Youth Read Clean

Mockingjay ****

2011-06-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

By Suzanne Collins
Sci/Fi
390 pages

VIOLENCE ***
DEATH ***
GUNS **
MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS ***
GORE ***

An epic finale. I have nothing else to say about it.

District 13 lives. Katniss has survived. Now, she has to save Peeta from the Capitol. In order to do that, however, she MUST become the Mockingjay to help District 13 overthrow the Capitol for the future of Panem. Angry, distrustful, heartbroken, and scared, Katniss has to put aside her feelings and step up to save everything that is worth fighting for.

The Last Olympian (book 5) *****

2011-05-17T12:28:00.000-07:00

By Rick Riordan
Fantasy

MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***
DEATH **
PERIL ***
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS ***
VIOLENCE ***

Um, wow. This book was pretty amazing! This is the fifth and last book in the 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' series. I really enjoyed it!

Percy's 16th birthday is coming. If he is, indeed, the hero of the ancient prophecy, he has just a couple of weeks to save the world from total destruction and get rid of the evil titan Kronos once and for all. Kronos's army is bigger and badder than ever, and with the Gods and Goddesses occupied with taking down Typhon, he heads towards Mt. Olympus in New York City. It's up to Percy and the half-blood campers to stop him. Who will live? Who will die? Who will be revealed?

With new twists and surprises around every corner, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series comes to a close.

The Lost Hero ****

2011-03-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

By Rick Riordan
Fantasy

MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***
VIOLENCE **
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS **
DEATH **

I consider this to be a GREAT adventure/fantasy book! Same author that wrote the 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' series (of which are listed on here somewhere - check the archive) and the 'Kane Chronicles' (listed below is the first book 'The Red Pyramid'). I really liked it. Like Riordan's previous works 'The Lost Hero' is very funny and exciting. It's also a clean read which makes it AWESOME. I loved it :D

Jason wakes up on a school bus not remembering who he is and where he came from. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper and a BFF named Leo - but he's not too sure.
Piper is the daughter of a famous movie star; Tristan McLean. He never really has time for her so she gets into trouble so he will actually pay attention to her. When Jason, her boyfriend, suddenly doesn't recognize her, her world changes forever.
Leo is an orphan with a dark past and a secret. He loves to tinker and build things. When his closest friend wakes up with amnesia on the school bus, and his gym teacher turns out to be half-goat, he finally finds what he is meant to do.
When this trio are identified as 'demi gods', sons and daughters of gods and goddesses, they are whisked away to Camp Halfblood; a refuge and training center for young heroes to train for quests and fighting monsters in the real world. As Jason struggles to find his identity and protect the ones he loves, as Piper tries to get Jason to remember her, and as Leo unlocks the mysteries of his past...in the midst of all this can they also save the world?

The Red Pyramid ***

2011-03-07T06:43:00.000-08:00

By Rick Riordan
Fantasy

MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***
VIOLENCE **
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS **
DEATH **

This is the same author who wrote the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I love his writing - it's so light and humorous and exciting. Will make you laugh, cry, and turn the pages as fast as you can read them. What more could you ask for?

Carter and Sadie Kane have never really had anything to do with each other except when Christmas holiday came around. Since their mother passed away when they were young they have been separated. Carter travels the globe with their infamous father, Julius Kane, while he gives lectures on ancient Egyptian magic and voodoo while Sadie attends a boarding school in London and lives with their grandparents. When their father is unexpectedly swept away by a mysterious force, Carter and Sadie are exposed to a world of magic and Egyptian gods and goddesses. Will they ever be able to get their father back and stop the villain before it's too late?

The Princess Bride ****

2011-03-04T07:15:00.000-08:00

By William Goldman
Fantasy

MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES *
LANGUAGE **
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS ***
VIOLENCE ***
DEATH **

I. Loved. It. Seriously - you have to read it! Very humorous and fun. Full of action, giants, Spaniards, true love, sword fighting, monsters, adventure, and miracles :) This is a book I will read over and over again. If you loved the movie, you'll ADORE the book!

Buttercup is a beautiful bud just waiting to blossom. Westley is a humble farm boy that works for Buttercups father around the farm and is most definitely, most entirely in love with her. When Westley disappears at sea, Buttercup vows to never love again. Some years later when she is captured by a humorous threesome and is miraculously saved by a mysterious man in black. Will she ever find out who the man in black is, and whatever happened to her beloved Westley?

