Young Adults Choices 2005 V and W

YAC Index - by Author

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Young Adults Choices: V, W

Vecchione, Patrice, Ed.	Revenge and Forgiveness: An Anthology of Poems
	A collection of nearly sixty poems dealing with revenge and forgiveness, plus suggested readings about each contributing poet.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	I thought the book was pretty good. Some poems were short and other long. There was a little bit of everything in the book.
1	I liked the book because I love to read poems.
2	I loved the poems, especially "Revenge."
0	I really don't like to read poems.

Vizzini, Ned	Be More Chill
	Badly in need of self-confidence and a change of image, high school nerd Jeremy Heere swallows a pill-sized super computer that is supposed to help him get whatever he wants.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	This book was very different from most other high school books. It's normally not the kind of book I would read but I liked it and it kept me wanting to read more.
2	The book was a fast read. It taught me to be wary of drugs. The issues that the book addresses relate directly to high school. It also talks about the flaws of computers.

Waldorf, Heather	Fighting the Current
	Theresa Stanford's life is forever changed when her father is hit by a drunk driver and left with the mind of a five-year-old, leaving Theresa to face a new future without the guiding force in her life.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	I liked this book because it shows the struggles of young people going through loss and death and having to put a hold on their goals to pursue something more important.
1	I was depressed about Tee's father; it had a mature theme/some disagreeable.
2	I really enjoyed this book. It had a very good flow. There was always something happening. It took me no time at all to read it because I didn't want to put it down.
2	The book was very interesting. I really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading of young adtuls finding their way in life and facing their fears.
2	Loved it. I really coluldn't put it down. Many people can relate to the main character, Tee. She faces many problems, but they are everyday troubles as well as dramatic situations.
2	It was a memorable book that will stay with me a long time.
1	The book was good. I think this book is for young people. Maybe other people would like it more than I did.


Wallace, Karen	Wendy
	In early twentieth-century London, before their encounter with Peter Pan, nine-year-old Wendy and her younger brothers lead far from perfect lives with their emotionally distant parents and abusive Nanny, a situation that only worsens for Wendy when she sees her father kiss another woman and finds herself pulled into an adult world of mysteries and lies.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	It is a very touching story about a nine year old child. I just loved it!
2	I liked the way the book went and the outlook and the grammar in the book.
2	This book shows love, death, confusing & insanity through a child's eyes.
2	I liked the part when the chef gave Wendy the fish and said it was Wendy's mom's favorite food so Wendy ate it.
0	I thought the plots were interrelated, and it was a pretty good read. It just didn't catch my interest.
1	I could sum it up with one word: depressing.

Warren, Andrea	Escape from Saigon, How a Vietnam War Orphan became an American Boy
	Chronicles the experiences of an orphaned Amerasian boy from his birth and early childhood in Saigon through his departure from Vietnam in the 1975 Operation Babylift and his subsequent life as the adopted son of an American family in Ohio.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	Excellent! A classic story!
2	Amazing book! Wonderful! Everyone should read this book.
1	The book was good. I liked how they explained his life and how he was getting older and how he got adopted and ended up getting married.

Weber, Ednah New	Rattlesnake Mesa: Stories from a Native American Childhood
	Presents the true account of a young Navajo girl's life as she goes to live with her father after her grandmother dies and is then sent off to a strict government-run Indian school.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
0	I thought it was one of the worst books I had ever read! I mean it used a lot of military terms which I hardly understood and it went onto one thing and then went to something totally off topic! I caught myself saying "What?" throughout the whole book.
2	I liked it because it helped me understand my culture.
2	I enjoyed the landscape pitures but I didn't like reading about Indian reservations.

