Author Archives: Jessica Lorentz Smith

Peas and Carrots by Tanita S. Davis

Posted on May 10, 2017 by Jessica Lorentz Smith

This book appears to be happy and cute; simple title, simple cover, but there is so much more inside!  This is a story told from alternating perspectives. Dess narrates half of the chapters and comes from a family of criminals.  … Continue reading →

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Kingdom of Ash and Briars by Hannah West

Posted on April 28, 2017 by Jessica Lorentz Smith

The pages of this book are well done.  At the beginning of each chapter there is a beautiful tree illustration.  As far as fantasy books go, this one is readable and easy to follow.  I don’t usually like fantasy at … Continue reading →

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Tattoo Atlas by Tim Floreen

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Jessica Lorentz Smith

Can you ever recover from witnessing a classmate shoot another classmate in the face point blank?  Unfortunately, these are tragedies that happen almost every day and after experiencing our own shooting on campus almost three years ago, I can say … Continue reading →

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The Rains by Gregg Hurwitz

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Jessica Lorentz Smith

I am a total sucker for dystopian books!  It is almost like mind control and the more realistic the concept, the more entranced I become.  While I recognize that zombies are not real today, that doesn’t mean that an alien … Continue reading →

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Graphic Novel Quadruple

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Jessica Lorentz Smith

Over the Wall by Peter Wartman This appears to be the start of a series about a younger sister who is trying to find her older brother who recently went over the wall that surrounds an ancient metropolis and never … Continue reading →

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Tetris by Box Brown

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Jessica Lorentz Smith

I absolutely LOVE Tetris.  I am the person they were thinking of who could play this for hours on end and waste a whole day without knowing it.  So when I saw that this book was on the ALA’s Great … Continue reading →

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Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

Posted on March 3, 2017 by Jessica Lorentz Smith

Charlie has been let down by all of the adults in her life starting with her father who kills himself to her mother who grieves so selfishly that she starts to abuse Charlie.  Forced to live on the streets and … Continue reading →

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Dessert First by Dean Gloster

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Jessica Lorentz Smith

Deserts usually make me happy, but not this kind of Dessert First.  This book is all the reasons why we should throw caution to the wind and start every meal with dessert first.  Kat is the narrator of this story … Continue reading →

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Breakfast with Neruda by Laura Moe

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Jessica Lorentz Smith

Spending your summer before starting your senior year, the second time, could be better for Michael, who got expelled after attempting to blow up his best friend’s car in revenge for stealing his girlfriend.  Typical teenage problems, right? Wrong! While … Continue reading →

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Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Jessica Lorentz Smith

Fire is a strong element in this novel, both from actual fire and from the temperature of the sweltering heat in New York the summer of 1977.  Nora just wants to graduate high school and escape from her trouble-making younger … Continue reading →

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