All the Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2011, 354 pp., $16.99
Family/Love/Relationships/Responsibility/Organized Crime
ISBN: 978-0-374-30210-8

At the age of seventeen and with both parents dead, Anya is responsible for a dying grandmother, her mildly disabled older brother, and her younger sister. She is the oldest daughter of the head of an organized crime business, chocolate no less. Told in the future tense, this story involves chocolate as an illegal substance. After being accused of attempted murder by giving her ex-boyfriend poisoned chocolate, she finds herself in a jail for young girls. As if she has room in her life for additional drama, Anya falls in love with the district attorney’s son; their relationship does not have his blessing. While she tries to ensure that she and her siblings lay low and stay out of the limelight, Anya has to make decisions that no seventeen year old should make. But one thing is for sure: regardless of how painful the decision will be for her, regardless of what she has to sacrifice personally, Anya always does what is best for her family; family comes first!

Gabrielle Zeven has created a story that is easy to read and one that the reader will not want to put down. Readers of all ages will enjoy this book.

Reviewed by Priscilla A. Boerger, Boca Raton, FL

Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari
Scholastic, 2011, 344 pp., $$17.99
Post-apocalyptic/Survival
ISBN: 978-0-545-25563-9

Ashes, Ashes takes place in the not too distant future after a multitude of disasters have happened. Not only has global warming caused floods, droughts and other drastic weather changes, but a small pox epidemic has annihilated the human race between the ages of thirty and sixty and most everyone else. But Lucy survives. She is the sole survivor of her family and is doing her best to live off the land in Central Park. Everything changes, though, when she meets Aidan from a close by camp and finds out that survivors are being hunted. Though Lucy struggles with communicating since she has been alone for so long, Aidan and she find a connection, and Lucy begins trusting him. From this point forward, the action starts, and Lucy’s life is truly on the line.

Ashes, Ashes is a truly realistic post-apocalyptic novel that takes readers through a young lady’s story of survival against horrible odds. The book grabs readers right away with Lucy’s struggles from finding food that is not contaminated to escaping wild dogs. One surprising aspect of the novel is the twist about half way through that takes this post-apocalyptic novel and transforms it into a dystopia.

Reviewed by Kellee Moye, Orlando, FL

Brooklyn Burning by Steve Brezenoff
Carolrhoda, 2011, 202 pp., $17.95
Inner City/Street Children/Alcohol/Drugs/Punk Music/Relationships
ISBN: 978-0-7613-7945-4

The scene is Brooklyn, the year, 2006, and our narrator is Kid, a homeless teenager who manages to survive on the kindness of strangers. Thrown out of the house by an angry father (Kid is an alcoholic), Kid falls in and out of love with other homeless teens, only to be saved by the gracious understanding of caring adults. Danger (to no surprise) still attracts our narrator as he and his friends are the prime suspect in a warehouse fire that consumes a close friend. Kid did not set the fire, but feeling responsible for the death, Kid readily accepts blame. The true tragedy comes, though, when the police return Kid home and together, they must deal with a father whose prejudice for a child’s shameful lifestyle overpowers any feeling of compassion.

Gritty, sad and unforgiving are the adjectives which best describe this haunting read. A brutal coming-of-age story, readers experience a desperate teen who, rejected by parents, turns to one person after another looking for the love that cannot be found at home. What is really at heart, though, is a deeply affecting look at what many young people experience when their families cannot accept their child’s confusion about their own sexual identity. For despite all we know about Kid, we—the readers—do not know whether Kid and the other teens are male or female. Instead, we are left to assume what we can infer—making this read even more provocative and challenging. What this story does reveal is Kid’s central desire for basic human connection—especially to a father who cannot reconcile with his child’s confusion. Young people who like harsh, uncompromising, realistic stories will find this book vivid, perceptive, and all too honest.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kaplan, Orlando, FL

Every You, Every Me by David Levithan with Jonathan Farmer, photographer
Knopf/Random House, 2011, 245 pp., $16.99
Relationships/Suicide/Mental Illness/Mystery
ISBN: 978-0-375-86098-0

It is difficult enough that Ariel, Evan’s only friend, is gone, but suddenly cryptic photographs begin appearing. The first is a photograph taken on his path to school—from the precise spot where he finds it. He is surprised to find himself the subject of the next photograph because Ariel is the only one he ever allowed to photograph him. Photographs appear in his locker and in places only Ariel should know they have been. Is she back? Is she tormenting him because of what he did? She was his best friend, but did
he ever really know her? The situation intensifies with photographs of Ariel herself, ones that Evan has never seen. How well did he really know her? Who is the mysterious photographer, and why is he or she tormenting him this way? Desperate for answers, Evan reaches out to Jack, Ariel’s former boyfriend, to help him solve the mystery.

Raising the question of how well we can ever know another person—even somebody we love—this book also probes the issue of how well we can know ourselves. Told from Evan’s point-of-view, the text includes words, phrases, passages—even entire chapters—that are lined out, suggesting Evan’s mental revisions as he grapples with Ariel’s attempted suicide, consequent hospitalization, and his role in saving her life. Should he, he wonders, have allowed her to destroy herself as she claimed she wanted? That is what Dana, the mysterious photographer, believes. Her photographs remind Evan that his moments with Ariel might not have been as private as he believed and are intended to punish him for preventing Ariel’s suicide. Jonathan Farmer’s photographs, combined with the stylistic presentation of Evan’s uncertainties, tighten the distance between reader and narrator and heighten the readers’ engagement as we try to solve these mysteries with him.

Reviewed by Kathleen Dudden Rowlands, Northridge, CA

The Jewel and the Key by Louise Spiegler
Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt, 2011, 456 pp., $16.99
Time Travel/World War I/Theater/Relationships/Social Issues
ISBN: 978-0-547-14879-3

Addie longs to land the leading role in her school theater productions, but she is constantly ousted and ostracized by a posse of girls who seem to be shoe-ins when it comes to acting. In her quest for stardom, she discovers evidence of the glory days of a local rundown theater. As she begins to explore, her quest is shaken by an earthquake that interrupts her dream and her life. Things begin to unravel as quickly as they seem to weave together in her favor. A key is discovered, unlocking a history of lights, action, and fame. Addie is caught between two worlds and must choose which direction she will go: revert to the past to capture a dream she never thought she could fulfill or progress to the future to create new opportunities for herself and others.

A book with a hint of an agenda, The Jewel and the Key caters to a wide audience by appealing to the dramatic and then leaning toward the political. Young readers will be surprised to learn how early labor unions showed their opposition to war as far back as WWI. The Jewel and the Key serves as a good bridge to more informational texts discussing WWI, labor unions such as the Industrial Workers of the World, or war opposition. The story captivates and draws readers in until the very last page.

Reviewed by Kristie Jolley, Pleasant Grove, UT

Rip Tide (Book 2 of Dark Life) by Kat Falls
Scholastic, 2011, 320 pp., $16.99
Science Fiction/Scuba Diving/ Marine Biology/Fantasy/Social Issues
ISBN: 978-0-545-17843-3

A rip tide occurs when conflicting currents meet. In this sequel to Dark Life, Ty and his girlfriend, Gemma, discover a city of corpses on the ocean’s bottom. Like the book’s title, the characters are caught in a rip tide of conflict. Before the pair can begin solving the gruesome mystery, they are engaged in more urgent business: the kidnapping of Ty’s parents. Forced to enlist Gemma’s outlaw brother’s help, the three must battle the devious and sometimes evil forces of the mainland’s Commonwealth police, the surfeit and other threats in the shapes of both humans and sea life.

Falls’ science fiction novel quickly engages the reader and maintains a fast pace. While the tale is somewhat predictable, the details of sea life, both real and imagined, are sure to enthrall any reader who loves the ocean. Falls immerses her characters into the ocean world much like so many authors used the American West of the 1800s, and she does it well. The book successfully synthesizes adventure, science fiction, social prejudices, and mystery with budding romance, no mean feat. Despite a lexile level assessed at 780, the text offers a wealth of new vocabulary that makes this book an excellent addition to both the teen library and a science classroom library.

Reviewed by Coleen E. Sams, Clearwater, FL

Saint Louis Armstrong Beach by Brenda Woods
Paulsen/Penguin, 2011,128 pp., $16.99
New Orleans/Katrina/Jazz/Perseverance
ISBN: 978-0-399-25507-6

Saint Louis Armstrong Beach lives in New Orleans with his family where he interacts with many different people in his neighborhood. Readers begin to experience how vibrant and special New Orleans is to the people who live there. While much of his time is spent interacting with elders in the jazz community, Saint also has a very special relationship with the older girl who lives next door and with a stray dog he has adopted. The story begins just before Hurricane Katrina hits the city, and readers follow Saint, his family, and his neighbors as they prepare for the storm.

Saint Louis Armstrong Beach is a likable, well-developed character. Woods builds suspense in the story by foreshadowing a less than pleasant outcome for him. Interesting supporting characters and engaging situations make the story fun and interesting as readers want to find out what happens to Saint.

Reviewed by Edith Campbell, Indianapolis, IN

Secrets of Tamarind by Nadia Aguiar
Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, 2011, 374 pp., $16.99
Fantasy/Adventure
ISBN: 978-0-312-38030-4

The magical island of Tamarind is a lush tropical paradise, populated by a diverse range of flora and fauna found nowhere else on Earth. Its delicate ecosystem is kept in balance and protected from the dangers of the outside world by a mysterious substance called ophalla. When a shady organization known as the Red Coral Project discovers Tamarind and launches a massive mining operation to extract ophalla for scientific research and possible commercial applications, the island’s fragile environment is threatened. This imbalance triggers the appearance of a series of mystical signs, messages laid during the Tamarind’s Extraordinary Days to aid future generations should the island ever face ecological disaster. Now, the survival of Tamarind and its unusual inhabitants lies in the hands of Maya, Simon, and Penny Nelson, who once more travel on the schooner Pamela Jane to investigate the island’s magic, find their missing parents, and stop the Red Coral Project before it is too late.

Combining elements of The Chronicles of Narnia, His Dark Materials, The DaVinci Code and Lost, this sequel to The Lost Island of Tamarind presents a rollicking fantasy adventure story that also serves as a thinly veiled meditation on environmental catastrophes in our own world. The author’s experiences living in Bermuda inform the novel’s vivid descriptions, providing a note of local color to its fantastical settings. This novel would make an excellent selection for a middle school read aloud, offering ample opportunities for word study, developing visualization skills and enriching students’ understanding of critical social studies and science concepts through fiction. Familiarity with Nadia Aguiar’s first Tamarind novel is not required to enjoy the riches of Secrets of Tamarind, a true feast for the senses.

Reviewed by Sean Kottke, Lansing, MI

The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff
Razorbill/Penguin, 2011, 368 pp., $17.99
Demons/Angels/Relationships/Christian Mythology
ISBN: 978-1-59514-339-6

Daphne was born in Hell. Its perpetually burning, gleaming cities reflect the limitless expanse of time around her. Daphne is equally bored and apprehensive of her fate in this place. Half angel, half demon, Daphne has little to do except wonder whether she is destined to succumb to her mother’s seductive darkness or pursue the divine light her father once possessed. She is forced out of her eternal stupor when her brother Obie is kidnapped, and she teams up with a troubled mortal named Truman to search for Obie on Earth. Daphne becomes caught in the space between Heaven and Hell. Here she dodges the perils of divine politics on Earth and comes to know profound love in spite of her beginnings.

Rarely are the characters of Hell well developed. Lucifer, Beelzebub, and other minor demons are usually just vague forces of evil in many horror stories. Brenna Yovanoff, however, creates a place where good and evil are not so clean cut. Angels and demons possess free will in her novel, and that makes all the difference. Readers will enjoy Daphne and Truman’s unique love/adventure story and will find surprising the redemption offered (and sometimes turned down) to many characters. The Space Between is a book filled with danger and grace—an unlikely combination that Yovanoff pulls off with subtle conviction.

Reviewed by Adrienne Kisner, Boston, MA

White Crow by Marcus Sedgwick
Roaring Brook, 2011, 234 pp., $16.99
Horror/Mystery/Thriller
ISBN: 978-1-59643-594-0

Winterfold is a coastal town in England slowly being eroded by the harsh waters of an ocean. Rebecca is a teenage girl forced to move to this one-road town and live with her overworked father. Once in the town, Rebecca befriends the interesting and strange Ferelith, who has lived in Winterfold her whole life. Together, they explore the broken-down churches and fascinating history of the town. Little by little, the town’s dark secrets come to life, and Rebecca discovers that Ferelith may not be whom she seems.

Sedgwick has weaved a mysterious and gothic tale, which includes flashbacks and amazing description. The two main characters are inviting and mysterious as well as strong and realistic. This is a gripping tale, which is—at times—frightening. Leave the lights on when browsing this one.

Reviewed by Ray Engle, Indianapolis, IN

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Scholastic, 2011, 608 pp., $29.99
Mystery/Historical Fiction
ISBN: 9780545027892

Two stories of loss and discovery unfold in the opening pages of Wonderstruck. Ben, rendered deaf by a bolt of lightning, is grieving his mother’s recent death and begins assembling clues to help locate the father he has never known. Rose, deaf from toddlerhood, longs to escape the home in which she has been locked away and deprived of her family’s love and acceptance. Both children embark on impossible journeys that take them to New York City and the marvelous American Museum of Natural History, although their tales begin in wildly different eras: Ben’s in the storied summer of 1977, and Rose’s in 1927, during the twilight of the silent movie era. How the extraordinary tales of these two young adults, separated by half a century, connect and reflect each other is a mystery that drives the novel forward on parallel narrative tracks, with Rose’s story told in pictures and Ben’s in prose.

Brian Selznick has already proven himself to be a master of interweaving prose and sequential art narrative into a singular, magical story in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and Wonderstruck takes readers on a glorious and even more ambitious journey down this same stylistic path. Selznick ramps up the visual storytelling this time and continues the grand experiment launched by D.W. Griffith in the classic 1916 silent film, Intolerance, to tell multiple stories simultaneously in such a way that the whole is greater than the sum. He succeeds admirably, cross-cutting between narrative threads all the way to the end. If the story is ultimately less of a puzzle box than The Invention of Hugo Cabret, it has greater intimacy and more emotion. The title perfectly describes the emotion that readers are likely to feel as they read this novel, which bursts forth with child-like wonder on every page.

Reviewed by Sean Kottke, Lansing, MI

The Yo-Yo Prophet by Karen Krossing
Orca, 2011, 237 pp., $12.95
Maturation/Illness/Change/High School/Coming of Age
ISBN: 978-1-55469-827-1

Calvin Layne spends his days as a freshman in high school attempting to avoid jocks, bullies and most of all, Rozelle, who rules the school with her cronies, Annette and Sasha. At home, he watches as his grandmother’s health deteriorates, while he helps run her dry cleaning shop below their apartment. Amid his crumbling life, Calvin turns to the only thing that relaxes him: working his yo-yo and finds he has become a street performing star almost overnight. The only problem is Rozelle, who thinks that she can bully him into letting her run his gig and claim half his earnings. She claims, too, that Calvin becomes prophetic when he works his yo-yo.

Krossing’s use of terse, but vivid imagery depicts a torn young man struggling to fit into a teenage world unaware of the larger problems of his life at home. The Yo-Yo Prophet takes the reader along Calvin’s journey, showing how a normal kid’s fears, inadequacies, and defeats lead him to grow and make decisions that enable him to become more of the young man he wants to be. Recommended for a slightly older YA reader.

Reviewed by Robin K. Jolley, Miramar, FL

Reviewed this month:
Alice Blissby Laura Harrington
The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
Emily and the Rats in the Belfry by Lynne Jonell & Illus. Jonathan Bean
The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Macker                                                     Jefferson’s Sons: A Founding Father’s Secret Children by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
My Boyfriend Is a Monster 2: Made for Each Other by Paul D. Storrie & Illus. Eldon Cowgur
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie by Matt Blackstone
The Undrowned Child by Michelle Lovric

Alice Bliss by Laura Harrington
Viking/Penguin, 2011, 306 pp., $25.95
Family/Death/War
ISBN: 987-0-670-02278-6

Fifteen-year-old Alice Bliss has a treasure many teens desire but don’t often experience: a close, supportive relationship with her dad. Matt Bliss, formerly an engineer, but now carpenter/craftsman, coaches little league baseball and utilizes his skills as a farm team pitcher. Alice and Matt share gardening, his workshop, and life lessons. This special bond causes Alice incredible pain, though, when her father’s Army Reserve unit is called up. After only six weeks, rather than the usual six-month training period, Matt is deployed to Iraq. From the day Alice, her eight-year-old sister, and their mom drive Matt to Fort Dix, Alice’s life becomes a blur. She wears her dad’s shirt for weeks until her mother sneaks it into the trash; she lives on memories and often hears her dad’s words of encouragement. Alice and her mother struggle to connect, but they frequently end up fighting; both hold the pain of Matt’s absence welled inside. Younger sister, Ellie; Uncle Eddie, and Gram provide what support they can, but ultimately the family faces a stark reality: Matt will not be coming home alive.

Harrington creates an incredibly poignant story; grief and loss are palpable. Harrington’s use of present tense brings the characters alive. Additionally, her portrayal of what families face when a loved one is deployed makes the novel appealing for males and females, adults and teens, alike. Alice is a particularly believable teen, who falls in love, struggles to fit in, wants to be cared for, but rejects false affection. She also lives in a universe of constant anxiety: teachers cannot understand her sudden inability to concentrate, and sometimes she has to “mother” her mother.

Reviewed by Mary Warner, San Jose, CA

The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
Knopf/Random House, 2011, 417 pp., $17.99
Adventure/Magic/Orphans
ISBN: 978-0-375-86870-2

Kate, Michael, and Emma are beloved children of devoted parents, until their charmed life is ripped apart one snowy Christmas Eve. The three spend the next few years mercilessly being shuffled from one orphanage to another until an old family acquaintance intervenes. The children are brought to what they think is an orphanage of “last resort,” but it is instead the gateway to a daring, dangerous, magical adventure. The children discover a book—an atlas—that can transport them through time and space. Through the atlas, the children begin fulfilling a prophecy in which they confront an ancient evil, rescue other children in peril, and realize that they are valued and protected beyond measure.

The Emerald Atlas is one part A Series of Unfortunate Events and two parts Harry Potter, with some new elements added. The plot unfolds with equal amounts of drama, magic, adventure, and suspense. Readers will root for mature Kate, intrepid Michael, and plucky Emma as they face off with a frightening, well-developed evil foe. Boys and girls alike will find a strong lead character with whom they can relate, and the adventure and relationships will keep even the most finicky reader engaged. The ending is satisfying, but it leaves the door open for many more adventures.

Reviewed by Adrienne Kisner, Boston, MA

Emmy and the Rats in the Belfry by Lynne Jonell & Illus. Jonathan Bean
Henry Holt, 2011, 372 pp., $17.99
Friendship/Adventure
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9183-0

Emmy Addison lives in parallel worlds, the one her parents know and one in which she befriends talking rats and chipmunks. Raston Ray, her pal Ratsy, can turn humans into rats with a simple bite, while his sister, Cecilia, can reverse the procedure with a sweet kiss. Evil Jane Barmy and her devoted running mate, Cheswick Vole, have been turned into rats in a previous adventure and now seek revenge on Emmy and her pals. In his lab at the Antique Rat, Professor Capybara is developing a patch that utilizes Sissy’s valuable saliva. Miss Barmy wants it, too, so she can become human and gorgeous again; Cheswick adores her, so the two evil conspirators kidnap Sissy and force her to provide them with the kiss contents.

