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Enslow/Scarlet Voyage
6 Reviews
(3)
YA
First-person vignettes and poems detail Rinnie's childhood and adolescence in 1960s and 1970s Cincinnati, including her parents' divorce, abuse at the hands of her mother, development of an eating disorder, and her mother's death from cancer. This unflinchingly honest bildungsroman features stark emotional realism and evocative period detail.
Reviewer: Barratt Miller
(3)
YA
Though the title and barbed-wire-wrapped rose on the cover suggest an emphasis on romance, the World War II setting of Arianne and Luc's love story informs most of the plot. The story feels slow at first but picks up quickly when the backlash against Luc's resistance activities leads to a village massacre. The final scenes are compelling but not for the fainthearted.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax
(3)
YA
Razaq's mountain home in Pakistan is destroyed in an earthquake, and the fourteen-year-old boy is sold into slavery when he thinks he's being offered a job. His search for his uncle and his relationship with enslaved girl Tahira keep his spirit alive, even while he's being mercilessly exploited in many ways (including sexually). A powerful, moving account of modern slavery. Reading list, websites.
Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt
(4)
YA
On the surface, Lian is a dutiful Chinese daughter. She is also Komiko, one fourth of the 06/04, a group of human rights hackers. The day a body washes ashore, Lian decides it's time to use her talents to stop a corrupt corporation. Albeit somewhat predictable, Paul's book is a fast-paced read that fans of heist stories will enjoy.
Reviewer: Jenn Matters
(4)
YA
Mia reluctantly moves from the city to the country and rapidly finds herself drawn to two brothers who live nearby; the three teens encounter unsettling phenomena from the river that runs through their town. The awkward translation from the original German, particularly the dialogue, takes readers out of the story and distracts from the genuine suspense.
Reviewer: Norah Piehl
(4)
YA
Rebounding after a rough break-up, fifteen-year-old boy Mika falls for Leah, a beautiful, lively deaf girl. Mika learns sign language, but grasping the cultural implications of dating a deaf woman proves more challenging than the language barrier. Facts about deafness are poorly integrated into the story, but Mika's navigation of sex, love, and social expectations is convincing.
Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald
6 reviews
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