Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously--and at great risk--documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives.

This is considered a teen book because the story is told from the point of view of a teenager. However many adults would find this a tough read because it deals with some horrific circumstances. Although the story is fiction it is clearly based on the experiences of thousands of Lithuanians who suffered under Stalin's iron-fisted rule of the Soviet Union. It is a harrowing read but Lina's courage shines through and it is a gripping story. A 5/5 star read and a book recommended by the Wrappers. 

Reviewed by Carolyn

The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman

One frosty evening, a girl who knows no home, no parents, and no name but Brat finds shelter and warmth in a farmer’s dung heap.  There Jane the village midwife finds her.  So it is that Brat, now called Beetle by her new mistress – begins her career as a midwife’s apprentice.

It’s not a soft life.  Jane is a hard woman with a sharp glance and a sharper temper.  Still, Beetle makes a place for herself, adopting a cat and befriending one of the village boys.  By secretly watching Jane work, she learns some of the skills the midwife greedily tries to hid.  Beetle even gives herself a real name at last: Alyce.

Then one day she fails at an important assignment. Alyce runs away, believing she is too stupid to be of use to anyone. Is she truly Brat, a know-nothing who belongs nowhere? Or is she Alyce, the midwife’s apprentice, a person with a name and a place in the world.

The Midwife’s Apprentice is an award winning book and a rather odd but enjoyable read. It’s a glimpse into Medieval life and some of the fascinating beliefs around childbirth but it’s also much more than that for such a short read.  There are plenty of quirky characters and interesting events but it’s also a universal story of overcoming adversity and developing self-belief and confidence.  

One by Sarah Crossan

Grace and Tippi. Tippi and Grace. Two sisters. Two hearts. Two dreams. Two lives. But one body.
Grace and Tippi are conjoined twins, joined at the waist, defying the odds of survival for sixteen years. They share everything, and they are everything to each other. They would never imagine being apart. For them, that would be the real tragedy.
But something is happening to them. Something they hoped would never happen. And Grace doesn’t want to admit it. Not even to Tippi.
How long can they hide from the truth—how long before they must face the most impossible choice of their lives?

This is a beautiful and emotional read.  It is written in free verse style which was surprisingly easy and quick to read. The story is told from the point of view of one conjoined twin, Grace, and through her we learn both of her individuality and her powerful bond with Tippi.  It’s also a story of a family facing several challenges and how they are coping individually and as a family.  A revealing insight into life as a conjoined twin and a deeply moving story. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Charlie is a freshman, new at school and facing many of the usual challenges of a teenager starting high school plus a few more.

And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it.

Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

This book deals with so many issues it could come across as over the top, trying to squeeze every possible teen problem into just 213 pages.  Fortunately it doesn’t. It feels realistic and although as I was reading I didn’t always empathize with Charlie’s sadness and introspection, I did get him by the end of the book.  Mostly though I liked that the story shows it’s OK to be different and that we should remain true to ourselves. 

The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong

Riley Vasquez is haunted by the brutal murder of the couple she was babysitting for.

Max Cross is suffering under the shadow of a life-altering diagnosis he doesn’t dare reveal.

The last thing either of them wants is to spend a weekend away at a therapy camp alongside five other teens with “issues.” But that’s exactly where they are when three masked men burst in to take the group hostage.

The building has no windows. The exits are sealed shut. Their phones are gone. And their captors are on a killing spree.

Riley and Max know that if they can’t get out, they’ll be next—but they’re about to discover that even escape doesn’t equal freedom.

I had a mixed reaction to this book.  The main characters were well developed and interesting. Max, in particular, is a complex character and the reader comes to understand his struggles of learning to live with schizophrenia. The plot is compelling and the story is a gripping thriller with plenty of plot twists. However parts of the story seemed rather implausible, such as the setting of the therapy weekend, and I found the story had too much violence for my taste.

Reviewed by Carolyn

 

Damage Done by Amanda Panitch

22 minutes separate Julia Vann’s before and after.
Before: Julia had a twin brother, a boyfriend, and a best friend.
After: She has a new identity, a new hometown, and memories of those twenty-two minutes that refuse to come into focus. At least, that’s what she tells the police.
Now that she’s Lucy Black, she's able to begin again. She's even getting used to the empty bedroom where her brother should be. And her fresh start has attracted the attention of one of the hottest guys in school, a boy who will do anything to protect her. But when someone much more dangerous also takes notice, Lucy's forced to confront the dark secrets she thought were safely left behind.
One thing is clear: The damage done can never be erased. It’s only just beginning. . . .

This was a disturbing and suspenseful story.  I didn’t really warm to any of the characters but it wasn’t supposed to be a feel good read.  Some of the thoughts and actions of the main character, Julia, were odd. The reason for this becomes clear at the end but it did affect the flow of the story for me, and some of the events stretched the imagination.  However the nasty twist at the end does help fill in some of the apparent gaps in the plot.  In many ways this is a clever, gripping thriller. 

Reviewed by Carolyn

We Were Liars by E Lockhart

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

So that's the blurb. It doesn't tell you much about the story line but maybe it's better not to reveal too much.

I liked this book even though I didn’t like it.  It is a great suspense but also tragic.  The characters, including the adults, seemed liked annoying spoilt rich kids at times, but what happens as the family disintegrates is also sad. It’s one of those books that I would say to you ‘read it as I’d really like to know your opinion of it’. Like me, perhaps you’ll be left thinking “what an odd, twisted family story”  but also “what a gripping tale of woe.”

 
Reviewed by Carolyn