Review: A much needed YA series that teaches important lessons in a realistic setting.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 20, 2013
I used to love to read series like this when I was younger. A few that come to mind are Baby Sitter's Club and Sweet Valley High. There was always a moral, but the stories presented it in a way that teens could pick up on and connect with. The characters were just regular teens. I got that same kind of feeling about Risky Assignments. The group is trying to deal with a very difficult subject matter and yet they are still teenagers. Reading this really took me back. I think I'm going to have to stick with the LIVE! From Brentwood High series for a while.This book deals with growing up in general. Almost all of the characters make some kind of transformation through the course of the story. But it also focuses on the fact that teens can make a difference in the world. Not only is the group doing a story on a remarkable teen who works as an EMT but they stumble upon another story that takes them in a different direction. But through their investigation and reporting the group is able to learn a very important lesson.The subject matter could be a little heavy, but Judy Baer does a great job of "lightening" the story without taking away from the importance of the message. I really enjoyed this book. I have at this point read the second one and I think this is going to be a great series. The writing is great and I think it's been a while since a YA series has had this kind of feel. It's not got any vampires, witches, zombies, or survival like some of the recent popular YA series have had. Not that those stories don't have merit, but I think this kind series was needed. I know I learned many moral lessons from my YA series when I was younger, and I think that this series can do the same thing for a new generation of readers.I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for a review. This review is my truthful honest opinion.