The Names they Gave Us by Emery Lord. This is probably the best Young Adult novel that I’ve read this year. The topics are handled with such grace and nuanced, and it is so rare to find a protagonist in a young adult novel that subscribes to the Christian religion. It would have been easy for many aspects of this book to come off as flat or cheesy, as one sided or offensive, but the growth that the main character of this story experiences seems real, genuine, and so very carefully thought out.
The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais. There were parts of this book that didn’t quite work for me, but I really appreciate the insight to deaf culture that this book brings to its readers, and overall, the story is engaging.
The Story of Owen the Dragon Slayer of Trondheim by E.K. Johnston. This was a strong recommendation from the Devious Snail, and since it has won several accolades, I read it one afternoon. It totally made sense why this story, rich in plot development and full of action, adventure, and creatively told was one of the Devious Snail’s favorites. It’s a unique book worth reading.
Words on Fire by Jennifer Nielsen. The Banana and I both really enjoyed this glimpse into Lithuanian history. It’s a book that certainly keeps you on your toes and is thought provoking as well.
As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth by Lynn Rae Perkins. This is a quirky book that has so much going on it is realistic fiction that no longer feels realistic, but even though the reader sometimes wonders “What else could possibly happen in a completely coincidental manner?” I found it to be engaging and and entertaining. There are some great characters in this book.
![web analytics](https://c.statcounter.com/<!-- Start of StatCounter Code --> <script type=\"text/javascript\"> var sc_project=5565910; var sc_invisible=1; var sc_partition=60; var sc_click_stat=1; var sc_security=\"0e7adf24\"; </script> <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter.js\"></script><noscript><div class=\"statcounter\"><a title=\"wordpress hit counter\" href=\"http://www.statcounter.com/wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"statcounter\" src=\"http://c.statcounter.com/5565910/0/0e7adf24/1/\" alt=\"wordpress hit counter\" ></a></div></noscript> <!-- End of StatCounter Code -->/0/var sc_security=\"0e7adf24\"; /0/)