Courtney Bowers

Courtney Bowers writes a monthly book review The Bookshelf, A Teen Review. Courtney is a senior at Heritage High School in Blount County. Join Courtney in the book discussion under comments.

• The Bookshelf, A Teen Review: Madapple by Christina Meldrum Published 8/8/2011 at 11:16 a.m. 0 comments

  Aslaug is a teenage girl with no identity other than she is the daughter of her mother, Maren. Aslaug and her mother live hidden away in a small, decrepit house in the wilderness of Maine. They never leave, other than ...

• The Bookshelf, A Teen Review: Exposed by Kimberly Marcus Published 7/11/2011 at 12:00 a.m. 0 comments

  Liz is a photographer, a young girl who sees her world through snapshots. And those pictures are clear, in focus, and happy most of the time. Her family is supportive, her art teacher praises her camera skills, and her best ...

• The Bookshelf, A Teen Review: Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan Published 6/13/2011 at 9:59 a.m. 0 comments

  If you’ve read my book review column before, you know I’m a fan of juxtaposed story telling. And if you’ve read my column closely, you also know that when Rachel Cohn and David Levithan pair up as coauthors, I will ...

• The Booshelf, A Teen Review: Matched by Ally Condie Published 5/9/2011 at 10:44 a.m. 0 comments

  It’s about time someone wrote a dystopian novel for our generation. Ally Condie’s first novel of her planned series, “Matched,” certainly fills that void. For you avid classic literature readers out there, this book is “Twilight” meets Ayn Rand’s “Anthem.” ...

• The Bookshelf, A Teen Review: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby Published 4/11/2011 at 12:00 a.m. 0 comments

  Imagine being trapped inside your own body. You’re in complete paralysis; you cannot move nor speak; yet your mind is still fully functioning and desperate to communicate with the world. This may sound like the plotline for a horror movie ...

• The Bookshelf, A Teen Review: The Half-Life of Planets by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin Published 3/14/2011 at 10:01 a.m. 0 comments

  Liana is a teenage science geek who has dedicated her summer vacation to studying space and the stars rather than kissing boys, her previous addictive hobby. After receiving a rather negative label from her peers for her incessant flings, Liana ...

• The Bookshelf, A Teen Review: Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber Published 2/14/2011 at 11:31 a.m. 1 comment

  Most people have probably watched, or at the very least heard of, the 1976 movie “Sybil.” In fact, if you have a few mood swings, someone may actually refer to you as Sybil, the woman with sixteen personalities. This extreme ...

• The Bookshelf, A Teen Review: The Explosionist by Jenny Davidson Published 1/10/2011 at 12:00 a.m. 0 comments

  Let me begin by saying that before you read “The Explosionist,” you must understand the context and the setting of the story. I spent a hundred-odd pages attempting to decipher exactly what era my imagination was venturing off to until ...

• The Bookshelf, A Teen Review: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Published 12/13/2010 at 11:23 a.m. 0 comments

  “The Bluest Eye” is a book that has been banned from many schools and libraries due to its controversial nature. Yes, this book is graphic, and it contains a story that most authors would be too afraid to tell, but ...

• The Bookshelf, A Teen Review: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Published 11/29/2010 at 12:00 a.m. 0 comments

  “The Great Gatsby” is one of those books that teachers start mentioning at the beginning of high school, one of those that you know you should probably read at some point in your life. So when I discovered that this ...

• The Bookshelf, A Teen Review: The Awakening by Kate Chopin Published 10/18/2010 at 4:15 p.m. 0 comments

  As I continue to explore literature’s classics, I am constantly surprised by how relevant the stories are, even centuries later. This is certainly the case with Kate Chopin’s masterpiece, “The Awakening.” Written in 1899, Chopin creates a poignant tale of ...

• The Bookshelf, A Teen Review: As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner Published 10/11/2010 at 12:00 a.m. 0 comments

  When I was assigned to read a timeless novel by a classic writer for my English class, I chose William Faulkner. Why? He’s supposed to be one of the most influential Southern writers of the twentieth century; he even won ...

• The Bookshelf, A Teen Review: Taken By Storm by Angela Morrison Published 9/13/2010 at 12:00 a.m. 0 comments

  Leesie is a good girl: intelligent, studious, and devoted to her Mormon religion. She plays by the rules, forbidding herself to fall in love with a non-Mormon or have sex until marriage. She dreams of leaving her small town, where ...

• The Bookself, A Teen Review: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Published 8/9/2010 at 11:18 a.m. 0 comments

  If you’ve taken a high school English course, I’m sure you’ve all groaned after one glance at the summer reading list. The dread of actually cracking open the covers has been hanging over your head since June. But June passed, ...

• The Bookshelf, A Teen Review: The Hanging Woods by Scott Loring Sanders Published 7/12/2010 at 10:24 a.m. 0 comments

  Growing up in a southern town in the mid-seventies, 14-year-old Walter and his two mischievous best friends, Jimmy and Mothball, spend most of their time sneaking out at night and playing down by the river. They are particularly interested in ...

• Newer Stories
• Older Stories