Young Adults Choices 2005

YAC Index - by Author

A - B - C - D E - F G - H I - J K - L - M - N - O P - Q R - S - T U - V W - X Y Z

Young Adults Choices: Q, R

Qualey, Marsha	Too Big a Storm
	When serious worrier Brady Callahan meets vivacious Sally Cooper, daughter of a wealthy Minnesota family, they develop a close friendship that helps them both grow and survive during the turbulent Vietnam War era.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	The book was interesting, yet it went on sometimes about things that didn't need to be said again.


Rabin, Staton	Betsy and the Emperor
	In 1815 on the remote island of Saint Helena, fourteen-year-old Betsy Balcombe develops a friendly relationship with Napoleon Bonaparte who, after his defeat at Waterloo, is brought there as an exile and is housed with her family.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	I thought it was a really good book. I could really relate to Betsy and what she was going through.
2	I loved to read this book. It made me cry and laugh. The plot line, characterization, and theme were deeply developed and made me think about many things I did not notice before. "I recommend this book for everyone; I think it would be interesting for people of all ages, religions, interests."
1	This book did an amazing job of developing characters, but there were some loose ends that needed to be resolved or addressed.
2	Funny, interesting story. Quick read.

Randall, David	Clovermead: In the Shadow of the Bear
	Clovermead, twelve-year-old tomboy, learns that her father has been lying about the past and that the truth may be the key to ending the epic battle raging between the followers of Lord Ursus and those of Lady Moon.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	This book was amazing! The conflicts are just as they would be in real life! If there is a second book, I can't wait to read it!
2	Sometimes she seems insane and sometimes she is saner than me!

Rapp, Adam	Under the Wolf, Under the Dog
	Sixteen-year-old Steve struggles to make sense of his mother's terminal breast cancer and his brother's suicide.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	It was an odd way of telling a story and I had trouble connecting with it. It just wasn't completely my style.
2	I LOVED THIS BOOK! It is easily the best book I have read out of the Young Adults Choices. It is the best book I've read in a while. Period.
2	I could relate with the main character. This book as a lot of stuff going on, so focus, because most of it is pretty important. I like how he and his father rebuild their relationship or start to. I thought the book was very interesting and descriptive.

Reed, Kit	Thinner Than Thou
	Rev. Earl's luxury spa, Sylphania, is the rage for those with severe eating disorders until Jeremy Devlin enters and discovers the dark secrets at the core of Earl's empire.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
0	The book was impossible to get into. The plot was absurd and all together poorly put together. Reading the book was far from enjoyable. I would not recommend this to anyone.
2	I really liked the realness about what goes on in the future.
0	I couldn't get into it or really follow it.

Reeve, Philip	Predator's Gold
	In the distant future, when cities move about and consume smaller towns, Tom and Hester hope that the ice city of Anchorage will reach the rumored haven of the Dead Continent--America--before the savage Hunstmen of Arkangel find them.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	I thought the book was confusing but it got better at the end of it.
1	Some parts of the book were hard to understand.
1	Great story - bad setting. It takes a while to get interesting, but it's almost worth the wait.

Rennison, Louise	Away Laughing on a Fast Camel
	The saga of teenager Georgia Nicolson continues in diary entries about her life after her boyfriend goes off to Kiwi-agogoland, leaving her to make do without him.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	It was a little confusing at times - the way they talk.
2	I really enjoyed this book.
2	I liked how the book was written and formatted. It made it easier and more enjoyable to read.
2	I loved it. It's a really funny book; not to mention it's also an easy read.
1	I didn't like how you had to look int eh back to understand some of the words.

Rinaldi, Ann	Sarah's Ground
	In 1861, eighteen-year-old Sarah Tracy, from New York state, comes to work at Mount Vernon, the historic Virginia home of George Washington, where she tries to protect the safety and neutrality of the site during the Civil War, and where she encounters her future husband, Upton Herbert.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	This wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it was interesting to read this fictional account of the people who preserved Washington's home during the Civil War.
2	Sarah has no freedom until she house sits; her friend likes Upton but Sarah realizes she does too.