Emmy, along with her human friends, Joe and Ana; two elderly aunts, and several rats and bats unite in a suspenseful adventure to free Sissy. Spunky Emmy and her pals will fascinate tween readers with a tale that focuses on the value of friendship and loyalty, no matter the source.

Reviewed by Judith A. Hayn, Little Rock, AR

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler                                           Penguin, 2011, 368 pp., $18.99                                                                 Relationships/Social Networking                                                                                ISBN: 978-1-59514-491-1

High school students, Emma and Josh, have been friends since grade school, but their relationship has been a bit strained lately due to Josh’s misreading of what he perceived to be a romantic moment between them. When Emma receives a new computer from her dad, Josh gives her an AOL CD-ROM with 100 free hours on it, but wait a minute, this is 1996! When Emma logs in and begins to surf the internet, she discovers something called Facebook, which has yet to be created. Both Emma and Josh are able to see themselves, through their profiles, fifteen years in the future. The narration alternates between Josh and Emma, allowing readers to see how both cope as they discover that their thoughts and actions in 1996 affect who they will become in 2011.

The Future of Us may sound like sci-fi or fantasy, but it is the story of how two teenagers, given the power to control their futures, handle such a responsibility. Asher and Mackler have succeeded where many YA stories fall short. They have created characters whose relationships and interactions feel real. Early on, readers will stop trying to figure out how Facebook could appear on someone’s computer in 1996. They will simply be rooting for Emma and Josh to create the best future possible. Ages 12-up.

Reviewed by Bryan Gillis, Kennesaw, GA

Jefferson’s Sons: A Founding Father’s Secret Children by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Dial/Penguin, 2011, 363 pp., $17.99
Historical Fiction/Thomas Jefferson/Slavery/African-Americans
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3499-9

Thomas Jefferson is known to have fathered the children of his African-American servants who were essentially slaves at his home in Monticello. This remarkable and revealing story is a fictionalized account of the last twenty years of Jefferson’s life as told through the eyes of three of his slaves, two of whom were sons by his servant Sally Hemmings. Naturally, these children, born to a slave and out of wedlock, were to keep their father’s identity a secret. Told in three parts in these young slave children’s fictionalized voices, these engaging and poignant alternating chapters are fascinating for what they reveal both historically and psychologically about what life might have been like for Thomas Jefferson’s invisible offspring.

Inspired to tell the story of one of the true early American icons while touring Monticello, author Kimberly Brubaker Bradley read everything she could about Thomas Jefferson and his relationship with Sally Hemmings. A popular historical fiction novelist, Bradley wanted to recreate through the eyes of their children just what life might have been like for these secret offspring. Precious, and incisive, this creative, yet faithful historian, manages to bring the everyday to life—how Jefferson’s received special treatment such as easier work, better shoes, even violin lessons—and were promised to be set free when they turned twenty-one. But, would they ever really be free? Especially, those who were not light-skinned enough to enter white society? And what did their father really mean when he wrote “all men are created equal?” Did he have his black children in mind? This smart and honest narrative attempts to shed new light on territory adolescents with a penchant for knowing the back story of historical figures just might find fascinating.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kaplan, Orlando, FL

My Boyfriend Is a Monster 2:  Made for Each Other by Paul D. Storrie
Illustrated by Eldon Cowgur
Lerner, 2011, 127 pp., $9.95
Relationships/Monsters/Graphic Novels/Alienation/Grief
ISBN: 978-0-7613-7077-2

Maria, member of a misfit string quartet, meets hunky new student, Tom Stone, son of a funeral director. The school is reeling from a car accident that took the lives of three cheerleaders, and Maria volunteers her quartet for a school assembly in order to get away from the creepy school counselor, who is convinced that she avoids dealing with the deaths of her parents. Tom sees Maria practicing, and the chemistry is immediate. Tom, however, uses his work at his father’s funeral home to avoid social interactions with Maria. Determined to meet up with him, Maria takes a batch of cookies to his house and stumbles upon Tom’s father’s laboratory, where a girl is being assembled from the parts of the deceased cheerleaders. Tom then reveals his secret: that he is a creation as well. When the “newborn” (Hedy) starts making friends, her appearance spells trouble for the whole town, especially for Maria.

Funny and light, this graphic novel feels like Twilight meets Scooby Doo. Cowgur’s illustrations lend both humor and gravitas to the narrative, and the layout of the panel illustrations paces the novel beautifully. Cute throwaways, like alternate titles, “punny” character names, and advice for the lovelorn resonate with both reluctant and experienced readers alike, making this graphic novel a title you will want to share.

Reviewed by Wendy Cope, Kennesaw, GA

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
Amulet, 2011, 400 pp., $16.95
Fantasy/Adventure/Orphans
ISBN: 978-1-4197-0025-5

Peter Nimble is a blind orphan.  He also happens to be the world’s greatest thief. He lives a rough life in his port town, where he is constantly abused by Mr. Seamus, a man who took Peter in solely to use his gift of thievery to his own benefit. When Peter steals a box of unknown contents from an enigmatic traveling haberdasher, his life takes a dramatic turn. He soon finds himself transported to a hidden island, and before he knows it, he is on a quest to save the people of the Vanished Kingdom. With only his fantastic eyes and newfound friend, Sir Tode, by his side, Peter starts on the journey he has always been destined to make. Along the way, he learns the secret each fantastic pair of eyes holds, and in so doing, he learns more about himself then he ever imagined.

This is not a tale for the faint of heart! Though the writing is geared toward younger readers, the story itself is a wonderful mix of magic and gruesomeness that is reminiscent of the Grimm’s Fairy Tales. In his debut novel, Auxier takes us on an extraordinary journey with truly memorable characters.

There’s the mysterious Mr. Pound, who jumpstarts Peter’s adventure; Mr. Pound’s seemingly omniscient mentor, Professor Cake, who keeps an eye on the world and the people in it who need rescuing; Sir Tode, the wildly entertaining knight who, due to a hag’s curse, is part man, part cat, and part horse. This is a creative, witty, well-paced novel that is nothing short of charming. It is guaranteed to bring smiles to readers’ faces, no matter what age. Truly unique!

Reviewed by Crystal Leibowitz, Moriches, NY

A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie by Matt Blackstone
FSG/Macmillan, 2011, 256 pp., $16.99
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder/Relationships/High School
ISBN: 978-0-374-36421-2

Our hero is Rene, a fourteen-year-old boy with one major problem—he suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Forever plagued by the fear of germs (and dying), our young Rene follows ritualistic patterns to the point of self-destruction. He must wash himself in the correct order, stand perfectly still when the clock strikes a certain time, and pick up coins that are “face-up.” Isolated from family and friends, he lives a life obsessed with fear—until something nearly magical happens. Rene’s new and only friend, Gio, has a life mission to turn Rene into one “cool dude”—a trick that tests the limits of their friendship, patience, and passion.

The title—A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie—comes from Rene’s obsessive life habits. Prone to wearing Batman capes (and smelling his hands when he is very nervous), Rene has a chain of rituals that makes “living with himself” straight out of a horror movie. For if he breaks one ritualistic behavior, he fears the worst. Writing with compassion, humor and keen insight, debut author Matt Blackstone has written a compelling stream of consciousness read which will not only delight young people who know of others with this life-threatening disorder, but will also spark much conversation—among friends, parents and teachers alike—about how best to cope with this debilitating, yet all too common medical condition. And what makes this book most appealing is that the author has managed to tackle a subject matter—OCD—that heretofore has not received much treatment in young adult books—and now, through the magic of fictional realism, is front and center in a most engaging read for all ages.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kaplan, Orlando, FL

The Undrowned Child by Michelle Lovric
Delacorte/Random House, 2011, 464 pp., $17.99
Fantasy/Venice/Family Relationships
ISBN: 978-0-385-73999-3

Everything changes when young Teodora goes to Venice with her adoptive scientist parents and gets hit on the head by a mysterious book. The incident reveals that the natural disasters plaguing the city stem from a supernatural threat ordinary people cannot see, and a prophesied war between the forces of good and evil is on the brink. With the help of Renzo, a snobby Venetian boy, and her own quick wits and magical abilities, Teo must hunt down a mysterious traitor from beyond the grave and stop him from plunging the city into its watery depths—along with all of its inhabitants.

Lovric seamlessly blends historic Venice with a realm where mermaids, ghosts and winged lions roam freely. Readers will constantly find themselves learning new facts about the famous Italian city as Teo and Renzo uncover a dark mystery sealed deep within its archives. The encounters with Venice’s more otherworldly citizens are described with great attention to detail, and younger readers may find certain aspects of the story frightening. But no matter how bleak the situation becomes, a genuine sense of humor in the narration provides a glimmer of hope for its protagonists. For anyone interested in learning about Venice’s fascinating history or reading a whimsical, well-developed fantasy, The Undrowned Child will certainly satisfy.

Reviewed by Loree Varella, West Orange, NJ

Where I Belong by Gillian Cross
Holiday House, 2011, 245 pp., $17.95
Fashion/Mystery/Somalia
ISBN:  978-082-342-3323

Somali-born Khadija is sent to England when she is thirteen years old to get an education. She believes that her father sent her away so that she might escape the warlords who are ravaging her beloved homeland. Living with fourteen-year-old Abdi’s family in a small Somali community near London, Khadija’s exquisite beauty is recognized by world-renowned fashion designer, Sandy Dexter. Dexter plots to introduce a new fashion line with Khadija as her mystery model called Qarsson, the hidden one. Working together, both Abdi and Khadija learn that secrets are not easily kept within the tight-knit Somali community and are betrayed by a family friend. Jeopardizing Khadija’s chances to earn money and reunite with her family in Somalia, the villains of this story are numerous and surprising.

Rich, sensory descriptions of Somalia and its culture draw readers into the intrigue of Where I Belong, giving glimpses of Khadija’s home and Abdi’s ancestry. Gillian Cross’s main characters alternate narration chapter-by-chapter, illustrating first-person insights that make characters more real. Readers experience first-hand the betrayal, loss and—in the end—hope as Khadija and Abdi grow to understand where they truly belong.

Reviewed by Kelly Byrne Bull, Baltimore, MD

Reviewed this month:

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony: A Friendship That Changed the World by Penny Colman
First Day on Earth by Cecil Castellucci
Hidden by Helen Frost
In Trouble by Ellen Levine
My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher
The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace
What Comes After by Steve Watkins
Where Do You Stay? by Andrea Cheng
The White Horse Trick by Kate Thompson
Wild Life by Cynthia C. DeFelice

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
Egmont, 2011, 480 pp., $17.99
Dystopian/Zombies/Survival
ISBN: 978-1-60684-175-4

In a world where an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) has wiped out almost everything, including people and electronics, Alex, who was camping in the  woods contemplating life vs. death after living with a deadly brain tumor, falls into the middle of a cataclysmic event. Alex, along with her makeshift family of Ellie, an orphaned eight year old; and Tom, a young army veteran, decide to make their way to the ranger station to find help. They must survive in the woods, while not only scavenging for food and avoiding hungry wild life, but also eluding cannibalistic zombies that were somehow transformed by the EMP.

This book stands out because Bick’s descriptions of very simple things like pain and smells are so dead on that readers can feel or smell what she is describing. When the EMP first hits, Alex describes the pain and other side effects of the EMP so well that readers have no problem understanding her experiences.

Bick has done her research regarding EMPs because the events are detailed and understandable. Her detail makes the possibility of the type of destruction that happens in Ashes seem reasonable, which is a terrifying prospect. This book will make readers question their definition of family and what one will do to survive.

Reviewed by Kellee Moye, Orlando, FL

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony: A Friendship That Changed the World by Penny Colman
Henry Holt, 2011, 223 pp., $18.99
Friendship/Women’s Rights/Social Reform/Laws/History
ISBN: 978-0-8050-8293-7

During a time when bold actions were unthinkable from a woman, not one, but two, incredible women join forces to fight for women’s suffrage. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony worked together for over fifty years to give women the same rights as men: to be recognized as citizens, to have the right to vote, to be able to divorce, to have the opportunity to go to college, to own property after marriage, and to have equal salaries. Throughout that time they were dedicated to their cause, but they forged an unbreakable friendship regardless of their disagreements.

Colman has written an exceptional story that brings to life a significant piece of history. This book, used in social studies classes or as independent reading, will teach children that the world they know today is not the world that has always existed. It will show that strong, powerful, intelligent, and important women in today’s world could not have been in these positions without Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony forging the way in the 1800s.

Reviewed by Priscilla A. Boerger, Boca Raton, FL

First Day on Earth by Cecil Castellucci
Scholastic, 2011, 150 pp., $17.99
Aliens/Family/Abandonment
ISBN: 978-0-545-06082-0

Alienated and abandoned: these are the themes at the heart of First Day on Earth. Mal, a high school student, struggles with abandonment after his father abruptly walks away from his family one morning when Mal is young. Mal’s mother disintegrates into alcoholism, leaving Mal to cope with the virtual loss of both parents on his own. Mal’s response is to turn inward, shunning others, and becoming an outcast in the teen social world. Mal’s greatest desire is to go back with the aliens, whom Mal remembers abducting and then abandoning him back on earth. When Mal meets Hooper—who claims to be from another planet, Mal is forced to examine his doubts, fears, and beliefs and make some difficult decisions. Confused and questioning, Mal sets out with Posey and Darwyn—two students who are starting to feel alienated from their friends—to help Hooper return to his home planet.

This slim volume is packed full of questions and uncertainty: what is real; what is imagined, and how can you tell for sure? Castellucci draws readers into the story by slowly revealing the character of Mal through his interaction with others and his thoughts about life. Each of the characters adds to our understanding of Mal, and each also presents a deeper view into the human spirit. First Day on Earth is a quick but deep read that should appeal to a wide range of readers. There are a few bawdy scenes at the beginning to establish specific personalities, but these do not detract from the insightfulness of the tale. Highly recommended for adolescent and adult readers.

Reviewed by Susan M. Landt, Green Bay, WI

Hidden by Helen Frost
Foster/Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011, 147 pp., $16.99
Suspense/Relationships/Friendship
ISBN: 978-0-374-38221-6

During summer camp, Darra and Wren, two fourteen-year old girls who have never met are intertwined by a secret past. The horrific occurrence that plagues both girls has left them scarred. At camp, Darra and Wren are thrown into the same living quarters—Cabin Eight—where they recognize one another and proceed to coexist as best as possible. The girls do not acknowledge each other, but through swimming lessons and camp fires, they slowly find themselves in similar surroundings unable to discount one another. Finally, Darra and Wren come to terms with their fear of confrontation and discuss the incidents six years prior that forever changed their lives.

This story of an accidental kidnapping, murder, dysfunctional family, and an unlikely friendship in lyrical and poetic form is a definite page turner. As an added plus, Frost offers a story in a well-organized and flowing narrative poem that makes for better readability.  Hidden is a story that inspires hope and forgiveness.

Reviewed by Mirta R. Espinola, Austin, TX

In Trouble by Ellen Levine
Carolrhoda/Lerner, 2011, 193 pp., $17.95
Teen Pregnancy/Relationships/McCarthyism
ISBN: 978-0-7613-6558-7

It is 1956 and Jamie’s best friend Elaine is “in trouble.”  Naïve, inexperienced Jamie is the last of her friends to have a boyfriend, but she listens intently to the stories flying around the school.  Jamie discovers that her beloved Aunt Sheila had a pregnancy she kept from the family with a man she did not love. But Elaine is in love with her baby’s father and plans for an idyllic future for them all. However, her parents are embarrassed by Elaine’s “condition”; thus, she stays upstairs when there is company and lies down in the backseat of the car when they are traveling. During the early months of Elaine’s pregnancy, Jamie feels an undercurrent of impending doom, and a voice keeps telling her to run. Is this feeling a result of her fear for Elaine?  Does it, perhaps, reflect fear for her father who is in jail as a political prisoner for Contempt of Congress?  Or is Jamie afraid for herself?

Setting the novel in 1956 allows young readers to see how differently society views unwed teenagers today. For instance, Elaine is forced to live at the Catholic Home and give her baby up for adoption. Levine’s novel also, unfortunately, shows us how much has stayed the same. The novel is a realistic account of girls “in trouble” and how, with friends and family and fortitude, they make it through.

Reviewed by Lottie Waggoner, Bloomington, IN

My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher
Lamb/Random House, 2011, 192 pp., $15.99
Relationships
ISBN: 978-0-375-85154-5

Vanessa Almond is fifteen, a sophomore at a Seattle area high school, and trying to create a memorable, quirky persona. She lives for her art and relishes good times with her two best friends. Nick is gay and struggling to discover the way to handle his sexuality and remain true to himself. Holly is a cello prodigy, shy, and committed to her music. Vanessa’s brash behavior with both her friends threatens to destroy the comfortable relationship they have built over the years. Her new job at a local art store contributes to impending disaster as she rushes headlong into adulthood without considering the consequences. Will she discover who she is and what she really wants before it is too late?

This is a fast-paced read, perfect for the reader who often feels left out and who appreciates a story about teen drama, a focus on art, and the power of art to motivate.  As the author acknowledges, Vanessa is difficult to get to know with her tough exterior as she finds herself enmeshed in potentially treacherous waters where she is not ready to swim; however, she somehow manages to charm with her gritty determination to break free in both life and art.

Reviewed by Judith A. Hayn, Little Rock, AR

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
Hyperion, 2011, 288 pp., $16.99
Fantasy/Witches/Superstition/Romance
ISBN: 978-1-4231-3787-0

Lexi grew up in the town of Near hearing stories from her father about witches, the life of the moor and other tales.  Since the death of her father, she has tried to pass these fairy tale stories on to her sister; however, things are happening in Near that indicate that these stories may be true.  A boy who fades in and out of view like smoke—a stranger—appears near the village, and the next night children begin disappearing from their beds.  The village is convinced that the stranger is responsible and the men set out to find him, recover the children, and dispose of the stranger. Lexi, on the other hand, is drawn to the stranger, and she believes that he is innocent; in fact, he helps her hunt for the children.  Can Lexi find the children before it is too late while protecting her sister, working with witches, and falling for the mysterious stranger?

In this debut novel, Schwab does an excellent job of interweaving many popular themes such as the supernatural, forbidden romance, and mystery with her own unique twists that result in a familiar, yet delightfully refreshing story. Schwab’s language is lyrical but does not detract from the plot. She also addresses important themes, including valuing differences and displaying strong female characters.  The mysteries that unravel in the novel are compelling and difficult to predict. In addition, Schwab sprinkles romance throughout the plot but not in the sickly sweet way that has become so common throughout much of this genre.  Schwab is a new author to keep one’s eyes on because if The Near Witch is any indication, she has a promising career ahead of her.

Reviewed by Aimee Rogers, Minneapolis, MN

Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace
Holiday House, 2011, 282 pp., $17.95
Relationships/Coming of Age/War/Racism/Violence
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2342-2

“…We will go back, one way or another. I promise.” Robert wishes his mother’s words were true, but he knows he can never go back. His reality is a prestigious boys’ boarding school in Zimbabwe, recently torn by war and struggling to survive under a new government that fosters the same hatred it fought hard to dispel. Robert is under constant scrutiny of his classmates:  some hope he brings with him the positive changes his homeland of England strove to foster, while others hope he will join their side in fighting for what they feel is rightfully theirs. Robert must choose one side or the other; to vacillate between the lines would be just as dangerous as hesitating in the middle of an open war zone.

Wallace paints a vividly real picture of the impact war can have on young people. Because Robert’s character is dropped into the middle of things, he has the ability to see both sides. In his mind, neither side is justified; they have both been wronged. The narrative style and difficult subject matter bear a strong resemblance to Cormier’s The Chocolate War. Out of Shadows is not for the faint of heart, and it is not recommended for all students. But for those with the thoughtfulness and strength to handle the subject matter, Out of Shadows will plant questions into the soul that will take a lifetime to answer.

