I have never read one of Stewart's books before. I found myself feeling immersed in the world from the early pages. Reuben's exploration of his town seemed totally relatable, and after watching Marvel's Netflix series, the Directioners seem quite possible. I did think it sagged a little bit in the middle, but picked up again after meeting Penelope and Jack. An excellent fantasy/mystery.

Eh. Maybe if I had played with the app, I would have liked it more. It just wasn't my cup of tea, and I was disappointed with the ending.

MSBA Nominee 2009-2010

I'm now afraid I will not be able to tell the difference between humans and robots.

I liked this one more than I thought I would at first. I like that there are two potential villains and you never quite know who to trust. I look forward to reading more in this series.

Not my favorite, but an intriguing set-up for a series. I like that the series won't have to be read in order. That'll be a good twist. I think it will have a lot of appeal for Goosebumps fans (of which, I am generally not one).

This is a really intriguing look at a world in which no one dies naturally any more. I love the examination of how the different scythes choose to take life, and what it does to them. Citra and Rowan are both relatable, although I dislike how they are pitted against each other (but of course, how much story would there be without that?) I also have some issues with a name change, but that's a spoiler so I won't go into it here. I am excited to see where the story goes.

An interesting look at animals and infographics. I wouldn't say it's my favorite Steve Jenkins ever, but I did enjoy looking at it.

I enjoyed this one. I really liked how Aon and Jeniah were characterized, and what the Carse ending up being. I loved the way friendship was treated, and how there was no romance. I loved the way the cover was an accurate representation of what the girls looked like. Lovely fantasy.

I enjoyed this one, which surprised me. I read it immediately after reading another book about a minister, which I didn't enjoy as much and I thought perhaps it had to do with the protagonist's profession. I guess not! This book traces Dietrich Bonhoeffer's entire life, but concentrates mainly on his adulthood. You learn about this particular conspiracy to kill Hitler. I think, in this time when many people feel lost and helpless, it's important to read books like this which show us that, yes, you can stand up to power, but there will be consequences. I felt so bad for Bonhoeffer's family. McCormick's style of writing must have worked better for me than the other book I read. I was a little irritated by the short chapters, but I think for reluctant readers and people who are used to that style, they will like it more.

I don't know. I feel like, if you described this story to me, I would have been told you it was a great story. Reading it, I felt detached. For me, I wondered why I was reading a book about a white person helping out in the civil rights movement when there are so many people of color that we don't know enough about. Then, I felt conflicted because I want white people to be a part of the movement as well, and books like this might inspire them. So I don't know really what I wanted from this book, but the mood I was in while reading it says to me that it wasn't the right book for me at the right time.

As far as the writing goes, it's fine. The main problem is the blue pages with black text on it, which makes those pages hard to read. There are some black pages where they use white text, so changing the font color wasn't a problem there.