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The Alex Crow
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From the critically acclaimed author of cult teen novel Grasshopper Jungle, Andrew Smith, comes a...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Perfect on Paper in Books
Mar 11, 2021
A cute teen love story
Darcy Phillips is excellent at doling out relationship advice. So good, in fact, that she secretly runs locker 89 at her high school where her fellow classmates drop off letters asking for help and Darcy answers them (for a $10 fee). But her secret identity is challenged when Alexander Brougham catches her at the locker after school. So Darcy reluctantly agrees to help him get back together with his ex-girlfriend, Winona. At a hourly cost, because Alexander is loaded and Darcy's a rare scholarship student. And after all, if everyone finds out she runs locker 89, not only will her secret be out, her best friend/crush, Brooke, will realize she's done some questionable meddling in Brooke's life via the locker. All she needs to do is help a rich, entitled guy win his former girlfriend back? How hard can it be?
"Why was it so much harder to answer my own relationship questions than everyone else's?"
This is a really cute and fun read. It totally stressed me out in places. I'm not good with lying, and here we have Darcy not only fibbing about "being" locker 89, but then she's using the locker to meddle with her friends' relationships? Ahh! Cue my blood pressure going up.
But I couldn't help but feel fondly for this girl who so meticulously researched her letters, who so desperately wanted to help others, but was afraid to take risks in her own world. She's starry-eyed in love with Brooke, but too scared to say anything. Who hasn't been there?
Gonzales gives us a huge handful of diverse representation--such an excellent set of queer characters. Darcy is part of the Queer and Questioning Club at her school. There's an episode at the club covering bi-phobia that made me cheer out loud and honestly is worth the read alone. I love the trend of all these YA books with such strong, positive queer messages. I could have used this as a teen, for sure. Now if we could normalize bisexuality in literary and contemporary fiction!
There's some melodrama in this one and Darcy's self-centeredness and angst got to me, at times--perhaps this book could have been just a bit shorter. But, it was probably a fair representation of the turmoil teens experience.
Overall, this is an easy read covering both serious and fun (romance! Disneyland!) topics. It offers an excellent cast, lots of cute moments, and some strong insight into bisexuality and other LGBTQIA issues facing teens today.
I received a copy of this book from Wednesday Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
"Why was it so much harder to answer my own relationship questions than everyone else's?"
This is a really cute and fun read. It totally stressed me out in places. I'm not good with lying, and here we have Darcy not only fibbing about "being" locker 89, but then she's using the locker to meddle with her friends' relationships? Ahh! Cue my blood pressure going up.
But I couldn't help but feel fondly for this girl who so meticulously researched her letters, who so desperately wanted to help others, but was afraid to take risks in her own world. She's starry-eyed in love with Brooke, but too scared to say anything. Who hasn't been there?
Gonzales gives us a huge handful of diverse representation--such an excellent set of queer characters. Darcy is part of the Queer and Questioning Club at her school. There's an episode at the club covering bi-phobia that made me cheer out loud and honestly is worth the read alone. I love the trend of all these YA books with such strong, positive queer messages. I could have used this as a teen, for sure. Now if we could normalize bisexuality in literary and contemporary fiction!
There's some melodrama in this one and Darcy's self-centeredness and angst got to me, at times--perhaps this book could have been just a bit shorter. But, it was probably a fair representation of the turmoil teens experience.
Overall, this is an easy read covering both serious and fun (romance! Disneyland!) topics. It offers an excellent cast, lots of cute moments, and some strong insight into bisexuality and other LGBTQIA issues facing teens today.
I received a copy of this book from Wednesday Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
Andy K (10823 KP) rated The Gate (1987) in Movies
Sep 29, 2019
Gremlins meets Explorers in some good 80's fun!
After a lightning storm, a major tree get uprooted in the suburban back yard of Glen and his sometimes nice big sister, Al. Glen and his best friend Terry proceed to investigate and discover some cool geode stones. At the same time, Glen and Al's parents are going away and leaving the teen and pre-teens home alone (doesn't this always happen in 80's movies).
All seems well enough until the boys split the geode and it spurts out some ancient writing that Glen reads aloud. Al decides to have a party while her parents are away (go figure) where Glen is levitated during a mini seance. Terry discovers during one of his headbanging sessions some of these events coincidentally are said to open a demonic gate where strange creatures can emerge, torment those they find and ravage the Earth.
The three protagonists decide to try and close the "gate" by reading ancient text and Bible verses. This proves successful and small, feisty demons begin to appear and creep into their house. After several run ins, more unusual things start happening within the home, possibly as a precursor for something even bigger on the horizon.
The teens must formulate a plan to dispose of their new house-guests before it is too late!
