The Rapid Reader

Purchase this book on Amazon here!   Gabby Garcia's Ultimate Playbook is a junior fiction novel by Iva-Marie Palmer. Gabby has always been the best pitcher on the team. But when she's forced to transfer schools in the middle of the season, she's afraid her winning streak is coming to an end. Can Gabby learn to work with new teammates and find where she truly belongs? Sex: None. Language: None. Drug/Alcohol Use: None. Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: None. Final Note: This was a really cute book, especially for younger girls who love sports. The illustrations were also a lot of fun! This story teaches a wonderful lesson on what it really means to be a winner.

Purchase this book on Amazon here! It's Kind of a Funny Story is a YA fiction novel by Ned Vizzini. It was selected by the ALA as a Best Book for Young Adults in 2007 and was named one of the 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels by NPR. Ned Vizzini penned this novel after a 5 day stay in the adult psychiatric ward at Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn. This book was turned into a movie in 2010. Craig is overwhelmed with his desire to succeed. After successfully studying his way into the top high school around, he suddenly finds himself unable to eat or sleep. Struggling with the pressure he feels, Craig begins to contemplate suicide. Instead, he calls a suicide hotline and ends up checking himself into psychiatric care for five days. This book is about those five days. Sex: There are some sexually explicit conversations and scenes in this book. Language: Moderate to high. Drug/Alcohol Use: Craig and his friends often drink and smoke marijuana. They are 15 years old. Violence/Gore/...

Purchase this book on Amazon here!   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/Alco...

Purchase this book on Amazon here!   Lucky Broken Girl is a middle grade semi-autobiographical fiction novel by Ruth Behar. Ruthie and her family have relocated to America from Cuba.When a tragic accident turns Ruth's world upside down, she spends a year contemplating her life and future. Her dreams change and she transforms into a brand new Ruthie. Sex: None. Language: None. Drug/Alcohol Use: There's an instance of drinking and driving. Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: There's a tragic accident and several people die. Another character close to Ruthie also loses their life later in the story. There's also a semi-graphic scene about an enema being used because a patient isn't able to use the bathroom. Final Note: I thought Ruth Behar did a wonderful job sharing her experiences as a child. I loved how she frequently referred back to her Cuban heritage. I felt like I not only related to her as a person, but I also learned things I didn't kno...

Purchase this book on Amazon!   Short is a junior fiction novel by Holly Goldberg Sloan. Julia has always been small. So when her mother encourages her to audition for the local play and she's cast as a munchkin, Julia is not surprised. What does surprise her, though, is how much she loves it. Sex: None. Julia talks about some of the older cast members dating and liking each other, but it's all pretty harmless. Language: None. Drug/Alcohol Use: Champagne is mentioned once. Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: Julia is sad throughout the book because of the loss of a pet. Another character talks about how she lost her daughter. Final Note: This book was so cute! I couldn't help but absolutely adore Julia. Holly Goldberg Sloan really hit this one out of the park. I think kids in grades 4-7 will enjoy this novel!

Purchase this book on Amazon here!   The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a YA National Book Award Winner by Sherman Alexie. Junior has grown up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. But after being encouraged by a teacher, he decides to go to school at an all-white high school nearby. Loosely based on author Sherman Alexie's real life, this story shows what it's like to follow your dreams, even in the midst of heartache and loneliness. Sex: There are no sex scenes, but the narrator talks about masturbation several times and he makes comments about sex on numerous occasions. Language: Moderate to high. Drug/Alcohol Use: Lots of drinking. Junior blames alcohol for most of the problems on the Reservation. Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: Several fights and deaths. Junior faces lots of loss and heartache. Final Note: I'm not going to lie, this book had a lot of mature material. Normally I wouldn't even be able to finish, but I was extremel...

  Purchase this book on Amazon here! See You in the Cosmos is a middle grade fiction novel by Jack Cheng. Eleven-year-old Alex is fascinated by rockets. He builds a rocket all on his own and decides to send his golden iPod into space, with recordings for anyone who may be living out there. What begins as a simple journey to a rocket convention becomes an epic adventure to find answers about his family. Sex: There's no sex scenes. A character says he's going to stay at his girlfriend's house for the night. Not exactly sex related, but one character says she's having her period and Alex decides to research what that is online. It doesn't give details but he's embarrassed by what he finds. Language: Alex substitutes curse words with "bleep." Drug/Alcohol Use: Alex doesn't drink, but other characters in the book do. Alex mentions both beer and vodka. Alex mentions that he tried beer once and he didn't like it. Violence/Gore/Frightenin...