Impulse, by Ellen Hopkins

Impulse, by Ellen Hopkins, is about three teenagers that are going through difficult times. Tony's painful childhood memories can only be dealt with through drugs and pills, Vanessa has a problem with cutting herself, and Connor is suicidal because of his problems with parents, peers, and himself. If not for the intervention by loved ones, their lives would have been cut short. The three of them are kept in a mental institution so they can be kept safe. They're given a second chance at life. But will they be able to let go of the problems they keep inside for good? I highly recommend this book to anyone because it really gets you thinking and it's touching and shocking how hard some people's lives might be. But it teaches you to appreciate life. I really enjoyed reading this book and I'm sure a lot of people would enjoy it too.

- Reviewed by S., grade 9.


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Flipped, by Wendelin Van Draanen

Flipped, by Wendelin Van Draanen, is told by the two different perspectives of Juli and Bryce. Ever since Juli was a young girl, she has chased after Bryce who was supposedly the love of her life. However, Bryce has a different point of view and thinks of Juli as an obsessive, weird girl who has always been there for him. But things all start to change after an accidental occurence and Juli keeps her distance from Bryce. Both of their feelings have changed and they seem to have swapped their views of one another. The romance of these two cute, real characters is relatable to any other normal teenagers. I think this book is a very fun one to read and interesting because it's from the point of two different aspects of the male and female teens. I recommend this for teenagers who have felt the pain of a heartbreak or the joy of being in young teenage love because these two characters know how it feels like when their feelings are FLIPPED.

- Reviewed by A., grade 9. .