MADreads for Teens

Book reviews for teens by library staff and guest contributors

When a book becomes a movie

Cover of Now a Major Motion Picture
A review of Now a Major Motion Picture by Cori McCarthy

Imagine your grandmother was as big as J. K. Rowling and had written the number one fantasy series of all time - with all the fandom that that entails. Now imagine the first book in that series is being made into a movie, which has pushed the fandom into an even more frenzied state. And though you've tried your hardest to distance yourself from everything to do with the books, you're now being forced to join the set of the movie being made. That's just where Iris Thorne finds herself. Her grandmother, M. E.

Posted by Jane J on Sep 17, 2018

All girl "Empire Records" plus vigilante fight club

Cover of Heavy Vinyl
A review of Heavy Vinyl by Carly Usdin

I am a proud Gen X-er and the 1995 film Empire Records is part of my lexicon. This graphic novel replicates the independent record store vibe, the staff is all female and it's set in 1998, so for me, it's the coolest. It's also about a girl fight club hiding underneath the record store. And the girl vigilantes must save missing rock stars. Like I said. The coolest.

Posted by Molly W on Sep 5, 2018

Magical steampunk

Cover of The Clockwork Witch
A review of The Clockwork Witch by Michelle Sonnier

In this first of a series Sonnier offers a vibrant and fast-moving tale that melds steampunk and magic to great effect. Arabella is the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter of England's most powerful family of witches. As such she was expected to do great things. But Arabella has aged past the point where her powers should have been revealed with nary a spark of talent showing, much to the dismay of her mother and delight of some of her more competitive sisters.

Posted by Jane J on Aug 27, 2018

Free Access to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Cover of Harry Potter and the Sorce
A review of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Everyone’s favorite boy wizard is turning twenty this year! Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone first hit shelves in 1997, sparking a cultural phenomenon that’s still going strong. To celebrate, Overdrive is offering free access to the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone ebook between August 27 and September 10.  Enjoy reconnecting with favorite characters or take the opportunity to introduce a new generation to the series.

Posted by Katie H on Aug 23, 2018

Nurturing friendships and traditions

Cover of The Tea Dragon Society
A review of The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill

A young blacksmith's apprentice named Greta discovers a lost tea dragon at the market and uncovers the forgotten world of the Tea Dragon Society. The book follows a year of seasons starting with spring and the developing friendships between Greta, the tea dragon masters, Hesekiel and Erik, and a mysterious and shy girl named Minette.

Posted by Molly W on Aug 21, 2018

A suggested arrangement

Cover of When Dimple Met Rishi
A review of When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
When Dimple Met Rishi was a fantastic book. It was very funny and will easily sweep you away into the lives of Dimple and Rishi. Both characters are amazing and the book shows their emotions really well. The book also includes a lot of culture, which helps to build the plot in a really nice way. The way that they build the romance is wonderful as it shows the progression of their feelings and how they change. This is a book I would definitely recommend.
 
Review by Victoria Lenius
Posted by on Jul 26, 2018

In a perfect world...?

Cover of Scythe
A review of Scythe by Neal Shusterman

This book is an interesting view on immortality and complete harmony. Centuries into the future, anything that brought despair has been eliminated - government, war, illness, famine, etc. This leaves life almost limitless. The only people who can kill are in the Scythe Legion. Offending a Scythe leads to certain death. However, the main character, Citra, is taken to be an apprentice Scythe. This novel creates a very realistic world, if the world was a perfect, idealistic, utopia.

Posted by on Jul 20, 2018

Pages

Subscribe to MADreads