Looking for Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska is a New York Times' Bestselling YA novel by John Green. It also won the Michael L. Printz Award in 2006. Although this book was published in 2005, it continues to be extremely popular and is often on required reading lists for high school students. There's a rumor floating around that it may become a movie sometime in the near future as well.

Miles leaves his home in Florida to attend a boarding school in Birmingham, Alabama. While there, he develops close friendships with his roommate, "The Colonel", and a girl down the hall named Alaska. Throughout the year, they spend their time sneaking around and playing pranks on the "rich" kids. When tragedy strikes, Miles is determined to find answers and figure out how to move forward.

Sex: This book is extremely sexually explicit. There are several graphic conversations and one scene in particular that is very detailed.

Language: High.

Drug/Alcohol Use: The characters often sneak off to drink and smoke. They are all underage.

Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: There is a very tragic death.

Final Note: This book has become pretty popular. I think it touches on real issues, and from what I understand, it's based loosely upon John Green's own high school experience. That being said, the sexual content and language are very heavy. For me personally, it wasn't easy to read, and I found myself skipping or skimming over several sections.

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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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