Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

Girl in Pieces is a YA fiction novel by Kathleen Glasgow. Charlotte Davis has been through a lot. After her father's death, and the near death of Charlie's best friend, Charlie and her mother had a falling out that resulted in her living on the streets. After barely surviving many attempted attacks, Charlie tries to take her own life. Instead, she is rescued and left at an institution. After recovering for some time, and trying to learn how to deal with her pain in healthier ways than self-harm, Charlie finds herself in Arizona.

Sex: High. It's discussed between characters, Charlie lived in a sex house for a brief period and although she didn't participate, she refers back to it in her memories quite often. Charlie mentions in passing her sexual encounters with previous people and in more detail with the guy she is seeing during the book. There is also another graphic scene when she catches her love interest with someone else.

Language: High.

Drug/Alcohol Use: Several drug abusers in this book. Charlie's love interest is on drugs. Her friend Blue is also a recovering meth addict. Lots of drinking.

Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: Charlie self-harms by cutting herself. She attempts suicide on two different occasions. A close friend of Charlie's nearly dies and another close friend does die. Lots of sadness and death and violence.

Final Note: I'm not really sure what to think about this book. The goal of the author was to show the emotions behind self-harm, but this book went much further than that. Even though it's YA, it's extremely sexually graphic and the language is very mature. I would just say proceed with caution.

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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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