Turtles All the Way Down Commentary

By Sara Aslagson-Sahar

A new John Green book has just come out and part of me immediately  wanted to write a book review. And what indie literary journal that focuses on Young Adult Fiction wouldn’t? (It’s an excellent way to get into hashtags and join part of a very popular conversation.) But here is the thing, those of us who love John Green are most likely going to, or have already, bought the book regardless of how good others are saying it is or isn’t. Because we want to know too. We want to be part of the conversation and we want to dissect every little bit with everyone else.

Interview With Jennifer E. Smith

By Sara Aslagson-Sahar

Jennifer E. Smith, is the author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, The Geography of You and Me, This Is What Happy Looks Like, and many more. With such unique titles and riveting stories I often find myself staying up all night to finish her books. Following the characters as they deal with life’s realities, such as going off to college or meeting your Dad’s soon-to-be wife for the first time and the realness of the people who join you, and the people you leave behind.

After getting sucked into reading her book Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between I realized she would be someone perfect to interview and decided to reach out to her. Thankfully, she agreed. 

Saint Anything Book Review

By Emily Pooley

Growing up with siblings, you can sometimes feel looked over, unimportant or invisible. Sydney Stanford always felt like she was in her brother Peyton’s shadow. Now that he is in jail after a drunk driving incident, she still can’t seem to get the attention she needs from her parents. In Sarah Dessen’s latest novel Saint Anything, she writes “for all the invisible girls”.

Urban Beats: The Walk: An Artistic Showcase

By Sara Aslagson-Sahar

At 6pm on Wednesday, January 25th, I walked into the Moniker Warehouse on 16th Street. After signing in and filling out a survey, I was given a raffle ticket and was able to enter “The Walk: An Artistic Showcase.” This event was designed to give “a small glimpse into the lives of our youth [between the ages of 16-25]  and how mental health affects their lives in positive and negative ways,” and I think it definitely accomplished it’s goal.

Wine & Words Event Review

By Sara Aslagson-Sahar

December 21st, 2016, in San Diego was a dark and rainy night, but many still braved the rain to meet in the Admiral’s Restaurant for an open mic event “that merges classy with consciousness.” The event is called Wine and Words and for $5 you can receive admission to this great night full of spoken word poetry, music, thoughts, comedy, ingenuity, and community support. The benefit of it being at the Admiral’s is that as you enjoy the night you can order delicious food and $4 glasses of wine. (While the event is titled Wine and Words it is open to those under 21 as well.) The event was advertised to start at 8 pm. I sat at a table with another poet, Rose, and later a woman Kelsey joined us as well.

The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland Book Review

By Kaitlan Tatro    

“The odds of finding love are one in 285,000, but the probability of getting married is 80 percent. There seems to be a discrepancy here.”- Grover Cleveland

In the rainy and stormy winter, The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland by Rebekah Crane was a great read to escape to a summer camp of fun, feeling, and friendship.  Set at Camp Padua in Michigan, Crane brings together a group of misfit teenagers, brought together by their various troubles and disorders. These campers are there for various reasons, but are united by the fact that they all struggle with something in their life.The main character Zander doesn’t believe she fits in with this group of at-risk teens, however, as her journey through the camp progresses, she learns more about herself than she thought she would. By the end of the book, Crane is able to show the realities of their disorders and hardships that many teenagers face, and is  able to show the power of love and friendship in one’s life.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

 

By Emily Pooley

Have you ever seen a trailer for one of your favorite books, and gotten really excited, but weren’t sure if the movie could live up
to the incredible story laid out in writing? Recently I saw Tim Burton’s adaptation of Ransom Riggs’ novel Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and that was a concern I definitely had.

When We Collided Book Review

By Kaitlan Tatro

“…we are seventeen and shattered and still dancing. We have messy, throbbing hearts, and we are stronger than anyone could ever know.”

When We Collided by Emery Lord is not your average young adult romance novel. Instead of following the typical boy meets girl and they fall in love storyline, Lord provides readers with a beautiful read that is complicated, funny, and most of all, real. The two main characters, although young, both face obstacles in their lives that affect their everyday.

Extraordinary Means Book Review

By Sara Aslagson-Sahar

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider is a brilliant look into life as a teenager with a chronic illness. This story takes place at Latham House sanatorium. Latham House is a former boarding house, now part-school, part-hospital, in a remote area of the Santa Cruz Mountains for teens with total-drug-resistant Tuberculosis (TDR-TB).

Apologies

Our editorial staff would like to apologize for our unplanned hiatus.

We all got caught up in the whirlwind that was our respective lives (graduation for some, studying abroad for another), and we were unable to post content this past Spring. As an editorial staff we have regrouped and are already searching for and reading great books.

Thank you for your patience.

Look out for exciting new content coming this summer!