MONDAY’S NOT COMING – Tiffany D. Jackson

by TPS reader znosko27

This story is seen from Claudia’s point of view. Claudia is a 13-year-old girl, whose best friend, Monday, goes missing. It seems nobody cares to find her. Claudia shares and does everything with Monday. She knows something is up when Monday doesn’t come to school one day. Her suspicion grows when Monday doesn’t respond to any of  her letters. What makes this story so amazing is that it is from the perspective of Claudia, someone that a young adult reader can relate to in the story. Claudia’s journey to find Monday goes beyond their friendship, as she slowly finds out more and more things about Monday and her life. She learns things she didn’t know before Monday went missing and secrets that later put her in danger. This story demonstrates things that can happen to young people in real life, and how friendships are so important. Readers relate to Claudia more and more, from her boy issues, to her learning disabilities. Tiffany D. Jackson writes about real issues happening today, like domestic abuse and bullying, that are only lightly touched upon by other YA books. This story helps readers understand people better, and how we should always be kind to others, as we may not know what is happening in another person’s  life. While Monday is gone, Claudia has to go through life on her own, missing her only friend, and other half. Claudia faces bullies, her learning disability issues, boys, dance practice, and the lonely search to find her best friend. At many points, she is not sure if she can handle everything alone. But her deep friendship and loss of this friendship give her the strength she needs and empowers her to find Monday, no matter what. The many lessons that the book will teach, and the roller coaster of emotions that it provokes, is why you should definitely read this book.

IF WE BREAK UP – Cheyanne Young

by TPS reader sealyq26

I really enjoyed reading If We Break Up by Cheyanne Young because as a young person I kind of felt like I could relate to it. It also taught me lessons like not to rush into a relationship so young and to find the right person for myself. You have all of your life to find someone right for you, but if you think the person is right, then go for it. I really understood and felt closest to Honey’s feelings in this book. I felt that she just lost her spark for Luca because they were together for so long, and I don’t blame her being with the same person for that long can be really underwhelming and sometimes boring. That’s why personally settling down earlier would not be my goal. I think it’s good that Honey and Luca went on dates with other people because that really tests their relationship to see if they really are meant for each other. Many people don’t like trying new things sometimes because it can be scary, but in some situations you have to just to see if you are making the right decision for your future. It’s always important to try new things, and I think that is an important theme in this book. You have to experience a lot of things before settling down, and I respect Honey for her choices in this book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to young readers who enjoy romance novels with a bit of a twist!

10 BLIND DATES by Ashley Elston

by TPS reader ballit24

10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston is such a good book. Sophie’s parents are out of town, and she spends Christmas time with her Grandparents and family. She breaks up with her boyfriend, and her family plans for her to go on 10 blind dates. Each member of the family picks someone for her to go out with and where they go. Each family member picks some weird and interesting places for Sophie’s dates. As a result, she really gets to know her family and what each person thinks best suits her and what is best for her by the date choices they make. I feel like she makes deeper connections with her family members. I feel like Sophie understands herself a lot better because she meets so many different people with different personalities, so she has to really think about herself before others. This book has such a good plot because each different date is suspenseful, and you can’t stop reading the book once you start. You just want to get through each day to see what happens with Sophie. Sophie goes through a lot of ups and downs in the book but that is what makes her such a good character. If I had to recommend this book to someone, I would say all positive things about it because I think I have found one of my new favorite books.

THIS IS OUR STORY by Ashley Elston

by TPS reader alvarezk26

This is Our Story by Ashley Elston is guaranteed to keep you hooked. From the moment you open the book you will be drawn in by the intense mystery. It immediately starts from the perspective of the killer. This makes you even more desperate to find out who he is. Additionally, Kate’s strong passion for justice makes you even more invested in the story. Because of her complicated history with Grant, she is far more involved in the case than she should be. Kate must battle with her emotions as she tries to stay focused, but can’t stop thinking about the past. She works nonstop to uncover which one of the River Point boys pulled the trigger and killed Grant. However, a major plot twist balances out this hardcore investigation with a secret romance. Kate’s vulnerable heart has her risking her job for love. But will she be able to keep this romance hidden from her boss, Mr. Stone? Her dangerous decisions end up getting her into more trouble than she was already in. Will she still be able to prove who really killed Grant in time? This suspense filled book is impossible to put down. Ashley Elston will have you on the edge of your seat throughout the whole book. This incredible combination of mystery and romance creates a literary masterpiece. The amount of adrenaline felt when justice is finally served is unmatched in any other book. The ending of the story comes far too soon, and leaves you wanting more.

MONDAY’S NOT COMING by Tiffany D. Jackson

by TPS reader rubym25

The novel, Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson tells the story of Claudia trying to find her best friend Monday who seems to be missing. Claudia and Monday were inseparable for years, they never did anything without each other which makes losing Monday so much harder for Claudia. The summer before 8th grade, Claudia goes on a trip to see her Grandmamma in Georgia. When Claudia comes home, she can’t wait to tell her best friend about everything she did in Georgia but to her surprise, Monday never comes by the house and never answers the phone. Claudia asks everybody if they have seen her best friend, but Claudia is forced to find Monday herself. It was as if Monday fell off the face of the Earth and only Claudia noticed. This book takes place both before and after Monday is found which makes the novel even more intriguing and interesting.  Everywhere Claudia goes I feel like I am there trying to convince her to keep going and to never give up. Tiffany D. Jackson does an incredible job getting the reader to be entertained and to keep turning the page. This story, being about a missing child, is very sad but powerful. For readers who like realistic fiction mysteries, you should pick up this book immediately. I recommend that you should be around the age of 13 years old because there are some curse words and some mature content, you should only read this if you can handle that older content. Jump into Claudia’s life for a little while and read Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson.