Weeks, Sarah	So B. It
	After spending her life with her mentally retarded mother and agoraphobic neighbor, twelve-year-old Heidi sets out from Reno, Nevada, to New York to find out who she is.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	The book was okay, but it wasn't an attention grabber.
1	I had a lot of questions in the beginning but by the end they were all answered.
2	It reminded me of my brothers who are mentally ill; helped me to understand.
2	This book was a great and easy read. A lot of students would really enjoy it because it is very suspenseful and touching.
1	It was good but is for younger age groups.
1	I thought this book was okay. Some parts were confusing, but overall the book was really good.
2	This book brings the tears to your eyes and makes you feel what is going on. So B It is the story of hardships and love. All I have to say is read it and get caught up in the excitement.
1	It was sort of weird. I like how she found out her name and put it in name form. I also liked how Bernadette taught Heidi how to do stuff like crossing the street.
2	I really liked the book. It kept my nose in the book.
2	It was a fun adventure story where the girl was on and off buses to go to Liberty, New York to find out what "soof" means - that's in her mother's vocabulary.
2	The book was very interesting and intense. It is very detailed. Soof is a word we all should know and use a lot. If you read the book, you will know what I mean.
1	I liked this book because Heidi really showed me that if you want to learn something bad enough and put your mind to it, you'll succeed.
1	I really didn't quite understand it, but then I really got into it.
2	It's about a girl named Heidi who is figuring who she is in the world. She finds pictures of her mom and someone who she thinks is her grandma. Then from Nevada she travels on train to Philadelphia to look for her grandmother.
2	This was one of my favorite books. I couldn't put it down! I liked how it gave small clues about the word "soof." It kept me guessing.
2	This book was a great book about a young girl who wants to learn about her mom's past.
2	The book was very good and was a pretty easy read.
2	Intriguing. It kept my interest.

Weil, Sylvie	My Guardian Angel
	Translation of: Mazal d'Elvina. Elvina, the unusual granddaughter of renowned Jewish rabbi Solomon ben Isaac, who prefers studying and writing to activities considered respectable for girls, takes a great risk by helping a young boy who has run away from a group of Christian Crusaders in eleventh century Troyes, France.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	This book has a great piece of history in in which I really enjoyed.
2	It was a great book!
1	I liked how I got a Jewish perspective. The book was just okay.

Wein, Elizabeth	Sunbird, The
	Sequel to: A coalition of lions. When, in the sixth century, plague spreads from Britain to Aksum, young Telemakos travels to the kingdom's salt mines to discover the identity of the traitor to the crown who, ignoring the emperor's command, is spreading plague with the salt from port to port.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	The book was super good and I liked the plot. It wasn't the best book because it was hard to understand.


Weis, Margaret	Dragon's Son, The
	The uneasy relationship between dragons and humans is further exacerbated by the birth of twin sons to a high priestess--one fully human in form but blessed with dragon magic, and one half-man and half-dragon.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	I really enjoyed this book.
2	If you have any interest in fantasy books and stories you will love this book. This book does a good job of building suspense.
2	This book is the best so far! The betrayal and wording is wonderful.
1	Twins born from different fathers? Ven is half dragon, half man; Marcus raised as a prince with powers.
1	I really wish his mother didn't die and his father hadn't found him.
2	I loved it when he found his father; it was funny when he jumped and hit his head on the roof.
2	This is an awesome book. I liked how he only had to close his eyes and his father found him. Great book!

Werlin, Nancy	Double Helix
	Eighteen-year-old Eli discovers a shocking secret about his life and his family while working for a Nobel Prize-winning scientist whose specialty is genetic engineering.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	It's a good book for young people around our age because it's easy to identify with the characters.
2	I liked the information and how Eli wanted to find out about his past which leads to other things.
1	The book was boring, very slow, and nothing really happened.
2	I couldn't put the book down. It was a fun, interesting book to read. The book has a great plot and characters taht can be related to in real life.
2	The book had a nice twist and the characters were vivid; she made me think about feeling stuff.

Westerfeld, Scott	Midnighters: The Secret Hour
	Upon moving to Bixby, Oklahoma, fifteen-year-old Jessica Day learns that she is one in a special group born at the stroke of midnight who can roam the town at a secret hour while others sleep--and that she must fight the evil creatures who share her power.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	It's actually a wonderful science fiction book and at the end of every chapter you get more excited to know what will happen in the following one.
2	It's very suspenseful and has many marvelous twists.
2	The book was awesome. I couldn't put it down. I just had to know what happened next.
2	I really liked the story because it was fast paced.
2	I really liked the book. It had a very unique plot and should be the start of a very good series.
2	The suspense was great. I couldn't put the book down.
2	It keeps you reading and you don't want to put the book down. I also liked the book's plot.
2	The book ws suspenseful and it kept you guessing and I enjoy books like that. It also was very descriptive so I was able to get a good image in my head as to what was going on like I was right there in the story.
2	This was quite an exciting book. Really made you wonder about reality.
2	Good use of words. Made me stay up until midnight just to imagine it. - MNHS

Westerfeld, Scott	So Yesterday
	Hunter Braque, a New York City teenager who is paid by corporations to spot what is "cool," combines his analytical skills with girlfriend Jen's creative talents to find a missing person and thwart a conspiracy directed at the heart of consumer culture.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	I really enjoyed the mystery.
1	This book wasn't my favorite.
1	It was very confusing to me.
2	It started out about fashion, but it turned into a kidnapping; is there such a thing as cool?

