Along with providing a brief plot summary and evaluation for each YA title listed as part of this project, I have also included two reviews for each title. As the majority of the titles I have listed are popular or well known, finding two reviews for each title proved to be quite easy. Most of the titles offered a myriad of choices for reviews, from blog reviews, to local newspaper reviews, to national newspaper reviews; the most difficult part of finding reviews was selecting which ones I felt best represented the title because they were almost all well-informed, articulate, and made valid observations, both positive and negative, about the title. ​



​Coraline
Scott, A. O. (2009, February 5). Cornered in a parallel world [Review of the movie
     Coraline]. The New York Times. Retrieved from

      http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/movies/06cora.html?_r=1&

​

Crocker, J. (2009, April 21). Coraline: Pushing your buttons. [Review of the movie
     Coraline]. Total Film: A Modern guide to Movies. Retrieved from

      http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/coraline



I chose The New York Times review to include because it is a published and reliable source. I chose to include the review by Total Film because it touches (though briefly) on the dark nature of the film, but still sees the value in promoting the film as a “dark” but beautiful fairytale for children. 



​Goliath
Ana. (2011, September 27). Book review and giveaway: Goliath by Scott Westerfeld.
     [Review of book Goliath]. Retrieved from

     http://thebooksmugglers.com/2011/09/book-review-giveaway-goliath-by-scott-

      westerfeld.html#comments



Nancy. (2011, September 20). Review: Goliath by Scott Westerfeld. [Review of book
     Goliath]. Retrieved from http://girlsinthestacks.com/reviews/ya-  

     novel/2011/10/review-goliath-by-scott-westerfeld/



For Goliath, I chose these two reviews because they both come from blogs which I know and trust for book reviews. These blogs were recommended to me by a fellow YA literature fan who reads these blogs often, and who also reviews YA literature on her own blog. I particularly enjoyed the review by Girls in the Stacks because it speaks directly to the beautiful illustrations that Westerfeld has included in his book; something I feel strongly about as this title is part of the Steampunk genre, and so visualizations of the Steampunk machines (mechanical and organic) really add to the story.



​Half Brother
Ness, P. (2011, January 22). Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel: Patrick Ness is glad of a 

     few awkward questions. [Review of book Half Brother]. The Guardian. Retrieved

    from http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jan/22/half-brother-kenneth-oppel-review



Ritter, E. (2010, September 24). Ape becomes human; humans go ape. [Review of

     book Half Brother]. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from

     http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/review-half-brother-by-

     kenneth-oppel/article4327249/



I chose these two reviews specifically because they are from published online newspapers. In particular, I chose Patrick Ness’s review because he is an author that we have studied in class, and I felt that his review of the book would be well-informed and trust-worthy.



​Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Floresiensis. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling. [Review of book

     Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]. Retrieved from

     http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/JK-Rowling/Harry-Potter-and-the-Deathly-

     Hallows.html



Bennett, C. (2007, July 28). A send-off fit for a wizard. [Review of book

     Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]. Retrieved from  

     http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/jul/28/booksforchildrenandteenagers.jkjoannek  

     athleenrowling



I chose the review from the website Fantasy Book Review because while I have never used the website before now, I noticed that it contains quite a large amount of book reviews, suggesting that the website is updated frequently with new content. I chose the second review from The Guardian again because it is from a published online newspaper that I consider a trust-worthy source.



​Looking for Alaska
Fortelka, R. (2012, November 10). Book review: Looking for Alaska. [Review of book

     Looking for Alaska]. Retrieved from http://www.examiner.com/review/book-review-

     looking-for-alaska



Ana. (2010, June 3). Book review: Looking for Alaska by John Green. [Review of book

     Looking for Alaska]. Retrieved from http://thebooksmugglers.com/2010/06/book-

     review-looking-for-alaska-by-john-green.html



I chose the book review from The Examiner because though I did not recognize the website, I found the fact that the review specifically discusses how teens face many of the issues in the book relevant to my project. I chose to include Looking for Alaska in this project because the issues discussed, such as the complexity of depression, are so relevant to teens today, which is something this particular review speaks directly to. I chose to include the review by The Book Smugglers again because it is a blog that I know and trust to provide well-informed reviews.



