Breaking Rank by Kristen D. Randle

Breaking Rank by Kristen D. Randle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Jacket Description:

Thus does the Clan speak

To Baby, the outside world is a cold and lonely place. The silent, enigmatic group that calls itself the Clan is his home, and he has been scorned and feared by classmates and neighbors. Like the rest of the Clan, he has never before participated in school. It's up to Casey to see to it that Baby isn't alone when he's the only Clan member to be placed in honors classes. But what Baby is doing threatens Clan and non-Clan alike, and it isn't long before Baby's and Casey's familiar worlds are shattered.

I started reading this book for English class, but I finished it way before I had to. This book is amazing-it pulls you right in! The main idea behind the story is that Baby Brother "Baby" is in a group called the Clan. The Clan never participates in any school work, and barely attends enough to keep out of truancy court. But Baby takes tests that show that he should be in honors classes. In order to bring him up to speed, a teacher assigns his tutor to be a girl named Casey, who is the kind, compassionate, I-can-help-save-the-world kind of girl. She and Baby have nothing in common, yet they become friends, and as Casey and Baby's relationship hovers on the edge of friendship and something more, Baby and Casey's seperate worlds will try to step in to stop them. This book is fantastic for anyone who loves YA Romance, and a bit of independence :)

When It Happens by Susane Colasanti

When It Happens by Susane Colasanti

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




Jacket Description:

When you find something real, everything else falls into place...

Seniors in high school, Sara and Tobey couldn't be more different. She is focused on getting into her first-choice college; he wants to win Battle of the Bands. Sara's other goal is to find true love, so when Dave, a popular jock, ask her out, she's thrilled. But then there's Tobey. His amazing blue eyes and quirky wit always creep into her thoughts. Lucky for Sara, one of Tobey's goals is also to make her fall in love with him. Told in alternating points of view, Sara and Tobey's real connection will have everyone rooting for them from the minute they meet!

I picked up When it Happens by Susane Colasanti not sure if I would like it or not. It's not a paranormal romance novel (my favorite kind of novel) and was reality based (which is not something I look for in a book- I mean, my personal reason for reading is to escape reality), but I figured, it's best to step outside of my comfort zone. I wanted to try something new, and this looked interesting. When I read it I was surprised by how relatable the characters were. Most realistic teen novels are written by adults who seem to have lost exactly what it feels like to be a teenager (another reason I usually don't care for them), but this one felt very relatable. I myself am a nerd, and Sara seemed like a real person to me. The dialogue and writing wasn't forced, and I found myself fighting to put it down for dinner.

As for the story itself...We have two main characters in this novel, whose prospectives go back and forth. Their names (if you haven't already read the description of the book) are Sara Tyler and Tobey Beller. Sara is considered a nerd, while Tobey is considered a slacker, and Sara has big plans for her future, while Tobey doesn't really have anything in mind. These characters seem like many of the people I currently go to school with. And the nerd going out with the popular jock? Been there, done that. I know how annoying they can be, and felt that Colasanti hit the target with that one. As for Tobey...well, I am not a boy, so I don't know if Tobey's thoughts were like those of a boy. I do, however, know that Colasanti convinced me while I was reading that she knew exactly what she was doing while writing Tobey's sections. Also, when reading some reviews for this novel, I found that some people felt it was confusing from the switching of POVs. But really, every other chapter is each character...(ex. Ch.1 Sara, Ch.2 Tobey, Ch.3 Sara, Ch.4 Tobey)...and even though their names are not listed, each of them has a different font for their chapter, and you can tell within the first few sentences by who they were hanging out with. I didn't find the novel confusing at all. I would certainly recommend it to anyone, especially the people who don't usually read novels like this. Susane Colasanti and Sarah Dessen have brought me a little out of my paranormal shell, and maybe they can do the same for you :D

Susane Colasanti's Official Website: www.susanecolasanti.com