Reviewed by Kristie Jolley, Pleasant Grove, UT

What Comes After by Steve Watkins
Candlewick, 2011, 334 pp., $16.99
Relationships/Emotional and Physical Survival
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4250-1

If you love the tale of Cinderella, this is a must read. Iris finds herself in quite a precarious situation when her dad passes away, and her best friend’s family (who promised her father to take care of Iris) experiences their own issues and is no longer willing to provide care. Iris, a high school student with nowhere else to go, is sent to live with her aunt. Aunt Sue is the epitome of the well-known wicked stepmother in a classic Cinderella tale. Book, Aunt Sue’s son, is a classic mirror image of the evil stepsisters in this story. Iris must learn to navigate and survive the ridiculous responsibilities that Aunt Sue straps to her while living in a new state, going to a new school, losing her father, and feeling left behind by her best friend and family. This story is an uphill battle from the beginning for Iris. It leads the reader to wonder how Iris is actually able to pull herself out of bed each day. As Iris begins to trust people again, after a horrible, physical altercation with Aunt Sue and Book, she starts to realize that she may be happy once again.

Watkins writes a story that captivates the reader by creating a main character who invokes pity and also inspires. While Watkins provides a story that is raw and truthful, the story opens up thoughts of just how tragic some people’s lives can become.

Reviewed by Aimee L. Morewood, Morgantown, WV

Where Do You Stay? by Andrea Cheng
Boyds Mills, 2011, 134 pp., $17.95
Death/Family Relationships/Racial Identity
ISBN: 978-1-59078-707-6

After his mother’s death from cancer, Jerome, who will be starting sixth grade, comes to stay with his Aunt Geneva and Uncle James and their two sons: Damon, fifteen; and Monte, ten. Jerome faces loss on many levels—he no longer has a home and does not want to be adopted; in the estate sale held after his mother’s death, the piano he and his mother loved to play is sold, and his cousin Damon, in particular, resents Jerome’s joining their family. Jerome finds a comforting companionship with Mr. Willie, who lives in the carriage house, next to an abandoned mansion. Mr. Willie also plays piano, provides a listening presence for Jerome, and offers a male role model for Jerome, whose father deserted the family. When new owners begin renovating the mansion and plan to demolish the carriage house, Jerome worries about Mr. Willie and where he will live.

With an eleven-year-old narrator, Where Do You Stay? will hold more appeal for tweens than for older teens and is definitely a book that adults should recommend to tweens who might be experiencing the death of a parent or a move to a new home. Andrea Cheng’s novel offers a realistic and poignant portrayal of Jerome’s experience of grief and loneliness. The vignette style of the chapters also makes it a very accessible read, though Jerome’s inner monologues address large and essential themes of belonging, family relationships, terminal illness, and the enduring love between a mother and son that cannot be negated by death. Readers might hear echoes of Cisneros’ House on Mango Street, though Cheng explores the African-American culture.

Reviewed by Mary Warner, San Jose, CA

The White Horse Trick by Kate Thompson
Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2010, 405 pp., $17.99
Irish Folklore/Fantasy/Climate Change/Fairies
ISBN: 978-0-06-200416-1

“The End.” That’s the title for Part One of The White Horse Trick, as readers are thrust into the couldn’t-be-more-different worlds of an earth filled with humans destroying themselves through climate change and greed, and T’ír na n’Óg—the fairies’ home where the sun never sets and no one is ever hungry. The worlds overlap with the Liddy family and their colorful characters:  Jenny, a clever and strong fairy teen raised by the Liddys; her brother Aidan, a spoiled brat turned tyrannical warlord; and her brother Donal, a reluctant general in Aidan’s army.

Painting a horrifying image of what our earth could be, Thompson describes a world devastated by the era of consumerism, when material avarice and comfort took the first place in the lives of a people who left an inheritance of village-wrecking storms and famine. Alternately set in Ireland and T’ír na n’Óg, the omniscient narrator and parallel plots require much of and give much to readers. While Part One, “The End,” satisfies, the plot rockets with a twist from the last forty pages to the end of the novel. It is too good a surprise to spoil here. Rich with allusion, imagery, and fantastic characters, The White Horse Trick, conclusion to The New Policeman trilogy, will give readers an amazing story with much to think about regarding current world issues.

Reviewed by Angie Beumer Johnson, Columbus, OH

Wild Life by Cynthia C. DeFelice
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011, 177 pp., $16.99
Coming of Age/War/Survival/Family Issues/Friendship
ISBN: 978-0-374-38001-4

Wild Life is the story of a twelve-year-old boy named Erik who is a hunter at heart. He has spent his life waiting for the moment when he, and his friend Patrick, can go out into nature and do what men have been doing for hundreds of years—kill animals for food. Upon passing his test to get his hunting license, Erik shares the exciting information with his parents, who congratulate him with heavy hearts. Erik’s parent are in the National Guard and while Erik was taking his test, they found out they were heading to Iraq to join the fight against Terrorism. From there, Erik’s life is flipped upside down as he is forced to leave his friends and school to go to North Dakota and live with his grandparents, whom he has not seen in nine years. Erik has no relationship with his grandparents other than having received birthday cards and holiday phone calls from them. In addition to being in a strange place with strange people, he must battle with family events from thirty years ago, while finding his place in the new landscape of North Dakota.

DeFelice has written a great coming-of-age story, which combines the issues of war, and the divide it presents in the modern family when both parents have career responsibilities. The story is centered around a boy who is entering adolescence and beginning to deal with adult issues such as death, companionship, and survival. It is a realistic portrayal of a traditional Midwest family dealing with the modern burdens of life.

Reviewed by Ray Engle, Indianapolis, IN

Reviewed this month:

Anya’s War by Andrea Alban
The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird
Crusade by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié
The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
Flip by Martyn Bedford
Grounded by Kate Klise
The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith
Now Is the Time for Running by Michael Williams
The Secret Journeys of Jack London, Book One: The Wild by Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon, and Greg Ruth (Illustrator)
Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have) by Sarah Mlynowski
Then by Morris Gleitzman
The Visconti House by Elsbeth Edgar       

Anya’s War by Andrea Alban
Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan, 2011, 188 pp., $16.99
Historical Fiction/WWII/Jewish and Chinese Culture
ISBN: 978-0-312-37093-0

The year is 1937; Anya has just celebrated her fourteenth birthday and has definite plans for her future. Her plans do not include following her mother’s career as a famed opera singer; rather she anxiously follows the disappearance of Amelia Earhart’s plane, fills the pages of her journal with pleas to President Roosevelt to keep the search going, and has hopes of becoming a doctor like her Aunt Paulina. Anya’s family, Russian Jews from Odessa, has fled to Shanghai, joining other Jewish refugees fleeing Stalin and growing Communist oppression. The Jewish refugees settle in Frenchtown, so the Rosen family (Anya’s father shortened the name Rosengartner when they arrived in China) lives quite comfortably and employs Chinese servants. For Anya, Li Mei, the family cook, serves more as confidant than servant, particularly the day after her birthday when Anya, returning from the market, discovers an abandoned baby. Anya struggles with the harsh reality of Chinese culture: girl babies are unwanted and easily disposed of. How can she assure that the beautiful baby she finds can stay alive?

Anya’s War operates in several genres but in predominantly historical fiction. Shanghai in 1937, with World War II pending, found the Chinese in conflict with the Japanese. Anya’s narrative highlights the fears of a Japanese invasion. The novel is also rich in cultural knowledge, while capturing the realistic tensions of a family in resettlement. Anya constantly wonders if “BC” life (meaning life before China) can ever be restored. The novel provides an engaging picture of an era fraught with world tensions and religious intolerance. The only drawback is the story’s somewhat abrupt ending that leaves a feeling of incompleteness.

Reviewed by Mary Warner, San Jose, CA

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011, 423 pp., $16.99
Historical/Witchcraft
ISBN: 978-0-547-34126-2

Sixteen-year-old Maggie Blair lives a tenuous existence on the Isle of Bute in 17th century Scotland. Orphaned at an early age, she lives with her midwife/healer grandmother and drunkard uncle and suffers from seizures. Maggie views a whale that washes upon the shores of her island as an omen. Soon after, however, a rich landowner, who covets the land Maggie’s grandmother owns, accuses Maggie and her grandmother of witchcraft. He is also an adulterer. Maggie narrowly escapes execution and sets off on a perilous journey to live with her paternal uncle, who takes her in despite his wife’s disapproval. Unfortunately, he is a Covenanter at a time when the King’s men are scouring the land to rid it of such people.

The story is relentlessly somber as Maggie unsuccessfully seeks refuge in one place and then another. She is uneducated, but feisty. Her arch-nemesis, Annie, is truly evil and quite frightening as Maggie continually falls prey to her sly manipulations. Thoughtful young adult readers will be truly entranced by Maggie’s story. The writing invokes a strong sense of time and place, and the suspense ratchets up unbearably to a satisfying conclusion. Historical notes are included.

Reviewed by Brenda Kahn, Closter, NJ

Crusade by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié
SimonPulse/Simon & Schuster, 2010, 470 pp., $16.99
Vampires/Relationships/Rebellion/Violence/Religion
ISBN: 978-1-4169-9802-0

For centuries vampires, or the Cursed Ones, had remained hidden, and when they emerged a hunter would often protect the targeted town. However, the Cursed Ones have publicly come out of hiding and have expressed a desire for a partnership with the world’s governments so that all can live in peace; however, it quickly becomes evident that no equal partnership will develop because the Cursed Ones form strongholds around the world and feed at will. Most humans do not protest as an effort to protect their lives and their families. But some cannot meekly accept the new world order and fight back. The days of old when a single hunter could protect a town are gone and academies to train hunters pop up around the world. Crusade focuses on one team of hunters trained in Spain, and one hunter in particular, Jenn.

Although Jenn has been trained as a hunter and desires to stake as many Cursed Ones as she can, she questions her own abilities and struggles with her relationships with team members. When Jenn’s family is directly impacted, Jenn and the team fight to stop the Cursed Ones’ plans before it is too late.

Crusade will feel familiar to fans of the vampire genre with its forbidden love between mortal and vampire and the struggle between good and evil. However, Holder and Viguié provide some new and interesting twists on the genre, including a vampire who can withstand religious objects and a priest who guides the team. Additionally, the fight that the hunters and some humans put up is both exciting and inspirational. Crusade is most certainly the start of a new vampire series that will appeal to fans of the genre.

Reviewed by Aimee Rogers, Minneapolis, MN

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
Scholastic, 2011, 288 pp., $17.99
Social Situations/Adolescence/War
ISBN: 978-0-545-29014-2        

Imagine a plague that encompasses the world as a result of a war in which many people have died. Those left scavenge for food or materials to trade. Stephen was born after the war and the plague. He lives with his father, and his family has recently buried Stephen’s grandfather. They are salvagers and migrate from the north to the south of the United States and try to avoid the slavers, people who capture other people and use them as slaves. Stephen and his father find an old plane in the forest and are surprised by some slavers while they are looking for goods to trade. As they run from the slavers, Stephen’s father falls off a cliff into a river. Stephen jumps in to rescue him, but his father is in bad shape when they make it out of the river. Stephen does the best he can to care for his father’s injuries, but his father falls into a coma. Fortunately, Stephen meets people who take him and his father to a doctor in their village. Stephen becomes part of a family, and he even helps harvest crops and goes to school, while he waits to see if his father will recover.

The descriptions of life after the war and what everyone in this story goes through in Hirsch’s debut young adult novel keep the reader hooked to the end. Characters are realistic and engaging.

Reviewed by Ann Wolf, Belen, NM

Flip by Martyn Bedford
Lamb/Random House, 2011, 258 pp., $16.99
Identity/Supernatural
ISBN: 978-0-385-90808-5

Philip Garamond is a popular fourteen-year-old living in the suburbs. How did Alex Gray, however, suddenly wake up in Philip’s body? Hasn’t he been in a permanent vegetative state for months in a London hospital?  Who are these people that act like they are his parents, while his real Mom, Dad, and brother actively grieve his impending death?  Why can’t he go back instead of maintaining this smart aleck façade Flip (Philip’s nickname that matches his attitude) has crafted at the local high school?

Alex is determined to discover how this bizarre situation occurred and reverse it if he can. He finds answers and gains a mentor on a psychic evacuation website when Rob welcomes him to the fraternity of those whose souls have left their original bodies. The quest to overcome this supernatural event is filled with adventure and mishaps.

Alex is a likeable hero who questions his own identity and Philip’s. He goes through the same mood swings, hormonal surges, and endeavors to find his place as all adolescents, except he lives in the body of a boy he does not know and wants to leave so he can reclaim his own. Bedford’s first novel for teens is awash with tension and angst; the reader is mesmerized by Alex’s plight and his arduous journey to discover his identity.

Reviewed by Judith A. Hayn, Little Rock, AR

Grounded by Kate Klise
Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan, 2010, 193 pp., $16.99
Grieving/Small Town Life/Mysteries
ISBN: 9780312570392

Twelve-year-old Daralynn’s life is divided into B.C. (Before the Crash that killed her father, brother, and sister) and A.D. (After Their Deaths). Living in small town Digginsville in the 1970s, Daralynn must grieve alone because her mother becomes stoic and detached. After her mother takes a job at the local funeral home, Daralynn comes up with the idea of a living funeral to bring in new business and give folks the chance to celebrate their lives. Why wait until people are dead to say nice things about them? Aunt Josie is a source of solace for Daralynn until Aunt Josie falls for newcomer, Clem Monroe. Slick businessman Clem rattles the town by promising them bigger and better things if they are willing to invest both their trust and their hard-earned money in Clem’s ventures. Suspecting Clem’s motives, Daralynn discovers secrets that, in the end, bring her family closer and bring the town together.

Simply written with a strong sense of setting, Grounded transports readers to Digginsville, so that they can experience small town life and walk in Daralynn’s shoes as she grieves and grows toward acceptance. Klise includes stylistic features such as newspaper clippings, leaflets, and journal excerpts to “ground” readers within the setting, bringing authenticity to the story. Klise’s characters are authentic and grow as the story progresses toward a satisfying resolution.

Reviewed by Kelly Byrne Bull, Baltimore, MD

The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith
Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan, 2010, 368 pp., $17.99
Alternate Reality/Social Issues/Betrayal
ISBN: 978-0312613426

Jack is sixteen-years-old and excited about the coming summer. He is looking forward to an upcoming trip to London with his best friend Conner and a summer of sleeping in and hanging out with friends. Two nights before his scheduled flight out of the country, Jack goes to a party and has too much to drink and decides to walk home. After passing out on a bench in the park, Jack is helped up by a strange man in doctor’s scrubs who offers to take him home. From there, Jack and Conner begin a crazy foray involving kidnapping, murder, and betrayal as they make it to London, which is a gateway to the alternate world of Marbury.

Smith’s novel weaves a suspenseful tale that is full of unsuspecting twists and blatantly graphic detail. He toys with reality, while examining the power of friendship, therefore, making a fantastic story realistic, engaging, and full of tension.

Reviewed by Ray Engle, Indianapolis, IN

Now Is the Time for Running by Michael Williams
Little, Brown, 2011, 233 pp., $17.99
Immigration/Xenophobia/Soccer
ISBN: 978-0-316-07790-3

Deo and his older brother, Innocent, escape from their village after government soldiers massacre its residents in the wake of a contested election. Carrying only a soccer ball filled with billions of dollars of near-worthless Zimbabwean currency and a metal cereal box containing an assortment of treasures that bring comfort to the mentally challenged Innocent, the boys flee to a neighboring village to find a trusted friend of their now-deceased mother. They quickly realize that they will never be safe so long as they stay in Zimbabwe and flee to South Africa. Treacherous river crossings, violent gangs, hungry wild animals, and the constant perils of life as a refugee in a hostile foreign nation await Deo and Innocent on a possibly futile odyssey in search of their long-missing father. Against overwhelming odds, the brothers battle dangers both natural and man-made as they are forced to grow up without models of manhood in a land they struggle to call “home.”

What begins as a tragic, and now all too familiar, story of African “lost boys” searching for a safe haven in a cruel world evolves into a universally relatable tale of survival as Deo and Innocent become illegal immigrants in a multicultural nation. Deo’s first-person narration deftly renders the familiar strange for Western readers as the boys encounter fast food, department stores and modern cityscapes for the first time. Mirroring the rhythms of a refugee’s life on the run and of Deo’s beloved game of soccer, the pace of the story is brisk, never settling in any location for very long. Like the best works of John Steinbeck, the novel deals with the difficult yet eternal topic of man’s inhumanity to man with a simplicity of  language that belies the complexity of the emotional and geopolitical currents running throughout the narrative.

Reviewed by Sean Kottke, Battle Creek, MI

The Secret Journeys of Jack London, Book One: The Wild by Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon, and Greg Ruth (Illustrator)
HarperCollins, 2011, 368 pp., $15.99
Adventure/Historical Fiction
ISBN: 978-0061863172

The ensemble of Golden, Lebbon, and Ruth bring the Yukon Gold Rush to life in this novel based on the life and times of Jack London: famous author of such classics as Call of the Wild and White Fang. Readers follow a seventeen-year-old London as he voyages deep into the Alaskan wilderness, dealing with obstacles—human, environmental and animal—as he quests for gold, notoriety, and plays out his addiction for adventure. Jack encounters people of the Wendigo tribe, mysterious and folkloric beasts, and the bitter elements of Alaska.

Book One: The Wild is a daring adventure that has been researched and painstakingly detailed by Golden, Lebbon, and Ruth. The scenic beauty of the novel is enticing, and the voice and actions of the main character, Jack, make the reader cheer him on as he journeys across the land, encountering friends and foes. This is the beginning of an exciting series.

Reviewed by Ray Engle, Indianapolis, IN

Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have) by Sarah Mlynowski
HarperCollins, 2011, 354 pp., $16.99
Relationships/School/Sex/Drinking
ISBN: 978-0-06-170124-5

Making choices: the fate of every high schooler. While the choices are typical, April’s living situation is not: she lives with her best friend, instead of her parents. After a string of events, including a messy divorce and remarriages, April decides to stay in her hometown of Westport, Connecticut, instead of moving to Ohio with her father and his new wife. Throughout her experience with Vi, her longtime best friend, April battles teenage life and the good times and horrifying ones that accompany it.

While April’s “freedom” may sound like a dream come true, she learns that choices can be a lot harder when parents aren’t around to help make them. Mylnowski’s novel is the perfect read for high school girls, especially those facing the inevitable decisions about partying, sex, and honesty. April’s character is funny, and her anecdotes keep the reader turning page after page.

Reviewed by Jane Monnat, Baldwinsville, NY

Then by Morris Gleitzman
Henry Holt, 2011, 198 pp., $16.99
Holocaust/Poland/Orphans/Survival
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9027-7

Our story begins in the early 1940s, in Poland, at the height of the Holocaust. Two young children, ten-year-old Felix (who is Jewish) and his friend, six-year-old Zelda (who is Catholic) escape—narrowly and suddenly—from a cattle car headed to a Nazi death camp.  Lost, lonely, and petrified, they manage to survive a gloomy and tangled landscape, but not before they stumble upon a pit filled with machine-gunned children and a local man collecting Jews for bounty.  Then, as fate and fiction would dictate, our two young heroes happen upon crusty and wizened Genia, a farmer with her own special reasons for hating Germans.  In fact, she hates Germans more than she hates Jews—which prompts her to hide our friends—risking all their lives in the hopes for a better tomorrow.

