Allison’s Book Report - Teen Takeover

School is out in Fallon! I have young teenage daughters who can’t wait to spend long days in the pool with friends, stay up too late, and sleep in – and both are very excited to spend time with some great books. In that spirit, I thought I would let them take over the Book Report to tell you about a book each considers an excellent read for those summer vacation vibes. (Disclaimer: I don’t censor what these guys read because I am happy they love reading - so please understand that their pick may not be right for all 8^th or 9^th graders or even adults.)

Hayden (age 14 going on 40) loves anything in the “romantasy” category, and her recommendation falls firmly in that category. “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros introduces readers to the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders. Quiet and bookish Violet was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life amongst books and history. Her “tough as talons” mother is the commanding general, and she has different plans.  She orders Violet, who has always been small and brittle, to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become one of the elite Navarre dragon riders. Death is always moments away for Violet because dragons don’t bond with fragile people – they incinerate them. “Fourth Wing” is an excellent mix of adventure and romance and happens to be the first in a series, so there will be no shortage of dragon-related adventures to come.

Carly (age “almost 13” but going on 40) is a girl after her mama’s heart and loves a classic summer romance.  She will exhaust her very last breath telling the world that “The Summer I Turned Pretty” by Jenny Han is her favorite book, and I can confirm that it is a perfect summer read. Belly measures her life in summers. Everything excellent and magical happens between June and August. Especially for Belly’s family, who spend summers at the beach house with Jeremiah and Conrad, the boys who have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between.  But this summer is different – both wonderful and terrible. This summer proves that the more things change, the more they end up just how they were meant to be all along. This pick is also the first in a book series and has a pretty solid TV series on Amazon Prime to keep hopeless romantics in that romantic frame of mind all summer.

Next week, I will be back at it, searching for the perfect summer rom-com, but I hope you give my girls’ picks a read. Pop over to my Instagram @allison.the.reader to tell us what you think.