Rated YA-MA discussion

Staycation (July 2020-September 2020 ~ Challenge 3 of 4)

Explanation:
Since many will be forgoing traditional travel plans [#coronavirus], this challenge encourages you to take your vacation vicariously through books.

Book Categories
Jennifer posted some book lists in post #3 to help you fill your reading list.
*ANOTHER LAND: read a book set in a country different from the one you live in
*TOURIST TRAP: read a book set in a traditional vacation spot
*BEACH STAY: read a book set on a beach or somewhere extremely hot & sunny
*ROAD TRIP: read a book where characters go on some kind of road trip
*CAMPING: read a book where the characters go camping
*STAYCATION: read a book set in a place similar to where you live (same state/province, same kind of neighborhood: city, suburb, rural, etc.). Feel free to be creative when selecting a book. Imaginary bonus points if you find a book set in your exact hometown.

Standard Rules:
♦ Audio Books: 1.5+ hours
♦ Paper Books: 150+ pages
♦ Ebooks (without a page number equivalent): 37,500 words
♦ 5 of 6 books must be classified as YA

Bonus Achievements ...because what is life without ambition!?
1. Over-Achiever: Complete multiple ROUNDS of this challenge
2.Committed Reader: Complete a full ROUND from the same category
3. Diversified Portfolio: Complete a full ROUND with 1 book from each category
4. Stay True Complete a full ROUND without including any MA or MG books
5. First Stab/ Second In: Be the first/second person to post about a single completed book
6. First Blood/ Salutatorian: Be first/second to complete a full ROUND

Tracking Progress:
I'll be keeping track of participants’ progress (as much as possible) in post #2. If you spot an error, let me know and I’ll fix it.

Posting Suggestions:
1. When posting, let us know which category your book falls into.
2. It is also nice, but not necessary, to tell us what you thought of the book just in case it grabs the interest of another member.

Participants/ Score Card

♦ Jennifer-
♦ Melanie-
♦
♦
♦

Bonus Achievements none yet…
1. Overachiever:
2. Committed Reader:
3. Diversified Portfolio:
4. Stay True:
5. First Stab/ Second In:
6. First Blood/ Salutatorian:

Some Links:
A Mix of Summer Reads:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...
Travels to Europe:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Set in Summer Camps:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...
Summer breaks spent in other (not the U.S.) countries:
https://bookriot.com/ya-books-about-s...
YA Road Trips:
https://www.readbrightly.com/best-ya-...
Summer trips that take place in various other countries:
https://www.bustle.com/p/9-ya-fiction...
Takes place on a beach:
https://rivetedlit.com/2019/06/06/9-b...

Thank you for setting this up, Melanie! I am in. I hope to do much better at reading for the rest of the summer at least. Or that is my goal.

*ANOTHER LAND:

*TOURIST TRAP:

*BEACH STAY:

*ROAD TRIP:

*CAMPING: Characters go camping

*STAYCATION:

Melanie's Book Proposal: I'm hoping to do it with books I already own or can borrow from the library.

*ANOTHER LAND: read a book set in a country different from the one you live in/
(imaginary country)

*TOURIST TRAP: read a book set in a traditional vacation spot/
(NYC)

*BEACH STAY: read a book set on a beach or somewhere extremely hot & sunny/

*ROAD TRIP: read a book where characters go on some kind of road trip/


*CAMPING: read a book where the characters go camping/


*STAYCATION: read a book set in a place similar to where you live/
(set in Pennsylvania)

Jennifer wrote: "Thank you for setting this up, Melanie! I am in. I hope to do much better at reading for the rest of the summer at least. Or that is my goal.

*ANOTHER LAND: ..."

I'm not familiar with any of these books... You'll have to let us know if they are good.

I'm not familiar with them either. I just picked books from the lists I found and then checked to see which ones I could get from my library, and thus my personal list was created. It's kind of hard when you can't go and peruse books to see what fits. But such is life at the moment.

Books 1-3 done!

[1] 8/5 Green Rider by Kristen Britain (road trip)

A great start to an epic fantasy series. Thanks Jennifer for promoting it! **4 stars**

[2] 8/7 Out of the Easy by Ruta Septys (tourist trap)

August BOTM, set in New Orleans. The MC is very likable, the story is well paced, and the ending is heart-warming. ***3.5 stars

[3] 8/8 With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (staycation)

Set in Philadelphia, PA. The narration on this one definitely made the story even better. This MC is also very likable. I'm not a foodie, but it didn't stop me from liking this story. **4 stars**

All three books were great :)

Melanie wrote: "Books 1-3 done!

[1] 8/5 Green Rider by Kristen Britain (road trip)

A great start to an epic fantasy series. Thanks Jennifer for promoting it! **4 stars**



Melanie,
I am so glad that you enjoyed the first book. I love the whole series so much! I am not-so-patiently awaiting the next book.

Also, I need to get to the library and get started on this one...

Books 4 + 5

[another land - Africa]
Alexander Kwame writes exceptional and very relatable books in verse. This book follows Blade, the adopted child of a famous rocker who is down in charts and struggling with addiction. Except he didn't know he was adopted until after his "dad" ruins his HS graduation. Now Blade will travel to Africa to find his birth mom, and hopefully find himself.
The audio for this book was particularly good, including recorded renditions of the songs from the story. I didn't like it as much as Kwames other books in verse, but it was still quite good. 3.5 stars

(beach stay)
This is a YA classic that I had somehow managed to avoid. I knew most of the plot from just hearing about it though which I think hindered my enjoyment of reading it. I wasn't really surprised by any of the things that happened. I definitely see its value for study in school and its claim as classic is well earned. 3 stars (but it probably deserves a higher rating)

I recently reread Lord of the Flies (a few years ago). I did enjoy it.

Also, this challenge was a complete no-go for me as life really got in the way here.

Looking forward to the next one.

Kudos, Melanie on the books you've been able to finish :)