The Boyfriend App, by Katie Sise (Balzer + Bray, 2013)

When Audrey McCarthy sees an opportunity to change her family’s fortunes and win a college scholarship for herself by developing the next great mobile app, she accidentally sets off a firestorm of confusion and not-so-wacky hijinks. Her idea is simple: … Continue reading

How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True, by Sarah Strohmeyer (Balzer+Bray, 2013)

In this lively teen comedy, the Devil turns in her Prada for a crown and a magic mirror. It was supposed to be the summer of awesomeness, the opportunity of a lifetime.  Zoe Kiefer and her cousin Jess have been … Continue reading

Last Cut, by Wren Handman (James Lorimer & Company, 2013)

Caitlin Myers is a teenage actress who desperately wants to be a superstar.  When she gets the chance to audition for a local B-movie slasher flick, she leaps at the chance.  She’s thrilled when she wins the role, though less … Continue reading

Money Run, by Jack Heath (Scholastic, 2013)

Ashley Arthur is calm, cool, and collected. She can pick locks, steal cars, rewire alarms, and scale fences like a champion. She’s one of the best thieves in the world…and she’s only fifteen. With her partner Benjamin running tech support … Continue reading

Out of Sync, by Amanda Humann (Lerner, 2013)

Madison “Maddie” Wong plays soccer for the Fraser Hugh Copperheads.  A talented midfielder, she dreams of playing for a Division 1 college like Stanford or Duke, but she’s overly reliant on the “sick soccer sync” she shares with her best … Continue reading

Offside, by M.G. Higgins (Lerner, 2013)

Faith Patel may only be an average soccer player—practically a benchwarmer for the Fraser High Copperheads—but it’s something she loves.  More importantly, it’s one of her few refuges from the constant pressure of family and academics. Torn between her responsibilities … Continue reading

This is What Happy Looks Like, by Jennifer E. Smith (Little, Brown and Co, 2013)

He’s a teen movie star with a pet pig and a severe case of the sort of loneliness only the famous can know.  She’s a small town girl with daddy issues and her own reasons for keeping out of the … Continue reading

Speechless, by Hannah Harrington (Harlequin/Mira INK, 2012)

What happens when a mean girl goes a step too far through carelessness, not malevolence, and ends up experiencing a self-imposed penance? Just ask Chelsea Knot, generally regarded as a major blabbermouth who’ll do anything to stay in the good … Continue reading

Virtuosity, by Jessica Martinez (Simon & Schuster, 2011)

  Seventeen-year-old Carmen Bianchi is a violin prodigy, a world-class, Grammy-winning, Stradivarius-wielding musician at the top of her game. She’s on track to compete in, and quite possibly win, the prestigious Guarneri competition, which would catapult her to a new … Continue reading

New Reviews Online and Other Updates

My friends, I apologize for being quiet of late.  The good news is, I’ve been quiet because I’ve been busy.  That’s forgivable, right?  Work is good.  It means I’ve been staying out of trouble, and didn’t end up pantsless in … Continue reading