear her secret would come out. Luckily, Amanda has managed to not only keep her secret a secret, she made news friends on the first day of school, which ave her hope that she could live a normal life. However, Amanda has decided to throw caution to the wind  after meeting, and getting to know, Grant. Not only is Grant gorgeous, but there is something genuine and kind that Amanda can't get enough of. So what if she is hiding something because Grant has given her the chance to start over and, for the first time ever, be loved for who she is and not who she used to be. This is heart wrenching story of a girl who has split blood, tears, and suffered years of agony to be who she wants to be and finally realized that she deserves to be loved and to love in return.

Critical Evaluation:
I was left speechless after reading this book. It seriously took me several minutes to understand and digest how important stories like this are for the youth of today. Without giving away an spoilers, I want to stress that all of us, no matter who are or where we come from, deserve love. In fact, I want to make it a point to tell all of the readers out there that they are beautiful and that they are indeed loved. If you don't feel like you are loved than I will say this: I love you because you exist and because you are doing something incredible to make this world a better place. Amanda, in my opinion, is the most brave and forgiving character I have ever come across in YA lit and I want to personally thank Meredith Russo for having the insight, courage, and strength to tell this story. There is so much about this book that I want to talk about, but I don't want to ruin this experience for potential readers. I will say this...at some point in our lives we will all meet someone who will struggle with their identity and, as friends, mentors, and family members we need to support them and help them in any way we can. More importantly, we need to speak up for them in times of injustice and fear because, at the end of the day, we are all the same. Please stop what you are doing and read this book. When you are done, go into your community and tell everyone you know about this book. It's 2016 and it's time to have this discussion because too many precious teens are lost to the stigma, the shame, and despair. If you would like to know more about the transgendered community, please check out: http://www.hrc.org/resources/transgender-children-and-youth-understanding-the-basics


Information about the Author:
According to the author's website:

MEREDITH RUSSO was born, raised, and lives in Tennessee. She started living as her true self in late 2013 and never looked back. If I Was Your Girl was partially inspired by her experiences as a trans woman. Like Amanda, Meredith is a gigantic nerd who spends a lot of her time obsessing over video games and Star Wars.

If I Was Your Girl is her debut novel, but definitely not her last. When she's not busy writing she can be found reblogging pictures of cats and babies, reading high literature (and definitely not fanfiction and fantasy novels), arguing with strangers about social justice, and, of course, raising her two amazing children, Vivian and Darwin.

You definitely, absolutely should not be shy about contacting her, even if it's just to talk. She's always open to new opportunities and chances to speak with new people.

 Genre:
Teen LGBTQ Fiction, Teen Issues, Teen Contemporary Fiction, Teen Romance

Reading Level/Interest:
Grades 9 & up

Books Similar to If I Was Your Girl

• Freakshow by James St. James
• Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
• George by Alex Gino

Awards & Recognition:

From Amazon.com:

IndieNext Top 10

Named one of the 50 Books Every Modern Teenager Should Read by Flavorwire

One of BookRiot's Most Anticipated Books of the Year

An Amazon Best Book of the Year (So Far)

"An illuminating debut guided by hope and overwhelming kindness.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A necessary, universal story about feeling different and enduring prejudices…full of love, hope, and truth.” ―Kirkus, starred review

"This is everything a coming-of-age novel should be―honest, complicated, and meaningful. Transcends the typical 'issue' novel to be a beautiful tale in its own right." ―School Library Journal, SLJ Popular Pick

"Russo, a trans woman, writes with authority and empathy, giving readers not only an intellectual but also an emotional understanding of Amanda and her compelling story. Never didactic, this debut is a valuable contribution to the slender but growing body of literature of trans teens." ―ALA Booklist

"Poignant and rare. If I Was Your Girl is the type of book you read and want to immediately share, because it's too important to keep to yourself." ―Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin'

"If I Was Your Girl is important and necessary and brave, and deeply, electrically inspiring. Read this wonderful book. Just read it." ―Jennifer Niven, New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places

“Will change minds and open hearts.” ―Nina Lacour, critically acclaimed author of Everything Leads to You

"If I Was Your Girl is real and raw and layered and wonderful." ―Alex Gino, Stonewall Award-winning author of George

