Young Adults Choices 2005

YAC Index - by Author

A - B - C - D E - F G - H I - J K - L - M - N - O P - Q R - S - T U - V W - X Y Z

Young Adults Choices: H, I

Hartinger, Brent	The Last Chance Texaco
	Troubled teen Lucy Pitt struggles to fit in as a new tenant at a last-chance foster home.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	I really liked the book. "It is a must read." - Tyler's Magazine. "#1 in my heart." - Hoffman magazine.
2	The book was really good and liked the suspense
2	The book was full of suspense. I loved the way it ended. If I had my choice I would read it again.
2	I really enjoyed this book.
2	It kept me hooked. Very interesting.
2	I thought it was repetitive at first, but then it got better. I enjoyed it.
2	I really enjoyed this book.
2	I really enjoyed the book.

Haseley, Dennis	Trick of the Eye
	Upon discovering that he can enter paintings and speak with the people in them, a twelve-year-old boy sets out on a journey of discovery that ultimately leads to his own forgotten past.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
0	It is confusing and hard to understand what is going on.
1	I thought that I would like this book but, unfortunately it did not touch me. Even though the book was mysterious and intriguing I still felt like the story lacked some interesting events. I liked the way the author described social relationships and included a lot of thinking in it, but I still think that this book was too dry. It should have been more deep in the exploration of the main character.

Hassinger, Peter W.	Shakespeare's Daughter
	Susanna Shakespeare yearns to travel to London like her father, to experience the world of actors and poets and to follow her own dream of singing, a path followed only by men.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
0	It was very boring. No excitement. The title and front page didn't seem very appealing.
2	This was a wonderfullly well written book. It makes you wonder about a lot of things that "could have been."

Hautman, Pete	Godless
	When sixteen-year-old Jason Bock and his friends create their own religion to worship the town's water tower, what started out as a joke begins to take on a power of its own.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	The parts about Jason drawing naked women was oddly placed in the book. there was no real reason. Also, the characters really spent a lot of time on pointless things.
1	This book is interesting and well written. The subjects that the book deals with are touchy and the arguments that the characters make are not completely logical, though.
1	For people who question their faith. Not for religious people. Controversial, different from other books. Not typical.

Havill, Juanita	Eyes Like Willy's
	While vacationing over the course of several summers in Austria, French siblings Guy and Sarah Masson become best friends with a German boy, until the outbreak of World War I puts them on opposing sides.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	I liked this book altogether but I thought that it would have been better if there was more action at the beginning.
1	It was OK; it wasn't very interesting. But that's me.
2	I liked when Willy and Guy tried to fly their homemade aircraft. It got off the ground! Fun book.

Hawes, Louise	The Vanishing Point
	Fourteen-year-old Jerry Luna, mute since her mother's disappearance, is sent to her great-great aunt Constanza's house, where she discovers a trunk that draws her into the world of her ancestors during the Spanish Inquisition.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	This book was okay, but I had a hard reading it because I'm not into art and the 16th century era. But I did like the mystery behind the tarot readings and how it changed Vinis future.
2	Very interesting.
2	It is a great book because there was sadness and happiness and a bit of love thrown in.

Herrick, Steve	Love, Ghosts, and Facial Hair
	Sixteen-year-old Jack, a normal teen in Australia, describes his life and concerns with sex, sports, facial hair, and the death of his mother seven years earlier. Presented in a series of free-verse poems.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	It was a little hard to follow at times but overall I thought it was a good book and would gladly recommend it.
1	It was hard to follow which character was talking and it was all written in poems. Mainly it was hard to follow, but it was okay.
1	All the boy thought about was sex, sports & facial hair. I did like the ghost, though.
1	Not sexually appropriate for middle school.
2	A boy and his family lost a mother and wife. They took to writing poems about the love and the pain. This close family, torn apart, slowly comes back.

Herrick, Steve	The Simple Gift
	Sixteen-year-old Billy runs away from his alcoholic, abusive father and takes up residence in an abandoned freight car where he meets Old Bill, a fellow hobo, and together they form a friendship based on small kindnesses that change their lives.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
0	The book was sort of boring. It had nothing to look forward to. The ending was bad too.
1	I liked it because it wan an easy read & enjoyable.
1	It was funny that they loved each so much yet met while Caitlin was mopping.
2	I liked the poem form that it was written in and the ending leaves you with a warm feeling. This book definitely made me apprediate what I have.
0	I hate how the stories are told in poems. It's annoying and unorthodox. The author probably could have told it better if he wrote it as a normal book.
2	I liked the adventure of running away and living in a freight train; he met a girl and then got a house from the hobo he knew.