This engaging, plaintive, and soft-spoken tale of survival is the second of a planned trilogy (Once is the first in this series) by this prolific and entertaining author who writes of the Holocaust in a voice that young people will find inspiring and accessible.  Readers will relish the closeness that develops among these two children and their fearless protector—as the world around them turns violently upside down.  And they will fall in love with young Felix who struggles to protect his dear friend Zelda. Along with Genia, these three stand as a symbol for all those who braved life and limb to resist unspeakable evil. Young people will walk away with a better understanding of this reign of terror, and adults will cherish learning about the Holocaust through the eyes of young children. In a postscript, Gleitzman writes, “This story is my imagination trying to grasp the unimaginable.”  Indeed, it is.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kaplan, Orlando, FL

The Visconti House by Elsbeth Edgar
Candlewick, 2011, 287 pp., $16.99
Relationships/Friendship/Realism
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5019-3

High school is hard, and no one knows this better than Laura. Laura’s family recently moved to Australia, and she is trying her best to adjust to a new school, friends, country, and culture. While Laura does have acquaintances at school, she does not experience a true friendship until Leon, an unlikely confidant, enrolls. Laura and Leon’s friendship blossoms and continues to grow as they search for clues about the history of Laura’s family home, the Visconti House. This home is a marvel within the town, and Laura and Leon work to establish and give voice to the true history of its previous owners. As Laura and Leon work to discover the estate’s past, they become close friends, despite their fellow high schoolers’ perspectives of them. Their friendship helps them navigate their school and home environments and aids them in making informed decisions about their futures. Laura and Leon build a solid relationship that is fun, naïve, exciting, and transparent.

In The Visconti House, Edgar provides characters that adolescents will engage with because of the story context. Adolescents are all too familiar with the hardships of making and maintaining solid, true friendships in high school. This book demonstrates to readers that friendship can come in a variety of ways with different people if one is open.

Reviewed by Aimee Morewood, Morgantown, WV

Reviewed this month:

Cleopatra’s Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter
A Drowned Maiden’s Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz
Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones
Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
Huntress by Malinda Lo
Jersey Tomatoes Are the Best by Maria Padian
The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, &Treachery by Steve Sheinkin
Operation Redwood by S. Terrell French
She Said/She Saw by Norah McClintock
Small As an Elephant by Jennifer Jacobson
Spray by Harry Edge
Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer
To Timbuktu: Nine Countries, Two People, One True Story by Casey Scieszka and Steven Weinberg
A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

Cleopatra’s Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter
Levine/Scholastic, 2011, 350 pp., $18.99
Ancient Egypt/Roman Empire/Relationships/Revenge/Power/Coming  of Age
ISBN: 978-0-545-22130-6

Ripped from her beloved Egypt after the deaths of Cleopatra and Marcus Antonius, Cleopatra Selene, daughter of the dazzling lovers, feels as if she is in the shadows of the night without guidance.  She and her brothers, Alexandros and Ptolly, must navigate the twisted and convoluted paths of Roman politics. As the siblings enter Rome, they battle new and hidden enemies, including those disguised as friends. Will Cleopatra Selene forever remain in her mother’s shadow? Is she fated to relive her mother’s life, or can she create her own? Bound to her mother’s choices and bound by her remarkable resemblance to her mother, Cleopatra Selene tries to uncover the path she should follow. Fate, however, seems to direct a dark and foreboding future.

Shecter relates the story of a dying empire through the destruction of a family. In addition to having created rich historical settings, the author has created characters that the reader roots for and has developed intriguing plot twists.  For Cleopatra Selene, enemies and friends are hard to distinguish until events play out.  Teachers might discuss the historical events and how they shaped the world. What actions or duties honor a family or a nation? What dictates the outcome of your life? Can you fight against fate and win?  How can you choose to serve? Such questions could bring this ancient story alive for young readers.

Reviewed by Sandra Fisher, Hiram, GA

A Drowned Maiden’s Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz
Candlewick, 2006, 389 pp., $7.99
Orphans/Deception/Supernatural
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3812-2

Maud has lived at the Barbary Asylum for Female Orphans for years, left behind after her brother and sister were adopted.  A dream comes true when the wealthy, stylish Hawthorne sisters adopt her, especially considering Maud is not the prettiest or best behaved child.  However, the sisters keep Maud their “secret child.”  She is not permitted to go outside, and she must stay quietly in her room in the attic whenever visitors drop by.  This treatment is a small price to pay for the beautiful dresses and delicious foods she gets, or so Maud thinks, until she learns the part she is to play in the “family business.”  In the end, Maud must question everything she feels and decide just how far she is willing to go for a home with the Hawthornes.

Schlitz does a masterful job setting up puzzle pieces and gradually putting them together for readers.  Readers sympathize with Maud, a spunky and utterly lovable young heroine.  Much of the characterization Schlitz uses to develop the book’s cast is indirect, a choice few authors of literature for younger readers choose to make, but her characterization is flawless. Though readers may not as quickly admire the Hawthorne sisters as Maud does when she meets them, readers easily understand why she is so fascinated by them.  Set in the year 1909, the plot is perfectly paced, filled with characters who linger in the gray areas of morality—almost every character does some morally questionable act. Part mystery, part historical fiction, and part classic story of an orphan looking for a loving home, A Drowned Maiden’s Hair is a tale readers of all ages may enjoy.

Reviewed by Crystal Leibowitz, Moriches, NY

Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones
Candlewick, 2011, 342 pp., $16.99
Urban Fiction/Suspense
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3983-9

Brent Conboy (alias, Blink) is a homeless Toronto teenager whose chief concern in life has so far been finding a clean hotel room service tray from which to scrounge his next meal. Kitty Pettigrew (alias, Caution) is a seventeen year old on the run from a tragic past and from her abusive, criminal boyfriend. When Blink stumbles upon a possible conspiracy involving high-level government and business interests, his search for  answers intersects with Caution’s flight from Toronto, and the pair find themselves bound together in a web of deceptions and double-crosses that challenge their survival instincts and forces them to learn how (and whom) to trust.

The action moves quickly in Wynne-Jones’ edgy tale of suspense, which unfolds like a shadowy film noir-inflected sibling of David Levithan and Rachel Cohn’s dual-voiced novels. With the story alternating between second and third-person narration, the reader’s perspective is constantly shifting as long-hidden secrets gradually emerge and new plots unfold. Torontonians and readers familiar with the streets of Canada’s largest city no doubt will enjoy the significant amount of local color incorporated into the narrative. Blink & Caution is highly recommended for older readers and fans of contemporary noir and urban fiction.

Reviewed by Sean Kottke, Battle Creek, MI

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan, 2010, 484 pp., $16.99
Relationships/Angels/Good and Evil
ISBN: 978-0-312-65626-3

Bethany and her siblings, Ivy and Gabriel, are angels sent to Venus Cove from Heaven.  They are on a mission to counteract the dark forces that are spreading across the world (and in Venus Cove) with acts of kindness.  Bethany, the youngest, enrolls in the local high school in order to spread her influence.  Although hiding the fact that you are an angel is difficult, the siblings are settling into Venus Cove and making progress on their mission until Xavier Woods threatens everything.  As soon as Bethany and Xavier meet, they are instantly attracted to each other.  Their relationship develops into a deep love and an unending need; however, not only is this relationship forbidden, it is terminable as Bethany’s  assignment to earth and her mission can end at any time.

Although the topic of forbidden love is not new to young adult literature, Adornetto provides a different and intriguing new twist on the theme.  Every boy dreams of falling in love with an “angel,” but when Xavier actually does, the relationship is fraught with difficult issues such as fate, faith, cultural differences and the battle between good and evil.  This is an impressive debut for any author but even more impressive is the fact that Adornetto is only eighteen years old.  Fans of Twilight will embrace this book, and there is no doubt that Adornetto’s fan base will grow to Stephanie Meyer proportions as the series continues.

Reviewed by Aimee Rogers, Minneapolis, MN

Huntress by Malinda Lo
Little, Brown, 2011, 371 pp., $17.99
Fairies/Lesbian Relationships/Adventure
ISBN: 978-0-316-04007-5

Nature is out of balance.  The Kingdom is dying.  A gray mist covers the world, and no one knows how to make the sun shine again.  Then, mysteriously, the human king receives an unusual summons from the Fairy Queen.  The King sends a contingent to meet with her.  Among those chosen to go are rebellious Kaede, daughter of the King’s most trusted adviser, and Taisin, a star pupil at the Academy of Sages.  The two girls are faced with a dangerous mission that holds the only hope for both the fairy and human worlds alike. Though their journey brings light and hope, it is also filled with loss, longing, and deeds that leave ugly, lasting scars.

Huntress is an achingly beautiful book.  Its prose, like the chilled, gray landscape it describes, often descends into melancholy but is never dour.  The slow-to build, understated passion between characters Kaede and Taisin is unlike that in so many other books.  Their romance is refreshing, though their relationship at the end will leave some readers in happy tears, some angry, some disappointed.  However, the conclusion will leave everyone wanting to know more of their futures. Those who enjoyed Malinda Lo’s Ash will be instant fans of this book.  The action, like the love story in Huntress, builds languidly to a climax, but readers who stick with the story until the end will be glad.

Reviewed by Adrienne Kisner, Boston, MA

Jersey Tomatoes Are the Best by Maria Padian
Knopf/Random House, 2011, 345 pp., $16.99
Sports/Anorexia/Friendship/Romance/Parental Relationships
ISBN: 978-0-375-86579-4

Henriette, a.k.a. Henry, and best friend Eva, both fifteen, are emerging phenoms in tennis and ballet, respectively.  Both also have one cringe-worthy, martinet parent whose histrionics are increasingly hurting their reputations and self-esteem. Separated for the first time, Henry leaves New Jersey for a Florida residential tennis camp, while Eva enters a New York ballet academy.  Henry is chagrined to learn her reputation, encouraged by her father, is winning by using opponents’ errors to humiliate them, rather than fully utilizing her talent.  However, she thrives, gaining gorgeous, top-talent boyfriend David, who assists in transforming and honing her powerhouse skills. Conversely, Eva is surrounded by catty competition, expectations of perfection, and eating disorders.  Already fragile, anorexia seizes Eva and eventually contributes to her foot fracture and early academy exit.

Alternately narrated by the humorously sarcastic Henry and more cerebral Eva, these likeable, entertaining girls, aside from having remarkable talent, will closely resemble and interest readers.  Because they seem so ordinary, their lives are the perfect canvas to illustrate the price of focusing upon a single purpose to the extent that it controls one’s life, erasing normality and sense of self. Eva’s demon, anorexia, is stereotypical yet credible, with her self-destructive thoughts relayed along with informative details of the disease and difficult recovery.

The novel is overlong, containing too many narratives with descriptions sometimes repetitive and tiresome.  Eva’s serious anorexia treatment should occur earlier, and the tidy ending shows speedily-rehabilitated parents and all newly happy.  Still, the novel’s younger female audience should relish its ending and certainly identify with the girls’ friendship and situations.

Reviewed by Lisa Hazlett, Vermillion, SD

Operation Redwood by S. Terrell French
Amulet/Abrams, 2009, 353 pp., $6.95
Environmental Protection/Friendship
ISBN: 978-0-8109-8354

Julian Carter is a twelve year old sent to live with his Uncle Sibley, Aunt Daphne, and his younger cousin, Preston. No one, except Preston, is happy about the living arrangement, but Julian’s mother is on a much coveted photography assignment in China. Uncle Sibley is CEO of an investment firm called IPX. Julian intercepts two emails. One maps out his aunt and uncle’s plan to ship him off to math camp and another is from Robin Elder, a twelve year old who has declared her hatred for Uncle Sibley because of his participation in cutting down a much cherished Redwood forest near her house. Robin’s desire to stop IPX becomes contagious, and soon Julian and his best friend, Danny, find themselves aiding in a plot against IPX and their corporate greed.

Julian’s math camp becomes a convenient distraction. Robin schemes to cancel Julian’s stay at math camp and redirects him to her house where she presents him as part of the urban/farm exchange program. Julian loves his newfound lifestyle complete with the farm chores.

Julian and Robin take a day to tour a tree house located in the center of Big Tree Grove. When they return home, they find authorities have been contacted and Julian’s Aunt Daphne has come to take Julian back to San Francisco. It appears as if Julian’s shot at saving the Redwood forest has been brought to a screeching halt. S. Terrel French does a great job examining how preadolescents view injustices. Operation Redwood is a beautiful work of fiction that brings to light a real and ever-growing concern for endangered habitats. Readers are left with the feeling that they, too, can make a difference in an ever-so-greedy world.

Reviewed by Shawna Meade, Abingdon, VA

She Said/She Saw by Norah McClintock
Orca, 2011, 211 pp., $12.95
Mystery/Murder/Drugs/Relationships
ISBN: 978-1-55469-335-1

Tegan Tyrell is in the backseat of her friend Clark’s SUV when BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—Clark and her crush (Martin) are shot to death.  Although Tegan tells the police that she did not see the shooter, no one believes her.  Her younger-by-ten-months sister, Kelly, relays the story from her point of view in the form of a movie script;  Tegan, self-absorbed, is keeping something from everyone, but what?  Did she see the shooter?  When people start ostracizing her at school and Clark’s and Martin’s parents continue to make impassioned pleas for Tegan to tell them what she saw, Tegan makes a bold move.  Will it bring the shooter to justice or put Tegan in harm’s way?

Written in two genres, movie script and first-person narrative, McClintock’s quick-paced novel maintains mystery until the end.  Not only are the details surrounding the crime revealed slowly, but so are details about the two sisters, Kelly and Tegan.  As Kelly says in the opening, in order to get to the truth we need “to pull the pieces together and then take a good hard look at them.”  McClintock doles the pieces out masterfully, maintaining suspense and interest.  The tension between the two sisters and the tension within the high school as kids take sides after the murders are well-crafted and realistic.   The novel is hugely engaging and contains no sexual references or language, making it a book that could be handed to any reader.

Reviewed by Lottie Waggoner, Bloomington, IN

 Small As an Elephant by Jennifer Jacobson
Candlewick, 2011, 275 pp., $15.99
Survival/Family
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4155-9

Jack is abandoned by his mother during a long-planned camping trip to Acadia National Park; he is only eleven, but his mother’s odd behavior is not unusual in this young boy’s life.  Instead of falling apart or seeking help, Jack determines to get home to Boston’s Jamaica Plain on his own.  If anyone else finds him, he is sure they will be separated, and he will wind up with his grandmother, whom he perceives as evil.  Holding onto a small toy elephant as a talisman, Jack survives one narrow escape after another as he uses his wits, luck, and courage to escape discovery and capture.

Jack doesn’t always understand what his mother’s erratic behavior means and that his trust in her might not be wise, but his loyalty holds steadfast.  The elephant remains Jack’s dream of what is magical and mysterious.  Ironically, Jacobson reminds readers in a recent interview that unlike Jack’s mom, an elephant never abandons her young.  Jacobson used Google maps to outline Jack’s journey and then went on the trip herself, so his adventures read like a travelogue for southern coastal Maine, where she resides.

Reviewed by Judith A. Hayn, Little Rock, AR

Spray by Harry Edge
Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan, 2010, 228 pp., $9.99
Games/Friendships/Humor/Excitement
ISBN: 978-0-312-61344-0

Only two hundred eager participants, fifteen years or older, can compete in this game of assassination. The weapons are pressurized water guns or water balloons. Each participant is given the name of a target. Once you make a kill, your target’s intended victim becomes your next target. One spray and you are eliminated. The game ends when there is only one dry player left. The story follows the players as they prepare to attack their next target while, themselves, being a target of assassination. The cast of characters is diverse in age and occupation, and all have personal reasons for participating. The pace picks up as one after another is eliminated. One is gone seconds after the game starts. A few crafty ones last for nearly three weeks. Alliances are formed while eliminated players strive to help one another survive until the last shot is fired. The longer the games go on, the more clever and inventive are the strategies for assassination and survival.

This escapist novel should appeal to readers searching for non-stop action. The writing is crisp, but with so many characters, the plot is somewhat difficult to follow at times. The dialogue, like the action, is rapid-like gunfire. There is a brief romance and much humor making the book not easy to put down. Like the Alex Rider series, the reader is kept in constant suspense. What is going to happen next? Who is going to make it to the end? Harry Edge, a first time author, owns four water pistols and one amazing writer’s skill for involving the reader in the middle of the action. I recommend Spray for pool or beach reading. Just don’t drop the book in water before reading the final page.

Reviewed by John Jarvey, Cleveland Hts., OH

 Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer
HarperCollins, 2011, 374 pp., $16.99
Supernatural/Search for Identity
ISBN: 978-0-06-183458-5

Tansy Piper is the teenage daughter of a horror novelist who moves around the country to establish the settings of her novels.  Millie Piper’s realistic settings have made her a famous novelist but have prevented her daughter from establishing roots anywhere.  Tansy feels isolated and alone.  Always “the new kid in school,” she longs for friends and a feeling of belonging.  Tansy and her mother, along with her grandfather Papa Dan, arrive in Cedar Canyon, Texas, where Tansy’s mother will write her next novel.  Cedar Canyon, however, is different from any of the other “spooky” locations they’ve occupied. For one, the strange Victorian house in the middle of the prairie looks haunted, and its sad history, as well as rumors of strange sightings and sounds, supports the idea.  Secondly, Cedar Canyon isn’t new to Papa Dan.  He grew up there, and, although his advancing dementia prevents him from voicing his fears, something about being there makes him anxious.  As Tansy is drawn into the mystery surrounding the house and its former occupants, she questions her sanity and considers leaving the life she knows with her mother and grandfather to travel back in time to be with the mysterious stranger who lived decades ago but speaks to her across time.

Archer has created a compelling story that addresses questions of understanding and acceptance of those who are different and who do not necessarily fit the ordinary teenager mold.  Through the parallel stories of Henry, Tansy, and Tate, the reader must consider the meaning of friendship.  The supernatural element of the story is both believable and entrancing.  Tansy’s haunting experiences, the dilemma she faces, and the journey toward her final decision all combine for a unique story of love and acceptance of oneself as well as others.

Reviewed by Pat Scruggs, Franklin, TN

Casey and Steven met when they were juniors in college, while studying abroad in Morocco. After a long distance relationship with Casey finishing school in California and Steven in Maine, they arrange to travel to Beijing to teach English for six months. Their plans then take them through Southeast Asia and
finally to Mali where Casey has a Fulbright Grant to study the role of Islam in the education system.

To Timbuktu is an account of their experiences in nine different countries over the course of two years as they learn to communicate in a variety of languages, make friends everywhere they go, and discover their own strengths. The saga of their journey is delightfully brought to life through Casey’s prose and Steven’s illustrations. Each encounter, detailed in both text and drawing, feels immediate and genuine. Casey and Steven do not provide readers with an idealized version of their experiences but share the exciting, as well as the unhappy times with equal attention: from the delight of teaching English to young Chinese children to the sadness of having to leave them at the end of their term. We travel with them down peaceful rivers and on buses overcrowded with people.

To Timbuktu is an account of Casey and Steven’s journey across countries and cultures. It is also an account of their journey into themselves and their relationship with each other and the people they come to care about at each stop along the way. Their tale is engaging and informative as they explore every opportunity presented. Reading of their stimulating encounters may well spur young adults to consider journeys of their own.

Reviewed by Susan M. Landt, Green Bay, WI

A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford
Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2011, 422 pp., $17.99
Future Life/Angels/Dead
ISBN: 978-0-06-200499-4

Feeling alone and depressed, Eden contemplates the possibility of no more tomorrows when Az and Gabe appear in her life, ultimately disrupting everything she understands about life and death, good and evil. Their unearthly mysteriousness triggers Eden to grapple with such questions as: What does it mean to be alive? How does one know whom to trust? Can the decisions we make ever be wrong for the right reasons? If angels exist, can they love a human? And, the most unsettling of all, Is it all right to hurt
others if doing so is essential for your own existence? Eden’s sudden overwhelming love for Az is tested again and again: when she discovers he is an angel, when he abandons her to find her way as a Sider, and when she suspects he is responsible for her death. The forces of evil are powerfully present in the quasi-life Eden encounters. Only Gabe, a bound angel, seems solidly aligned with the side of good. Temptation, longing, fear, and doubt permeate every action of Eden’s existence. Is there any way she can escape? Is there anyone she can trust?

