By Joanna Dakoyannis—Providence College Gripped 4: Smoke & Mirrors by Stacy A. Padula delves into the lives of some of the older, college-aged characters in the series. Although the previous books have mentioned them, there is more insight on Taylor, Jordan, Michelle, Missy, and some of their other friends. The focus on different characters keeps theContinue reading “Providence College Freshman Joanna Dakoyannis Discusses “Gripped 4: Smoke & Mirrors””
Search results for: Joanna Dakoyannis
Joanna Dakoyannis Discusses the Gripped Book Series Characters
After reading Gripped Parts 1, 2, and 3 by Stacy A. Padula, Joanna Dakoyannis, a senior at Dover-Sherborn High School, shared her opinion on some of the series’ main characters. Cathy & Jason Cathy and Jason’s evolving and destructive relationship was very compelling. It was interesting to see how they used drugs and alcohol toContinue reading “Joanna Dakoyannis Discusses the Gripped Book Series Characters”
Joanna Dakoyannis’s Interview on “The Forces Within”
Joanna Dakoyannis is a senior at Dover-Sherborn High School. She enjoys creative writing, traveling, going to the gym, running track for her high school team and loves cheering on the team at school sporting events. She plans to be a science major in college and hopes to eventually attend dental school.
Joanna Dakoyannis on “The Battle for Innocence”
Why is this book a helpful resource for teens? The Battle for Innocence is a realistic account of the challenges that teens encounter as early as middle school. The teens in this book are introduced to socially advanced situations at an early age because of older siblings and older friends. This book demonstrates how teensContinue reading “Joanna Dakoyannis on “The Battle for Innocence””
July’s Q&A with Joanna Dakoyannis on The Aftermath by Stacy Padula
Who could benefit from reading this book and why? This book is mainly directed toward teens and the challenges that they encounter in high school, socially and spiritually, but it could certainly be beneficial to any young adult. While teens face these issues in high school, young adults might face the same difficulties as theyContinue reading “July’s Q&A with Joanna Dakoyannis on The Aftermath by Stacy Padula”
Joanna Dakoyannis Reviews “When Darkness Tries to Hide” by Stacy Padula
The second book in the MLH series, When Darkness Tries to Hide, is a riveting story that continues to follow a group of high school teens through their lives. When a tragedy strikes their group of friends, it causes many of them to take a step back and re-evaluate their recent actions and behaviors. The story demonstrates how impactful our actions, both good and bad can be on others around us.
May’s Q&A with Joanna Dakoyannis of Dover Sherborn High School
Although this book would be most relevant to teenagers and the struggles they might face in high school, I would recommend this book to anyone who feels that they are struggling with something. Teens and adults alike who are trying to find themselves or answers to their place in life would benefit from reading When Darkness Tries to Hide because it would help them look at their situation from a faith based perspective. This book shows that regardless of how terrible you think your actions or situation may be, there is always hope and the ability to change.
Q&A with Joanna Dakoyannis on “The Right Person” by Stacy Padula
Preteens and teens would benefit from reading this book in many ways. One way they would benefit from reading it is that it would give them an insight into what high school is like, in a very real setting. The setting of the book could be any high school in the area in which I live. It might also help them if they are going through a similar situation as one of the characters in the book, and could help them feel as if they are not alone in dealing with their similar social issue.
An Exceptional Book I Recommend to Teens & Preteens
Joanna Dakoyannis is a junior at Dover-Sherborn High School. She enjoys creative writing, traveling, going to the gym, running track for her high school team, and cheering on her team at school sporting events. She plans to be a science major in college and hopes to eventually attend dental school. Joanna read Montgomery Lake High #1: The Right Person by Stacy A. Padula and wrote the article below, sharing her honest thoughts and recommendations.
