A Study in Charlotte and The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro (Charlotte Holmes series)

A Study in Charlotte and The Last of August are the first two books in the YA Charlotte Holmes series by Brittany Cavallaro. Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are descendants of the infamous Watson and Holmes. When they meet at boarding school, an unlikely friendship/romance blooms, despite the animosity between their two families. In both books, Jamie and Charlotte take on dangerous mysteries together.

Sex: A character is raped, but the scene is not shown. The books are both told mainly from Jamie's perspective and he shares any sensual feelings he has about Charlotte with the reader. Sex is discussed between male characters pretty flippantly.

Language: Strong.

Drug/Alcohol Use: Charlotte is a drug user, but she does try to hide it and later quits using.

Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: There is an attempted suicide. There are several deaths in both books. Lots of violence between characters and suspenseful scenes.

Final Note: As far as the story lines go, I love these books. Jamie is an extremely likeable character and you can't help but root for him and Charlotte. While I found the stories to be enjoyable, a lot of the content and language was mature. Some of that was needed for Charlotte's character development, but it was hard to read at times.

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The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell

Purchase this book on Amazon here! The Wizards of Once is the latest middle grade novel by Cressida Cowell, the author of the How to Train Your Dragon series. Wizards and warriors have always been taught to hate each other. The wizards stay in the forbidden Badwoods and the warriors live in their iron castle. But when Xar, a wizard, and Wish, the warrior queen's daughter, meet each other in the woods, they find that they must work together to fight the one thing everyone is afraid of: witches. Sex: None. Language: None. Xar uses his own cursing. Drug/Alcohol Use: None. Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: There are a few suspenseful scenes and battles, but nothing too over the top. Final Note: This book was cute, but it wasn't my favorite. It would be a good stepping stone for younger readers who are showing an interest in things like Harry Potter , but who aren't quite old or mature enough for that particular series.

The Elite and The One by Kiera Cass (The Selection Series)

The Elite and The One are YA fiction novels by Kiera Cass. Books two and three in the Selection Series, The Elite and The One continue the story of America and her fight for Prince Maxon's heart. Sex: There are no explicit scenes, but there are a few moments of intimacy between characters in both books. Language: Mild. Drug/Alcohol Use: Mild. Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: Several deaths over the course of the two books. The rebels often attack and those scenes are suspenseful. Final Note: I'm still really enjoying this series! I have a couple of books left to finish, but so far I've been pleased. These books are definitely for older teenagers, but it shows the romantic aspects without being too terribly steamy or detailed. The story line is very intriguing as well.

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 Rapid Reader

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