Whelan, Gloria	Burying the Sun
	In Leningrad in 1941, when Russia and Germany are at war, fourteen-year-old Georgi vows to help his family and his city during the terrible siege.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	I really like this book!!!I wonder how a writer could relate/develop the atmosphere of Leningrad before and furing the Blockade so well. As a Russian I can tell that the author had done a beautiful job with describing the city and morality of teh peopld of that time. In addition the book is historically accurate. My only complaint is that I believe the book didn't actually reflect how desperate people were during the Blockade. In "Buryin the Sun" characters were too brave, too nice, too kind, not like in real life (at least I think so). The horror of the war is softened a lot.
2	I loved the book. It kept me reading. I never wanted to put it down. I would definitely recommend it to others.
2	This gave a real sense of what it was like to live in a besieged city. The terminology was good.
1	This book is a good, factual book. it talks about WWII and some troubles they went through. It makes you realize how life was during WWII.

Whelan, Gloria	Chu Ju's House
	In order to save her baby sister, fourteen-year-old Chu Ju leaves her rural home in modern China and earns food and shelter by working on a sampan, tending silk worms, and planting rice seedlings, while wondering if she will ever see her family again.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	I thought it was awesome how she risked her life for her sister. It's a story of bravery.


White, Ruth	Buttermilk Hill
	When Piper's parents divorce and gradually begin to make new lives for themselves she finds all the changes difficult, but in time she starts to find her own way.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	I liked the book because I act like Lindy; the Mom character was good.
2	I liked the way it was personal and made me feel what the character went through.
2	I really liked this book. I don't think it was boring at all. I thought Piper was a good character. I liked how she was nice and loving.
2	The book was really great. I liked how they added so much detail.

Whitney, Kim Ablon	See You Down the Road
	Sixteen-year-old Bridget, member of an Irish Traveler community in the U.S., questions the traditions of her family's nomadic, criminal way of life and begins to consider breaking free.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	I like books that have to do with things that could happen to me.
2	This book was good and interesting.
2	This book is about a topic I've never read about so it's interesting.
1	It was good but kind of weird how people just travel from place to place.
1	I thought the book was okay but it was kind of boring and I didn't like what happened very much.
1	It wasn't very fun. It didn't move fast. Not a good book to relate to.

Wild, Margaret	One Night
	In this novel written in free verse and narrated by alternating characters, a teenaged girl decides to have her baby and care for it on her own after a "one night stand" results in pregnancy.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	The book is very good!! Some parts are sad and some are really exciting.
2	It related very well to high school life.
2	I could really relate to the book, so that made it good. The way it was written was a little hard to follow, but it still told a great story and turned out good.
1	The pages were in a weird form. It was hard to follow.
2	It was a really good book.
2	The book was good. It was life for some people. Very hard to put down.
2	The format was new to me, but otherwise, it was a good book. It was fairly easy to read.
2	Excellent!
2	The book was an extremely quick read. The writing style was unique and kept my interest. The topic/story was real.
1	The book didn't start to get really good until the end. It didn't really describe much, and the beginning was very confusing.

Williams, Dar	Amalee
	Amalee is being raised by her single father and his group of eccentric friends, and when he becomes seriously ill everyone pitches in to try to cope with the ensuing fear and chaos.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	It had a sweet little lesson at the end about friendship. Perhaps a photograph on the cover of Amalee would be better than a drawing.
1	It was an okay book. It didn't really interest me very much. The part that I kinda liked was when her dad's friend came in and got Amalee out of trouble.
2	I felt for Amalee because her mom was gone, her dad sick & her friends talked about her.
2	Not too long, but interesting.

Williams, Julie	Escaping Tornado Season
	Poems describe how thirteen-year-old Allie, living with her grandparents in a small Minnesota town in the 1960s, struggles to cope with her father's recent death, being abandoned by her mother, and trying to fit in at school.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	I didn't like the poem form or the racism. There were also a lot of big words. It really didn't have a plot.


Williams, Maiya	Golden Hour, The
	Thirteen-year-old Rowan and his eleven-year-old sister Nina, still bereft by the death of their mother the year before, experience an unusual adventure through time when they come to stay with their two eccentric great-aunts in a small town on the Maine coast.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	I really liked this book; it was interesting and funny.
2	This was a great book filled with fantasy, adventure, and even history to keep every type of reader happy. It is a book about family, loss, and a great self-discovery to be shared with all.
2	I liked how it had historic moments while staying true to the characters. Many people can relate to Rowan's feelings. One of the best travel books ever.
2	It was great book but some parts, like how he found Nina in Paris were kind of tricky to understand.