Leven Thumps: The Gateway to Foo (Book 1) *****

2011-02-15T12:43:00.000-08:00

By Obert Skye
Sci-fi Fantasy

MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES **
VIOLENCE **
PERIL *
DEATH *

This series is hilarious! So imaginative and fun. Leven Thumps starts out just like Harry Potter did, both parents dead and two idiot relatives to care for him. He has no friends. He sleeps on the porch. He's their personal slave. He lives in a desolate town called 'Burnt Culvert',Oklahoma.
Winter Frore has similar issues. Her father ran off right before she was born. (Her parents were married). Her mother, a rude, lazy, obese slob, doesn't want her. When Winter discovers curious powers, she runs away and catches a train to Oklahoma. Why, she doesn't know or care. She just wants to be away.
When Leven finds out about Foo, a made-up world that makes it possible for man to hope and dream, and when Winter discovers her true purpose, their fates become intertwined. With the aid of other friends, can they ultimately stop Sabine, an evil man, from destroying Foo?

Catching Fire ****

2011-02-07T08:44:00.000-08:00

By Suzanne Collins
Sci-Fi

VIOLENCE *** 1/2
PERIL ***
DEATH *** 1/2
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS ***
MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***

This is book 2 in the Hunger Games trilogy. I thought it was a good sequel. Very exciting with new twists and dangers around every corner. I enjoyed it, but I personally liked the first book a lot more.

The Hunger Games are over. Katniss and Peeta are safe at home at last...but are they? After The Games they go on a 'victory tour' to each district and have to face the fake appreciation and gratitude from the loved ones of the children they murdered in The Games. Among all this strife and grief, Katniss is stuck between Gale and Peeta. Who will she choose? The boy with the bread, or the boy in the coal mines? Little does Katniss know that her deadly move at the end of The Games triggered a rebellious fire in the hearts of those who oppose the Capitol, and if she can't quench it...her loved ones lives are at stake.

Wuthering Heights ****

2011-02-02T18:35:00.000-08:00

By Emily Bronte
Fiction
326 pages

ROMANTIC AFFAIRS ***
LANGUAGE **
DEATH **
SCARY IMAGES **

Well. I finished this book about a month ago and I never got around to posting a review so...here it is :) I really liked it, it was very exciting and kept you turning the pages. It is a little confusing at the beginning, but I got the hang of it after a while.

Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff are destined to love each other no matter what their differences in society and personality are. While Heathcliff is treated as a slave, Catherine is pampered and is told that she can no longer have anything to do with Heathcliff and that she would have no chance of a fine life if she loved him, so they are brutally separated. Feeling betrayed, Heathcliff slowly starts to form his plan of revenge and how to get his beloved Catherine back to him...

The Book Thief ****

2011-01-12T06:12:00.000-08:00

By Markus Zusak
Historical Fiction

LANGUAGE ***
DEATH ** 1/2
VIOLENCE **
PERIL ***

Wow - I cried my eyes out while reading this...and I NEVER cry when I'm reading! It was a very interesting story with a very interesting perspective - I loved it. *There is language, however and parents, you might want to read it before your child does.

Liesel lives in Nazi Germany during the WW2. Stricken with grief she is sent to live with foster parents where she learns the beauty of an accordian and good friendship. The story is told from the perspective of Death himself. Join Death as he tells Liesel's story and about her career as the Book Thief. Very beautifully written and touching to the heart :)

The Count of Monte Cristo

2010-11-13T14:20:00.000-08:00

By Alexandre Dumas
509 pages

DEATH ***
PERIL **
VIOLENCE ***
LANGUAGE **
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS **

VERY exciting. I though it was going to be boring, but I finished it in 2 days because I couldn't put it down! It was WAY better than the movie, and I really enjoyed it. A murder mystery, love story, vengeance, cunning, amazing book. It is a required high school novel

Edmond Dantes is a lowly sailor, with a father who loves him and a beautiful fiance. When everything finally seems to be falling in line for once in his life, he is framed and sent to Chateau d'If , a horrible prison, where he stays there for 14 years. He wants nothing more than revenge on his enemies and his loved ones back...can he do it?

The Hunger Games *****

2010-07-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

By Suzanne Collins
Sci-Fi
374 pages

VIOLENCE ***
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS ***
MYTHICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURES ***
DEATH ***
PERIL ***

I am in love with this book! It was an action packed with survival, romance, peril, and twists at every turn...I couldn't put it down! *Note: There is a lot of death and gets a little descriptive with the wounds and gore, but it won't be too bad for those 13 +.

Katniss Everdeen lives in a time of Darkness. District 12, her hometown, has been struck by a slowly consuming famine. Once a year, the cruel Capitol forces each district to offer two teenagers between the age 12-18 to participate in The Hunger Games, a barbaric 'game show' where they trap the tributes in a large arena and they must fight to the death. Whoever survives gets ever-lasting glory and wealth. When Katniss volunteers herself in her sisters place, her life is changed forever as she tries to survive the horrid Hunger Games.