Funny that Glen is played by a very young Stephen Dorff in his very first role. He reminds me of a young Ethan Hawke in Explorers as his nerd friend Terry reminds me of River Phoenix in the same film.
The movie is cheesy with dated special and optical effects that modern audiences might get annoyed by or find lame and of poor quality. The small demons are more funny than they are scary, but I still enjoyed seeing them on screen. I actually thought it was stop motion animation similar to a Ray Harryhausen film like Clash of the Titans, but they were actually actors in demon costumes and then shot in forced perspective to make them seem smaller.
The movie is only 85 minutes and the plot does take a little while to get going. The first half of the movie is more like every 80's movie you have ever seen with dated hairstyles, clothing and dialogue, but once the demon stuff manifests it becomes more interesting.
Even though PG-13 with some semi scary moments, the movie does seem the style of Gremlins meaning maybe aiming more for a younger audience rather than being excessively disgusting or graphic.
Hopefully you can put aside the elements I mentioned that aren't up to today's standards and enjoy the cute, interesting story this film inhabits. I surely did.
All seems well enough until the boys split the geode and it spurts out some ancient writing that Glen reads aloud. Al decides to have a party while her parents are away (go figure) where Glen is levitated during a mini seance. Terry discovers during one of his headbanging sessions some of these events coincidentally are said to open a demonic gate where strange creatures can emerge, torment those they find and ravage the Earth.
The three protagonists decide to try and close the "gate" by reading ancient text and Bible verses. This proves successful and small, feisty demons begin to appear and creep into their house. After several run ins, more unusual things start happening within the home, possibly as a precursor for something even bigger on the horizon.
The teens must formulate a plan to dispose of their new house-guests before it is too late!
Funny that Glen is played by a very young Stephen Dorff in his very first role. He reminds me of a young Ethan Hawke in Explorers as his nerd friend Terry reminds me of River Phoenix in the same film.
The movie is cheesy with dated special and optical effects that modern audiences might get annoyed by or find lame and of poor quality. The small demons are more funny than they are scary, but I still enjoyed seeing them on screen. I actually thought it was stop motion animation similar to a Ray Harryhausen film like Clash of the Titans, but they were actually actors in demon costumes and then shot in forced perspective to make them seem smaller.
The movie is only 85 minutes and the plot does take a little while to get going. The first half of the movie is more like every 80's movie you have ever seen with dated hairstyles, clothing and dialogue, but once the demon stuff manifests it becomes more interesting.
Even though PG-13 with some semi scary moments, the movie does seem the style of Gremlins meaning maybe aiming more for a younger audience rather than being excessively disgusting or graphic.
Hopefully you can put aside the elements I mentioned that aren't up to today's standards and enjoy the cute, interesting story this film inhabits. I surely did.
Caeli is one member that has a few unique skills. There is a commander in trouble with his spaceship. Will he survive? Caeli is part of the few survivors of her world. She is taken from her home and put with someone that being dictator.
Tabitha is a good author and she brings it all to life. What will happen on Horizon. Will the commander and Caeli get together and help save the crew, and find love in each other? She happy to work on the ship in where she loves working.
We go on adventures through inner space and what life is like on Horizon. Will they all survive or not? I enjoyed this book from the first page to the last page. I cannot wait to start the second book that I do have in this series. The author has done wonderfully with it. There are surprises throughout the book and some romance as well.
I believe this book is good for though science fiction but also I would suggest teens read it from the age of 14 and up. The parent has the right to decide. It being rated PG 13 so it would be okay for 13 years old if you the parent this your child or children are mature enough for the book. That is up to you.
Tabitha is a good author and she brings it all to life. What will happen on Horizon. Will the commander and Caeli get together and help save the crew, and find love in each other? She happy to work on the ship in where she loves working.
We go on adventures through inner space and what life is like on Horizon. Will they all survive or not? I enjoyed this book from the first page to the last page. I cannot wait to start the second book that I do have in this series. The author has done wonderfully with it. There are surprises throughout the book and some romance as well.
I believe this book is good for though science fiction but also I would suggest teens read it from the age of 14 and up. The parent has the right to decide. It being rated PG 13 so it would be okay for 13 years old if you the parent this your child or children are mature enough for the book. That is up to you.
Stoneysilence (30 KP) rated Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies: The Real West in Books
Sep 7, 2017
Written for Teens
I guess I was expecting too much when I bought this book and decided to read it. It cover twelve famous people from the wild west, but at less than 300 pages that puts each famous person at only getting about 20 pages each and that is included probably 4-6 photos or drawings for each character probably taking up 2-3 pages of the alloted 20.
So in essence what I had hoped would have been a well done more in depth detail of these famous people turned out to be college level essays on each one. It’s well written, there is no doubt about that. It’s just something I would expect from a Freshman college level course or a High School Senior. Maybe that is because this books is targeted at a very casual audience. In fact if I was a teacher in HS or MS I probably would assign this as reading.
