I have some exciting news to share. I am officially a published writer! But don't get too excited. It's not a novel or anything. I've been writing reviews for the School Library Journal, which is a publication written for librarians to read about different books coming out and make decisions regarding what to purchase for their library.This is a small step in my writing career, but now, whenever I query agents, I'll be able to list it under my writing credentials, which will be a big plus. I'll be reviewing books every month, and my next review is already written and scheduled to come out in the June publication.
So, without further ado, here's my review for the new YA book The Program by Suzanne Young that just came out a couple of days ago:
Gr 10 Up--Four years ago, teen suicide became an epidemic, affecting one in every three teens. To combat it, a school district in Oregon developed "The Program," where teens are treated for their depression by erasing their memories and secluding them from their peers. As an increasing number of her classmates are taken away for treatment, 17-year-old Sloane Barstow knows better than to show emotion to anyone other than her boyfriend, James, especially since her brother drowned himself two years earlier, leaving her parents constantly on edge. But when her friend commits suicide and James is taken away, Sloane begins to slip into a depression that forces her into The Program, where she is gradually stripped of all memories of James and her past. As she struggles to start over, she finds herself questioning the integrity of The Program and why she is inexplicably drawn to a troublemaker named James. The story is intriguing, and while a little slow at times, teens will find themselves racing to the finish to see what happens to Sloane and James. Young has created strong characters that readers will fall in love with and has developed a captivating world that will not soon be forgotten. Recommend this one to fans of Lauren Oliver's "Delirium" and Veronica Roth's "Divergent" (both HarperCollins, 2011).--"Candyce Pruitt-Goddard, Hartford Public Library, CT" Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
