BOOKS FOR CHILDREN: How do you know what's good?

While there are many places (especially on the internet) where you can read book reviews, how do you really know if it's a good book or not when a single book might receive anywhere from one to five stars?
The answer: read the reviews of a book-addicted teacher librarian.


NOTE:
** The age recommendations are guidelines only; whether or not a certain book is suitable for a particular child depends on multiple factors, including their maturity, reading level, interests, and in some cases their experiences.
** While the ratings are largely based on my own personal appreciation/enjoyment of the book, they are also influenced by my experiences as a teacher and the potential attraction for the target-aged child (acknowledging that what one child may love, another may find exceptionally boring). A rating of 5 indicates the book is likely to be popular with the majority.


Wednesday, July 27, 2016

My Sister Rosa (YA/Adult Fic)

AUTHOR: Justine Larbalestier (US)
PUBLISHED: Allen & Unwin ; 2016.
PAGES/ILL: ~400 pages.

PLOT:
Teenager Che has a lot of things he wants to do. Improve his boxing. Get a girlfriend. Leave New York and go back home to Sydney. But the most important thing is keeping his little sister, Rosa, in line.
Rosa is cruel. She delights in deception and making other people hurt. Che is convinced she's a sociopath, but Rosa's sweet outward disposition easily fools the people around them. Che's life gets increasingly complicated as Rosa's games lead to horrific consequences.

REVIEW:
This is being advertised as a YA novel, but I would emphasise that it is for OLDER young adults (17+).

This is one of the best books I've read this year. I'm writing this a few months after I finished the book and it has still stuck with me. It's a great story if you can handle sociopathic children completely devoid of empathy who delight in manipulating others (and the reality that they DO exist).

AGE: 17+/Adult.
GENRE: Realistic psychological/thriller fiction.
RATING: STRONG 5 stars.

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