Tag: YA historical

Maud: A Novel Inspired by the Life of L.M. Montgomery by Melanie J. Fishbane | Review

April 25, 2017 / 2 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Review
Maud: A Novel Inspired by the Life of L.M. Montgomery by Melanie J. Fishbane | Review

Review: Maud by Melanie J. Fishbane I’ve already told you all about my wild excitement at Maud, as well as my obsession with all things Anne of Green Gables. So let’s dive right into Maud. =p My first thoughts when reading MAUD: This reads like Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books! There’s something very simple, direct, and 19th century about the prose in Maud, and it instantly brought me back to all my moments learning about pioneer life as a child. Here’s the thing, though: this is not an idyllic time. Unlike L.M. Montgomery’s whimsical Anne of Green Gables, teen Lucy Maud […]

Highly Recommended: Letters to the Lost & My Lady Jane | Mini-Reviews

April 10, 2017 / 6 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Mini-Reviews, Review
Highly Recommended: Letters to the Lost & My Lady Jane | Mini-Reviews

Review: LETTERS TO THE LOST by Brigid Kemmerer Letters to the Lost is a captivating book that delves deeply into two characters’ lives. Juliet Young is a girl who lost her photographer mother in a car accident a few months ago. She is still deeply grieving. Meanwhile, Declan Murphy is an angry guy who is currently doing community service after a traumatic and dangerous incident. The book is beautifully narrated, switching between Juliet and Declan’s perspectives. There’s also really strong dialogue between the characters and their best friends and families, who are well-rounded and real. The romance between Juliet and Declan […]

Maud by Melanie J. Fishbane | Waiting on Wednesday

Maud by Melanie J. Fishbane | Waiting on Wednesday

Guys. Gather round. Let me tell you a story. So it’s no secret that Anne of Green Gables is one of my favorite heroines of all time. I’ve been fascinated with her and with author L.M. Montgomery for a very long time. So when I first heard about MAUD, a YA novel based on Montgomery’s teen life a few years ago? I freaked out. Not only did I hear about it, but I heard about it from a friend. My friend Melanie Fishbane, who I met through book blogging. And the reason she was telling me about it? Because she wrote […]

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee | Review

June 1, 2016 / 4 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Review
Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee | Review

Review: Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee Mercy Wong has a dream. A seventeen year old Chinese girl living in San Francisco’s Chinatown at the turn of the 20th century, she’s desperate to gain more learning and prestige and find a way to save herself and her little brother from spending the rest of their lives working for her father’s laundry business. The key? Gaining entry to St. Clare’s School for Girls, the most prestigious school in San Francisco. But it’s 1906 and an earthquake is looming on the horizon… I’d like to preface this review by saying that I […]

Under A Painted Sky by Stacey Lee | Review

March 7, 2016 / 4 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Review
Under A Painted Sky by Stacey Lee | Review

Review: Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee was on so many bloggers’ favorites lists for 2015, and was on my own highly anticipated reads…and then I didn’t read it for ages. Thank goodness for my book club having it as the pick for Jan/Feb, because I really, really needed to read this one, and I think you will, too. Under A Painted Sky is the story of Samantha Young, a Chinese girl living in Missouri on a border town to the Oregon Trail in 1849. She’s been pretty sheltered for most of […]

Waiting on Wednesday: The Many Lives of John Stone by Linda Buckley-Archer

Waiting on Wednesday: The Many Lives of John Stone by Linda Buckley-Archer

The Many Lives of John Stone Author: Linda Buckley-Archer Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Expected publication: October 20th 2015 An English teen questions all she knows about aging when she encounters a set of journals that date from the present back to the reign of King Louis XIV in this blend of contemporary and historical fiction from the author of the acclaimed Gideon trilogy. Stella Park (Spark for short) has found summer work cataloging historical archives in John Stone’s remote and beautiful house in Suffolk, England. She wasn’t quite sure what to expect, and her uncertainty about living at […]

“Make Your Own Kind of Music” Early Review: I’m Glad I Did by Cynthia Weil

January 23, 2015 / 2 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Review, Uncategorized
“Make Your Own Kind of Music” Early Review: I’m Glad I Did by Cynthia Weil

I’m Glad I Did Author: Cynthia Weil (website | twitter) Publisher: Soho Teen Source/Format: eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss (thank you!) Publication date: January 27, 2015 (next week!) My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars. Buy It: Indigo.ca | Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | B&N | IndieBound | iTunes | The Book Depository | Audible Mad Men meets Nashville in this debut mystery set in 1963, written by Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Cynthia Weil. It’s the summer of 1963 and JJ Green is a born songwriter—which is a major problem, considering that her family considers the music business a […]

Review: Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

October 24, 2014 / 1 Comment / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Review, Uncategorized
Review: Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

Lies We Tell Ourselves Author: Robin Talley (website | twitter) Publisher: Harlequin Teen Source/Format: Rachel from Hello, Chelly gave me this ARC that she picked up at BEA14! (thanks, Rachel!) Publication date: September 30th 2014 My rating: 3 out of 5 stars Buy it:  Indigo.ca | Indiebound | B&N | The Book Depository | Amazon  In 1959 Virginia, the lives of two girls on opposite sides of the battle for civil rights will be changed forever. Sarah Dunbar is one of the first black students to attend the previously all-white Jefferson High School. An honors student at her old school, she is […]

Waiting on Wednesday: Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

Waiting on Wednesday: Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that book bloggers are eagerly anticipating. Under A Painted Sky Author: Stacey Lee Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (Penguin Canada) Expected publication: March 17, 2015 A powerful story of friendship and sacrifice, for fans of Code Name Verity Missouri, 1849: Samantha dreams of moving back to New York to be a professional musician—not an easy thing if you’re a girl, and harder still if you’re Chinese. But a tragic accident dashes any hopes of fulfilling her dream, and instead, leaves her fearing for her life. With […]

Early Review: Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman

April 21, 2014 / 8 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Review, Uncategorized
Early Review: Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman

Prisoner of Night and Fog Author: Anne Blankman (website | twitter) Publisher: Balzer + Bray Source/Format: ARC from Harper Collins Canada in exchange for an honest review (thank you!) Expected publication: April 22, 2014 (tomorrow!) My rating: 4 out of 5 stars In 1930s Munich, danger lurks behind dark corners, and secrets are buried deep within the city. But Gretchen Müller, who grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her “uncle” Dolf, has been shielded from that side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf’s, and Gretchen is his favorite, his pet. Uncle […]