Hightman, Jason	The Saint of Dragons
	After a lonely childhood at the Lighthouse School for Boys, thirteen-year-old Simon learns that he is descended from a medieval dragonslayer, and that his father needs his help to face the last of these evil monsters.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	It was really cool and exciting. I loved it.
2	This is a great book because of when two dragons fight in the air.
2	I really enjoyed this book!
1	It was okay, but it wasn't great. I didn't like that the author skipped back and forth between explanations of the story.
2	It was really great because of the dragons and the battle.

Hobbs, Valerie	Letting Go of Bobby James, Or How I Found My Self of Steam
	After being left by her husband at a gas station in Florida, sixteen-year-old Sally Jo Walker, also known as Jody, makes some difficult decisions and a better life for herself.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	It was a pretty good book but some parts did drag on a little. Other parts were very fast paced and you wanted to keep reading.
2	This book really made me think about decisions.
2	This book didn't make sense to me at first, but then after a few chapters it came together. I liked this book because it had an interesting plot to it and a lot of well played out characters.

Hobbs, Will	Leaving Protection
	Sixteen-year-old Robbie Daniels, happy to get a job aboard a troller fishing for king salmon off southeastern Alaska, finds himself in danger when he discovers that his mysterious captain is searching for long-buried Russian plaques that lay claim to Alaska and the Northwest.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	Great book - exciting even though fishy. Good story, excellent adventure.
2	This book kept me in a trance. It was thrilling.
2	The book had me wanting to know what was going to happen next the whole time. I would recommend this book to someone else.

Hoose, Phillip	The Race to Save the Lord God Bird
	Tells the story of the ivory-billed woodpecker's extinction in the United States, describing the encounters between this species and humans, and discussing what these encounters have taught us about preserving endangered creatures.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	I really liked this book! It was very interesting!


Hopkins, Cathy	The Princess of Pop
	Fourteen-year-old Becca, having backed out of auditioning for the school musical, is challenged to enter the Pop Princess contest and finds herself wondering about her priorities as she moves up the ranks and becomes totally caught up in the competition.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	It was good because it had a dream some want to be.
1	The story was kind of interesting, but there were parts that were kind of questionable and unnecessary. The ending was not like I expected because she DIDN'T become the princess of pop. I almost put it down 3/4 of the way through.
2	I loved the characters which made it very interesting.

Hopkins, Ellen	Crank
	Kristina Georgia Snow's life is turned upside-down, when she visits her absentee father, gets turned on to the drug "crank", becomes addicted, and is lead down a desperate path that threatens her mind, soul, and her life.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	It was quite graphic.
2	It was really good and didn't take a long time to read.
2	The book was an A+. When I started reading it, I couldn't stop! The way it was printed was genius because it describes the story a whole lot better.
2	The story was good but I didn't like how the words were set-up.
2	Really good book.
2	I really liked this book. I think it might be my new favorite book. It goes by really fast. I will never do drugs because of it.
2	It was a good book that I enjoyed. The beginning is confusing but it gets better. A good book for druggies to read.
2	This book consumed my life in the two days it took to read. A MUST READ.
2	I absolutely loved this book! Even though it's over 500 pates it only takes a day or two to read.
1	This book is written in a poetic style. It's a fast read and hard to put down.



Hrdlitschka, Shelley	Kat's Fall
	Fourteen-year-old Darcy Murphy has been helping to raise his younger sister, Kat, since their mother was convicted of attempted murder; but now Sherri Murphy is being released and it will take incredible strength for Darcy to face her and the community that has labeled both of them.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	In my opinion this was a good book because even though it wasn't a mystery book it still held quite a bit of suspense. It was easy to read and that's another reason why I liked it.
2	I really enjoyed this book.
2	This was a superb book. It includes every emotion possible. Drama, love, hate, suspense, confusion, and ends with an enjoyable ending. I am not a fan of reading, but this book rocked my socks off!
2	I really loved the characters.
1	It was an easier read; maybe around 8th to 9th grade.
2	I liked Darcy and understood why whe was afraid that her mom was coming home.

Hunter, Erin	Warriors Rising Storm
	Fireheart, the warrior cat, faces many challenges in his new role of ThunderClan deputy as his apprentice, Cloudpaw, resists following the warrior code, Bluestar weakens, and Tigerclaw continues to haunt the forest seeking revenge.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	Great book! I couldn't stop reading until I finished it.
1	It tells me what I need to know. It doesn't leave yu hanging. It was a nice, friendly story.