Month: November 2010

Gateway 26:  After by Amy Efaw

Gateway 26: After by Amy Efaw

Posted November 27, 2010 by Lisa Mandina in Uncategorized / 0 Comments

Wow, finally I am done with reading the nominees for next year’s Gateway Award list. And just in time, my ratings are due on December 1st! And let me say, what an intense book to end on. In fact, I’m somewhat surprised that we have this book in my middle school library. It is really […]

Gateway 25:  Brutal by Michael Harmon

Gateway 25: Brutal by Michael..

Posted November 26, 2010 by Lisa Mandina in / 0 Comments

FINALLY! A female main character! And really, this was a good book. Our main character is Poe, yes, named after Edgar Allan Poe. Her mother, a really good doctor, has decided to move to some third world country to take care of patients there, and so has shipped Poe off to live with the father […]

Gateway 24:  If I Grow Up by Todd Strasser

Gateway 24: If I Grow Up by T..

Posted November 24, 2010 by Lisa Mandina in / 2 Comments

So, I was really excited to read this book because one of the other books by this author is one of the best YA novels there is in my opinion. It was also made into an awesome After School Special when I was a kid as well. Todd Strasser is the author of The Wave. […]

Gateway 23:  King of the Screwups by K.L. Going

Gateway 23: King of the Screw..

Posted November 24, 2010 by Lisa Mandina in / 0 Comments

This was a pretty good book. I really had trouble putting it down at times. The main character is Liam, which is a name I really like, yeah, I know, short for William. But I like just Liam. Anyway, Liam has screwed up parents. You’d think a former supermodel for a mother and an extremely […]

2011 Debut Author Challenge

2011 Debut Author Challenge

Posted November 23, 2010 by Lisa Mandina in / 1 Comment

I have decided to sign up for the 2011 Debut Author Challenge. Seeing that I only have to read like 12 books within a 1 year period, and that I spent the last 3 months reading 26, or will have read 26 after 3 more, I feel this is not going to be a problem, […]

Gateway 22:  Gray Baby by Scott Loring Sanders

Gateway 22: Gray Baby by Scot..

Posted November 22, 2010 by Lisa Mandina in / 0 Comments

Yet another male protagonist. But this was a good one. I thought from the premise that it was more historical fiction, but not really, and that is kind of sad. The main character is Clifton. His mom is white and his dad is black. When he was 6, in the 80’s I believe, he watched […]

Gateway 21:  If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Gateway 21: If I Stay by Gayl..

Posted November 22, 2010 by Lisa Mandina in / 1 Comment

First I have to say as I was titling this blog post that I think I’ve messed up my numbering on these Gateway posts. But finally, a female protagonist! This was a pretty interesting book. The main character is 17 year old Mia. She is a musician with a promising future and a rock band […]

Gateway 20:  Diary of a Witness by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Gateway 20: Diary of a Witnes..

Posted November 22, 2010 by Lisa Mandina in / 0 Comments

Yet another male protagonist. Maybe I just saved all those, stupidly, for the last books I would read? So far a lot of the books are about nerds. In this case it is a boy, overweight, named Ernie, and his best friend Will. They get picked on and beat up by the jocks in their […]

Gateway 19:  Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan

Gateway 19: Flash Burnout by ..

Posted November 21, 2010 by Lisa Mandina in / 0 Comments

Yet another male protagonist book for the Gateway possible nominees. This book was okay. The main character is Blake, and as you might guess from the title or the cover, he is into photography. He has a girlfriend and yet he also has a really good friend, who is a girl, in his photography class. […]

Gateway 18:  The Devil’s Paintbox by Victoria McKernan

Gateway 18: The Devil’s..

Posted November 16, 2010 by Lisa Mandina in / 0 Comments

I love, love, loved this book! It was another male main character, but I think I must really enjoy historical fiction, something I never knew I enjoyed really before I was an adult. Our main character is Aiden. We meet him and his sister Maddie trying to find grasshoppers to eat while they’re living in […]