YA lit – Page 2 – Rachel Heston-Davis

Which Literary Character Are You?

ByRachel September 3, 2009 4 Comments

There's an interesting conversation over at blog Fantasy Debut about bonding with characters in the novels you read. Most people who read find at least one or two characters in literature who feel real to them--characters you'd want to meet and hang out with. Characters you admire. It got me thinking about a related topic; which literary characters have I felt were the most like me? Which ones...

Fall Reading in YA Lit

ByRachel September 1, 2009 4 Comments

Everyone thinks of summer as the time to lie back with a good book. We see advertisements for "great summer reads" each May. But what about fall? No one advertises "great autumn reads." Granted, students start back to school in the fall and thus have less time for free reading. But that shouldn't stop them! Free reading is still important, and there are plenty of shorter YA books out there that...

Dark Conflict in YA Books

ByRachel August 19, 2009 2 Comments

I've noticed a trend in young adult literature that I don't remember being the case when I was a teen. While browsing popular YA fiction web sites, I keep running across books about the darker "hot topics" of today's culture--teen molestation by older men, self-mutilation, suicide, etc. Is it just me, or were YA books a bit less grim ten years ago? (And yes, it has been ten years since I was in...

Life Imitates Art

ByRachel August 19, 2009 0 Comments

This is too weird. I just read EON: DRAGONEYE REBORN by Alison Goodman about a girl posing as a boy to win a competition. Then today I stumbled on this Yahoo story. In Goodman's story, Eon and her master believe she can excel in the Dragoneye competition. But it's closed to girls, so they pass her off as a young boy. As they suspected, she wins the competition. Throughout the book, others...

Inspiring Book!

ByRachel August 17, 2009 0 Comments

I just finished BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS by Shannon Hale and it was simply inspiring! Not since THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL have I read through something so fast, just because I needed to find out what happens next. Great storytelling, fast-paced plot, likable characters, and a love story that doesn't writhe with stereotypes and sugar. This will certainly be the book club's next book after MELTING...