Review of Almost Fourteen

[Nenye Charles]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Almost Fourteen" by Richard Read.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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"Almost Fourteen” by Richard Read is a book that revolves around the lives of Cali Snipe, Skyler, Tabitha, Mohini, Leantos, and Lee Ann, among others. These are friends who are united through various experiences and spending time together.

This book can be read as a stand-alone, although it’s a continuation of a book by the same author. William Sturgis attempts another kidnapping of Cali and Sky. Apparently, the previous one was a failure. Cali keeps cooking for Sturgis with Sky’s help, oblivious to the fact that he was the mastermind behind the previous kidnapping. Will Sturgis' plan pull through? Get a copy to find out.

In this book, Cali and her friends have begun exploring their sexuality, and their parents are there to help them understand themselves better. I like that the issues of birth control, prophylactics, and pregnancy among teens are discussed. Again, I would love to applaud Mrs. Cooper and Mrs. Mandalay, as they understood the whirlwind of emotions these teens were experiencing and were willing to explore. I love the way they set up timely meetings with the parents and how they brainstormed ideas to effectively handle their children.

This book also created awareness about Tourette’s syndrome, as Clair Ransom has the condition. I like how willing Cali and Sky were to help him cope with his condition. I enjoyed the friendship shared between Cali and her friends, including how the girls used the sleepover as a means to talk about things that have been bothering them and offer solutions and advice. Again, I found the cartoonish illustrations in the book to be both funny and humorous.

I noticed something I didn’t like about this book. The texts on each page were not properly positioned. This made the formatting look disorganized. I found a few errors while reading. For these reasons, I rate it 4 out of 5 stars. I won’t give it a lower rating because the plot was great and the author uses simple language to engage his readers.

This book is recommended to lovers of thrillers mixed with a little bit of action. There’s also a presence of some steamy teenage romance, which readers who love it will find appealing.

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Almost Fourteen
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