Clifford demonstrates exceptional skill in creating a world within a world. Her characters’ dynamic personalities dominate the story, willing the reader to go beyond the ordinary and believe in the unbelievable. Never predictable, A Mortal Touch conceals layers of confusion and treachery, leading readers to question the truth and consequences of everyone’s actions. A not-to-be-put-down book that will mesmerize young adult readers and leave them with more questions than answers, Clifford’s tale is a perfect choice for readers searching for tantalizing, fantastical fiction.

Reviewed by Susan M. Landt, Green Bay, WI

Reviewed this month:
Blood and Flowers by Penny Blubaugh
Bumped by Megan McCafferty
The Doomsday Box by Herbie Brennan
Drought by Pam Bachorz
The Floating Islands by Rachel Neumeier
I Am J by Cris Beam
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors
Paisley Hanover Kisses and Tells by Cameron Tuttle
Skate Fate by Juan Felipe Herrera
Stir It Up! by Ramin Ganeshram
Subway Girl by P.J. Converse
Tempestuous by Lesley Livingston
Those That Wake by Jesse Karp

Blood and Flowers by Penny Blubaugh
HarperCollins, 2011, 344 pp., $16.99
Faeries/Theater/Relationships
ISBN: 978-0-06-172862-4

[openbook booknumber="9780061728624"]

Persia, protagonist of Blood and Flowers, has left her dysfunctional parents and found a new home with the Outlaws, an underground puppet troupe. Together with her human and faerie companions, she has gained a new family and a passion for the theater. When the story begins, Persia finds herself with a growing attraction to Nicholas, a part-time law student, part-time vigilante puppeteer. Her distracting infatuation turns to fear, however, when the Outlaws are accused of drug dealing and the illegal use of malevolent magic. Persia and her troupe flee to the faerie realm, where they face different, yet dangerous, threats. Ultimately, Persia and her friends rally together so that good can conquer evil and love can win.

Live theater and puppeteering offer a magic all their own. Inanimate objects come alive, animals become human, and humans reach outside themselves to become greater than they are in everyday life. Theater is as close to the fey realm that some mortals may ever get. As such, it is surprising that Blood and Roses is one of the few novels to throw mortal and fey characters together in the theater. The motley cast of characters appeals to a wind range of readers, and the plot moves quickly, due to foes both mortal and faerie alike. This engaging book believably combines magic, drama, and intrigue from bureaucratic powers-that-be to create a world that readers will retreat to (like the Outlaws into the realm of Faerie) and not want to leave.

Reviewed by Adrienne Kisner, Boston, MA

Bumped by Megan McCafferty
Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2011, 336 pp., $16.99
Fantasy/Relationships
ISBN: 978-06-196274-5

What, if in a futuristic world, only teenagers could have babies? The year is 2035, and HPSV (Human Progressive Sterility Virus) has struck, meaning that eighteen is the cut-off age for impregnation, or pregging, to occur. Blonde and beautiful Melody Mayflower, at sixteen, is the perfect teen girl specimen who has been bartered by her agent for a college education, a new car, and a tummy tuck—provided she produces the perfect baby. Harmony, her separated-at-birth twin sister, comes to Goodside, Pennsylvania, from her home in Otherside with big plans to entice her materialistic, baby-making sister into a fundamentalist and godly life as a wife and mother. Harmony believes that she has “right” on her side until Melody’s sperm donor, Scandinavian hunk Jondoe, shows up; she is smitten, and he thinks she is the charming Melody. When Harmony’s betrothed (Ram) tracks her down, Melody and her unacknowledged soul-mate, Zen Chen-Chavez, unite to rearrange and undo marketing misadventures.

McCafferty takes a giant leap from the Jessica Darling series, but her sexual situations and innuendos, edgy plotlines, and racy language are familiar trademarks. Marketing pregnant young women is, unfortunately, not such a futuristic concept, while the injection of a fundamentalist viewpoint into social issues is also too feasible to be out of the realm of possibility.

Reviewed by Judith A. Hayn, Little Rock, AR

The Doomsday Box by Herbie Brennan
HarperCollins, 2011, 328 pp., $16.99
Science Fiction/Time Travel/Espionage/Cold War
ISBN: 978-0-06-175647-4

The Shadow Project recruits teenagers with psychic abilities as special agents to solve cases that no ordinary spies can handle. The appearance of a mysterious box, sent through a long dormant time portal by the shadowy agent Cobra from some time in the Middle Ages, unleashes a deadly pandemic. The CIA calls on the Shadow Project—Michael, Danny and Opal, skilled in astral projection; and new agent Fuchsia, with the ability to see the future— to locate Cobra in the past and prevent global disaster. Their mission takes them back in time to 1962 and across the globe to Moscow, where the Cold War is about to take a dramatic turn.

The thrills come early and often in this second Shadow Project adventure, which provides just enough exposition to engage readers unfamiliar with the team’s earlier exploits. The novel sets up an impressive display of genre fiction juggling, deftly incorporating espionage through the use of science fiction and historical fiction conventions in a delicate balance that pays off handsomely. The author conveys the unsettlingly alien atmosphere and politics of Soviet-era Moscow effectively for contemporary readers, who may only know the Cold War through history books. Although the protagonists are not developed in great detail, the propulsive story and unique combination of speculative, spy and historical fiction elements add up to a satisfying and  thought-provoking page-turner.

Reviewed by Sean Kottke, Battle Creek, MI

Drought by Pam Bachorz
Egmont USA, 2011, 392 pp., $17.99
Dystopia/Relationships/Social Issues
ISBN: 978-1-60684-016-0

Ruby and her people have been waiting nearly two hundred years for Otto to return. When another year passes and Otto fails to come, Ruby begins to question why her Congregation does not try to escape on their own from Darwin’s enslavement. After all, there are only a handful of Overseers to try to stop the entire Congregation; what is holding them back? When Ruby speaks of revolution to her mother, she is immediately chastised. Ruby is the reason the Congregation continues the backbreaking work of harvesting water, drop by drop. Ruby is the reason her mother takes the daily whippings of the Congregation herself if their quota is not met, and Ruby is the reason the Congregation still lives. If Ruby escapes, her people will die. If Ruby stays, her people will remain enslaved. Is freedom worth the price of death?

Ruby’s character demands that readers think introspectively all the way to, and then beyond, the last page. There is no room for fence sitting; readers must choose a side just as Ruby must choose her path. Because Drought is a narration of the journey rather than a crescendo to a conclusion, it would be an excellent read for discussion and debate.

Reviewed by Kristie Jolley, Pleasant Grove, UT

The Floating Islands by Rachel Neumeier
Knopf/Random House, 2011, 388 pp., $16.99
Fantasy/War/Dragons/Gender Roles
ISBN: 978-0-375-84705-9

Trei and Araene: two cousins who have never met. When tragedy brings them closer together, they begin to work as a team to save the Floating Islands from the Tolounnese attack. Trei joins the Kajuraihi, men who fly in the wind, and Araene secretly attends the hidden school. With the same goal in mind and the same disregard for the rules, Trei and Araene must endure great danger and show great bravery with the fate of the Islands in their hands.

Rachel Neumeier’s The Floating Islands is well-suited to the high school reader. Readers who enjoy fantasy, history, and quests may find Neumeier’s book an exhilarating page-turner.

Reviewed by Jane Monnat, Baldwinsville, NY

I Am J by Cris Beam
Little, Brown, 2011, 338 pp., $16.99
Transgender People/Identity/Emotional Problems/Friendship
ISBN: 978-0-316-05361-7

Ever wonder what it might feel like to be somebody else? Really “somebody else?” Say you were a boy, and you felt like you were really a girl? Or a girl who feels like a boy?

Sounds strange, but for many young people, this feeling is all too real. Transsexualism, not to be confused with homosexuality, is about being born with body parts that do not match a person’s perceived gender. And for many young people, the quest for self-identity becomes doubly confusing—not only must they wrestle with who they are (as all teens do), but they must do so in a body not their own.

I Am J is a smart addition to the few young adult novels that discuss openly and honestly a topic that heretofore has been taboo—boys and girls who desire to be the opposite sex. Told in plain, simple words, this haunting tale of a young seventeen-year-old girl who knew from the age of three that she really was a “he” will take readers by surprise for its straightforward presentation and matter-of-fact honesty. In fact, throughout this moving tale, J—short for Jennifer—is referred to as a “he.” We learn of “his” furtive attempt to hide “his” breasts with multiple shirts and to stop “his” period by suppressing “his” appetite. Nothing works and when his best friend deserts him, J decides to escape his maddening existence by running away and finally revealing to the world who he is.

Readers will enjoy this frank and daring account of a topic that for too long has been marginalized by socially accepted gender roles. This is a particularly effective read for teens and parents who can relate all too well to this most painful and conflicting human condition.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kaplan, Orlando, FL

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
HarperCollins, 2011, 272 pp., $15.99
Family/History/Identity
ISBN: 978-0-06-196278-3

Ha is a ten-year-old girl who has lived happily all her life in Saigon. She loves everything about Vietnam: the sights, the food, her friends, and her good grades in school. The only thing she is missing is her father who has disappeared. The Vietnam War has reached her sanctuary, and she must leave her home and her prized papaya tree. She boards a ship to sail to Alabama, in hopes of finding a safe life and her father. Instead, she finds cruel classmates, boring food, and a strange new language. Ha goes from one of the smartest in her class to being treated like a baby. In time, she finds solace in her brother and mother who help her understand the strength of her family.

This poetic novel is freshly written in concise verse. The poetry helps give readers a glimpse into the life of this ten-year-old girl. It is not surprising that the author lived through similar circumstances, for the poignancy of the tale reverberates with readers. Readers understand the beauty of Vietnam, just as they try to dodge the insults of Ha’s American classmates.

Reviewed by Cynthia Mitchell, Satellite Beach, FL

Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors
Walker/Bloomsbury, 2010, 323 pp., $16.99
Adolescence/Coming of Age/Identity
ISBN: 978-0-8027-8450-6

What teenage girl does not want to meet Cupid? Alice soon finds out that answering this question is complicated, given Cupid’s jaded past. Alice, a high school student struggling with her own personal issues because of her mother’s mental illness, is working tirelessly to keep her family life intact. Alice’s mother is a well-known author of romance novels; however, given her current mental state, she is unable to fulfill many of her obligations. Her mother’s illness leaves Alice desperate to meet her mother’s professional obligations so that she can continue to live her life and pay her mother’s medical bills. Alice’s world becomes more complicated by her own love interest and a highly emotional relationship she develops with Cupid. At first, Alice does not want to undertake Cupid’s request of writing his story, but she feels pressure to do so given her financial situation. Alice soon learns that her tumultuous relationship with Cupid teaches her much about life and love.

Selfors seamlessly weaves the characters of Mad Love together, presenting a community of people who demonstrate all types of love. This book beautifully orchestrates the lengths that individuals will go to find and hold onto true love.

Reviewed by Aimee L. Morewood, Morgantown, WV

Paisley Hanover Kisses and Tells by Cameron Tuttle
Dial/Penguin, 2010, 346 pp., $16.99
Individuality/Relationships
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3287-2

Paisley Hanover continues her sophomore year in Paisley Hanover Acts Out (2009). Paisley has won fame and a loyal following as Miss UnPleasant, writer of a spicy column for the school newspaper. She represents all of the UnPops, the UnDesirables, and the UnDatables, and they exist in every high school. She runs for class president as her alter ego, while organizing a write-in campaign for herself. These plans are derailed when the evil vice principal cancels those votes, destroys the ballots, and names Paisley’s arch enemy, Hutch, the winner. The plot chronicles the machinations to rectify this wrong when Paisley’s admirers and fans concoct all kinds of schemes to dethrone Hutch. In the meantime, she deals with true and false friends, a sexting scandal involving her former gal pal Jen, confusion and mayhem with trust issues, along with budding romance with two gorgeous guys.

Paisley is often hilarious, never dull, and always upfront with her readers. The website www.PaisleyHanover.com provides fans with insights and popups galore. Tuttle plans a third book, Paisley Hanover Crosses Her Heart, in this series that resonates with teen girls.

Reviewed by Judith A. Hayn, Little Rock, AR

Skate Fate by Juan Felipe Herrera
HarperCollins, 2011, 116 pp., $15.99
Novels in Verse/Poets/Disabilities/Foster Care/ Mexican Americans
ISBN: 978-0-06-143287-3

Skate Fate tells the story of Lucky Z, a boy who loves skateboarding. After experiencing several tragedies, Lucky begins to view the world from a different perspective. His narrative poetry describes the family, friends, school, and streets that make up his environment.

Through a unique poetic style, Juan Felipe Herrera defies the boundaries of grammar to show us the feelings of Lucky Z. He reminds us to take the time to look among all the commas, periods, and semi-colons and explore what life has to show us, and most importantly, to sing when your heart hurts.

Reviewed by Jane Monnat, Baldwinsville, NY

Stir It Up! by Ramin Ganeshram
Scholastic, 2011, 166 pp., $16.99
Realistic/Family/Ethnic Cooking/Self-actualization
ISBN: 978-0-545-16582-2

Anjali Krishnan is a busy eighth grader. Her Trinidadian parents sacrifice in order to send her to a private school in Queens, New York, and expect her to work hard. She is preparing to take the entrance exam for Stuyvesant High School; and she works in Island Spice, her dad’s roti shop after school most days. Additionally, she attends a weekend cooking class with Deema, her grandmother and cooking muse. Food is her passion. She would much prefer to attend a local public high school and explore a career in foods. Her father nixes this idea, even when she wins an audition on a reality television cooking competition. When she quietly defies him and lies by omission in order to get her cooking instructor to accompany her to the taping of the show, the reader knows that Anjali just might be jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

Anjali’s voice is as fresh and vibrant as her Queens neighborhood. She loves her culture and has a passion for food. She respects her parents, but she feels a bit abandoned by her mother, who is studying very hard to become a nurse and bullied by her father, who insists that a cooking career is not acceptable. Heed the cover advice and do not read this book on an empty stomach. Not only are the descriptions of the foods mouthwatering, but recipes are included and liable to induce cooking. Additional recipes for living such as “being who you are” are also included. Teens will relate to Anjali’s need for self-expression and acceptance.

Reviewed by Brenda Kahn, Closter, NJ

Subway Girl by P.J. Converse
HarperCollins, 2011, 224 pp., $16.99
Social Issues/Dating/School
ISBN: 0-0615-7514-3

Unaware that she is the object of some school boys’ day dreams, Amy, the “Subway Girl” as she has been dubbed, weaves in and out of Simon’s life. Shy Simon and the elusive, seemingly aloof girl with the purple-streaked hair finally meet and forge an unexpected and unforgettable bond, even as they overcome her inability to speak Chinese and his weak English-speaking ability. Both Chinese in ancestry, Amy grew up in San Francisco, California, in a much wealthier family than Simon’s. She is avant-garde; he is humble. Amy plans to design clothes, Simon plans to wait tables. So many differences exist between them, but by learning to lean on each other through some difficult times, the pair builds love strong enough to bridge an ocean.

Converse offers the reader a window into Hong Kong, a culture little known by most U.S. teens. The story depicts the academic pressures experienced by students in China and the limited options if they do not succeed within the school setting. It also effectively relates the inner turmoil of teens common in industrialized nations. While the culture is unique, it is not without similarities in the choices and consequences millions of teens around the world encounter in their own lives. Alcohol, sex, and abortion play a fairly strong role in the story and, therefore, may make the story more suitable for older high school students.

Reviewed by Coleen E. Sams, Palm Harbor, FL

Tempestuous by Lesley Livingston
HarperCollins, 2011, 362 pp., $16.99
Fairies/Actors and Actresses/Fantasy
ISBN: 978-0-06-174006-0

Readers of the first two books in Livingston’s Faerie trilogy—Wondrous Strange and Darklight—will be delighted with this electrifying conclusion. The destruction of the Avalon Grande Theatre and Kelley Winslow’s decision to protect Sonny Flannery by declaring she does not love him are only the beginnings of the painful decisions and suspenseful situations in Tempestuous. In despair, Sonny descends under New York City into the world of the lost Fae. Although he is a member of the Janus Guard—worn to protect the mortal world from rogue faeries—he is accepted by Carys, the Faerie huntress, forging connections that will require painful decisions and reluctant commitments from all sides. While Kelley grapples with her love for Sonny and her desperate attempt to protect him from his destiny, she also struggles with the need to accept who she really is and to sort out her conflicting feelings for her father, Auberon the Winter King; and her mother, Mabh the Autumn Queen. The intensity of the vehement actions taken for power reveals both heroism and treachery in unsuspecting places.

Livingston transports readers into a realm both real and fantastical. By using the dual perspectives of Kelley and Sonny through alternating chapters, Livingston simultaneously advances the tale on several levels. Characters are carefully woven throughout, giving readers dissimilar perceptions of the same individuals adding to the spectacle of lies and deceptions. This marvelous trilogy, embedded with Shakespearean characters and references, is a delightful read with enough suspense, adventure, and romance to satisfy a wide range of readers.

Reviewed by Susan M. Landt, Green Bay, WI

Those That Wake by Jesse Karp
Harcourt/Houghton Mifflin, 2011, 329 pp., $16.99
Science Fiction/Dystopia/Thriller/Relationships
ISBN: 978-0-547-55311-5

Mal Jericho, a seventeen-year-old son of a boxer, lives now with foster parents. He has not seen his brother Tommy for over two years, but Tommy leaves a voice mail at 1:00 a.m., asking for a return call, no matter what time. Mal is also a fighter; in the events that ensue as he tries to save Tommy and his girlfriend Annie, Mal will survive only because he refuses to let life defeat him. Laura Westlake lives on Long Island; she wakes up late on the day of an important interview. Her usually over-involved parents have gone into New York City to celebrate their anniversary. When they do not call to check in with Laura, she begins a series of phone calls. When Laura eventually reaches her parents, even with the aid of a photo-enhanced cell phone connection, her parents no longer recognize her. Though their backgrounds and experiences differ greatly, Mal’s and Laura’s lives converge in their search for the identities stolen from them.

Those That Wake blends science fiction with stark realism. Readers of L’Engle’s time trilogy will recognize the tesseract and similarities between IT of A Wrinkle in Time and Karp’s Man in Suit. Karp sets his novel in post 9/11 New York City, but he creates an even harsher dystopic New York City, where people live in the shadow of the dome covering a destroyed Con Edison complex, face scrutiny from the Metropolitan Counter Terrorism Task Force (MCT), and connect with reality solely through technology that depersonalizes communication. Karp also follows a central premise of the best YA literature: teen protagonists emerge as champions over the hopelessness of Down Zones. The novel offers a challenging read in style and content and calls for mature readers.

Reviewed by Mary Warner, San Jose, CA

Reviewed this month:
All Just Glass by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Another Whole Nother Story by Dr. Cuthbert Soup
The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander
Girl, Stolen by April Henry
How Lamar’s Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy by Crystal Allen
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
My Life in Pink and Green by Lisa Greenwald
Rip Tide by Kat Falls
Saving Zasha by Randi Barrow
Season of Secrets by Sally Nicholls

All Just Glass by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Delacorte/Random House, 2011, 246 pp., $15.99
Vampires/Witches/Family/Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 978-0-385-73752-4

In this sequel to Shattered Glass, the story of a vampire-hunting witch, Sarah, falls for a vampire. Sarah has been turned into a vampire, the one thing she was always told not to trust. To make matters worse, Sarah’s older sister, Adia, has been ordered to hunt down Sarah and kill her. Does family still matter when the one you love has been turned into something you hate?

