Jonathan Stephens - Aspiring Novelist, Writer, Web Designer, Photographer, Blogger, Poet, World Traveler

I'm Jonathan Stephens:

Writer, Teacher, Student, Web Designer, Traveler, Husband, and Truth-seeker.

"Butt + Chair = Pages."
~ Jonathan Stephens

"Write it now, right it later."
~ Brian Farrey

Bio
Novel Excerpts
Short Fiction
Poetry
Essays
Photography
Travel Logs
Web Design

I heart Y.A. There are other books that I love, but very few that I heart. So I figured I'd write book reviews on (or at least rate) young adult books I enjoyed and think are quality reading.

Some of the following books do not have reviews. Sorry, I've only got so much time. But I did go ahead and rate them for you. So if the book is on my list, then I've read it and quality approve it. I hope you find a book that's right for you. Enjoy.

[the best of the best]

Laurie Halse Anderson's SPEAK
M.T. Anderson's FEED
M.T. Anderson's THE
ASTONISHING LIFE OF
OCTAVIAN NOTHING, VOLUME
ONE: THE POX PARTY
Orson Scott Card's ENDER'S
GAME
Robert Cormier's BEYOND THE
CHOCOLATE WAR
Robert Cormier's THE
CHOCOLATE WAR
Robert Cormier's THE RAG
AND BONE SHOP
Kate DiCamillo's THE TALE OF
DESPEREAUX
Jack Gantos's JOEY PIGZA
SWALLOWED THE KEY
John Green's LOOKING FOR
ALASKA
Mark Haddon's THE CURIOUS
INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE
NIGHTTIME
Joanne Harris's RUNEMARKS
C.S. Lewis's THE LION, THE
WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE
Lois Lowry's THE GIVER
Patricia McCormick's SOLD
Adam Rapp’s UNDER THE WOLF,
UNDER THE DOG
J.K. Rowling 's HARRY POTTER
AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE
J.K. Rowling 's HARRY POTTER
AND THE ORDER OF THE
PHOENIX
J.K. Rowling 's HARRY POTTER
AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
J.K. Rowling 's HARRY
POTTER AND THE DEATHLY
HALLOWS
Louis Sachar's HOLES
J.D. Salinger's THE CATCHER IN
THE RYE
Michael Scott's THE
ALCHEMYST: THE SECRETS OF
THE IMMORTAL NICHOLAS
FLAMEL
Jordan Sonnenblick's
DRUMS, GIRLS, & DANGEROUS
PIE
Jonathan Stroud's
THE BARTIMAEUS TRILOGY #3:
PTOLEMY'S GATE
Markus Zusak's THE BOOK THIEF
Markus Zusak's FIGHTING
RUBEN WOLFE
Markus Zusak's I AM THE
MESSENGER

[definitely worth your time]

David Almond's CLAY
M.T. Anderson's BURGER WUSS
Avi's CRISPIN: THE CROSS OF
LEAD
Avi's CRISPIN: AT THE
EDGE OF THE WORLD
Kevin Brooks' BEING
Stephen Chbosky’s THE PERKS
OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
Robert Cormier's HEROES
Christopher Paul Curtis' BUD,
NOT BUDDY
Nancy Farmer's THE SEA OF
TROLLS
Mariah Fredericks’s CRUNCH
TIME
K.L. Going’s SAINT IGGY
John Green’s AN ABUNDANCE OF
KATHERINES
Pete Hautman's GODLESS
Karen Hesse's OUT OF THE DUST
Carl Hiaasen's HOOT
John Knowles's A
SEPARATE PEACE
C.S. Lewis's THE LAST
BATTLE
C.S. Lewis's PRINCE CASPIAN
C.S. Lewis's THE VOYAGE OF
THE DAWN TREADER
E. Lockhart’s FLY ON THE WALL
Chris Lynch’s INEXCUSABLE
Linda Sue Park's A SINGLE
SHARD
Katherine Paterson's
BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA
Frank Portman's KING DORK
Adam Rapp’s 33 SNOWFISH
J.K. Rowling 's HARRY POTTER
AND THE PRISONER OF
AZKABAN
Lisa Sandell's SONG OF THE
SPARROW
Anita Shreve's LIGHT ON SNOW
Matthew Skelton's ENDYMION
SPRING
Lemony Snicket's A SERIES OF
UNFORTUNATE EVENTS: 3:
THE WIDE WINDOW
Jerry Spinelli's MILKWEED
Jonathan Stroud's
THE BARTIMAEUS TRILOGY #1:
THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND
Jonathan Stroud's
THE BARTIMAEUS TRILOGY #2:
THE GOLEM'S EYE
Ned Vizzini's IT’S KIND OF A
FUNNY STORY
T.K. Welsh's RESURRECTION
MEN
Scott Westerfeld's PEEPS
Scott Westerfeld's SO YESTERDAY
Jacqueline Woodson's
AFTER TUPAC AND D FOSTER
Markus Zusak's GETTING THE
GIRL

[worth a good look]

