Girls of July
by Alex Flinn
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: June 4, 2019
In the month of July, four girls sharing a cabin in the Adirondack mountains go from strangers to close friends. There’s Meredith, a hardworking student who may be a little stressed out; Britta, a talkative drama queen who came to get away from it all; Kate, a socialite hiding away from her family’s scandal; and Spider, an aspiring filmmaker with chronic pain who feels isolated from other teens. When Spider and her grandmother rent out rooms in their summer home to Meredith, Britta, and Kate, there’s plenty of tension between the different personalities. Over their month together, the girls learn not to judge others by their first impression and become good friends.
GIRLS OF JULY is a very character-driven book. Each girl has her own character development, for example, Meredith learning there’s more to life than perfect grades and it isn’t the end of the world to be imperfect. Accompanying the main four is a cast of side characters, with their own development and stories. They get some focus, but in a way that reflects the main characters’ development rather than distracting from it. There are some parts that feel a little tropey, such as the bonding-through-telling-deep-personal-stories-over-the-campfire, but they fit with the story and aren’t too cheesy. The girls have their individual plotlines with points of intersection that keep the book interesting without over the top drama. I wouldn’t call it groundbreaking, but it is an interesting and thoroughly enjoyable story.
XL
by Scott Brown
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 26, 2019
In his moving new novel, Scott Brown tells the story of 4’11” Will Daughtry. With best friend and stepbrother Drew and longtime crush Monica at his side, Will is set to conquer the world in spite of his short stature. But on the day of his sixteenth birthday, nothing goes right for Will and he is left wondering if he is destined to be invisible for the rest of his life. Then, against all odds, Will starts to grow. And grow. And grow. Suddenly, he’s no longer invisible. But that comes with its own set of problems, problems that Will must overcome with the help of his best friends. XL is a heartwarming novel about what a pain it is to grow up and how to embrace change.
It felt somewhat ironic that I, a 6’3” sixteen year old, was reading this book. I’ve never had to deal with the problem of being short, and so my eyes were really opened by Will’s strife. Throughout XL, I was rapt, each chapter leaving me more engaged with the story and yearning to find out more. The book’s only downfall was an ending that left me wanting just a bit more. Despite this, XL was a fantastic book, filled with humor, intelligence, and irrefutable truths. Let’s just say that the next book I read will have some big shoes to fill.
The Disasters
by M. K. England
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: December 18, 2018
THE DISASTERS by M.K. England is most definitely described perfectly by its summary; “The Breakfast Club meets Guardians of the Galaxy.”Jam packed with enough action and awkwardness to put a high school to shame, THE DISASTERS is a fast-paced science fiction adventure that follows the story of four Ellis Space Station Academy “rejects,” Nax, Zee, Rion and Case. Many years in the future, Earth has colonized countless planets within and without its solar system, and getting into Ellis Academy is a one-way ticket to reaching them all. However, when the Academy is suddenly taken over by mysterious terrorists and wiped of all life, Nax and his fellow misfits are lucky enough to escape. But are they lucky enough to outrun the countless dangers coming their way?
With its hilariously engaging characters and well-written plot, THE DISASTERS is definitely worth the read; England does a fantastic job keeping the anticipation going, and I especially like how the characters are written and how they interact with each other. Each character is different in their own way, ranging from polished diplomat, to hotshot pilot, to witty genius. Rion, Nax, Case, and Zee get along in ways that just feel so human; their healthy and supportive friendship deserves appreciation.
All in all, if you are looking for an exciting winter read to enjoy by a hot fireplace, M.K. England’s THE DISASTERS would go perfectly with fuzzy socks and some hot cocoa!
Turtles All the Way Down
by John Green
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young People
Publication Date: October 10, 2017
John Green has done what I thought was impossible: he has out-John Greened himself. This is TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN in a nutshell: an emotional tale riddled with obscure literary references that only someone who has read an entire library would understand, the quirky best friend(TM), and too many internal monologues to count ...and I loved every second of it. More than just a romance, or a look at teenage friendship, or a coming of age adventure, TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN is about personal struggles with mental health and the inescapability of one's own mind. Aza, the main character, tries to live her life and not be controlled by her "thought spirals", but is held back by the very thing only she has control of: herself.
This book was a bit different from some of Green's other books, in that it was less plot based and more based on the internal emotions of the main character, but I think that he was really able to convey true and raw depth of the characters, especially Aza. His own personal experiences with mental health are visible through Aza; her struggles don't seem fake or exaggerated and are grounded in the roots of John Green's own fight. This is not a book to read passively; it demands a deep connection from the reader to actively root for and against the characters, often at the same time. Following the publication of this book, there is likely to be a trend in YA focusing on mental health, as seen in the effect of Green's other books after their releases, yet I doubt any of them will be able to match the caliber and power of TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN. There were definitely some problems, don't get me wrong. The freedom of these 16 to 17 year olds to do whatever they wanted is highly implausible, and the lack of any actively responsible parental figures is a bit strange, but these are commonly overlooked in YA fiction, whether it be a misunderstanding of the lives of modern teens or the need to further the plot, but it doesn't have too much of a negative effect on the novel as a whole. I was really impressed at this book overall, and hope that John Green doesn't take as long to write his next one.
In the month of July, four girls sharing a cabin in the Adirondack mountains go from strangers to close friends. There’s Meredith, a hardworking student who may be a little stressed out; Britta, a talkative drama queen who came to get away from it all; Kate, a socialite hiding away from her family’s scandal; and Spider, an aspiring filmmaker with chronic pain who feels isolated from other teens. When Spider and her grandmother rent out rooms in their summer home to Meredith, Britta, and Kate, there’s plenty of tension between the different personalities. Over their month together, the girls learn not to judge others by their first impression and become good friends.