This book takes place in just twenty-four hours, making it move quickly. For fans of the series, Atwater-Rhodes holds the reader’s attention and keeps the reader involved in the plot by using alternating points of view. For those who enjoyed Shattered Glass, this is a must-read that ties up loose ends left by the previous book.

Reviewed by Jennifer Lee, Louisville, KY

Another Whole Nother Story by Dr. Cuthbert Soup
Bloomsbury, 2010, 290 pp., $16.99
Adventure/Time Travel/Pirates/Humor/History
ISBN: 978-1-59990-436-8

Another Whole Nother Story, the sequel to A Whole Nother Story, continues the adventures of Dr. Ethan Cheeseman and his three children as they travel through time with Jibby the Pirate and his motley multilingual band of merry men and women, searching to undo the death of Cheeseman’s wife and return a mystical White Gold Chalice to its rightful owner and lift a curse placed on Jibby’s crew. All the while, Gateman Nametag, a.k.a. Mr. 5, is in pursuit to exact revenge for his imprisonment for his role in the death of Cheeseman’s wife. Oh, yes, and by the third chapter, the Cheesemans have assumed aliases and are subsequently referred to by those new names throughout their adventures in the seventeenth century. Throw in a delightful-if-underutilized heroine named Big and a case of mistaken identity, and the manic free-for-all that is Another Whole Nother Story results.

The story is told secondhand by the wry, absurd narrator, Dr. Cuthbert Soup, who is cut from the Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide mold. Cleverness and subtlety mix with slapstick and silliness in a droll style that lends itself well to a Monty Python-esque visual presentation. As a written narrative, the book needs to be read slowly for appreciation of the verbal twists and turns provided (like Chip Cheeseman’s personified sock puppet’s name evolving from Rat-Faced Roy to No-Faced Roy to Gravy-Faced Roy). This is not a book for an uninvolved reader, though reluctant readers appreciate the sight gags, sarcasm, and pirates. Another Whole Nother Story is an often outlandish work of mayhem and goofiness that may appeal to former fans of Dav Pilkey’s work, as its thin narrative and episodic nature are balanced by an entertaining presentation.

Reviewed by Jim Nicosia, Beesley’s Point, NJ

The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander
Walden Pond/HarperCollins, 2011, 314 pp., $15.99
Middle School/Conflict/Fun
ISBN: 978-0-06-199496-8

Operating from their office in the East Wing boys’ room, sixth graders and best friends, Mac and Vince, operate their own lightweight mafia with a twist—they never use violence. Other kids come to them for advice or help involving bullies, obtaining restricted CDs, getting help with personal problems such as girls, parents, or grades. Students offer what they can pay, or they agree to owe Mac and Vince a favor. One janitor owed them a favor, which is how they got the school key to their office. One day third grader Fred showed up trembling and in tears; he needed protection from Staples, the high school kid who was running a betting scam on the outcome of the high school  sports’ competitions. Staples wants to take down Mac and Vince’s little operation, and his gang plays hardball. In one confrontation, Staples chases Mac with his car; another time Mac gets beaten up by Staples’ gang. Knowing it is time to come up with a plan and call upon owed favors, Mac puts together his own gang of the toughest and oddest group of bullies in his elementary school.

A great book for boys; no one ever goes to classes; the teachers never catch on; the janitor is on Mac’s side, and their parents do not have a clue. A fast read, and though it gets a bit bogged down with “telling,” there is more than enough energy to keep readers involved.

Reviewed by cj Bott, Solon, OH

Girl, Stolen by April Henry
Henry Holt, 2010, 224 pp., $16.99
Suspense/Social issues
ISBN: 0-8050-9005-3

Bright, rich and beautiful, sixteen-year-old Cheyenne seems to have everything a girl could want, except she is blind. As a result of a car running off the road, her mother was killed, and Cheyenne lost her sight three years prior to the story. The story begins with Cheyenne sick with pneumonia and lying in the backseat of her stepmother’s Escalade, while her stepmother runs into the store to pick up a prescription for Cheyenne. Griffin, a thief looking for packages in cars parked at the shopping mall, sees the keys in the ignition and cannot resist stealing the prize. Like Pandora’s Box, the car holds more than he bargains for: a very sick and blind hostage he does not want. His criminal father and cohorts, who operate a chop shop, react with mixed emotions to Griffin’s prize. On the one hand, the car is great, but what should they do with the girl? Even blind she might be able to identify them. Cheyenne’s character is an unforgettable one, not only because of her blindness, but because of her incredible resourcefulness. The book is an engaging and revealing suspense story.

Henry shares with readers a world of which most of us are completely unaware—that of the blind. The character responds that becoming blind changes not only one’s sight, but also how one is seen. With a degree of humor, Cheyenne describes people treating her as invisible or even deaf when she is present, how phones and computers are her great equalizers, and how so many people treat her working dog as a pet. Upon completing the book, one might feel a little guilty about committing some of the described errors but also appreciative of the new light shed by the resourceful protagonist.

Reviewed by Coleen E. Sams, Palm Harbor, FL

How Lamar’s Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy by Crystal Allen
Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2011, 286 pp., $16.99
Family/Bowling/Basketball/Crime/Peer Pressure/Relationships
ISBN: 978-0-06-199272-8

Lamar is a clever, smart-talking young teenager whose command of wise-cracks and witticisms is apparent from page one. He is the younger of two sons in a single-parent family run by his overworked father who is struggling to stay involved in his kids’ lives since his wife died a year ago. To Lamar, his family’s fortune seems to hinge on his brother, “Xavier the Basketball Savior.”  Lamar’s love, though, is bowling. The resentment between the two brothers is palpable and simmers around the edges of the story’s conflict. When all of Lamar’s relationships unravel as a result of one bad major decision, he and the entire community must reconsider the meaning of friendship, reliability, and responsibility.

“Every kid in Coffin knows Billy Jenks equals trouble,” Lamar recognizes. But Billy provides easy money for Lamar to do things his modest family never had the resources to do, in the form of hustling (yes, at bowling). Lamar, thus, finds himself following the path of least resistance, losing touch with himself, his best friend Sergio, and his new girlfriend, Makeda. Ultimately, Billy proves to be using Lamar as a diversion in a long-planned heist. When they are caught, Lamar must spend the rest of his summer repaying his debt to the people of Coffin, learning the difficult lessons of redemption, friendship, and reputation. It is a long haul for him, but Allen deftly handles the morals without being too didactic. The reader is taken along on a wonderful journey as Lamar evolves from a wise-guy caricature to a kid readers really want to root for—that is no easy feat. This is a must-read for any boy who knows the struggle between one’s desires and the reality of his finances.

Reviewed by Jim Nicosia, Beesley’s Point, NJ

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Speak/Penguin, 2010, 272 pp., $8.99
Death/Grief/Family/Coma/Relationships/Fiction
ISBN: 014241543x

Seventeen-year-old Mia has everything: a perfect family, a rock star boyfriend, and a certain talent for the cello that may win her a place at Julliard. Mia learns in a split-second, however, that things do not always stay perfect when her family is killed in a horrible car, accident, and she is left between life and death.

After the accident, Mia looks for her little brother, Teddy, and finds her own body instead. Is she dead? And if not, why is she looking down at her own body? Where is Teddy? Mia is confused, but she follows as her body is airlifted to the hospital and finds that she cannot do typical “ghost things” like walk through walls. So begins her decision: should I stay and fight for this life?

This book will definitely make readers think about that line between life and death: does one have the power to decide between the two? Can coma patients hear their visitors?  What if any of us had to make a similar decision? Readers will root for Mia and her struggle: is she strong enough to stay and be an orphan surrounded by ones she loves (extended family, music, and Adam, her boyfriend), or should she just do the easy thing and give up the fight? A riveting read that will keep readers turning the pages.

Reviewed by Jennifer Lee, Louisville, KY

My Life in Pink and Green by Lisa Greenwald
Amulet/Abrams, 2009, 267 pp., $6.97
Relationships/Environment/Entrepreneurship
ISBN: 978-0-8109-8352-6

Lucy is a seventh grade girl who works with her mom and grandmother in the family pharmacy. She is responsible for very small jobs but has a very high interest in cosmetics. Times are changing, and the pharmacy, not as vibrant as it used to be, faces the possibility of going out of business. Through a series of events, Lucy finds opportunities that she thinks might save the store, and she wants adults to take her efforts seriously. Her subsequent actions ring true to her age as she turns to her older sister and friends for help in getting things done.

While the cute cover will catch girls’ attention, there are important contemporary issues presented through the story, which will give teens something substantial to think about in an appealing manner. Lucy and her readers learn that in all relationships, whether with friends, crushes or parents, if you want to be taken seriously, you have to be serious. While supporting characters lack development, readers will appreciate the development of Lucy’s character.

Reviewed by Edith Campbell, Indianapolis, IN

Rip Tide by Kat Falls
Scholastic, 2011, 314 pp., $16.99
Deep Sea/Future/Mystery/Science Fiction
ISBN: 978-0-545-17843-3

One must adapt to survive. That is what the people in the Commonwealth have done after melted glaciers flooded most of the globe and changed the way humans live forever. Some live in crowded stack cities. Others, called Surfs, choose to live in floating townships, reliant on rations from the government that seem to get smaller and smaller. For Ty and his family, living under the water and farming kelp is way better than feeling crowded or having to depend on others. This freedom also allows them to sell their crop for extra money, even if that means selling to the shady Surfs. So when a deal goes bad and Ty’s parents are kidnapped, he and Gemma, a girl he hopes will be his girlfriend, are absolutely sure that the Surfs have his parents somewhere in the open ocean. However, the people he depends on—a mean-spirited Seaguard captain, a corrupt mayor, and Gemma’s outlaw brother—are not making it clear whether they are helping or hurting the situation. The problem is there is a lot of ocean to cover in order to find his parents, and Ty may be running out of time.

Kat Falls produces a perfect blend of mystery/suspense and fantasy/science fiction that helps provide a high-paced storyline with intricate, yet subtle, plot developments. Rip Tide is perfectly paired with a science unit on marine life because of its many references to sea creatures, applications of sonar, and descriptions of working underwater. Once this book falls in the hands of any reader, there is little doubt he or she will struggle to pull away from reading it.

Reviewed by Brian Spiro, Cincinnati, OH

Saving Zasha by Randi Barrow
Scholastic, 2011, 229 pp., $16.99
Animals/World War II/Family
ISBN: 978-0-545-20632-7

Thirteen-year-old Mikhail has lived through the final four years of World War II as Russia has battled Germany. While he and his family cling to hope that their father will come home from the war, Mikhail faces a new threat. When riding along a stream on the boundaries of his family’s farm, he encounters an injured man (Petr) emerging from the woods. Petr begs for help, not only for himself, but also for Zasha, his German shepherd. Petr lives only a few hours, leaving his beautiful German shepherd in Mikhail’s care. In a Russia where many believe they have a duty to destroy anything German, even dogs are at risk. In Mikhail’s small town, news of a dead man raises suspicions about Mikhail and his family. Will they be able to hide Zasha from enduring the fate of his owner?

Saving Zasha is more than a good story about a boy and his pet. It reveals stark realities of war: even animals identified with the enemy face destruction, and hatred of one’s enemies can be directed at anyone or anything associated with these enemies. Barrow explores one of the lesser-known tragedies of World War II and the German-Russian conflict: Dogs tied with explosives were lured under German tanks, where the explosives killed Germans and the animals. Having a male protagonist strengthens the book’s appeal to males, but this deeper, poignant reality strengthens the appeal for readers of any age.

Reviewed by Mary Warner, San Jose, CA

Season of Secrets by Sally Nicholls
Levine/Scholastic, 2011, 225 pp., $16.99
Relationships/Mythology/Death
ISBN: 978-0-545-21825-2

Sent along with her sister Hannah to live in her grandparents’ “higgley-piggley” cottage after her mother’s death, Molly Brooke tries to make sense of her new life. Although her Grandpa offers solid comfort, everything else is frightening, dark, and muddled. The village school has fewer than ten students; Hannah is constantly angry, and Dad is at their home in London and will not, or cannot, take care of them anymore. Then one “pitchy-black” fall night, when the air has an icy tinge of rain, Hannah runs away. Following her, Molly comes upon a wild hunt. A horned man on horseback, accompanied by baying wolves, chases a man through the woods. The hunted man and Molly begin a story together that lasts through the seasons and brings Molly to an understanding of the nature of change.

Molly’s whimsical use of language and the quaint setting are just two characteristics of this novel that make it highly enjoyable. The setting contributes to the surreal character of the hunted man, and Molly’s youthfulness gives her first-person narration a believable naiveté. As Molly seeks to discover the identity of the hunted man, she realizes he is an embodiment of the seasons. During her search she relates many mythological stories for seasonal changes from the Green Man and the Holly King to Persephone and Demeter, giving this novel another layer of meaning. Nicholls adeptly weaves together Molly’s life in the real world and her coming to terms with her mother’s death through her interaction with the hunted man in the seasonal world. The extremely short chapters will also appeal to younger readers.

Reviewed by Lottie Waggoner, Bloomington, IN

Under the Radar is a discussion of books from smaller publishers by four members of the ALAN Board:

Ricki Berg, Bucky Carter, Paul Hankins, and CJ Bott.

Groundwood Books (http://www.groundwoodbooks.com) was established in 1978 and publishes children and young adult books, fiction and nonfiction in Canada, the United States, and Latin America. In this column we will discuss titles from the Groundwork Guides series. Teachers guides for all of the books in this series is available at the following link: http://www.groundwoodbooks.com/gw_groundworkguides.cfm the list of available Guides at the end of our discussion.

The Betrayal for Africa by Gerald Caplan (Groundwood Books, 2008)

Review by CJ Bott

Over three million years ago, the human race started on the continent of Africa, and human bones are still being found as recently as 2006 when a 3.3 million-year-old baby ape-girl was found in Ethiopia. Her finders named her Selam, meaning “peace” in the local language.  But things have not been peaceful on the continent of Africa for a very long time, and it is impossible and ignorant to talk about Africa as a single entity as it consists of 54 “independent” countries, several thousand ethnic groups and 2,000 languages. Caplan focuses on the forty-eight sub-Saharan countries (the six northern countries mostly border the Mediterranean Sea).

Similar to North America, historically European countries set up colonies and eventually governments with little regard or respect for the inhabitants.  In today’s terms, every single European power in Africa was guilty of crimes against humanity. (p 24)

A very poor continent, Africa is—the only region in the world where the total number of young workers living on less than a dollar a day increased, from 36 million in 1995 to 45 million in 2005. There is little to no health care: the four major causes of children’s deaths are diarrhea, malaria, pneumonia and measles.  Caplan reports the weekly breakdown of deaths from the following causes: AIDS–44,000, TB–8,000, Malaria–19,000, Unsafe water–14,000, Respiratory illness–18,000, Measles and tetanus (mostly children)–9,500. other–17,500, equaling 130,000.

The Africans who have prospered are the ones who aligned themselves with the Europeans. African presidents became very wealthy individuals through this partnership and they have stayed in power for very long times. The length of rule of Presidents in African countries ranges from 13 years to 39, only Nelson Mandela served for fewer than ten years–he was president of South Africa for 5 years. He had spent 27 years as a political prisoner in that country.

Though this book does not discuss Egypt, I couldn’t help but apply so much of what I was reading to the present situation there. Egypt’s Mubarak has served 30 years as of this writing (January 9, 2011) and the debate about his worth always focuses in the billions.

Discussion:

Ricki: CJ, Does The Betrayal for Africa portray the current situation in Africa as hopeful or hopeless?

CJ: I think both as the hopeless feel some hope in what is happening in several of the African countries, unfortunately not all of the government are reacting the same way.

Caplan said the creation the African Union, a kind of United Nations of Africa is a positive sign. The AU has sent a military mission to monitor the crisis in Darfur, but Caplan also says everything is dependent on the West for resources—that is where the support/power comes from.

Ricki: Does the author offer suggestions for improvements in our interactions with Africa?

CJ: The US hasn’t been any better than the European countries–instead of sending aid, we reduce their debt to us.

Bucky: I can see China deciding to invest in Africa and using its investments to pull further ahead as the world’s biggest super power. Did the book address this in any way?

CJ: China is very involved in Africa, its main preoccupation being Africa’s raw materials however its two strongest connections are with Sudan and Zimbabwe. China gets oil from Sudan and gives them weapons to use against the people in Dafur. In 2007 after the African Union denied Sudanese president al-Bashir his turn at the rotating presidency of the AU, a symbolic punishment for his deadly war against Darfur . . .Chinese president Hu Jintao visited Sudan and presented al-Bashir with an interest-free loan to build a presidential palace.

Earlier in 2006, China hosted a China-Africa Forum in Beijing, forty-eight of Africa’s fifty-three countries attended. China is very interested in Africa and doing everything it can to secure strong relations.

This is a powerful book.

Hip Hop World by Dalton Higgins (Groundwood Books, 2009)

Review by Ricki Berg

Dalton Higgins, a music critic, gives a comprehensive history of hip hop and its roots while focuses on issues concerning hip hop. Each chapter concentrates on differing parallel issues including b-boying, graffiti, and fashion, as it is concerned with hip hop. The book spans the world, zooming in on several countries and the hip hop artists that are celebrated in each. He also delves into concerns such as: Is it okay to use the n-word? Is hip hop becoming more popular with whites than blacks? What issues do hip hop artists promote today and how are they different than those in the ‘80s? What are the motivations behind hip hop artists in other countries?

Higgins makes it clear that he believes the hip hop industry is in a downward spiral if its artists continue to focus on misogyny, getting rich, and drugs. He holds high esteem for the original hip hop artists who promoted political change over the money-driven artists who are more popular today. According to Higgins, the future success of hip hop lies in the artists around the world rather than those in the western world, as they seem to be more focused on change and social action.

This is a fascinating book that would be very successful amongst adolescents or adults wanting to learn more about hip hop and related issues. The writing is challenging, yet accessible to teens. Teachers would find great use in this nonfiction text, as it will appeal to teens, who will be forced to think critically about the hip hop music industry.

Discussion:

CJ: Ricki, does the author explain what the earlier hip hop artists think of the recent ones?

Ricki: He explains how critics view the current hip hop artists, but he doesn’t ask the earlier hip hop artists that direct question. However, Higgins includes several interviews from hip hop artists regarding concerns of parallel issues. Additionally, he discusses how the public view of hip hop has changed throughout the years.

CJ: Was there a particular incident or hip hop performer who started that downward spiral?

Ricki: Based on Higgins’s explanations, there wasn’t one particular incident or performer, but more of a gradual morphing of the intent of hip hop. One interesting aspect that Higgins points out is that hip hop artists continue to create music about poverty, but many of them are no longer poor. They wear expensive clothes and lavish jewelry, while rapping about hard times. It seems to me that Higgins notices this irony, but the public doesn’t consider it as much. Hip hop artists continue to be popular because people identify with the song lyrics. Higgins abhors the misogyny that is gradually growing. It used to be subtle, but he points out one music video where a Nelly, a hip hop artist, swipes a credit card down a female’s butt crack. There is little accountability in the music industry, and Higgins doesn’t just place the blame on the artists, but he also finds the record labels, radio stations, and television networks culpable, as they continue to air these lyrics and spectacles. All in all, he sees this as a shift that he doesn’t prefer. I believe the book offers a sense of hope that the intent of the artists (and companies who support them) will shift their direction back to a focus on social justice.

