The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

“Tell Alice to stay the hell away from the Hazel Wood.”  That’s Ella Proserpine’s message to her daughter while she’s being kidnapped by nasty characters from a fairy tale.  Naturally, Alice heads straight for the Hazel Wood to find her mom. It’s way weirder there than even I expected. Characters: 5 stars Plot: 4 stars

High School Books Part III: The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler

Star Ratings Characters: ***** (5 stars) Character Development: **** (4 stars) Plot: **** (4 stars) Writing: ***** (5 stars) Overall: ***** (5 stars) Age recommendation: 16+ The Basic Eight was definitely my favorite of the three high school books I read last week.  In fact, I think it might be my favorite novel set in a high

High School Books Part II: After The Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away

Star Ratings Characters: *** (3 stars) Character Development: *** (3 stars) Plot: **** (4 stars) Writing: ***** (5 stars) Overall: **** (4 stars) Age recommendation: 14+ The next library book in my high school novel stack was the first YA book by Joyce Carol Oates I had ever read.  I’ve heard good things about Big Mouth, Ugly