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One of the most exciting aspects of young adult literature is its inclusive nature. YA publishers are among the first to give new authors a voice and to reach out to writers who are under-represented in the literary cannon. And because teen readers are receptive to a variety of genres, speculative fiction is finding a younger and broader audience. The selections for this month are excellent example of this.

–David Gill, ALAN Director and Webmaster

Judith Ortiz Cofer, THE MEANING OF CONSUELO. Beacon Press, 2004*. Spanning the growing up years of Consuelo and ending when she is sixteen, this novel is a coming of age story about a young girl finding out who she wants to be. She sheds her family's and her culture's attitudes about gender roles. Consuelo grows up in Puerto Rico with a progressive father and traditional mother, the older daughter whose role is to watch over her younger sister, Mili, who is the more beautiful and unfortunately, the more imbalanced. As Mili grows older, she slips into mental illness, and Consuelo struggles to care for her and her…

eroding family. In the end Consuelo must leave Puerto Rico for New York in order to become her own person. (H) Patient readers will enjoy the novel's complex plots and the story of Consuelo's quest for independence.

Judith Clarke. KALPANA'S DREAM. Front Street, 2005. When Neema's great-grandmother Kalpana visit's Australia from her native India, Neema finds herself struggling to communicate with a relative who speaks only Hindi, while also dealing dreaming of flying, watching a boy named Gull fly by her window on a skateboard at night, and an English teacher affectionately known as the "Bride of Dracula." (M/H). Told from an omniscient POV, the narrative adroitly mixes humor, folktales, peer pressure, and a sense of family.

Peter F. Hamilton. THE WEB: LIGHTSTORM.* Starscape, 2005. Reprint. In the year 2027, thirteen-year-old Aynsley and his VR gaming friends suspect a power company of creating a series of mysterious lightstorms. Using the Web (an evolved form of the Internet), the friends crack the power company's security, only to learn that the power company can do the same thing to them, in turn. (M/RR) Part of a multi-authored series published in 1997-98, LIGHTSTORM is an action-packed page-turner for readers who like high-interest plots.

Mette Ivie Harrison. MIRA, MIRROR. Viking, 2004. Mira is a witch and so is her adopted sister, an ambitious young woman who steals life from other creatures and uses the magic to make herself more beautiful. Her thirst for more beauty is never quenched, even when she transforms Mira into the magic mirror. Using the mirror to keep herself beautiful and young, the sister becomes the witch queen. But when the queen falls, Mira is stranded in mirror form until a runaway peasant girl saves her. The peasant girl is taken in by a merchant and his daughter. Using her magic, Mira transforms the peasant girl into the merchant’s daughter—and vice versa. Each girl assumes the other’s role, seeing their lives from a different point of view. In a series of events, the girls and the mirror learn the meaning of trust and friendship. (M/H) Perfect for both young adult and adult readers of fantasy, MIRA, MIRROR is a gripping read with strong characters, the story of a woman who can show everyone a reflection but struggles to see herself for the person she truly is.

Marie Myung-Ok Lee. SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER. Beacon, 2005. Sarah Thorson is a "twinkie"-what her fellow Korean students call an Asian who has been raised in American by an adoptive White family. While visiting Korea as a student, Sarah appears on a television show that reunites missing family members. Sarah's mother, Kyung-Sook (who has her own parallel storyline), sees Sarah on the show and tries to reunite with her. (H). A thought-provoking story about identity and the cultural roles that make us who we are–and can never be.

Timothy Zahn. DRAGON AND SOLDIER.* Starscape, 2004. Draycos is a K'da warrior. He is also a symbiont who chooses for his human host and adolescent space pilot, Jack Morgan. Jack and Draycos unite to stop a plot against Draycos' people, infiltrating a group of mercenaries, an act that leads to hair-raising adventure. (M/H/RR) Part of the DRAGONBACK series, the novel is the second installment of a romping space opera of the first order.

M indicates appropriateness for middle school H indicates appropriateness for high school RR indicates appeal to a reluctant reader (A reluctant reader is someone who can read but for whom reading is not important. There are "honor" students who fit this definition.) * indicates available in paperback