Girl on the Other Side

Deborah Kerbel's Mackenzie, Lost and Found has stuck with me long after I finished it, so I was very excited to see that she had another book out, Girl on the Other Side. I have said many times before, but I always love novels told from multiple perspectives. Kerbel set hers up in an interesting way, making the experience even more enjoyable.

The novel tells the story of two seemingly opposite girls in the same school who end up forming a connection. At the start of the novel there is a bathroom scene with the two girls, but then it backs up a couple of months, building back up to that opening scene and moving past it. This is another craft decision that I typically enjoy, getting a sense of something to come and then guessing the rest of the book up until that point about how the characters will find themselves in that situation.

Every chapter starts with a date and time. Then it shows us Tabby's point of view of that moment in her life, before shifting to Lora's perspective. Sometimes they are both in the same place at the same time giving us a full picture from both sides, while other times they are off in their own worlds but their stories weave together helping us to know more about exactly who each girl is and the experiences that have formed them.

Rather than showing us every moment of the time frame of the book, it gives us snapshots of their lives. Again, this was a craft choice that worked very effectively. I thoroughly enjoyed the book on two levels: the story and thinking about Kerbel's decisions as a writer.

Here's the book trailer for the novel. I saw it a few months back, and it was fun to watch it again upon completing the novel to see how all of the scenes in the trailer relate to the book.



*Review copy courtesy of the publisher

The Secret Year

After feeling like it had been so long since I was able to pick up a YA book to read for fun, it was so enjoyable to finally read The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard. I heard about the book since she is a Class of 2k10 author. 

In the book Colt is trying to figure out a year-long relationship that he had with Julia in secret after she died. He never told anyone his secret, so he is left to grieve alone over a girl that most people think he barely even knew. One exception pops up as Julia's younger brother discovers a notebook where she wrote Colt letters with his initials. 

I don't read too many books from a teenage boy's perspective, so it was fun to read something different. He was definitely different than me. I would have flown through the whole notebook the same night I received it, not being able to wait any longer. However, Colt was different. He lingered through it trying to figure out where he stood with her and where to go next with his life. 

I grew up in a family of all girls, so even though I am married now, teenage boys are still a mystery to me. That made it a little bit harder to predict what Colt would do next for sure. It is always nice to have a book leave me wondering what will happen next. 

Book Reviews to Come Soon

I have been busy finishing up a college class and doing some professional reading. Now I will be able to get back to more middle grades/YA novels, and there are so many great ones to choose from that I already have! I am especially excited that spring break is coming up in a week.