Book Reviews...

The Beautiful Between
by Alyssa Sheinmel
I absolutely loved this book. I sort of expected something romantic and fluffy, but instead it surprised me by being really sweet and heartfelt (not that I dislike the fluffy stuff). The main character, Connelly, is quiet and keeps to herself for the most part. Until one day, Jeremy, the most popular boy at school approaches her. They strike up an unlikely friendship for reasons unknown to Connelly. Be forwarned, this is not a retelling of She's All That (girl transformation story), it is about two teens coming to terms with similar tragedies in their lives. Sorry if I am being cryptic, but I don't want to give too much away. Just check this book out!

Pretty Little Liars
by Sara Shepard

I thought it might be an opportune moment to review Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard, since the latest in this series, Wanted, hit the shelf last month and a new show based on the series started this summer. This book series reminds me a little of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, except meaner and with murder. The story focuses on five childhood friends: Emily, Aria, Hanna, Spencer, and Ali. They have not spoken to each other for a whole year, and their lives have all gone in different directions. On the one year anniversary of Ali's disappearance and the death of their friendships, the teens start receiving text messages from Ali. The messages are not nice and slightly cryptic. The girls all begin to question what happened the year that Ali left, and will Ali keep all of their secrets safe? You must read this series to find out what happened to Ali and what sorts of secrets young teen girls would possess. A word of caution...the first episode of the tv show depicted the entire first book, so don't watch if you are wanting to read the book series first. Check out the trailer for the tv series below...



Shanna
~Teen Librarian