Posted on July 22nd, 2014 by pajamapress
“…what I liked about Ellis’ challenging character is that her actions made me think hard about how I would act in the same situation…I’d recommend True Blue for young to mid teen readers.”
Click here to read the full review.
Posted in True Blue | Tagged amy-mathers, amys-marathon-of-books, deborah-ellis, murder, mystery, psychological-thriller, Review, true-blue, ya, young-adult
Posted on July 21st, 2014 by pajamapress
“Moon at Nine is quite frankly one of the most powerful love stories I have ever read, as Ellis shows her reader love is love, no matter what the sexual preference of those involved…With a backdrop of an almost post-war Iran, Farrin and Sadira are vibrant and inspiring characters consciously deciding to live in the moment by clinging to each other in the face of great opposition. Ellis’ writing is passionate and informative, creating a realistic and frightening picture of Iran’s reaction to homosexuality.
…Moon at Nine is certainly worth putting on your to-read list.”
Click here to read the full review.
Posted in Moon at Nine | Tagged amy-mathers, amys-marathon-of-books, deborah-ellis, gay, Historical Fiction, iran, lesbian, lgbtq, moon-at-nine, Review, ya, young-adult
Posted on February 4th, 2014 by pajamapress
“…I love Gunnery’s heartfelt characters. We join Emily at the beginning of the book frantically cutting out her now ex-boyfriend from all of their pictures making it easy to slip into her perspective. Emily For Real is a lighter read about the true meaning of family, issues of identity and genuine friendship.
Reading a story where the main girl and guy characters are just friends, and great friends at that, is refreshing, especially because the dynamic between Emily and Leo is real and relaxed. Gunnery allows them to just be with each other, but also to challenge each other when needed…”
Click here to read the full review.
Posted in Emily for Real | Tagged amys-marathon-of-books, emily-for-real, family, fiction, friendship, realistic-fiction, sylvia-gunnery, teen, ya, young-adult
Posted on January 15th, 2014 by pajamapress
Amy Mathers is reading her way across Canada to raise money to fund a YA book award—something our country currently lacks. Inspired by the journeys of Terry Fox and Rick Hansen, Amy has begun her “journey” with books set in Newfoundland and will work her way across the country reading a book a day.
Today’s Amy’s tour of Newfoundland brought her to the fictional small town of Bullbirds Cove with Nix Minus One by Jill MacLean:
“There are so many things I love about this book. The characters of Blue, Twig, and Nix. Reading the descriptions about Nix’s intricate woodworking. The complex relationship between Nix and his sister Roxy. Nix Minus One is an authentic portrayal of hardship and grief while still maintaining a sense of hope that will leave the reader feeling uplifted.”
Click here to see Amy’s full review and discover her favourite excerpts from Nix Minus One.
Posted in Nix Minus One | Tagged amy-mathers, amys-marathon-of-books, award, Canada, dog, grief, jill-maclean, marathon-of-books, newfoundland, nix-minus-one, Novel, Review, teen, ya