​Both YA books.

Best: In fifth grade, I was recommended this book called This is Not A Test by Courtney Summers. To those who haven’t read it, it’s about six high school students taking shelter in their abandoned high school during the zombie apocalypse. Its narrator is suicidal and abused teenager Sloane, who plans to end her own life once she knows everyone else gets to safety. People die in this book, and the climax itself has stuck with me for over 10 years. While I’m tempted to put Age of Innocence or the Great Gatsby as the best book, This is Not a Test scarred me as a child and it’s the only book that has had such an effect on me, so for personal reasons I call it the best book I’ve ever read.

Worst: Don’t get me started, Light As A Feather was just a waste of time. I was looking to read something that would scare me, and this was every uninteresting cliche shoved into 384 pages. It’s advertised as horror fiction, and its concept sounds creepy on it’s own: A mysterious new girl during a sleepover predicts all of her friends’ deaths, and then they start coming true. Our protagonist, McKenna, however, is removed from any of the danger and fun because for some “mysterious reason” her death can’t be read. McKenna also clarifies her lack of closeness with all of her friends, so as readers, don’t expect to relate or worry for any of these characters’ safety. Also, every person is unlikeable, the explanation is illogical, the red herring thrown halfway through was very obvious and yet no one fell for it based on its 98% approval rating? Please, do not waste your time on this book if you have a braincell.