The News by Peter Steven (Groundwork Books, 2010)

Review by Paul W. Hankins

From the dust jacket of Peter Steven’s The News:

Citizens around the world rely on accurate, informed journalism in order to participate in society.

Unfortunately, the news millions of people get is unreliable, incomplete, insulting, or downright hazardous. Many of us have no choice in the news we receive. Many of us remain ignorant of major issues and diverse opinions because the news doesn’t provide them.

In this 2010 offering from Groundwork Books, author, teacher, and media critic Peter Stevens explores and discusses issues related to the news media from how people receive news and how it is processed. In an early chapter of this work, “News is Power,” Stevens discusses the power that comes from being aware of current events. Stevens attests that “reliable news helps us to maintain our civil rights” (9). Stevens goes on to write, “We recognize that knowledge about the world brings us status, or at least prevents us from looking ignorant” (11). Stevens sets up the rest of this work to talk about how power is drawn from the media and from the news we receive.

Throughout Steven’s work, he cites the ability of the citizen to draw from multiple outlets for news, but Stevens also presents the salient pieces of what makes the news the news. The second chapter was most interesting wherein Stevens takes a look at the fundamental pieces of the news even as technology and a media-driven culture change the format, or even the delivery, of the news.

The bulk of Steven’s work seems to be in the traditional news as offered by print, radio, and television as compared to, or in conjunction with, a changing landscape for news that includes the average citizen with a cellphone or camcorder who is now able to record news on the spot and deliver it themselves via a number of web-supported platforms.

The News would work well in courses focusing on journalism, mass media, or in English and Social Studies courses where a unit on current culture were being explored. While much has happened in the media by way of the demonstrations in Cairo and even more recently in Wisconsin, Peter Steven’s work is timely with it allusions to culture and current web platforms.

Discussion:

Ricki: It seems that it is a positive aspect that we have more platforms and news outlets with recent technology. Does Steven’s find the changing landscape of the news to be positive or negative? Does he see it as more or less reliable than the traditional  news?

Paul: Stevens makes a claim that the “unofficial news” seems to be the preferred delivery system of the masses. He cites historical instances wherein the government was in control of what news was delivered and what news was withheld. Here is a quote from The News:

Real news, therefore, can be trusted when it’s unofficial, and low-tech. To some extent the appeal of the Internet, with its blogs and citizen journalists, flows within this tradition.  The search for alternative sources reflects a worldwide discontent with the dominant  media. . .(33)

Stevens also presents this view of the changing landscape of news and the delivery of news, quoting Joan Connell of MSNBC, “Now anyone with something to say and access to the right software can be a publisher, and pundit and observer of events great and small” (75).

CJ: Does he discuss what the situations news people have put themselves in  to cover the stories in Africa and who accepts responsibility for their safety?

Paul: Stevens addresses this in the chapter, War and International News. The focus, however, is more on how reporters might ingratiate themselves to military personnel in order to embed themselves into the story. The chapter does not speak directly to Africa or any specific war, but it does talk about how journalism/journalists can affect foreign policy, sometimes purposefully, depending upon the angle the reporter shares the story.

Slavery Today by Kevin Bales and Becky Cornell (Groundwood Books, 2008)

Review by James Bucky Carter

Slavery has been a part of the human experience since the formation of the earliest societies. Even today, 27 million people around the globe are in one form of slavery or another: human trafficking, prostitution, debt bondage, or forced labor. Not even countries like the United States are without modern-day slaves, and laws to abolish all forms of slavery may not have been around in industrialized countries for as long as one might think. Depending on how one adds it, the work of slaves can account for anywhere from 13 to 31 billion dollars a year, and ending the condition isn’t as simple as not buying goods with known links to slave labor. In our current moment, more people than ever recorded are enslaved, but less of the world’s overall population is enslaved than at any other time in history. Bales and Cornell suggest that we are at a crucial moment in time, an exigency requiring specific commitments and actions, regarding how we deal with the issue of slavery as a global society. No longer are most slaves of a different race or culture than their enslavers, for example, and no nation resists the idea that slavery is immoral.  Further, despite the billions earned through slavery, the overall economic imprint slave labor makes on the global economy is minute. No one can claim that any nation’s economic well-being depends on slavery. As well, laws are already established prohibiting slavery, though they may not always be enforced. The authors of Slavery Day suggest it would cost less than $11 billion to do away with worldwide slavery? But, how to do it? How to make the most of the contemporary elements of our exigency?

Discussion:

Ricki: Which countries do Bales and Cornell cite as being in the most critical condition? Are most of these slaves used for labor or for sexual purposes?

Bucky: They focus specifically on cases in Japan, Brazil, Mauritania, The United Arab Emirates, India, and the United States. In Japan, it’s the sex industry that fuels the slavery, along with trafficking. In Brazil, it’s labor like cutting down the forests. People still own people in Mauritania, making it similar to the slavery most well-known in terms of the history of the United States. Many slaves are not actually legally owned like they were in the US and still are there, by the way. Indeed, the general definition Bales and Cornell apply to the term is such: “a social and economic relationship  in which a person is controlled  through violence or the threat of violence,  is paid nothing, and is economically exploited.” In the UAE, slavery is described as something like indentured servitude: people from other areas pay a fee to other people come to UAE to fine jobs, then can’t find what they’re looking for and find themselves in debt. This is common in a lot of trafficking/smuggling instances across the globe, apparently. The sex industry in UAE also is connected to forced labor. In India there seems to be all of these things along with forced marriages and debt bondage. Some of this slavery is connected to the caste system there, and the authors estimate that there are 10 million slaves in India. Trafficking is a problem in the US, where the number of slaves is minuscule compared to India’s, but still alarming.  Bales and Cornell say 50,000 slaves work in the United States, many trafficked and tricked into manual labor. Regarding your first question specifically, they say that countries with high international debt often have problems with slavery, but clearly it is a global issue.

CJ: Are there group, global or in individual countries that are having success in dealing with this problem.

Does the book discuss how former slaves are treated in any of these countries?

ANNOTATIONS of other Groundwork Guides.

Empire by James Laxer (Groundwood Books, 2006)

Annotation by James Bucky Carter

Historically, all it has taken is a little surplus food, and the seeds of empire are sewn. Throw in the enslavement of a given “other” to till the fields and grow the crops, and the always-present relationships between slave labor and regional or global (depending on the size of the known world at any given time) influence are set. An empire is established and ready to grow. James Laxer details the history of empire and focuses on specific ones such as the Egyptian, Roman, British, and, yes, the American empires. Specific focus is given to the concept of “empire” as it relates to American values, morals, language preferences, and influence. Written in 2006, the book hints at the rising Chinese empire and how it will soon challenge the global presence of the “Pax Americana.” Those of us living in 2011 know the “will” is now the “is,” but this text adeptly covers the phenomena leading to the establishment, thriving, and eventual decline of empires since humans first started gathering together to the “almost” contemporary moment.

Being Muslim by Haroon Siddiqui (Groundwood Books, 2006)

Annotation by CJ Bott

After 9/11 Bookstores were filled with people wanting to educate themselves about the Muslim world, this title would be a good place to start. Though the book begins with the backlash of the 9/11 bombings, the book’s best chapters simply educate the reader about the Islamic faith which has five fundamentals: declaration of faith, daily prayers, charity, fasting from sunrise to sunset for one month every year, and a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina once in one’s lifetime.

Muhammad, born in AD570, is believed to be Allah’s last prophet and messenger and it is through him that the Qur’an was delivered. Throughout this book there are quotes from Muhammad in contemporary language that deliver gentle wisdom and some references to Jesus and/or Christian people.

The book provides an open and honest look at the Muslim faith and the Islamophobia currently seen in the USA and elsewhere; but also holds to the hope that the crisis in the Middle East is leading us to a greater understanding and acceptance.

Groundwork Guides currently or soon-to-be available.

BEING MUSLIM by Haroon Siddiqui
THE BETRAYAL OF AFRICA by Gerald Caplan
CITIES by John Lorinc
CLIMATE CHANGE by Shelley Tanaka
DEMOCRACY by James Laxer
EMPIRE by James Laxer
THE FORCE OF LAW by Mariana Valverde
GANGS by Richard Swift
GENOCIDE by Jane Springer
HIP HOP WORLD by Dalton Higgins
THE NEWS by Peter Steven
OIL by James Laxer
PORNOGRAPHY by Debbie Nathan
SEX FOR GUYS by Manne Forssberg
SLAVERY TODAY by Kevin Bales
TECHNOLOGY by Wayne Grady

Reviewed this month:

The Beginner’s Guide to Living by Lia Hills
The Carnival of Lost Souls by Laura Quimby
Crosswire by Dotti Enderle
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride
The Life and Opinions of Amy Finawitz by Laura Toffler-Corrie
No Passengers beyond This Point by Gennifer Choldenko
Pink by Lili Wilkinson
The Rendering by Joel Naftali
Sequins, Secrets, and Silver Linings by Sophia Bennett
The Winds of Heaven by Judith Clarke
Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin

The Beginner’s Guide to Living by Lia Hills
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2009, 221 pp., $17.99
Grief/Fiction/Photography/High School/Romance
ISBN: 978-0-374-30659-5

Will is devastated when his mother is killed in a senseless car accident. To help him cope and make sense of his life, Will writes out questions that steer him toward great philosophers and poets such as Plato, Kierkegaard, Sartre, Blake, and Shakespeare. Will is in search of ultimate truths and wonders if there is something for which he is willing to die. He falls in love with Taryn, whom he met at his mother’s wake; however, his quest takes him down some slippery paths that might mean losing Taryn, his first love.

The Beginner’s Guide to Life is filled with philosophers’ and poets’ quotes and photographs taken by Will with his mother’s camera. It is a beautifully written novel, one to read slowly so as not to miss the nuances of the poetic descriptions. The reader will ponder with Will the essence of existence. The story is told in first-person voice and is appropriate for such an intimate portrayal of grief. The Beginner’s Guide to Living is one gem of a book that should be kept close at hand so that it is readily available for rereading.

Reviewed by John Jarvey, Cleveland Hts., OH

Jack is a likable lad, curious and kind. The Forest of the Dead is a murky and appropriately creepy place peopled by all sorts of dead from many different time periods. On the one hand, they seem to do whatever the living does; but on the other, many are untrustworthy, and minotaur-like guards patrol the borders to prevent escape. Plenty of mystery, humor and suspense keep the beautifully designed pages turning to a surprising and curious conclusion. Interspersed throughout the story are black pages that contain poems that form a biography of Harry Houdini. This debut is not perfect. Some characters are rather broadly drawn, and not all the pieces fit together logically. Still, the writing is promising and the series has potential to be unique.

Reviewed by Brenda Kahn, Closter, NJ

The time is 1882. The place is Texas, and the characters are rough and ready ranchers who are battling drought, dying crops, and desperate free-range cattlemen. These desperate and ornery desperados are cutting ranchers’ barbed wire fences and allowing their thirsty herds to drink what little water supply is left. Enter thirteen-year-old Jesse who wants more than anything to protect his family’s property, but a past trauma has left him terrified of guns. And to make matters worse, young Jesse cannot depend on his older brother, Ethan, who has been kicked out of the house for stealing the household savings in order to pay off his gambling debts. Trouble brews, though, when Jesse’s father hires a farmhand who seems less than honest, and Jesse is forced to—as his father implies—grow up mighty fast.

Quick chapters, a Texas accent, historical references, poetic language, and a fast moving plot make this a good read for both reluctant and avid readers—kids who like adventure and stories in which good and evil are found in both those we know and those we do not. Dotti Enderle, a native and proud Texan, tells the history of her state with a keen and knowing eye as to how the stories of her childhood will garner the attention of young and old alike. True historical fact, insights into the Wild West, and descriptions of how ranchers of yore managed to live in desperate and dangerous times make for a most enjoyable and engaging read. Teachers will particularly enjoy the book’s richly detailed Afterword, filled with fascinating background information on the significance of this story for both personal and historical reasons.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kaplan, Orlando, FL

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer is the story of Sam who discovers he has the power to speak to and raise the dead. Sam, a college dropout working at a fast food restaurant, is hanging out with his friends playing potato hockey in the parking lot. His errant shot breaks the tail light of Douglas Mongomery’s car, a fellow necromancer who rules the paranormal underworld of Seattle. Douglas is not happy to have competition in that arena. While exploring his latent powers, Sam ends up in Douglas’s basement with a cute werewolf. This unique book combines humor, suspense, horror, non-stop action, and romance which should make it very appealing to older teens and adults alike.

It is filled with witches, necromancers, vampires, werewolves and some very cool teens. All characters, real and paranormal, are complex, and teenspeak pops off the page. Sam, perfect in his role as victim of an overprotective mother, tells his story in first person, while other parts of the book are told in third, giving the reader a wide view of what is happening. This book is funny—even the head that is transported in a bowling bag is smart mouthed to the end. Lish McBride, a first time author who says she was raised by wolves, has introduced readers to a great cast of characters that I hope to meet again soon.
Reviewed by John Jarvey, Cleveland Hts., OH

Amy Finawitz, eighth grader and New Yorker, is feeling abandoned ever since Callie, her BFF, left New York to spend a year in Kansas. Amy is at turns hysterical and snarky, but she is also maddeningly egocentric and selfish as she supplies Callie with a running commentary of her life, while also whining about being left to fend for herself. She comforts herself with late night visits to Mr. Lee’s Chinese restaurant, obsessing about her crush and dissing two perfectly nice girls who make overtures at friendship. When she receives part of a diary of Anna, a Jewish immigrant, Amy finds herself reluctantly accepting help from her elderly neighbor, Miss Sophia (a retired librarian), and Miss Sophia’s teenaged nephew, Beryl, to research Anna, explore New York, and learn a little about herself.

Told in three months worth of one-sided emails and a handful of one-act plays, the humor is very much of the Seinfeld/Larry David sort. Amy’s voice is unique and simultaneously irritating and endearing. This is the author’s debut and a good first effort.
Reviewed by Brenda Kahn, Closter, NJ

Having lost their house to foreclosure, Finn, India, and Mouse must suddenly leave California for their uncle’s home in Colorado, where they are to start a new life while waiting for their schoolteacher mother to finish out the year and join them. Deeply reluctant to part with their mother, beloved friends and their family dog, the siblings are torn apart with stress and anxiety on their flight to Colorado, their nerves as jangled as the turbulence that rocks their airplane. When they mysteriously arrive at their destination much earlier than expected, they are greeted by Chuck, the oddest driver of the oddest taxi they have ever seen. He chauffeurs the siblings not to their uncle’s home in Fort Baker, but instead to the marvelous city of Falling Bird, where they are greeted like celebrities and taken to separate dream homes for one glorious night. What is this city? Why were Finn, India and Mouse brought here? Why are they each given clocks showing different times, and what are they counting down to? These are just a few of the mysteries the siblings must solve if they ever hope to reunite as a family and see their mother again.

Like TV’s Lost and The Prisoner, the narrative world Choldenko skillfully weaves is full of tantalizing existential mysteries. The story unfolds in the distinct and engaging voices of all three siblings, and the suspense builds chapter by chapter to a haunting conclusion. Filled with vivid descriptions, crackling dialogue and tense cliffhangers, the novel is impossible to put down and offers a resolution to its mysteries that will send many readers back to the beginning to rediscover the bread crumb trail of clues Choldenko leaves throughout the story. A great read-aloud and a serious contender for ALAN’s Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award.

Reviewed by Sean Kottke, Battle Creek, MI

Ava has identity problems. For Ava, who she is depends on what others expect her to be. Chloe, her domineering girlfriend, insists that Ava conform to Chloe’s existential beliefs, wearing black and eschewing societal expectations such as caring about school. Ava’s parents approve of her relationship with Chloe and encourage Ava to reject anything remotely feminine. Ava, however, wants to explore other options— including the possibility that she is not a lesbian. Convincing her parents to let her attend a private school, Ava sets out to remake herself. The new pink-wearing feminine Ava is befriended by Alexis—leader of the popular “pastels.” In trying to fit in, Ava again succumbs to others visions of how she should look and act. Not completely comfortable with her new friends, Ava joins the school’s stage crew—a group of misfits referred to as the “screws.” Ava tries to balance the disparate personalities required of her by Chloe, the pastels, and the screws with disastrous results for everyone. As Ava confronts the mess she has created for herself and her friends, she realizes that it is necessary to tell the truth about how she feels if she is going to salvage any relationships. Only then does Ava begin to discover who she is.

Wilkinson’s portrayal of the characters in Pink, while slightly stereotypical, depicts genuine interactions among young people trying to convince themselves and others that they are something more than ordinary. While Ava’s problems are central to the story, Wilkinson draws the other characters with depth and detail. Pink is an appealing choice for older adolescents; however, because of drug and alcohol use by teens and the
inclusion of sexual scenes, it may not be appropriate for younger teens.

Reviewed by Susan M. Landt, Green Bay, WI

The plot of this action-packed novel unfolds at lightning speed and provides a whirlwind tour through the frontiers of biodigital research, where organic and mechanical life merge for both immortality and fearsome weaponry. Multiple narrators keep the scientific explanations clear and provide comic relief amid the relentlessly paced action sequences. The Rendering will provide young readers with an entertaining and timely launch pad for learning more about future directions in biodigital research and bioethics.

Reviewed by Sean Kottke, Battle Creek, MI

Sophia Bennett’s debut novel entices teen girl readers into the world of film and fashion, while also introducing them to an issue of social justice perhaps they can help alleviate. Nonie and her BFF’s, Edie and Jenny, are typical fifteen-year-old London school chums, except each has a special talent. Jenny has just finished filming a blockbuster flick with a hunky superstar she worships. Edie is the perfect student with a popular blog read by those who also want to save the planet. Nonie is a budding fashion designer who gets her stylistic genes from former models, her Mum and Granny. Edie is tutoring a refugee pre-teen in reading, but it is Crow’s ethereal and creative clothing designs that draw Nonie and her coterie. The girls discover that Crow is in London to escape the horror of the Invisible Children, those who are captured in the villages of Uganda and forced to serve as child soldiers. With this cause as the backdrop and the backing of an important fashion impresario, Nonie organizes a teen event for Fashion Week.

Bennett won the second annual London Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition with her debut novel called Threads in the UK. Two sequels have already been published in this series for the youthful fashionista. The celebrity-smitten adolescent girl might just come to realize that underneath the glitz and glamour, an interest in serious social issues can also exist. The author provides suggestions and websites for those who develop a compassion for exploited children after reading Crow’s story.

Reviewed by Judith A. Hayn, Little Rock, AR

For cousins Clementine and Fan, the magnetism keeping them together is the same power forcing them apart—their own life experiences. Clementine idolizes Fan because Fan is lively, imaginative, and bold. Fan admires Clementine’s innocence and intelligence. The girls promise to stand by each other as sisters, but learn with age standing by one another is easier said than done. Their lives, their fortunes, their choices are too different. Regardless of their differences, they never stop loving each other.

Clarke paints a bittersweet juxtaposition of two girls’ coming-of-age experiences. Although each girl would do anything for the other, they cannot control “The Winds of Heaven” as they blow in to form the landscape of life each girl must learn to navigate. The title takes on different meanings as the girls grow with age and experience. The Winds of Heaven can serve as an interesting juxtaposition to Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie. Dreiser unfolds a tale of two characters using each other to spin in wildly different directions away from each other; Clarke crafts a story of two strong female  protagonists who, despite their sisterly love for each other, cannot seem to stop themselves from spinning out of the other’s reach.