The Twits ****

2010-06-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

By Roald Dahl
Fiction

VIOLENCE *

One of the funniest book I've ever read! Meet Mr. and Mrs. Twit; the two most hideous, cruel, disgusting couple you'll ever meet. Mr. Twit has a nasty beard (beards are the worst), and Mrs. Twit has an glass eye that she likes to pop on and out of her head (gross!). Join them as they pull pranks on each other, train their circus monkeys, and make bird pies.

A Day of Tears *****

2010-06-11T17:23:00.000-07:00

By Julius Lester
Historical Fiction
171 pages

DEATH ***
VIOLENCE ***
PERIL ***
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS **

Such a good book! It was very deep...it really hit the problem of slavery head-on. I really liked it.
Emma is a slave. Her whole life, she has worked at the Pierce Butler plantation, taking care of the Master's daughters and working in the kitchen with mama. When the Master foolishly gambles away his fortune, he sells his slaves. Can little Sarah stop her daddy from selling her beloved Emma?

Airman *****

2010-06-10T08:53:00.000-07:00

By Eoin Colfer
Sci-Fi

DEATH ***
VIOLENCE ***
PERIL ****
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS **
LANGUAGE **
GUNS ***

Wow...what a amazing book! This is the same author who wrote the Artemis Fowl series. It is a exciting adventure of courage and wits. I really enjoyed it! It does get a little descriptive with violence and death, and there is some mild language, but it is not too bad for readers around 14 years of age.
Connor Broekhart was born to fly. Literally. He was born in a balloon. His mother is a beautiful scientist, and his father a dashing war hero. He lives on the island of Great Saltee, just off the Ireland coast. His life is blissful. He brainstorms and builds flying machines with his adored tutor, and plays with the beautiful Princess Isabella. But his luck takes a turn for the worst when he is framed for a crime he did not do, and is sent to Little Saltee, a diamond quarry prison on a wretched island. Will Connor ever take flight?

Fairest *****

2010-06-09T06:33:00.000-07:00

By Gail Carson Levine
Fantasy

VIOLENCE ***
DEATH **
PERIL ***
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS ***

This is a really sweet book. It's very clean, and really good!
Aza is ugly. She is big-boned, pale as chalk. Her eyes are too blue, and her lips are too red. Abandoned in a Inn room as a baby, she has never known her true parents, or where she came from. Villagers whisper that she is half-ogre. When Aza is invited to the King's wedding, she offered the opportunity to serve the new Queen, Ivy. There she meets the charming Prince. When she is falsely accused, can Aza use her looks as a advantage to save herself from treachery?

Inkheart (Book 1) *****

2010-06-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

By Cornelia Funke
Fantasy

DEATH **
PERIL ***
VIOLENCE ***
GUNS **
LANGUAGE ** (MILD)

A very exciting, action-packed series. This is one of the best, well-writen childrens book I have ever read. There is language, but it is quite mild.
Mo has a special gift. When he reads, certain items or characters from the books come to life. Literally. They are plucked from their world, and brought directly to ours. When Mo accidently brings three unpleasent characters to his living room, his life becomes a daring chase in order to survive. With help from his daughter, Meggie, can they ever find a way to put a stop to this madness?

Inkspell (Book 2) ****

2010-06-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

By Cornelia Funke
Fantasy

DEATH ***
VIOLENCE ***
PERIL ***
LANGUAGE **
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS ***

This one was okay, but I personally like the first and the third better, though.
Dustfinger is desperately trying to return back to Inkworld. He longs to see his loved ones again, and be able to talk to fire. When they finally find someone with the powers to return him, he sends Dustfinger, but leaves poor Farid behind. When bad guys attack Eleanor's house, they must be forced to do something they never wanted to do. Will they ever be safe?

Inkdeath (Book 3) *****

2010-06-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

Cornelia Funke
Fantasy
663 pages

DEATH ***
VIOLENCE ***
LANGUAGE ***
PERIL ***
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS ***

I really enjoyed this series! This is the final book in the series, and my favorite. Cornelia Funke has such a beautiful way of writing and is very descriptive, and I like the details she puts in. They are not boring details, either.
Mo is being engulfed in his role as the Bluejay. He no longer feels like book-docter-Mo, and finds excitement and joy in protecting the people of Ombra from the Milksop and the Adderhead's henchmen. Meanwhile, Farid is desperately trying to find a way to reserect his dearest friend, Dustfinger, with the help of Orpheus. The book that Mo bound for the Adderhead is, indeed, keeping him alive, but is leaving him sickly. In a daring chase, can Mo rid Inkworld of the Adderhead for good?

Rebecca ****

2010-06-08T06:16:00.000-07:00

By Daphne Du Maurier
Fiction

ROMANTIC AFFAIRS ***
ADULT SITUATIONS **
VIOLENCE ***
LANGUAGE ***
PERIL ****
DEATH ***

This is a 'required' book for high school kids. There is LANGUAGE and ADULT SITUATIONS on a high level, so this book is not reccamended for readers younger than 14/15. It IS a good book, though. It is a murder mystery, also. Another reason for it to be only for high school age kids. If you have a younger reader who would like to read a mild murder mystery, 'The Westing Game' is a good juvinile murder mystery, and it is listed below.

