Tag Archives: hmh books for young readers

Book Title:
A Death-Struck Year
Book Author:
Makiia Lucier
Page Count:
288
Publishing Date:
January 5th, 2016
Publisher:
HMH Books for Young Readers
Date Read:
September 2nd, 2019
Format:
Paperback
Source:
Purchased

Synopsis

For Cleo Berry, the people dying of the Spanish Influenza in cities like New York and Philadelphia may as well be in another country—that's how far away they feel from the safety of Portland, Oregon. And then cases start being reported in the Pacific Northwest. Schools, churches, and theaters shut down. The entire city is thrust into survival mode—and into a panic. Headstrong and foolish, seventeen-year-old Cleo is determined to ride out the pandemic in the comfort of her own home, rather than in her quarantined boarding school dorms. But when the Red Cross pleads for volunteers, she can't ignore the call. As Cleo struggles to navigate the world around her, she is surprised by how much she finds herself caring about near-strangers. Strangers like Edmund, a handsome medical student and war vet. Strangers who could be gone tomorrow. And as the bodies begin to pile up, Cleo can't help but wonder: when will her own luck run out?

Riveting and well-researched, A Death-Struck Year is based on the real-life pandemic considered the most devastating in recorded world history. Readers will be captured by the suspenseful storytelling and the lingering questions of: what would I do for a neighbor? At what risk to myself?

An afterword explains the Spanish flu phenomenon, placing it within the historical context of the early 20th century. Source notes are extensive and interesting.

A Spring 2014 Indies Introduce New Voices selection.

My Review

A Death Struck Year was one of those books that I bought ages ago, but kind of just sat on my shelf and never got read until recently. I’m not always big on historical fiction, and I really have to … Continue reading

3.5 stars
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Book Tour
Book Title:
Your One & Only
Book Author:
Adrianne Finlay
Page Count:
320
Publishing Date:
February 6th, 2018
Publisher:
HMH Books for Young Readers
Date Read:
February 5th, 2018
Source:
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review - Thank you!

Synopsis

Jack is a walking fossil. The only human among a sea of clones. It’s been hundreds of years since humanity died off in the slow plague, leaving the clones behind to carry on human existence. Over time they’ve perfected their genes, moving further away from the imperfections of humanity. But if they really are perfect, why did they create Jack?

While Jack longs for acceptance, Althea-310 struggles with the feeling that she’s different from her sisters. Her fascination with Jack doesn’t help. As Althea and Jack’s connection grows stronger, so does the threat to their lives. What will happen if they do the unthinkable and fall in love?

My Review

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a dystopian novel.  I kind of stopped reading them because I felt like I read the same story over and over a few times, and I needed to branch out to a … Continue reading

6 Comments
Book Tour
Book Title:
Nice Try, Jane Sinner
Book Author:
Lianne Oelke
Page Count:
416
Publisher:
HMH Books for Young Readers
Date Read:
January 25th, 2018
Source:
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review - Thank you!

Synopsis

The only thing 17-year-old Jane Sinner hates more than failure is pity. After a personal crisis and her subsequent expulsion from high school, she’s going nowhere fast. Jane’s well-meaning parents push her to attend a high school completion program at the nearby Elbow River Community College, and she agrees, on one condition: she gets to move out.

Jane tackles her housing problem by signing up for House of Orange, a student-run reality show that is basically Big Brother, but for Elbow River Students. Living away from home, the chance to win a car (used, but whatever), and a campus full of people who don't know what she did in high school… what more could she want? Okay, maybe a family that understands why she’d rather turn to Freud than Jesus to make sense of her life, but she'll settle for fifteen minutes in the proverbial spotlight.

As House of Orange grows from a low-budget web series to a local TV show with fans and shoddy T-shirts, Jane finally has the chance to let her cynical, competitive nature thrive. She'll use her growing fan base, and whatever Intro to Psychology can teach her, to prove to the world—or at least viewers of substandard TV—that she has what it takes to win.

My Review

I heard that Nice Try, Jane Sinner was funny, but I wasn’t expecting to fully enjoy it and laugh as hard as I did.  From the very first page I caught myself laughing, and as the book went on, I … Continue reading

7 Comments
Book Tour
Book Title:
The Special Ones
Book Author:
Em Bailey
Page Count:
304
Publishing Date:
July 18th, 2017
Publisher:
HMH Books for Young Readers
Date Read:
July 9th, 2017
Source:
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review - Thank you!

Synopsis

Esther is one of the Special Ones: four young spiritual guides who live in a remote farmhouse under the protection of a mysterious cult leader. He watches them around the clock, ready to punish them if they forget who they are—and all the while, broadcasting their lives to eager followers on the outside. Esther knows that if she stops being Special, he will “renew” her. Nobody knows what happens to the Special Ones who are taken away from the farm for renewal, but Esther fears the worst. Like an actor caught up in an endless play, she must keep up the performance if she wants to survive long enough to escape.

My Review

The Special Ones was one of those really interesting (and incredibly creepy) sounding books that almost completely slipped under the radar for me, but once I heard about it, I knew it was the kind of book that I really … Continue reading

8 Comments
Book Tour
Book Title:
How to Make a Wish
Book Author:
Ashley Herring Blake
Page Count:
336
Publishing Date:
May 2nd, 2017
Publisher:
HMH Books for Young Readers
Date Read:
April 26th, 2017
Source:
ARC from publisher - Thank you!

Synopsis

Grace, tough and wise, has nearly given up on wishes, thanks to a childhood spent with her unpredictable, larger-than-life mother. But this summer, Grace meets Eva, a girl who believes in dreams, despite her own difficult circumstances.

One fateful evening, Eva climbs through a window in Grace’s room, setting off a chain of stolen nights on the beach. When Eva tells Grace that she likes girls, Grace’s world opens up and she begins to believe in happiness again. How to Make a Wish is an emotionally charged portrait of a mother and daughter’s relationship and a heartfelt story about two girls who find each other at the exact right time.

My Review

Last year, I had completely fallen in love with Ashley Herring Blake’s debut novel, Suffer Love, and this year, I’ve fallen in love again with her second novel, How to Make a Wish.  This is probably one of the most … Continue reading

4.5 stars
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