This week's roundup begins with a superb review by Butterfly Rainbow of Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae. But what is it? YA adventure? Romance? Travel narrative? Well, all three according to Butterfly Rainbow, who wonderfully summarised the novel in their review:
"Pippa is in Italy for the summer, and she is sure that it will be her best holiday ever. Her BFF, Morgan, has made her a special journal, in which she has assigned Pippa tasks to do.
I found vivid the manner in which Rae describes places to which Pippa went. It almost felt as if I was with her the whole time. I would rate this book an 8/10. Teenage girls, you're gonna adore this!"
Also for young adults, but set in a dystopian future, some-infinities-katie wrote a fantastic critique of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. In this world, people are segregated according to their appearance, and everyone over the age of 16 is given plastic surgery to bring them to the accepted standard of beauty. Tally, who is mere months away from turning 16 and joining New Pretty Town, meets Shay who opposes the system by running away!
"The main reasons I enjoyed Uglies was that the characters were so deep and complex, changing all the time. Tally and David were the best characters, I think. I found the beginning of Pretties, the sequel, incredibly sad though, all the changes that happen. There are so many twists - it shocks you at every turn! I would recommend Uglies to girls or possibly boys, 12+. So read it!"
Returning to romance - and your top read of last month – abundantly_dramaticT wrote an outstanding review of Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan. This thought-provoking tale follows the story of two gay teenagers, who try to break the world record for the longest kiss.
"Although the book began a little bit slowly … as it progressed Levithan did not disappoint. Each character was moulded by Levithan's pen to portray perfectly what was happening and why some things needed to change. You feel directly invested into Peter and Neil, Craig and Harry, Avery and Ryan and even Cooper's story as soon as you begin … It's not a myth that Levithan's books are always hard to read but for once this book supports that in the best way possible."
Have you ever wanted to read minds? Well, get a taste of what it's like with TheMileLongBookShelf's extraordinary review of Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski, where an adventure unfolds as flu jabs cause people to become telepathic.
"After months of being in a terrible reading slump, I raced through this in just a couple of hours … I loved it! What I loved most about the writing was that it was like having a bunch of friends telling me about something which had happened to them … Secondly, there are so many references to the YA bookish community. I didn't expect that! For example, near the beginning of the book there is a nail polish named 'We Were Liars', which Mlynowski has confirmed on Twitter was indeed a reference to We Were Liars by E. Lockhart … If you already have this book, you should bump it to the top of your To Be Read pile, and if you don't have it already then why not order it? You can't not read this book. Don't even think about it."
A soon-to-be classic now, and another of your top reads, with tashtastic12's delightful review of Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell. This story follows Sophie, who escapes to the rooftops of Paris with the eccentric academic Charles Maxim, to look for her long lost mother.
"I will say, although I liked the book, not a lot really happened until the last 30 or so pages. It sort of felt like you were reading but nothing was really happening. Some of the time I would skim the pages as I was bored. I would say give it a read but, for me, it didn't live up to the rave reviews. I did like it, just not as much as I expected to."
Finally, here's to unlikely friendships with a tremendously good review by our group members the JDBookGroup of Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo. Perfect for animal lovers, this side-splittingly funny story follows Ulysses, a superhero squirrel, and Flora, a cynic, as they embark on a magical adventure.
"We recommend the book for any child over 10 … It's funny, sweet, cool, filled with different emotions and unlike any book we've read before, it's unique. We will definitely be reading more Kate DiCamillo. We also think this would make a brilliant movie."
A big cheer for our fantastic members, both individuals and groups! There's been so many brilliant entries; if we have included your review in our roundup, be sure to email the Book Elves to claim your bookish prize!
Happy reading!
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