January is Walk Your Dog Month and what better way to kick start your New Years Resolutions by reading some great YA books that feature dogs? If you are like me, you love dogs and want to spend more time with them because they just get you. This awareness month is a great way to help dust off the January blues, read a few good books, maybe go out and adopt a new dog, or if you already have one start taking him/her out for more walks. It's a fun way to get out of the house and your dog will love you for it! Here is a list of YA books that will have you begging for more! Last Chance by Norah McClintock In this charming YA novel by Norah McClintock, the main character Robyn is scared of dogs—like, really scared. But she agrees to spend her summer working at an animal shelter anyway. (It's a long story.) Robyn soon discovers that many juvenile offenders also volunteer at the shelter—including Nick D'Angelo, a boy from Robyn's past. A boy she hoped to never see again. Ni...
Reality Scoop by Kimberli Buckley I love Realistic Fiction! This month I want to take a look at something totally different. Think about this… YA books can actually save lives! Yes, this is an ode to Realistic Fiction that shows us teen tragedy and hard luck circumstances. Whether or not you are someone with excellent grades and no drug record, chances are you know of someone who has struggled in school, struggled with friends and grades, probably smoked, maybe they experimented, maybe they even took risks. And if you didn’t know someone in real life, you knew a fictional character that experienced all of that, and it opened your eyes to hardships in life. That’s right, YA books teach us a lot and they say to us “You’re not alone,” you could also say that YA books mirror reality. And it’s because of this terrifyingly perfect, realistic depiction of teen tragedy that some of the best realistic YA books have been banned. Realistic Fiction is not only for escapism, but also a place ...