Roberts, Willo Davis	Blood on His Hands
	After the death of his little sister, Marc's life begins to fall apart--his parents divorce, his mother comes under the influence of a pushy insurance agent, and Marc is sent to a camp for socially maladjusted youths.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	This book was awesome. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to everyone.
2	Very sad, especially the part when the sister died. The ending could have been better.
2	This was a good book. Very short. It has you kept in suspense. Good story line! In the end I kinda felt bad for Marc.
2	Very interesting; a real page turner.
2	I liked how Marc never gave up searching for his dad; when he found him he told the court about camp.

Rosoff, Meg	How I Live Now
	To get away from her pregnant stepmother in New York City, fifteen-year-old Daisy goes to England to stay with her aunt and cousins, with whom she instantly bonds, but soon war breaks out and rips apart the family while devastating the land.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	The beginning of the book is very hard to follow but once you get past the first 75 pages it picks up but after a great book.
1	The book entertained me, but the two cousins that fell in love kind of weirded me out.
1	I though this book was just okay.
1	I'd recommend this book for 11th and it's more for a girl to read than a boy.
2	I really enjoyed this book.
2	This book was great, but you have to be into what it's about or you probably won't like it as much.
2	I know how it feels to move from a city to a farm. I enjoyed it because it had a little bit of everything. It was like a real life story.
1	This book was just okay.

Runyon, Brent	Burn Journals, The
	Presents the true story of Brent Runyon, who at fourteen set himself on fire and sustained burns over eighty percent of his body and describes the months of physical and mental rehabilitation that followed as he attempted to pull his life together.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	Pretty cool. Very edgy. I liked that.
2	The book is really good because it was interesting to know about all that he went through and how he recovered so well.
2	This book is really good because it's about a kid who burned himself in a shower then changed his mind, turned the water on. It's interesting to the point a fast read - you can't put it down - you just have to know how the author deals with his friends & burn marks afterwards.
2	This book was great! I have never been this interested in a book as I was to this one. I strongly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
2	I enjoyed this book. I don't mind when they have a lot of profanity because I'm used to it and it doesn't bother me.
2	The book is strong and a true tale of what it's like going through depression and the after shocks of an attempted suicide.
1	I like how he showed his pain. This book was real for me. It showed great choice making and consequences. There was a bad ending. It just dropped off and I wanted to hear about his high school days.
0	Ther is barely any story. There is no theme and the author was not really elaborate.
2	I really enjoyed the book.

Rushton, Rosie	Friends, Enemies
	When fourteen-year-old Tory and her circle reluctantly befriend Hannah, they uncover deceit and hidden family crises.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
0	Well for one thing this book was all about girls and how they think and I do not happen to be a girl. Also, the problem was not a very interesting one.
1	I liked this book because it is a typical teen story about all of the drama that teenagers go through. There was an okay plot line, but I think the solution could have been a little less confusing. Generally I liked the story.
2	I liked that it was a backstabbing book; Tory was dreary and Hannah barged into everything.
2	I loved this book!
2	I liked the part where the group goes to the pier party and when the girls tricked Hannah.

Ryan, Darlene	Rules for Life
	Izzy managed to survive by adhering to the rules her mother set down before she died, but when her father decided to remarry, Izzy learned a hard lesson that family involves more than blood and that rules are not always absolute.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	This was a very sad book but I thought it was well written and easy to follow. I could relate to the main character in more ways than one.
2	This book made me think a lot about life in general. Life is hard for everyone.
1	I liked the book. I would recommend it to other students. It was an easy and quick read, but it was not the best.

Ryan, Pam Muñoz	Becoming Naomi León
	When Naomi's absent mother resurfaces to claim her, Naomi runs away to Mexico with her great-grandmother and younger brother in search of her father.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	Awesome!
2	It was different from other books and had interesting characters.
2	It was great. I liked how Naomi lived up to her name.
1	This was a little confusing at times but it was good for the most part.