But if you know much at all about the wild west or where hoping for a more in depth book, then look elsewhere and get this for you kid or grand kid instead.
Normally I would have rated it 4/5 but it has DRM so it gets a 3/5 instead, especially at the outrageous price it is selling for.
So in essence what I had hoped would have been a well done more in depth detail of these famous people turned out to be college level essays on each one. It’s well written, there is no doubt about that. It’s just something I would expect from a Freshman college level course or a High School Senior. Maybe that is because this books is targeted at a very casual audience. In fact if I was a teacher in HS or MS I probably would assign this as reading.
But if you know much at all about the wild west or where hoping for a more in depth book, then look elsewhere and get this for you kid or grand kid instead.
Normally I would have rated it 4/5 but it has DRM so it gets a 3/5 instead, especially at the outrageous price it is selling for.
BeRad89 (48 KP) rated Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda in Books
Apr 11, 2018
Simon is a gay, still in the closet boy attending Creekwood High School. He is e-mailing the mysterious Blue, identity unknown, more frequently with increasing flirtation. A fellow classmate stumbles upon these exchanges and starts blackmailing Simon. Things get interesting.
I will begin by saying I read this book in one day. I could not put it down, other than the times I had to run squealing around the room from the cuteness of the e-mail exchanges between these two boys. It is adorable. The e-mails are by far the best part of this book. They are what kept me reading. I wanted to know who Blue was so bad I couldn't stand it!
I have one main critique for this book. All the characters are pretty much horrible people except Blue and the theater teacher. Everyone is so selfish, shallow, and idiotic. It made me so glad to never have to step foot in a high school again. That was disappointing. Even Simon is self centered and clueless. Are teens really like this now?
With that said, I still give this book 5 out of 5 stars. It is utterly adorable and, for some books, maybe that's all they need or are meant to be. I would recommend this book to any teen, YA, and/or LGBT readers.
I will begin by saying I read this book in one day. I could not put it down, other than the times I had to run squealing around the room from the cuteness of the e-mail exchanges between these two boys. It is adorable. The e-mails are by far the best part of this book. They are what kept me reading. I wanted to know who Blue was so bad I couldn't stand it!
I have one main critique for this book. All the characters are pretty much horrible people except Blue and the theater teacher. Everyone is so selfish, shallow, and idiotic. It made me so glad to never have to step foot in a high school again. That was disappointing. Even Simon is self centered and clueless. Are teens really like this now?
With that said, I still give this book 5 out of 5 stars. It is utterly adorable and, for some books, maybe that's all they need or are meant to be. I would recommend this book to any teen, YA, and/or LGBT readers.
Lindsay (1727 KP) rated Abuse Of Discretion in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Abuse of Discretion is about a boy that saves a picture of and is the one that got accused of something he did not do. What will the justice system do about it? Is the adult system better than the juvenile criminal justice system?
The author takes you inside the juvenile criminal justice system with this story and plot. It about a boy and sex-texting. Will Graylin be put in jail for something he did not do or will be saved interact and that he got a photo of a classmate saved on his phone? He was just doing what young kids do at their age of fourteen. Will the truth be set him free or not.
Why do juvenile criminal justice system judges like to lock up teens and not let them go? It could have to do with something about the law written by the state. We get an inside of the system and to find out what happens we see Pamela and Angelica take on the case of depending Graylin.
Dres Thomas has his own problems to deal with. Will he outwit the Shepard or will he be killed himself? You will need to find out by reading. Pamela Samuels Young write the plot well. She throws in twist and turns and mystery throughout the book.
The author takes you inside the juvenile criminal justice system with this story and plot. It about a boy and sex-texting. Will Graylin be put in jail for something he did not do or will be saved interact and that he got a photo of a classmate saved on his phone? He was just doing what young kids do at their age of fourteen. Will the truth be set him free or not.
Why do juvenile criminal justice system judges like to lock up teens and not let them go? It could have to do with something about the law written by the state. We get an inside of the system and to find out what happens we see Pamela and Angelica take on the case of depending Graylin.
Dres Thomas has his own problems to deal with. Will he outwit the Shepard or will he be killed himself? You will need to find out by reading. Pamela Samuels Young write the plot well. She throws in twist and turns and mystery throughout the book.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Vanishing Girls in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Oliver's novel covers the story of sisters Nick (Nicole) and Dara, who grew up close, but have drifted apart as teens. Then they are in a terrible accident, which pulls them even further apart -- to the point where they aren't even speaking. However, when Nick eventually thinks Dara has disappeared, she goes on a quest to find her sister and help her.