SHOUT by Laurie Halse Anderson

by TPS reader kovaksk24

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson is a realistic fiction novel based on the author’s true experiences during her childhood. The book switches back and forth between Melinda, the main character, and Laurie Halse Anderson. She was sexually assaulted multiple times in high school. She has to overcome the many challenges she faces throughout her journey. The book is written in a verse to portray her many emotions. Anderson doesn’t have an easy time at home, her parents are constantly fighting to the point where her father is abusive to her mother. She is constantly trying to ignore them and continue on without the pain they make her feel. School is not any easier. She struggles in her classes to the point where she is failing. She has no friends or emotional support to help her with these struggles. Laurie Halse Anderson does a wonderful job of making you feel like you are in her shoes, and you are feeling all of the horrible emotions she is. The boy that raped her scares her enough that it makes the reader bite their nails when she walks through the halls by him. To get away for a little while Anderson decides to be a foreign exchange student for a semester. While she is away she learns many things about herself and makes many friends. By the end of the book, she finally stands up to the boy that harassed her. He is about to hurt her again when she stands up to him, and the girls on the softball team hear her yelling and come to help. She finally gets away and is able to continue on with her life without being constantly scared. She wrote Speak and Shout which share her experiences and her thoughts and empathy about the dangers of sexual assault. 

ALL AMERICAN BOYS by Brenden Kiely and Jason Reynolds

by TPS reader koehlerj23

All American Boys follows two highschool boys as they go through what has sadly become common in modern times. Rashad, a young African American boy, is a victim of police brutality after a misunderstanding in a convenience store. His attack is witnessed by another boy at his school, Quinn, who is a white “All American” student and athlete. Quinn and Rashad are forced to witness how race, gender, and stereotypes divide everyone, even high schoolers and close friends. The rest of the story follows Rashad as he tries to understand his reality, and Quinn, who must decide what he believes is right.

All American Boys does a great job of showing some of the greatest flaws of society. It shows how not everyone is who they seem. The main idea of the book is how police brutality and public racism deeply affect everyone, and how it is not right. Since police brutality and stories of violence by the police are so common now, I think that this book would be a great option for people who don’t fully understand the injustice of all of this. All American Boys is strongly written and a thrill to read. As a  reader, I always wanted to know what was going to happen next, and how both of the boys’ stories would overlap. The realistic feel of the book is astounding, with many examples of the very recent past. It feels like this story could be on the news right now, and no one would be able to tell that it was not a real event. I really enjoyed reading the book, and I am sure many others would too.

A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA by Tahereh Mafi

By TPS reader fielda24

The book I choose to read is called A Very Large Expanse Of Sea by Tahereh Mafi. I choose this book because the main theme is racism and people going against the main character’s, Shirin, religion. This made me want to read this book because this is a huge issue in today’s world and seeing the point of view of someone being affected by this makes people understand what is really happening. Shirin is a Muslim who was born in America. The time period is right after 9-11 and all Shirin’s family wants in their lives is to be able to be in a free town where they are not discriminated against. That was quite a problem though because at the time a place like that did not exist for them. Shirin toughs it out and goes to high school. Shirin meets her love interest in the story, Ocean James. At first, Shirin doesn’t give him a chance because she doesn’t know people like him exist for her. He seems to be the only person who is actually interested in Shirin, and he starts to like her. She realizes he’s the most popular boy at school because he is a basketball star, and everyone starts to make racist remarks. Even Ocean’s basketball coach says he should break up with her because she is a distraction. Oceans’ mom does not approve of her either and tries to get her to break up with Ocean. They break up, but then Shirin realizes that Ocean really cares about her, and they can stay together and ignore the haters. Shirin’s family decides to move at the end of the story, but Ocean knows Shirin will keep fighting for her equality and rights to not be discriminated against.

THE POET X by Elizabeth Acevedo

by TPS reader eichenholze25

The Poet X is by Elizabeth Acevedo and is a poetic novel which talks about the life of a teenager. The Poet X is an amazing book! I rate it a 10/10. This book is a little mature, and I would recommend a middle schooler or a high schooler to read this book. Each sentence is perfectly written and each word speaks so much.  

The main character of this book is Xiomara. Xiomara is a fifteen-year-old living with her controlling mom, clueless dad, and her twin brother. Xiomara lives in a Christian household where she isn’t allowed to do anything she wants. Xiomara loves music and finds her love in it. Her crush, Aman, is a rule breaker, and he nicknames her X. X and Aman eventually start dating, but X starts to ignore Aman for not standing up for her.  Her mom eventually finds out about her writing poetry and burns her book. Her mom thinks her daughter is going against Jesus by not following the rules of the church.  X writes out her emotions by writing poems. 

Each sentence is perfectly written and each word speaks so much.  In the end of the book, X overcomes all her difficulties and goes to the Slam poetry competition, starts getting along with her mother, and gets back together with Aman. 

ODD ONE OUT by Nic Stone

by TPS reader fettere23

Odd One Out is fiction by Nic Stone. The book takes you through a glimpse of your teenage years. It takes you through a group of kids figuring out their sexuality, interests, and personalities. This book navigates friendships and social interactions in a parent free society.This book is told through the voices of each of the three main characters as they try to figure out their lives. One of the main characters, Coop, has been best friends with his neighbor “Jupe” ever since they were seven years old. Recently, he is starting to think he wants to be more than just friends. Unfortunately for him, Jupe is gay. She also has a thing for the new girl Rae. The three form a friendship, (more like a love triangle). Rae is so grateful to have found them and thinks she fits in perfectly. Rae has an advantage to their hearts, because Jupe and Coop have been best friends for as long as they can remember, but Rae is unsure if she likes Coop or Jupe! She thinks maybe she likes both of them? To find out what happens next, you can read the book and find out for yourself!