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SideStreets
12 Reviews
(4)
YA
SideStreets series.
Dan is having a hard time in school because he's desperately trying to keep his family together while his mother's schizophrenia wreaks havoc. Despite his efforts, it's not until it all comes crashing down that he's able to salvage anything. With such a tight focus on the mental illness there is little room for character development in this compact, otherwise touching story.
Reviewer: Pearl Higgins
(3)
YA
SideStreets series.
When Cody starts drumming in a band, he hopes to turn his back on his violent past. His actions return to haunt him when his old compatriots track him down. The story's anti-bullying message is well integrated into the plot, and Cody's gritty past is honestly portrayed.
Reviewer: Norah Piehl
(4)
YA
SideStreets series.
Amy is excited to score a summer job at the resort where her best friend is also working. She needs a good reference for film school--and her new boss is hot. But when her crush on him moves quickly from flirtation to more, Amy must decide how far she's willing to go. Some authentic-sounding dialogue enlivens this movie-of-the-week tale.
Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer
(4)
YA
SideStreets series.
Hardworking high schooler Avvy finds a wallet containing a cash card. In desperation, she uses the money to help her Chinese immigrant parents' struggling restaurant. In doing so, she quickly realizes how easy it can be to cross the honesty line. The story, including several subplots, is entirely predictable, but the tale's details are engaging.
Reviewer: Susan Halperin
(4)
YA
SideStreets series.
Elias Minto knows trouble. His father split when he was a kid, and his mother's a drunk. What's more, his best friend, Jordan, is planning a "takedown" involving stealing profits from video gambling machines. Elias dreams of respectability but inevitably gets sucked into Jordan's scheme. The story employs every one-last-crime cliché in the book, but its fast pace may attract reluctant readers.
Reviewer: Nancy Hull
(4)
YA
SideStreets series.
Beginning with the death of her father, Raine feels like her own life is falling apart. Her mother is absent, her boyfriend is straying, and her new guy has demons of his own. But Raine can control the food she does not eat. ("Life is so much simpler when you reduce the amount of food you eat.") Raw narrative voice is a highlight of this by-the-numbers problem novel.
Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer
(4)
YA
SideStreets series.
After choosing life on her own over staying with her parents, Melanie is grateful to move in with Trent and keep off the streets. But with all they face--hunger, secrets, a shifty employer, dangerous neighbors--can Melanie find a way to survive? Melanie's tough-as-nails narration is convincing; her moments of epiphany--why she shouldn't get pregnant, how to eat on a budget--less so.
Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer
(4)
YA
SideStreets series.
Alex's faith is shaken after he sees a church leader with a woman who isn't his wife. Then his brother comes out to him, and Alex must really reexamine his values. A series of events allow him to reclaim his faith and reconcile with his father and brother. Amidst the overloaded, soap-opera plot, the story raises some thought-provoking questions about morality and hypocrisy.
Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee
(4)
YA
SideStreets series.
During the summer after ninth grade, fourteen-year-old Cori and her best friend were supposed to get makeovers. But then Cori's mom is diagnosed with breast cancer, and suddenly that other stuff isn't important. Raw emotion (verging on melodrama) drives the narrative; excerpts from a journal kept by Cori's mom provide a mature point of view.
Reviewer: Lana Barnes
(4)
YA
SideStreets series.
With unsupportive parents asking for handouts and friends who can't relate to poverty, high school senior Robyn feels like the deck is stacked against her. She wants to become an architect but she's worried that instead she'll be stuck at her family's orchard in the Okanagan Valley. The narrative is choppy, with too much emotional drama, but Robyn's fears and ambitions are relatable.
Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer
(4)
YA
SideStreets series.
Julian has a natural talent for photography--and for getting picked on. His antisocial behavior disturbs most people around him, but when his photos put him in the spotlight, he starts to come out of his shell. However, this personal growth comes at the price of hurting others. There's some melodrama here, but the unsettling choices that Julian makes will stay with readers.
Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo
(4)
YA
SideStreets series.
Raised by a drunken, abusive father, alcoholism and drug addiction are all Jacob has ever known. When his father suffers a near fatal accident, Jacob must conquer his own addictions so he can earn the family's living. Jacob's narrative voice is strong, but the story spirals into melodrama when, among other things, a marijuana scheme turns deadly.
Reviewer: Rita Soltan
12 reviews
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