M.T. Anderson's THIRSTY
Judy Blume's ARE YOU THERE,
GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET.
Michael Cadnum's
THE KING'S ARROW
Eoin Colfer's
SUPERNATURALIST
Robert Cormier's IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE NIGHT
Robert Cormier's TUNES
FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO
Robert Cormier's WE ALL
FALL DOWN
Christopher Paul Curtis's
BUCKING THE SARGE
Carl Hiaasen's FLUSH
S.E. Hinton's THE OUTSIDERS
Ron Koertge's STONER AND SPAZ
Margo Lanagan's BLACK
JUICE
David Levithan's BOY MEETS
BOY
C.S. Lewis's THE HORSE AND
HIS BOY
C.S. Lewis's THE
MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW
Robert Lipsyte's RAIDERS NIGHT
E. Lockhart's THE BOY BOOK
E. Lockhart's THE BOYFRIEND
LIST
Christopher Paolini's ERAGON
Gary Paulsen's HATCHET
Richard Peck 's A YEAR DOWN
UNDER
Jodi Picoult's THE TENTH
CIRCLE
Judson Roberts's VIKING
WARRIOR: THE STRONGBOW
SAGA, BOOK ONE
J.K. Rowling 's HARRY POTTER
AND THE SORCEROR'S STONE
J.K. Rowling 's HARRY POTTER
AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
Robyn Schneider's BETTER THAN
YESTERDAY
Lemony Snicket's A SERIES OF
UNFORTUNATE EVENTS: 1:
THE BAD BEGINNING
Lemony Snicket's A SERIES OF
UNFORTUNATE EVENTS: 2:
THE REPTILE ROOM
Lemony Snicket's A SERIES OF
UNFORTUNATE EVENTS: 4:
THE MISERABLE MILL
Lemony Snicket's A SERIES OF
UNFORTUNATE EVENTS: 5:
THE AUSTERE ACADEMY
Jerry Spinelli's MANIAC MAGEE
Ned Vizzini's BE MORE CHILL
Gene Luen Yang's
AMERICAN BORN CHINESE

Sure, I've read books that are this bad -- 3 stars and even some 2 star efforts -- but I'm not going to post them here anymore. I'll just give you the good stuff.

Esperanza Rising
by Pam Munoz Ryan

Y.A. WRITERS

David Almond
Clay
Laurie Halse Anderson
Prom
Speak
Twisted
Avi
Crispin: The Cross of Lead
Crispin: At the Edge of the World
Holly Black
Ironside
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Tithe
Valiant
Judy Blume
Are You There God? It's Me,
Margaret.
Forever
Kevin Brooks
Being
Melvin Burgess
Doing It
Cecil Castellucci
Boy Proof
Queen of Cool
Rachel Cohn
Cupcake
Gingerbread
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Shrimp
Christopher Paul Curtis
Bucking the Sarge
Sarah Dessen
Just Listen
This Lullaby
Kate DiCamillo
The Miraculous Journey of
Edward Tulane
The Tale of Despereaux
Nancy Farmer
The Sea of Trolls
The Land of the Silver Apples
Mariah Fredericks
Crunch Time
K.L. Going
Saint Iggy
John Green
Interview
Looking for Alaska
An Abundance of Katherines
Mark Haddon
The Curious Incident of the Dog
in the Nighttime
Pete Hautman
Godless
Rash
Maureen Johnson
Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes
Devilish
Jennifer Anne Kogler
Ruby Tuesday
David Levithan
Are We There Yet?
Boy Meets Boy
Wide Awake
Robert Lipsyte
Raiders Night
E. Lockhart
The Boy Book
The Boyfriend List
Fly on the Wall
Lois Lowry
The Giver
Carolyn Mackler
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big
Round Things
Patricia McCormick
Sold
Christopher Paolini
Eldest
Eragon
Frank Portman
King Dork
Meg Rosoff
How I Live Now
J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter series
Louis Sachar
Holes
Robyn Schneider
Better than Yesterday
Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Jordan Sonnenblick
Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie
Jerry Spinelli
Loser
Maniac Magee
Milkweed
Stargirl
Ned Vizzini
Be More Chill
It's Kind of a Funny Story
Jonathan Stroud
Bartimeous Trilogy
Nancy Werlin
The Rules of Survival
Scott Westerfeld
Peeps
So Yesterday
Jacqueline Woodson
If You Come Softly
Sara Zarr
Blog Post
Story of a Girl
Markus Zusak
The Book Thief
Fighting Ruben Wolfe
Getting the Girl
I Am the Messenger

OTHER WRITERS

Brian Farrey
Harper Lee (Interview)
Darcy Pattison (Revision Notes)
Melodye Shore
Sarah Wallin Wightman

AGENT & PUBLISHER BLOGS

Andrew Karre @ Flux
Bleak House Books
Cynthia Leitich Smith
Evil Editor
Flogging the Quill
Guide to Literary Agents
Janet Reid @ FinePrint Literary
Jennifer Jackson @ Donald Maass
Kristin Nelson @ Nelson Literary
Lori Perkins @ Perkins Literary
Miss Snark
Nathan Bransford @ Curtis
Brown
Nephele Tempest @ the Knight
Agency
Rachel Vater @ Lowenstein-Yost

BOOK REVIEWS

Goddess Librarian YA Reviews
Guys Read YA Reviews
Newbery Award Winners
Not Acting My Age YA Reviews
Teen Reads

JOURNALS

Chiron Review
LikeWaterBurning Literary
RipRap Review

WRITING ARTICLES

Character
"The Best" Characters
100 ?s for Your Character
Fatal Flaws
Minor Characters
Nature as a Character
Heroes
Villains
Motives/Goals
The Character Web

Plot
Plot Archetypes
20 Basic Plots
Act II/The Middle
Cause & Effect

Theme
The Moral Premise

Genre
Fantasy Novel Faux Pas
Fantasy Novel Musts

OTHER RIVETING STUFF

100 Most Challenged Books
Agent Query
Best of Young Adult Novels
Bookends Literary Agency
Children's Literature Genres
Critique Group Rules
Novel Acquisition Process
Orange County Literary Events
Post Secret
Random Name Generator
Random Other Generators
Tough Issues for Teens