Tag Archives: HS

Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Jessica Lorentz Smith

⭐️⭐️.5/5 I am a sucker for a cool cover. I feel like the last few years have been the years of the ravens/crows as they are featured all over the place. This book is also very purple so I didn’t … Continue reading →

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2018 Reading Stats

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Jessica Lorentz Smith

I haven’t posted anything in over a year, sadly. I accidentally found my original blog start while searching for a link to my daughter’s classroom website. Looking back, it reminded me of how much fun it is to post reviews, … Continue reading →

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The Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

Posted on May 10, 2017 by Jessica Lorentz Smith

How many times have we all encountered a Riley? Someone dressed in a way that masks their gender and we don’t know, upon first appearance, if they are a boy or a girl?  As someone who works in high school, … Continue reading →

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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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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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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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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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When We Collided by Emery Lord

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Jessica Lorentz Smith

Vivi and Jonah come from two very different families.  She has never met her father and has an artist mom who parents in a more unconventional, hands-off way.  Jonah’s father has recently died of a sudden heart attack leaving he … Continue reading →

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The Bombs that Brought Us Together by Brian Conaghan

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Jessica Lorentz Smith

Charlie Law is a pretty likable young man.  He knows he is a nerd, but that doesn’t stop him from never being late for school, enjoying reading, and being a nice guy.  He lives in Little Town, a fictitious place … Continue reading →

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