Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen

Hi friends, this week’s teen review is of a book I never expected from this author. I had read most of her tween titles and was pleasantly surprised when I found this one day on a shelf in the library. Van Draanen had me intrigued from the beginning with this teen story of hers. Hope to see you below!

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Stories on Survival this March

four images along right and left sides with dark brown background visible from middle. top left image of dark coloured ocean waves and small globe of sun in orange sky. bottom left image of desert with rust-coloured hills and bare tree on ground. bright blue sky above hills. top right image of forest with red fire blazing in middle of trees. bottom right image of mountains scenery. shades od blue from light at top of sky to darker and almost black at bottom range of mountains.

Hi everyone, I hope everyone is enjoying the year so far. March brings cooler days here in Auckland as summer changes to autumn. This month’s theme is survival and the stories I’ve chosen have some amazing characters that overcome mostly physical challenges but… I’ll let you have a look below to see if it’s what you were expecting.

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A Quartet of Teen Reads set in Asia

Hi everyone, this post is for all you lovers of teen fiction. I had read only a handful of YA fiction that looked suitable for this post so I ended up digging around for a few more. I hope you enjoy the short reviews I have in store for you below featuring some awesome characters and their adventures in amazing Asian cities…

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Celebrating stories set in Asia this February

portion of map of Asia in middle of banner. ASIA, CHINA, MONGOLIA visible in dark letters. shadow of something straight falls across S in Asia. green background.

Hi everyone, this February we’ll be reading around the largest continent: Asia. Since my interest in diverse reads took off recently, I found that I had collected quite a collection of reads set in Asian countries. Finding ones appropriate for younger readers while knowing the grown ups might want an adult story or two kept me occupied with a large stack of reads over the Christmas break!! So, friends, press further for more info…

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The Ethan I was Before by Ali Standish

Hi everyone, I hope you all are keeping warm over there in the north. The heat is fairly bearable down here, especially if you live close to a beach. I managed to dip my toes in recently and found the cooler sea waves refreshing after a week of completing assignments indoors!! The title I’m reviewing this week is a teen title I found myself drawn towards. I hope you enjoy it!!

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Welcome to January 2025!!

banner image of books taken from top of spine. background in orange around left and right edges.

Hi friends, salutations and welcome to the year 2025!! I’m hoping everyone had a great time with their friends and family over the holidays. Mum and I enjoyed time with the family and even managed to watch a few fireworks on New Year’s Eve!! This month’s blog posts will be a mixed collection of reviews. To find out more about them, press below and your efforts will surely be rewarded…

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Wintry Romances Your Teenager Will Enjoy

Hello everyone, I hope December is treating you well so far and the countdown towards Christmas isn’t too stressful. When it comes to teenagers and Christmas one almost always expects a romance of sorts. Well, if you press below, you just might find a collection of reads that will appeal to teen rom-com-readers!!

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Bringing you a scattering of Winter Reads this December

banner sized image of winter landscape across countryside. large tree on left side of image bare and brown bare branches. cloudy sky with bright sun shining through gap between horizon and land. landscape of snow-covered fields and small river at bottom centre of image. dark trees at right side of image.

Hi everyone, here we are now counting down the days until Christmas!! To this final month of the year, I finally give you a selection of wintry reads. Yes, I went and selected as many of the reviews I had and found those set amidst snowdrifts and maybe even some Christmas reads!! Are you willing to click below to find out more??

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Teen novels from the Second World War

Hi everyone, this second week of November is a short post. I hope you forgive me for the length but I felt it was better to go with quality rather than quantity. In short, I selected two authors who I thought wrote exceptional reads that depicted that time period. Hope you enjoy the reviews below!!

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Historical War stories this November

two large images side by side on pink-cream mottled background. left image of note paper, gold and silver frames. right image of torn note paper, wax seal on white paper and sprig of dried flowers on top of paper.

Hi friends, this month I’ll be taking you into the past. Not too far away, just under a century or so. To be specific, the books I chose this month all take place during the Second World War; from 1939 to 1945. A time when my grandparents were bringing up my parents. So, if you want to see which titles I’ll be reviewing, press below please…

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