IA Reads

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Clarity by Kim Harrington - book review


Reviewer’s Name:  Klaudia Janek
School:  International Academy

Author (Last name first):  Harrington, Kim
Title of the Book: Clarity
Publisher:  Point and imprint of Scholastic
Date of Publication:  2011 ISBN# 978-0-545-23050-6
Price:  $16.99        Grade Level: S (Grades 9-12)     Number of Pages: 242
VOYA Rating: 4Q4P

Highly Recommended   

Clarity “Clare” Fern has psychic powers that make her an outcast in town, but she helps to support her family with her gifts.  Clare’s brother is a medium and Clare’s mom is a telepath.  The three of them run a business that provide readings to the tourists in their Cape Cod town.  Because of her supernatural powers, Clare has been the victim of bullying for most of her life.  As she has gotten older, boys have started noticing her because she is beautiful.  The town they live in is normally quiet, but then a murder occurs.  Because the victim has been associated with Clare’s brother, Perry, he is a suspect in the investigation.  Clare believes her brother is innocent and agrees to help with the case.  She is paired with her ex-boyfriend and a hot new boy in town, who happens to be the police chief’s son.  Things are tense with the ex-boyfriend, Justin and Clare is sure that once Gabriel, the hot guy, learns about her powers, he will not be interested in her.  They try to put their differences aside, to help solve the murder.  Strange things begin to happen in town and Clare gets closer to solving the crime.
This is a great book for readers who love mysteries.  The humor in the book made for some lighthearted parts. The story is narrated by Clare, so you get her point of view on events.  It was a fast paced read and the action did not really slow down until the end.  The murder is solved by the end of the story.  The reader will get a glimpse of what is to come in the next book.  This is definitely a fun book to escape into for a while.  I would recommend this book to older readers because some of the content is a little graphic.  The details of the murder, Perry sleeping with a lot of girls, and a description of sex make this inappropriate for some younger readers.  I think this would be a good purchase for most high school libraries and public libraries.  It’s a good recommendation to readers of YA mysteries.  I also think it has pretty broad appeal because of the popularity of supernatural fiction right now.  Once you start reading, you won’t want to put it down.


Here is the author's blog: http://kimharrington.blogspot.com/

The publisher made a great book trailer!


Thursday, January 12, 2012

Supernaturally book review


Supernaturally BOOK REVIEW


Reviewer’s Name:  Klaudia Janek
School:  International Academy

Author (Last name first):  White, Kiersten
Title of the Book:  Supernaturally
Publisher:  HarperTeen: a imprint of HarperCollins Publishers           Date of Publication:  2011 ISBN#  978-0-06-198586-7
Price:  $17.99        Grade Level: J/S     Number of Pages: 342
VOYA Rating: 3Q3P

Recommended

Supernaturally is the second book in the trilogy by Kiersten White.  Evie and all the paranormal & human characters are back for a new adventure.  Evie has been trying to fit into a normal high school and have a normal life.  However, her old boss shows up with a boy named Jack.  Evie ends up on several harrowing adventures with him.  Jack is the only human that can navigate the Faerie Realms.  Evie begins to question her relationship with her boyfriend, Lend. 
Evie begins to find normal life somewhat dull, though she is still fine with it.  However, she reluctantly tells her former boss, Raquel, that she would be willing to take on small jobs with the International Paranormal Containment Agency.  She figured she’s just going to track down a few vampires; but there has been a upheaval in the paranormal community and her missions turn out to be a bit more dangerous.
As the second book, the story answers some questions left over from the first book.  It definitely leads into the third and final book.  I do not think this is a book that would be enjoyed by a reader who did not read the first book.  There are so many paranormal characters that were introduced in the first book – which was a little overwhelming.  This story is a continuation, without any introductions.  If a library has the first book, they should definitely purchase the second book.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about this trilogy when I first started it, but after a while, I couldn’t stop.  This book has appeal to readers who enjoy paranormal romances.  There is a bit of comedy in White’s books that most readers will laugh at.  I would say that the books are appropriate in content for middle school to high school.  Nothing stood out as objectionable.  This quick, enjoyable read will provide readers with an escape into a world filled with paranormal beings.