Williams-Garcia, Rita	No Laughter Here
	In Queens, New York, ten-year-old Akilah is determined to find out why her closest friend, Victoria, is silent and withdrawn after returning from a trip to her homeland, Nigeria.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	I'm glad I read it, but it was really gross.
2	If I could give this book 100 points I would. This was a great book. I loved this book.
2	This book opens your eyes to some of the things other countries put girls through.

Winston, Sherri	Acting
	Longing to escape from her small Michigan town, sixteen-year-old Eve, an aspiring actress, is forced to confront both her family's and her own expectations when her twin sister announces her pregnancy.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	I really enjoyed this book.
2	Wow! I really never knew a mother could really hate her own child This book kept my attention. Did you really have the author come by and sign the book?
2	I really like the book because I think young girls can relate to it.
2	This book really touched base with me. I could identify with some things. I finished it in one day - that's cool. Very well written - it kept me interested and on my toes.
2	I enjoyed it, even though there were some slow parts.
2	This is a very good book. It's life changing experiences makes you think about things.

Wiss, Marvin	U.S. Constitution Alive and Well!

Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	The rhymes helped, but some of them were boring.


Wittlinger, Ellen	Heart on My Sleeve
	From the end of high school to the beginning of college, Chloe and Julian deal with major changes in their families and friendships and explore their feelings for each other through emails, letters, and a visit.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	I really enjoyed this book.
2	Once I got into the book I couldn't put it down. There were a few surprises throughout the book that I thought would never happen.
1	I liked the set up of the book...how it's like in letter form.
1	This book took forever to read.
1	The book was okay. I like the way it was written.
2	Wow! Great story to connect with. It was a fast read and good for both genders. Very realistic and it makes you think and step back to look at your personal situation. amazing book.

Wolfe, Gene	Knight, The
	A teenage boy takes on the name and persona of Sir Able, a knight, after being transported to a magical realm and transformed into a grown man, but he soon discovers through encounters with giants, elves, wizards, and dragons, that he has much to learn before he can truly call himself a hero.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	There were too many characters. I liked how the story kept getting more interesting.
2	It was hard to follow in the beginning but eventually I couldn't put it down.
2	I'm really into action packed fantasy books, and this book has it all. I couldn't put it down; it was so exciting. I'd reccommend this book to everyone.

Woods, Brenda	Emako Blue
	Monterey, Savannah, Jamal, and Eddie have never had much to do with each other until Emako Blue shows up at chorus practice, but just as the lives of the five Los Angeles high school students become intertwined, tragedy tears them apart.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	I thought the book was very good. it was well written and described things very well.
2	The book was sad but touching. It's a great book and it brings you to the reality of life.
2	A really good book. It confused me at first then I caught on. The ending was great. I wouldn't put the book down.
1	I don't like that Emako got shot when she was innocent; Savannah shouldn't have been mean to her.
2	This really drew me in! Even though I didn't like the end it was great to read.
1	The book was okay; I lik the gossip part.

Woodson, Jacqueline	Behind You
	After fifteen-year-old Jeremiah is mistakenly shot by police, the people who love him struggle to cope with their loss as they recall his life and death, unaware that 'Miah is watching over them.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	Very exciting!
2	I liked how the writer wrote about the person like it was their diary.
2	This really drew me in! Even though I didn't like the end, it was great to read.

Wyatt, Melissa	Raising the Griffin
	When the people of Rovenia vote to restore their monarchy, sixteen-year-old Alex Varenhoff must suddenly leave his native England to become prince of a land he knows only from his grandfather's stories.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
2	I liked Alex, but was sad when he got hurt.
2	I liked the plot of the book and enjoyed reading it. The book was well written and I would recommend it to anyone.
0	This book wasn't really to my taste.

Wyeth, Sharon Dennis	Orphea Proud
	Presents a lyrical story about Orphea Proud, who shares her experiences with an audience in a dramatic performance as she talks about her sexuality, her family, prejudices, and identity.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
0	I don't care for books about lesbians and then coping with it.


Wynne Jones, Diana	Unexpected Magic
	This collection of fifteen short stories and one novella, all previously published, showcases Jones's remarkable range as a fantasy writer. Futuristic sci-fi follows sweeping romantic fantasy; light, humorous stories mingle with darker, stranger tales.
Student Rating:	Student Review:
1	The stories were interesting but several were really quite boring. The novella at the end was actually really good.