Book reviews of YA lit and more

As a middle school librarian and hopeful reader of Missouri's high school award books (Gateway nominees), I am reading and reviewing as many young adult and middle grade novels as I can while working on my own writing for this age group.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Hate List

Hate List by Jennifer Brown is a debut novel that looks at a high school in the after math of a tragic school shooting.  Valerie and her boyfriend, Nick, have felt like outsiders in their high school since their freshman year.  They both dream of being the winners for once instead of the losers they always feel like.  In order to make herself feel better about the trouble at school and home, Valerie starts the “hate list”, a simple notebook that lists al the people and situations she hates.  Valerie has no idea how serious the “hate list” is to Nick and just how he envisions becoming a winner for once.  This book is definitely for high school students, but it takes a hard look at the consequences for how we treat others and the situations that lead up to violence in youth.  This book is highly recommended, and the author has a second book coming out about a high school girl in an abusive situation.  Definitely an author to look for!

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