Book Review: Level Up

Title: Level Up

Author: Gene Luen Yang

Artwork: Thien Pham

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Square Fish

Publication Date: July 19, 2016 (Originally Published in 2011)

Source: Library

From Gene Luen Yang, the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and author of American Born Chinese, comes amagical realist coming-of-age tale, by turns whimsical and deadly serious.

Nothing is what it seems when life collides with video games.
Dennis Ouyang has always struggled in the shadow of his parents’ expectations: Stay focused in high school, do well in college, go to medical school, and become a gastroenterologist.

But between his father’s death, his academic burnout, and his deep (and distracting) love of video games, Dennis can’t endure. He’s kicked out of college. And that’s when things get . . . weird.

Four adorable—but bossy—angels, straight out of a sappy greeting card, appear and take charge of Dennis’s life. He’s back on track to become a gastroenterologist. But is he living the life he wants?

Partnered with the deceptively simple, cute art of Thien Pham, Gene Yang has returned to the subject he revolutionized with American Born Chinese. Whimsical and serious by turns, Level Up is a new look at the tale that Yang has made his own: coming of age as an Asian American.

Series Review: Matched

Title: Matched

Series: Matched

Author: Ally Condie

Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: November 30, 2010

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Book Review: Where She Went

Title: Where She Went

Series: If I Stay

Author: Gayle Forman

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Publication Date: April 5, 2011

It's been three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life.
And three years he's spent wondering why.
When their paths cross again in New York City, Adam and Mia are brought back together for one life-changing night.
Adam finally has the opportunity to ask Mia the questions that have been haunting him. But will a few hours in this magical city be enough to lay their past to rest, for good - or can you really have a second chance at first love?