College Freshman Recommends Young Adult Book to Parents of Teenagers
By Joanna Dakoyannis, Providence College I recommend Gripped 4: Smoke & Mirrors by Stacy Padula to any teen or even parents of teens. Teens who read this book will be able to relate to familiar social situations that they are faced with in high school and college. Similarly, parents who read the Gripped book series willContinue reading “College Freshman Recommends Young Adult Book to Parents of Teenagers”
New Y.A. Book Shows Effects of Modern High School Peer Pressure
By Joanna Dakoyannis, Providence College Gripped 4: Smoke and Mirrors by Stacy Padula is the fascinating continuation of the story centered around a group of teens from Montgomery Lake High School. They are influenced by older siblings and peers who are involved in drug and alcohol use. Taylor, the older sibling of Marc and JordanContinue reading “New Y.A. Book Shows Effects of Modern High School Peer Pressure”
Teens and Parents Will Benefit from Reading This New Y.A. Novel
Written by Joanna Dakoyannis, Dover, MA While the subjects covered in Gripped Part 3: The Fallout by Stacy A. Padula are extremely sensitive and include drug use, alcohol, and sex, it is important for teens to read this book to educate themselves. The book provides teens with an interesting narrative while showing them the dangersContinue reading “Teens and Parents Will Benefit from Reading This New Y.A. Novel”
New Y.A. Fiction Book Takes a Sobering Look at Teenage Substance Abuse
Written by Joanna Dakoyannis, Dover, MA Gripped Part 3: The Fallout, by Stacy A. Padula, takes a sobering look at how teen drug use can be a destructive force in their lives. Throughout the story, we see the teens make bad choices that lead to other harmful behaviors. Jason and Cathy, two of the mainContinue reading “New Y.A. Fiction Book Takes a Sobering Look at Teenage Substance Abuse”
New Young Adult Book Shows the Damaging Effects of Peer Pressure
Written by Joanna Dakoyannis, Dover, MA Gripped Part 2: Blindsided is a must read for teens in middle school and high school. It is an easy read with a story that keeps you eagerly turning the page. In following the lives of the characters, Blindsided demonstrates how damaging peer pressure can be to a teen’s life.Continue reading “New Young Adult Book Shows the Damaging Effects of Peer Pressure”
New Young Adult Book Takes a Startling Look at Mounting Social Pressures Amongst Teens
Article by Joanna Dakoyannis, Dover, MA Gripped Part 2: Blindsided is an excellent book for high school students to read for several reasons. First, it takes a startling look into the lives of teenagers and what their social experiences around drugs and sex can entail. The story also exemplifies what the effects of drug andContinue reading “New Young Adult Book Takes a Startling Look at Mounting Social Pressures Amongst Teens”
Gripped Book Series Sheds Light on Montgomery Lake High’s Main Characters
Article by Joanna Dakoyannis, Dover, MA Although Chantal Kagelli has been a favorite character of mine throughout Stacy A. Padula’s Montgomery Lake High book series, I found her somewhat frustrating in Gripped Part 1: The Truth We Never Told. I feel that she passes judgement quickly and fails to communicate with the people who care aboutContinue reading “Gripped Book Series Sheds Light on Montgomery Lake High’s Main Characters”
New Teen Fiction Book Teaches the Importance of Healthy Relationships
Article by Joanna Dakoyannis, Dover, Massachusetts As a young adult, I can easily relate to the scenarios portrayed in Gripped Part 1: The Truth We Never Told by Stacy A. Padula. The dating and friendship drama, as well as the substance abuse, are real issues that I see unfolding every day. Similar to the charactersContinue reading “New Teen Fiction Book Teaches the Importance of Healthy Relationships”
New Fiction Book Series Takes a Compelling Look at Teenage Substance Abuse in Massachusetts
Article by Joanna Dakoyannis, Dover, MA The first book in the Gripped series, Gripped Part 1: The Truth We Never Told by Stacy A. Padula takes a compelling look at substance abuse in the lives of high school, middle school, and college students. The story builds off of Padula’s Montgomery Lake High book series, incorporating theContinue reading “New Fiction Book Series Takes a Compelling Look at Teenage Substance Abuse in Massachusetts”
The People Behind the Gripped Book Series
When a book is published, people see the author’s name on the cover, but hardly ever do they hear about the team of people who helped bring the story to fruition. Yet, behind the scenes, a group of talented individuals may have provided insight and feedback to help the author keep the book relevant toContinue reading “The People Behind the Gripped Book Series”
The Forces Within by Stacy Padula: an Excellent Teen Read
Article by Joanna Dakoyannis, Dover, Massachusetts The Forces Within, by Stacy Padula, is the fifth and most compelling book in the MLH series. The story focuses on the spiritual battle of several characters in the series, but mainly dissects the actions of Andy Rosetti. Andy finds himself in a strange place called Fallen Lake, inContinue reading “The Forces Within by Stacy Padula: an Excellent Teen Read”
Books by Stacy A. Padula 