Matthew's Bookshelf

Hey there, readers! Welcome back to another installment of Picks For Kids! Basically what I do here on this segment is give you all recommendations on some fun stories for young readers, as well as tell you a little bit about why I like them. There's nothing like sharing the gift of reading to children, and that's why I decided that I was going to do this segment (you can expect some more Picks For Kids posts like this one later). Anyway, I'm going to be talking about a fun story called The Voice, The Revolution, and The Key by Jenny L. Cote! After reading some of her fantastic stories in the past, I decided that I would check one her latest books out and tell you all about it. Once again, Jenny doesn't disappoint! So let's dive into my thoughts on this story, shall we? What's The Story? The Order of the Seven animal team split up and go on their next mission, and that is the birth of America. It's now up to Max, Liz, Kate, Al, and ...

If you're a big reader like me, you'd rather receive a good book from your Valentine instead of a box of chocolates. Well, getting both a good book and chocolates would be nice! Valentine's Day is the perfect time to dig into stories that have a more romantic tone to them. So I'm going to be doing something a little bit different today. I will be giving you a quick look at what are three YA romance picks that make for some great Valentine's Day reading. Let's get started, shall we? By Your Side by Kasie West The book starts with a girl named Autumn Collins, who finds herself accidentally trapped in the library. She doesn't think that things could get worse, until she realizes that Dax Miller, a boy who is rumored to have spent time in juvie, is stuck with her as well. Autumn hopes that her almost -boyfriend, Jeff, comes to pick her back up, but he never arrives. So she and Dax soon start to open up to each other during their time ...

Happy Halloween everyone! There's nothing quite like reading stories with a spooky side to them, and that's exactly what I'm going to be reviewing today. The book on today's agenda is The House by Christina Lauren! What's The Story? Delilah Blue is obsessed with all sorts of spooky things. Her second obsession, however, is a boy who goes by the name of Gavin Timothy. He was the reason that Delilah was sent away to boarding school, but Delilah can't stay away now that she's back in town. But a greater force tries to tear the two of them apart. As both Gavin grows closer to Delilah, he shares a secret that brings her both delight and fear. His house is far from ordinary, and it is not pleased with Delilah's presence. Likes I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into The House. I know that Christina Lauren is well-known for writing romance novels, but I'll admit that this is the first work I've read of her...

Summer might be coming to a close, but the season for reading is all year round! So I'd like to start the month of September off with a charming story. Today's book review is about Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella! What's The Story? Audrey is on her break from school, trying to recover from a horrible bullying incident that left her with panic attacks. Because of the effect this incident had on her, she no longer feels the urge to venture outside her house or make eye contact with others. Her therapist encourages her to film a documentary, recording the interactions between her and her parents and older brother. Not only does the documentary give Audrey a way to express herself, but it also gives her a chance to talk to Linus, her friend's brother who believes that she can get better. Likes This story is a wonderful tale on so many levels! Sophie Kinsella takes the deep topic of social anxiety and puts a heartwarming twist ...

WOW! That's about the most accurate word that I can use to start things off: Wow! I went into this story thinking that it was going to be nothing more than another YA novel, but I was totally wrong! This book ended delivering so much more than I was expecting and overall was just so surprisingly good. I knew immediately after reading that I needed to talk to you all about this author's wonderful work, and that's exactly what I'm doing right now! So without further ado, I'm going to tell you all about the amazing We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach! What's The Story? An asteroid named Ardor has been spotted within space, and now scientists are confirming that it would hit in two months and destroy large swarms of life in its path. Meanwhile, four high school seniors from Seattle are receiving the news about what is about to come. They all end up coming to the conclusion that they have been worrying about things that would be meaningless if ...

Hey everybody! Today's review is going to be about The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord. I haven't really reviewed many YA contemporary stories, so I thought now would be the right time to do one. So let's go! What's The Story? It has been one year since Paige Hancock's boyfriend died in a swimming accident. After practically shutting out the world for two years, she thinks that it's time to have a second chance at high school. She begins to form a plan, the first objective within it being to get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to go on a date with her. The second of her objective is joining a club, which in the beginning seems simple. But when Ryan's cousin, Max, comes to town and persuades Paige to join the school's QuizBowl team, the perfect plan totally backfires.  Likes While there was a couple things I didn't like as much with this story, I ended up liking The Start of Me and You a lot more th...