Book Reviews for Wordfest Youth

Volunteer Read and Review youth contributor Chloé Corper checked out three books just released this season. Here’s what she had to say.

Review of Finding Hope by Colleen Nelson

The book was well-written, and held my interest throughout the last half. It deals with issues that people don’t usually talk about, and I found it informative and suspenseful. I think that the author was trying to draw attention to the extent to which teens can be driven away from the better choices in life, as well as some tough drug issues and sexual abuse.

Review of Small Displays of Chaos by Breanna Fischer

Small Displays of Chaos is a story about an girl suffering from an eating disorder, trying to find a stable lifestyle. Her friends and family are concerned about her, and they try to convince her to ask for help. After a suicide attempt, she finally does ask for help while trying to recover. I thought this book was very insightful; it puts you in the shoes of someone suffering from an eating disorder, all the while portraying the fact that she feels lost in her world.

Review of Under the Dusty Moon by Suzanne Sutherland

This book was good in the sense that Vic, the main character, is trying to find out who and what she is, all along living under her mom’s shadow. It brings to light the struggles of living with a mother/best friend and having to lie to others to assume another identity separate from her mother’s. The book brought around the issues in the generic lifestyle of a teen who finds her world upside down when her mom goes to Japan for a tour, leaving Vic alone with her grandmother and boyfriend. I thought it was very comical, and also emphasised the awkwardness of a new relationship.