It all starts out a dream from the secound Mrs. Maxim De Winter. Remembering the dreaded past, she recounts the events that lead her to be this way...
When the young, ignorant new bride arrives to Manderley, her husbands estate, she finds out about the first late Mrs. Maxim De Winter, Rebecca. In a daring plot with new discoveries around every corner, will she ever really find out what happened to the beloved Rebecca?

Number the Stars ****

2010-06-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

By Louis Lowry
Historical Fiction

DEATH **
VIOLENCE ***
PERIL ***
GUNS **

A very touching story. Books about WW2 are always sad, but this leaves you with a sense of hope.
Annemarie and her family live in Denmark, Germany in 1943. Her elder sister passed away a couple of years ago, and her family is still deep in grief. When Nazi soldiers come to 'clean out' all the Jews, Annemarie and her family must protect her Jewish friend, Ellen, from being taken. Will they make it to the safety of Sweden in time?

Holes ****

2010-06-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

By Louis Sachar
Fiction

DEATH ***
VIOLENCE ***
PERIL **
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS **

A great story and a very humorous, clean book. I really liked it!
Stanley Yelnats the fourth has had bad luck his entire life. A curse had supposedly been cast upon his great-great-grandfather that had spread to his lineage. When Stanley is framed for stealing major league baseball cleats, he is sent to Camp Greenlake, a juvenile detention camp, where he digs holes all day and is bullied by the other campers. Except for Zero. Zero doesn't talk. He can, but he won't. When a friendship connects between the two boys, and Zero runs away, Stanley must go search for him and get away from the horrible Camp Greenlake. Will the family curse ever be lifted off Stanley and his family?

A Wrinkle in Time ***

2010-06-03T08:26:00.000-07:00

By Madeline L'Engle
Sci-Fi

DEATH *
VIOLENCE ***
PERIL ***
SUPERNATURAL MIND CONTROL CREATURE ***

Kind of a weird book, but it is clean with no language or anything.
Meg and Charles Wallace Murry's father is missing. As a very talented scientist that worked for the government, who knows where he could be. When they get help from three witches, they find the other realm that their father in entrapped in, and they must defeat the mysterious fource called 'It'. Can they make it back home with their father and their lives?

The Books of Bayern: The Goose Girl (Book 1) *****

2010-06-03T07:36:00.000-07:00

By Shannon Hale
Fantasy/Fiction

DEATH **
VIOLENCE ***
PERIL ****
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS **

I think this is a really good princess-ey book. Not too gushy, the Princess isn't some cowardly weakling locked up in her tower, it isn't cheesy. It is also very clean! Princess Isidora was raised by her beloved Aunt, who told her that certain people were born with special gifts. There are five; Nature-speaking, Animal-speaking, Water-speaking, Fire-speaking, and People-speaking. She told her that when the world was born, everyone knew these sacred languages, but they have slowly faded away as they were forgotten. Her Aunt herself has animal-speaking, as does Isi. When Isi's father dies, her notorious mother takes over, disthrones Isi from being heir, and sends her away to wed a Prince in another Kingdom that she has never meet. When Isi's lady-in-waiting rebels, Isi is forced to go into hiding and work as a lowly Goose Girl. Will Isi ever take her rightful place as Princess?

Esperanza Rising ****

2010-06-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

By Pam Munoz Ryan
Fiction

DEATH **
VIOLENCE **
PERIL *
ROMANTIC AFFAIRS **

This is a very good, clean book. I really enjoyed it and have read it over and over again over the years. Esperanza has such spirit and insight on what it was like to be a Hispanic immigrant in America in the time of the Great Depression.
Esperanza has every thing she could ever want. Her family is very wealthy, her father is a kind, hard working man, and her mother is beautiful and kind as well. She has twelve porcelain dolls, one for each of her birthdays. And she is about to receive another for her 13th birthday. Tragedy strikes her family and ranch. Desperate, they decide to take the long journey to America where they can find work. Going from riches to rags is difficult for Esperanza, who has always had a hand-maiden to do everything for her. When Mama gets ill, can Esperanza take charge and earn enough money to take care of her mother?

Where the Red Fern Grows *****

2010-06-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

By Wilson Rawls
Fiction

DEATH ***
VIOLENCE **
PERIL **

A classic. It made me cry. It is very clean with no language or immorality. A character does die, but it isn't gruesome, and it is kind of sad.
Billy wants nothing more than his own coonhounds to hunt with him, but his family can't afford them. He works for six years to earn the money, and finally gets Big Dave and Little Annie. He loves them and shows them how to hunt. When a cougar attacks, will Billy's beloved coonhounds be okay?