THIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay Asher

by TPS reader hickst20

When Clay Jensen returns home from school one day, he sees a package on his porch with his name on it. Inside of the box he discovers seven cassette tapes. On these tapes, the voice of his crush and classmate, Hannah Baker, describes the reasons why she committed suicide two weeks before. In the tapes, she describes thirteen people that made her end her life. Clay is shocked when he realizes that he is on the tapes and that they get sent to every person that has wronged her. In the tapes, Hannah gives instructions that after the person listens to the tapes they must mail it to the next person mentioned after them. Clay goes everywhere Hannah describes in her tapes and becomes almost obsessed with learning about her past. Will Clay ever get over Hannah’s tragic death or will he always wonder about the what ifs of the past? Find out in this amazing and moving book written by the brilliant Jay Asher.

HOW TO BE BRAVE by E. Katherine Kottaras

by TPS Reader lawtona20

How to be Brave by E. Katherine Kottaras is about a young girl named Georgia who is about to begin her senior year in high school. She has lost her mom due to complications commonly found in obesity and has been enveloped in a deep fog of sadness ever since her mom’s death. Georgia herself is self-conscious about being overweight like her mother and has found it is easier to stick with her own, slow, boring routine. Liss, her best friend, decides Georgia needs to try something new and really learn to start living. Georgia must learn how to be brave, like her mom. So the two inseparable friends create a “Do Everything, Be Brave” list.  She tries things she has never done before that she thinks her mom would have liked such as tribal dancing and asking her crush from elementary school out on a date. Georgia’s father is the owner of a struggling Greek restaurant, but with the medical bills still flying in, the family finds themselves watching every dime. While making new friends and trying new things, Georgia discovers things about herself she would have never known had she not taken a leap of faith. Although along the way there are speed bumps and mountains she must overcome, she perseveres and makes it through.

I love this book because it focuses on loving yourself for who you are regardless of what you look like, which is very important in our society. Georgia falls in love with a boy and with herself all over again. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves a classic romance story with a subtle twist of irony.

ASTRAY by Amy Christine Parker

by TPS Reader – smithc17

Astray by Amy Christine Parker, is the amazing sequel to Gated, following Lyla’s story. In this book, Lyla is just trying to figure out who she wants to be. She doesn’t particularly want to be part of the community again, but she still feels attached to them. Pioneer is in jail; however, she still feels like he is always watching her and that she will never be able to totally get away from him. The community and Pioneer want her back, but she is just not sure whether she wants to go back to them. She and the other community kids start high school, which a much harder and much more complicated than she thought it would be. Most of the town, including the kids she goes to school with, think that they are all brainwashed and that they are dangerous to the town. Many think that they are plotting something bad against the town. This amazing sequel is about Lyla trying to find her way, and in the end to break free of Pioneer and the community. I thought that this book was fantastic. It was the perfect sequel to Gated, and I felt sucked in the whole time I read it. There are so many amazing plot twists and surprising moments that shock you and keep you on the edge of your seat.

 

The author did an amazing job of conveying Lyla’s feelings toward both the community and the outsiders, in which she was not totally sure about either one. The author was also able to convey Lyla’s struggles with twists of truth and trust, toward anyone, whether they were from the community or whether they were an outsider. Overall I absolutely loved this book and the first book as well, and I am so glad that I decided to read both of them.