This book was just sort of eh... I don't think it's really a spoiler to say that the "vanishing" part for Dara doesn't take place until well into the plot. The story is more the tale of Dara and Nick's lives before and after their accident (told in their own voices, jumping between time). It's actually rather compelling as is and the whole "vanishing" almost seems like an unwelcome distraction once it arrives.
It's not to say the whole book is bad. I struggled with the rating, really. There's a lot of suspense that simply captures the sisters' lives and tumult surrounding the accident. Oliver does a good job portraying Nick's teen life and her growth as she works at an amusement park over the summer.
Still, the "vanishing girls" part feels contrived at times and parts of Dara's life, as it unfolds, seems forced. Overall, I'm still sort of unsure about this one, truly. It leaves you a little uneven, which who knows... may be the point!
This book was just sort of eh... I don't think it's really a spoiler to say that the "vanishing" part for Dara doesn't take place until well into the plot. The story is more the tale of Dara and Nick's lives before and after their accident (told in their own voices, jumping between time). It's actually rather compelling as is and the whole "vanishing" almost seems like an unwelcome distraction once it arrives.
It's not to say the whole book is bad. I struggled with the rating, really. There's a lot of suspense that simply captures the sisters' lives and tumult surrounding the accident. Oliver does a good job portraying Nick's teen life and her growth as she works at an amusement park over the summer.
Still, the "vanishing girls" part feels contrived at times and parts of Dara's life, as it unfolds, seems forced. Overall, I'm still sort of unsure about this one, truly. It leaves you a little uneven, which who knows... may be the point!
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988) in Movies
Oct 27, 2019
Horror movie hostess Elvira dreams of hosting a show in Vegas. When she receives saying that her Great Aunt had died she thinks her dreams have come true. Once she arrives at Fallwell, Massachusetts for the reading of the will she finds that things won’t be as easy as she had hoped. As the town turns against her and family secrets are uncovered Elvira needs to find a way to stop her great Uncles plan.
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark brings a backstory to Cassandra Pearson's character Elvira, gothic late night horror hostess. The film starts during one of Elvira’s shows when she receives a telegram telling her to go the reading of a will for a dead relative and, in the events that follow she finds out that she really is a witch.
Elvira is odd in the fact that it is almost in the style of an 80’s teen movie but it isn’t quite one. There are a few teens in the cast but the film does focus on Elvira and other people in the town.
Elvira, Mistress of the dark is rated 15 and is a comedy with a couple of scenes of peril and one jump scare. A lot of the humour focuses on Elvira’s rather ample bosom but in a quite tasteful way, it’s not a ‘Sex comedy’.
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark brings a backstory to Cassandra Pearson's character Elvira, gothic late night horror hostess. The film starts during one of Elvira’s shows when she receives a telegram telling her to go the reading of a will for a dead relative and, in the events that follow she finds out that she really is a witch.
Elvira is odd in the fact that it is almost in the style of an 80’s teen movie but it isn’t quite one. There are a few teens in the cast but the film does focus on Elvira and other people in the town.
Elvira, Mistress of the dark is rated 15 and is a comedy with a couple of scenes of peril and one jump scare. A lot of the humour focuses on Elvira’s rather ample bosom but in a quite tasteful way, it’s not a ‘Sex comedy’.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2271 KP) rated The Missing Chums in Books
Jan 20, 2019
Who Kidnapped Chet and Biff?
The only thing that could make summer vacation better for Frank and Joe Hardy is a mystery, and one is handed to them by Chief Collig when he asks them to go undercover at the homeless encampment outside of town and find out what is causing the increased fighting down there. Before the teens can begin their assignment, they witness a bank robbery, however. Then, after a costume party hosted by Callie Shaw and Iola Morton, their friends Chet and Biff vanish. Can the brothers figure out what happened to their friends? Are all these events connected?
I was a bit worried that the book had bitten off more than it could successfully resolve, but it did a good job of reigning in these plots and bringing them to a successful conclusion. I enjoyed seeing how Frank and Joe figured things out and successfully wrapped everything up. The characters are shallow as always, but it's not something I remember as a kid, so I bet today's kids will not notice either. They might notice how dated some elements are, including the word "chum" in the title. However, that kind of things never stopped me as a kid, and I bet most will get caught up in the fast-moving action of the story.
I was a bit worried that the book had bitten off more than it could successfully resolve, but it did a good job of reigning in these plots and bringing them to a successful conclusion. I enjoyed seeing how Frank and Joe figured things out and successfully wrapped everything up. The characters are shallow as always, but it's not something I remember as a kid, so I bet today's kids will not notice either. They might notice how dated some elements are, including the word "chum" in the title. However, that kind of things never stopped me as a kid, and I bet most will get caught up in the fast-moving action of the story.