Losing Gabriel by Lurlene McDaniel

Losing Gabriel is a YA fiction novel by Lurlene McDaniel. I grew up reading all of McDaniel's books. In fact, I still have them all on a shelf upstairs. This particular book was geared more toward a high school audience with a little more mature subject matter.

Sex: Sex is discussed pretty openly, but not too graphically. Sloan catches her boyfriend with a girl in the backseat of his car. She mentions several times that she and her boyfriend have sex. When she later ends up with Dawson, they also have sex and this results in a pregnancy.

Language: Mild to moderate. More language than other books by Lurlene McDaniel.

Drug/Alcohol Use: Dawson and Sloan drink champagne on New Years. Sloan's mother is a drunk. Sloan's ex-boyfriend dabbles in drugs and a character dies from a drug overdose.

Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: There are a couple of deaths in this book. Also, there are several suspenseful scenes surrounding health issues with certain characters. There is also child abandonment, which could be a sensitive subject for some readers.

Final Note: Although this book was a little more mature than what McDaniel typically writes, I still thought it was a good representation of current high school life. One positive aspect is the way Dawson steps up when Sloan finds out she's pregnant. In most situations, the mom is left all alone to deal with a pregnancy, but instead, Dawson is the one who sets his dreams aside to raise a son. While there are a few things to be cautious about, overall I really enjoyed this book.

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My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

My Lady Jane is a YA fiction novel by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. Written in three different perspectives by three different authors, this romantic comedy tells readers what really (maybe) happened in history with Lady Jane Grey. This book was on Publishers Weekly's list of top YA books for 2016. (And it was well-deserved!) Sex: During the Edward and Gifford chapters, the boys often comment on the figures of women. People are under the impression that Gifford is a "ladies man." Two of the characters are in an arranged marriage and the book does mention in the last chapter that they "totally consummated." There are sexual innuendos but nothing graphic. Language: Extremely mild, especially for a YA book. Drug/Alcohol Use: A few mentions of drinking. Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: There is a war and plenty of people are threatened with losing their heads, but since this book is a comedy, it's nothing graphic or seriou

What is The Rapid Reader?

Hello fellow parents and friends! My name is Danielle. I had the idea for this blog a couple of years ago when I was working in my son's school library. It was a known fact that I was an avid reader of middle school and young adult literature and several parents would ask me about books before checking them out for their kids. (Or buying them at the book fair!) Because I read so much, I've never worried too much about what my kids might be reading. My oldest is only eight years old and anything he's read, I've read already! But what about parents who don't necessarily enjoy reading or have the time? I wanted to offer a resource that gave these parents the chance to make educated decisions about books their kids are reading. That's how this blog was born! Before we go any further, I want to point out that I am strongly opposed to book banning. I believe in freedom of speech and expression of art through literature. But I also feel strongly that kids should

The Ethan I Was Before by Ali Standish

The Ethan I Was Before is a middle grade fiction novel by Ali Standish. Ethan and Kacey were the best of friends. But when a terrible accident rips them apart, Ethan and his family pick up and move from Boston to a small town in Georgia. Now Ethan must figure out what life looks like moving forward. He meets Coralee and is enthralled by her marvelous stories. Can the two of them share secrets and give each other the friendship they both long for? Sex: None. Language: None. Drug/Alcohol Use: None. Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: There are several suspenseful scenes. Death is a big part of the story line as well. Final Note: I loved this book! This is Ali Standish's first novel and she hit it out of the park. It was hauntingly beautiful. My heart ached for Ethan. I think readers grades 6-8 would really like this one.

The Rapid Reader

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