"If there's any justice in the world, we're all witnessing a YA powerhouse in the making."
―Forever YA

"Pure magic." ―BookRiot
 

Plot Summary:
When Em woke up in complete darkness, she had no idea where she was or who she was. When she tried to move, something was holding her down and something was trying to hurt her. After fighting the darkness, Em emerged from her trap to an empty room and no idea where to go. What was worse, she noticed other "coffins" liker hers and that is when she heard the screams from the other coffin. After rescuing a girl who happens to have the same birthday as Em, they leave their room to stumble upon other coffins. Not knowing what to do, or where to go, Em tries to rescue other teens who may be laying in the coffins, which gets her nominated to becoming the leader of their group. As Em leads this small band of survivors through their concrete prison, Em and her teammates are being hit with flashbacks and memories from their previous lives, which means that somebody has to be looking for them or missing them. The only thing the group can't figure out is that all of them claim to be twelve years old, but, when they look at each other, they see bodies and faces of young adults and not children. Why would their parents leave them all alone? What exactly happened to them that would leave them abandoned in a tomb filled with dust and bone. As Em and the others explore this maze, not only do they learn that they are not alone, but their escape becomes more complicated and even more dangerous. Readers will not be able to put this book down and the end will leave them starving for more.


Critical Evaluation:
Per the author's request, which I completely respect, I will not divulge any major plot points as to not spoil the story for potential readers. I will instead comment on just how much I LOVED THIS BOOK! OMG! All I can say is that Scott Sigler has given us a gift because it conveys the ultimate power that is the Science Fiction genre. Compared to traditional Sci Fi stories, authors are adding another dimension to the character development that not only makes them accessible to non sci-fi readers, it makes the characters that much more human, which, in this genre, can be a good thing and a terrible thing. I had no idea whatsoever to expect from this story so I highly recommend that readers do not go into this book with expectations. If readers do, this will story will destroy those expectations for the better. I am actually going to be discussing this book with a bunch of teens so I am totally stoked to hear their thoughts and how they can relate to this story. I am going to pick up the sequel, Alight, and I can't wait to return to the crazy world that Em and friends are trying navigate and I am looking forward to their adventures.


Information about the Author:
According to Siglerpedia:

Raised in Cheboygan, Michigan Sigler's father passed his love of classic monster movies along to his son. His mother, a school teacher, encouraged his reading offering him any book he wanted. Sigler wrote his first monster story, "Tentacles", at the age of eight.
Sigler didn't travel far for college having attended Olivet College (Olivet, MI) and Cleary College (Ann Arbor, MI) where he earned a BA in Journalism and a BS in Marketing. Scott has had a varied career path having worked fast food, picking fruit, shoveling horse manure, a sports reporter, director of marketing for a software company, software startup founder, marketing consultant, guitar salesman, bum in a rock band, and social media strategist before turning in his corporate ID to write fiction full time.

Genre:
Teen Sci Fi, Teen Dystopian Thrillers

Reading Level/Interest:
Grades 9 & up

Books Similar to Alive:

• The Maze Runner by James Dashner
• The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
• I Am Number 4 by Pitticus Lore

Awards & Recognition:
From Amazon.com
“Suspenseful . . . [Alive] lives up to its hype, packing plenty of thrills.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Fascinating and intriguing . . . a cross between Lord of the Flies and The Maze Runner and yet . . . so much more.”—Fresh Fiction

“A ripping, claustrophobic thunderbolt of a novel, Scott Sigler’s Alive gives us an unforgettable young hero who must find the inner strength to lead without knowing where she is, who she is, and how bitterly the odds are stacked against her.”—Pierce Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Red Rising

“Sigler has created a wonderful and engrossing character in M. Savage. Strong and smart, but with the naïveté and misgivings of any teenage girl, she’s someone you’ll definitely want on your side when s**t hits the fan, which it most certainly does.”—Veronica Belmont, host of Sword & Laser

“A tense, unsettling page-turner of a story—both deeply strange and wildly compelling.”—Cherie Priest, author of Boneshaker and Maplecroft

“From the first page I was hooked. The puzzle unfolds masterfully, right down to the last page.”—Dr. Phil Plait, Ph.D., author of Bad Astronomy