​The Amber Spyglass
Maduram, Jane. (2000, October 31). The Amber Spyglass: Closing the His Dark

     Materials trilogy. [Book review of The Amber Spyglass]. The Tech. Retrieved from

     http://tech.mit.edu/V120/N54/Amber_Spyglass.54a.html



Bookworm11. (2012, August 8). The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman – review.

     [Book review of The Amber Spyglass]. The Guardian. Retrieved from

     http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2012/aug/08/review-amber-

     spyglass-philip-pullman



I chose these reviews because I feel they both come from reliable sources, as they are both published online newspapers (The Tech is the official online newspaper for MIT). More specifically, I chose to include the review from The Guardian because it is part of the newspaper’s “For Kids, By Kids” section, in which actual young adult readers review YA books. Who better to trust for a review on a piece of YA literature than an actual young adult reader?



​The Fault in Our Stars
Jacobstein, K. (2012, January 23). Audiobook review: The Fault in Our Stars by John 

     Green. [Audiobook review of The Fault in Our Stars]. Retrieved from

      http://yalitwit.blogspot.ca/2012/01/audiobook-review-fault-in-our-stars-by_23.html



Sarah. (2012, February 2). Audiobook review: The Fault in Our Stars. [Audiobook
     review of The Fault in Our Stars]. Retrieved from  

     http://girlsinthestacks.com/reviews/2012/02/audiobook-review-the-fault-in-our-stars/



For John Green’s audiobook, I had a more difficult time finding reviews that I felt were adequate. The first review is from another review blog. It is one that I am not familiar with, but like Fantasy Book Review, the list of titles reviewed by this blog author is quite extensive, suggesting that the blog is updated frequently and well-maintained. The second review listed is another one from Girls in the Stacks, a review blog that I know and trust.

​The Giver
Alwyine-Mosely, J. (2009, November 30). The Giver. [Book review The Giver]. 

     Retrieved from

     http://www.booklore.co.uk/PastReviews/LowryLois/TheGiver/TheGiverReview.htm



Berman, M. (n.d.). The Giver by Lois Lowry. [Book review The Giver]. Retrieved from
     http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-giver



Lowry’s The Giver was another book that was a bit more difficult to find reviews on, as it was published in 1993. The two reviews I have listed, however, are still sources that I would consider reliable and adequate. The first review I found on a website that has another very extensive review collection, and the website itself is updated daily, suggesting that it is well maintained. I chose the second review specifically because it provides a list of discussion questions at the end that parents or adults can discuss with teens and young adults, proving to be a very useful resource.



​Uglies
ThePinkElephant. (2012, June 23). Uglies by Scott Westerfeld – review. [Book review

     of Uglies]. The Guardian. Retrieved from

     http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jun/23/review-uglies-scott-westerfield



KirkusReview. (2010, May 20). Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. [Book review of
     Uglies]. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/scott-

     westerfeld/uglies/#review



I chose these two reviews for Westerfeld’s Uglies specifically because they come from known and respected/reliable sources: The Guardian online newspaper, and Kirkus Reviews. I use both websites frequently for reviews, and so I consider them trust-worthy and adequate review sites.



​Uglies: Shay’s Story
Kay. (2012, April 12). Review: Uglies – Shay’s Story. [Graphic novel review of Uglies: 

     Shay’s Story]. Retrieved from http://www.infinitecurio.com/blog/2012/04/12/review-

     uglies-shays-story/



Haley, J. (2012, March 2). Graphic novel review: Uglies – Shay’s Story. [Graphic

     novel review of Uglies: Shay’s Story]. Retrieved from http://sqt-fantasy-sci-fi-

     girl.blogspot.ca/2012/03/graphic-novel-review-uglies-shays-story.html



Westerfeld’s graphic novel Uglies: Shay’s Story was one that was difficult to find a published online newspaper review of. These two blogs, however, provide very adequate reviews. They both discuss the good and bad qualities of the graphic novel, offering a fully-rounded review of the title.



*Picture is my own property, taken of my own books