Reviewed by Kristie Jolley, Pleasant Grove, UT

Moving to Seattle just in time for school was traumatic enough for Charlotte. When she discovered that she was not allowed into the GATE (gifted and talented) program because of her math disability (dyscalculia), Charlotte was frantic. Coming from a private all-girls school, she was not prepared for the hostility and peer pressure at her new public school. Adding to the anxiety is her whiz-kid younger brother who was admitted into a prestigious prep school, her parents’ disintegrating marriage, and their expectations for her success. Frustrated and a bit frightened, Charlotte seeks refuge away from other students by hiding in the library where she meets Amanda, a GATE
student who sets her own rules. Amanda befriends Charlotte, drawing her into her world of privilege, drugs, and other reckless choices. With Amanda’s urging, Charlotte becomes secretly involved with Nick, another GATE student whose relationship with Amanda is unclear. The three of them join the debate team, which provides opportunities for unsupervised trips involving drugs, alcohol, and sex. A disastrous experience with Acid finally forces Charlotte to face the truth about the direction she has taken and to reconsider others in her life who offer comfort and support.

Martin’s tale is a sophisticated read intended for older adolescents. She is forthright in describing unpleasant conditions of high school life in which new students can find themselves rejected and harassed. She also lets readers see into the confused mind of a young girl who wants to belong and feel important.

Reviewed by Susan M. Landt, Green Bay, WI

Reviewed this month:

Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein
Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Death Cloud by Andrew Lane
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Livvie Owen Lived Here by Sarah Dooley
The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
Nightshade City by Hilary Wagner
The Rivalry: Mystery at the Army-Navy Game by John Feinstein
Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry
Stork by Wendy Delsol
The Sweetness of Salt by Cecilia Galante
Teenie by Christopher Grant
Trapped by Michael Northrop
Trickster’s Girl: The Raven Duet by Hilari Bell
The Unidentified by Rae Mariz
Warp Speed by Lisa Yee
Warped by Maurissa Guibord

Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein
Bloomsbury, 2010, 329 pp., $16.99
Historical Fiction/ Queen Elizabeth/ Roanoke Island
ISBN: 978-1-599905075

Fourteen-year-old Catherine Archer is summoned to the court by Queen Elizabeth, who plans to make her a maid of honor. (Lady Catherine’s father was killed while dutifully serving the Queen.) Catherine settles into court life and soon becomes the Queen’s favorite; but she does not understand the jealousy and backbiting and the treacherous ways of those in the Queen’s court. When she catches the eye of Sir Walter Ralegh, the Queen’s favorite, and the two begin a flirtation, it is only a matter of time before the Queen finds out. Lady Catherine is imprisoned in the Tower of London, and Sir Walter becomes the Queen’s private guard. Ralegh convinces the Queen to send Kate to the Island of Roanoke with approximately a hundred settlers. Life on the island proves difficult, and the colonists soon break down into factions, arguing over food, governance and relations with the Native Americans.

The story is told from first-person points of view of Catherine and Manteo, a Native American who was taught English and presented before the Queen and her court. Interspersed throughout are letters and poetry of Sir Walter Ralegh. Fact and fiction are woven so seamlessly that one may easily forget that Queen Elizabeth never had a Catherine Archer in her court. Very little is known of the fate of the lost colony, but Klein’s account seems plausible and suspenseful. Cate is bright and very aware of her status within the various societies into which she is thrown. Both she and Manteo are open-minded, curious, keen observers with a strong sense of ethics. Fans of Klein’s work will not be disappointed, neither will historical fiction fans.

Reviewed by Brenda Kahn, Closter, NJ

For the jaded and all-too-well-read Dash (short for Dashiell), spending Christmas alone is absolute heaven. With both sets of parents believing he is staying with the other, he can hide from the “joyless attempts at joyfulness” inherent in the holiday season and lose himself in the eighteen miles of bookshelves known as the Strand. It is there that he finds a red notebook hidden on a shelf, with the words Do You Dare? written on the cover.

For holiday-loving Lily, Christmas alone is an absolute nightmare, with her parents in Fiji, her grandfather in Florida, and her brother abandoning her for his boyfriend. Lily never thought the notebook idea would lead to anything, but when someone actually responds to her dare with an equally enticing one, Lily finds herself in an intriguing game with the mysterious “snarly youth.” Calling upon an extensive network of family and friends, the two keep up a hilarious, provoking, and poignant correspondence that ends up changing both of them, for better or worse.

The charming eccentricities of the characters bounce off each other, so that the characters poke fun at the same shortcomings that readers may find annoying. The most endearing vehicle in the story, the notebook, will keep readers turning the page, eager as the characters to see the outcome of a dare or the answer to a riddle.

Reviewed by Allison Fraclose, Tucson, AZ

Literature’s most famous “Great Detective,” Sherlock Holmes, is all of fourteen years old in this novel, the first volume of a new series endorsed by the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. When Sherlock stumbles upon an apparently plague-ridden dead body on the grounds of Holmes Manor, what initially promises to be a boring summer in the country with unfamiliar (and rather unpleasant) relatives suddenly turns into a season filled with intrigue and adventure. As rumors of a mysterious black cloud begin to circulate and a second body appears, Sherlock senses a sinister plot unfolding and launches the very first investigation of his soon-to-be brilliant career.

The Sherlock Holmes who emerges in this novel displays the traits that fans of Conan Doyle’s original stories cherish—remarkable powers of observation, intense curiosity, and dogged perseverance in pursuit of the truth—combined with the fresh perspective of a gifted adolescent exercising his considerable intellect in a real world investigation for the first time. With a propulsive storyline, crisp dialogue, engaging characters and a wealth of historical detail, Death Cloud should entertain readers familiar with the Holmes canon as well as newcomers. In the acknowledgements and an afterword, the author recommends several volumes of further reading both starring and about Holmes, as well as about Victorian England, to whet the curious reader’s appetite while awaiting the next book in the series.

Reviewed by Sean Kottke, Battle Creek, MI

At some point in a person’s life a choice must be made that will forever determine that individual’s future path. For Beatrice, this choice is harder than she originally thought. Society dictates that all sixteen year olds choose which faction to join or face living forever in poverty with the other factionless on the streets. She risks betraying her family by leaving them behind for another faction or betraying herself by remaining in a faction that does not allow her to be herself. When she discovers that she is a Divergent, Beatrice’s choice becomes even more difficult. The only thing she knows about being a Divergent is that it is dangerous, and she must keep it a secret. Her surprising choice pales in comparison to the surprises she encounters during the training for her chosen faction. On the surface everything is perfect in Beatrice’s futuristic utopia. Is society too naïve to think conflict can be prevented forever? Is it possible to maintain the delicate balance that was created many years ago? Suddenly the choice that Beatrice makes is but the first of many that she is forced to face that will forever change everyone’s future, not just her own.

Veronica Roth’s debut novel is similar enough to appeal to fans of The Hunger Games series, but unique enough to establish Divergent as a captivating, frustratingly consuming journey on its own. A strong female protagonist and a dynamic storyline appeal to readers of varying backgrounds and ages. The novel is a challenge to put down, and a sequel is surely anticipated. It is hard to imagine a book that succeeds in following the footsteps of other disturbing visions of the future such as 1984, Brave New World, and The Giver, but Roth has succeeded in the next great dystopian novel, Divergent.

Reviewed by Brian Spiro, Cincinnati, OH

Livvie Owen’s mind is a kaleidoscope of noise and color and proper nouns. Houses wink at her, and she is close friends with every home she and her family have ever lived in. She and her family have lived in several, and it looks as though they will be looking for a new place as soon as they receive a notice from their current landlady to vacate. And Livvie’s the reason. Complaints from the neighbors about Livvie’s bellowing and hollering, combined with concerns from the trailer’s owner about dents and other damage have led to the eviction. Livvie is not disruptive and destructive to irritate others. Her behavior releases pressure that builds when she is stressed or when outside stimuli overwhelm her senses. Livvie has autism spectrum disorder. This delightful girl and her family reset the margins of “normal.”

Using first-person point of view, Dooley creates a unique teen girl with autism. Livvie’s struggles to overcome her need to pull on her hair and her refusal to eat in McDonald’s because it is “too yellow” show what life is like for kids with ASD. Livvie’s development is evident and believable. The reality of life for other family members is also evident. Tash and Lanie, Livvie’s sisters, must share a room, while Livvie has her own, and the family suffers financially due in part to Livvie’s actions. Dooley’s writing is spot on with well-written characters and beautifully turned descriptions. Having students without ASD read this book might make them more understanding and, most likely, more empathetic.

Reviewed by Lottie Waggoner, Bloomington, IN

“Three things I know this second:  I have morning breath, I’m naked, and I’m waking up next to a boy I don’t know.”  From the very first sentence, The Mockingbirds propels readers into Alex’s frustration at her inability to reconstruct the memories of the night she was date raped. A
junior at Themis Academy, an exclusive boarding school, Alex experiences a realistic mix of both the social stigma based on the rapist’s bragging and contortion of the night’s events and the support system of her roommates and sister, Casey, a college student and graduate of Themis. Unwilling to go to the police or her school administrators, Alex is encouraged by her friends and sister to seek help from a covert student justice group, The Mockingbirds, who assist those who have been harassed or harmed by other Themis students. Although she would prefer to just forget the night ever happened, Alex comes to realize her battle for justice is not hers alone, but also the battle of other girls.

Author Daisy Whitney slowly reveals the events of the night of the rape through flashbacks, sparked by images or music. Obvious to the title, allusions are ripe throughout, with additional appearances by older popular music, a Greek Titan, and Shakespeare. Alex, a piano prodigy, notices the impact of the rape on her relationship with her music, as well. The book’s clever plotting sometimes leads readers down a different path than the book takes, which adds to the appreciation of the careful construction of the novel. The Mockingbirds is on par with some of the best contemporary realistic fiction.

Reviewed by Angie Beumer Johnson, Columbus, OH

In the underground of a booming, bustling mythical metropolis, lies the Catacombs, the home to a band of extraordinary rats who are of superior intellect and voice. There, Juniper, a rambunctious and rebellious rat, plots with a similar band of angry rats to overthrow a brutal dictatorship who for eleven long years has reigned over a once peaceful democracy. In this dark and dank underground city, the vicious (pardon the puns) head rat High Minister Killdeer and his henchman, Billycan, a former lab rat with a fondness for “butchery,” rule with an iron claw, making the lives of all the poor and humble rats miserable and desperate until one day, three young orphan rats flee the Catacombs and join forces with other “rebel rats” to engage in a battle to crush the evil High Minister and to build for all, a new and peaceful home—Nightshade City.

Kids who love fantasy—talking animals, creepy settings, and heroic and evil characters—will delight in this delicious read, reveling in the sophisticated language, ornate settings, and heroic histrionics.“We survive by cover of night. We live in the shadows, waiting for our redemption!” is just a sampling of what awaits the readers of this fanciful tale of how righteous rats seek harmony and salvation beneath the soil of unsuspecting humans. This is particularly effective for young readers with a sophisticated reading palette, a fondness for animals, and a love for social  justice.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kaplan, Orlando, FL

It is the opportunity of a lifetime. Not many sports writers get the chance to immerse themselves in the 110-year tradition that is the Army-Navy game, especially teenage writers, Stevie and Susan Carol. But this game will not be just any Army-Navy game. Two newspapers team up to provide in-depth coverage of the rivalry game and the appearance of a very special fan: the President of the United States. Stevie and Susan Carol find themselves in a world of Secret Service agents and possible threats to the President. It is hard enough to write sports stories as a fourteen year old, but now they have to face digging deeper into whatever the Secret Service is keeping undercover. Meanwhile, they may be forgetting the most important question of all: Are they in danger themselves?

In John Feinstein’s latest sports/mystery installment, the plotline is actually muted by the comprehensive details of this historic rivalry, and the reader will not care. Using real players, coaches, politicians, and even events from the 2010 college football season, Feinstein demonstrates what it must really be like as a sportswriter. Furthermore, the reader is given a complete understanding of the traditions that play an important role for fans, players, and students of the two academies. Complete with a brief history following the novel, this book is perfect for the reader who enjoys following college sports. The plot is only a vehicle used to share with young readers information that would otherwise make an interesting nonfiction book. Avid college football fans will enjoy seeing real players and coaches used in the novel. As a book about the Army-Navy rivalry, this novel is truly an interesting read.

Reviewed by Brian Spiro, Cincinnati, OH

Evie Pomeroy has always been known as a healer in her remote village. A chance encounter with the king earns her a scholarship to the royal university and an opportunity to study medicine just like her deceased mother and father. On Evie’s journey to her new life, she survives a highwayman’s attack, a shipwreck, and then comes to befriend the king’s mysterious fiancée. It is through the latter unlikely encounter that Evie uncovers the source of her innate talents and discovers that she is more special than she ever imagined.

Secondhand Charm will charm the hearts of girls in middle school and early high school. The story is equal parts adventure and romance, with a little magic thrown in. However, Evie Pomeroy is not a princess, nor a witch, and certainly not a damsel in distress. She is, rather, a “commoner” who dreams of being an academic. Evie begins her story afraid of the sea and convinced she cannot swim. It turns out that this thing she so fears is her greatest source of power. The potential in this message is the book’s most poignant twist, for Evie and readers alike.

Reviewed by Adrienne Kisner, Boston, MA

Being sixteen and moving from Los Angeles to her mother’s native Minnesota is hard enough, but when Katla Leblanc is inducted into the Icelandic Stork Society and discovers her true calling in life, she is more confused than ever. Suddenly her parent’s divorce, her failed and somewhat disturbing date with Wade, and the constant arguing with Jake, the school newspaper editor, are not as important as the decision she must make as Second Chair in the society, the placement of a new soul into a “vessel.” When Wade does not seem to give up pursuing her, despite the rejections Katla gives him, Jack steps in to rescue her, an act that is all too familiar for him. But the adults seem concerned about Katla’s sudden interest in Jack, and even her father, who comes to visit after Katla’s lost memory returns, wonders at the strange draw the boy and this town have on both his daughter and himself. Katla begins to listen to her heart as she interprets her dreams, learns the truth about a childhood accident that almost took her life, and discovers whom she really can trust.

An interesting mix of folktales which borders on the paranormal (can a young girl truly be the stork who determines the fate of unborn children), the novel uses strong language and sexual references which might make some younger readers uncomfortable. The climax and resolution require careful reading, but the book is interesting and well-written and will find an audience among teenage girls. The cover art alone will encourage readers to give the book a try.

Reviewed by LuAnn Staheli, Payson, UT

Julia has it all—doting parents, high school success as class valedictorian, a summer internship, and a full-ride scholarship to her father’s alma mater where she plans to achieve her dream (and her parents’ dream) of becoming a lawyer. But when Julia’s older sister, Sophie, the black sheep of the family, shows up for Julia’s high school graduation, she brings two gifts: a car and the truth about her family. Sophie knows a family secret so well hidden and so destructive that it shatters Julia’s idyllic notion about her parents and her entire childhood.

To distance herself from her parents and to gain perspective, Julia follows Sophie to Vermont, where Sophie plans to open a bakery in her fixer-upper house. As Julia and Sophie are scraping away old paint, they are also metaphorically scraping away the lies Julia was told, leaving the way for the restoration of the home and the sisters’ relationship. Along the way, Julia rekindles her love of art, a pleasure put away for the sake of her grades.

Cecilia Gallante creates believable characters without the histrionics of teenaged drama sometimes portrayed in YA literature. Although the conclusion of the book is very satisfying, the author could easily continue the story of Julia, a young woman who seems more like a friend than a character.
Reviewed by Julie Land, Marietta, GA

Martine (called Teenie) is fourteen and trying to find her way to fifteen. An excellent student, she hopes to earn a year-long scholarship to study in Spain. Best friend Cherise, who obsesses over boys, convinces Teenie to change her style by buying some tight, seductive clothes, which she does without her parents’ consent. Greg Millions, captain of the school basketball team and all around playboy, notices Teenie’s new style. Teenie loves the attention but gets herself into trouble when Greg expects “favors.”  Teenie’s lab partner, Garth, has been a good friend for a long time, and he tries to help her escape Greg’s demands and the anger of his other very jealous girls. Teenie is also looking out for Cherise who has been charmed by an older guy with money. When Teenie will not listen, Cherise tells her own father who steps in to save Cherise.

Grant’s book is filled with wild and crazy things as well as normal things that most young people go through in high school as they establish their own independence and boundaries. Unlike many authors, Grant presents not only Cherise’s absent and immature mother, but
Teenie’s loving, guiding parents who are not afraid to be totally present in their fourteen-year-old daughter’s life. Middle school girls will enjoy this well-written novel.

Reviewed by CJ Bott, Solon, OH

Seven teenagers find themselves alone at school during a dangerous week-long blizzard that brings the area to a complete stop. With no way to leave or let people know where they are, these seven disparate personalities struggle to survive. The story is told entirely through Scotty, a sophomore basketball player. Pete and Jason, Scotty’s friends, are each involved in their own
interests despite—or because of—the danger they are in. The freshman girls, Krista and Julie, serve to add a slight romantic interest and a few complications to the mix. Les is seen as the school troublemaker and viewed with unease, while Elijah is a true outsider preferring to be left to his own devices. When the power goes out and they lose both heat and lighting, the seven at first work together to make the best of what they assume to be a short ordeal. When snow continues to fall, completely covering the windows, they are forced to retreat to the second floor for a bit more light and hopes of maintaining some heat. As their situation becomes more perilous, tensions rise and tempers flare ultimately leading to a deadly decision.

Northrop’s narration exemplifies the thought processes of a young high school male. From concerns about an upcoming basketball game to longings for a girl, Northrop presents candid snapshots of Scotty’s thinking. In an almost stream-of-thought manner, Northrop guides readers through Scotty’s escalating awareness of their increasingly desperate circumstances and the
improbability of their survival. Fear and uncertainty permeate the final pages, leaving readers tantalized with unanswered questions. The straightforward writing makes this an excellent choice for young readers looking for a good read filled with direct dialogue, realistic characters, and enough conflict and tension to keep the plot interesting.

Reviewed by Susan M. Landt, Green Bay, WI

A plague is spreading, killing trees around the globe, but fifteen-year-old Kelsa Phillips can save the world from this ecological disaster. At least, that is what a mysterious boy named Raven tells her. She does not have time to cope with her father’s loss (whose funeral opens the story) before Raven starts explaining the quest she must go on to heal the world, a  quest that will take Kelsa from her home in Utah through Canada and finally to Alaska. As Kelsa delves deeper into this journey, she learns that not everyone wants her to succeed. There are some who will do anything to keep her from doing so, and the risks of joining Raven on this mission quickly go from potentially being grounded for life to potentially dying.

In Trickster’s Girl, Bell creates a wonderful blend of technology, magic, and nature. Though set in the future, it is not an altogether unfamiliar world. It is the world as we know it, only with a few extra technological advances (which we could easily see in the not-too-far future). In a world
so filled with fast-paced technology, Bell gets readers back in touch with nature, while tossing in some Native American spirits, subtle geography lessons, and a pinch of magic. It is rare that readers are treated to such a blend of science fiction and fantasy. The characters are fleshed out just enough to make them believable without sacrificing the mysteries surrounding them all at once. Some of those mysteries begin to unravel as their journey continues, culminating in an ending that is completely unexpected, but certainly an appropriate place to leave off Book One. The only unfortunate element about this book is that readers will have to wait until April 2012 for Book Two.

Reviewed by Crystal Leibowitz, Moriches, NY

Katey Dade is the heroine of this dystopian futuristic novel in which high schools have been replaced by games set in abandoned malls. The government has no money to fund education, so corporate sponsors take over. They set up game locations everywhere; education is now consistent and all based on marketing. Students swipe cards to come and go, tote cell phones featuring GPS trackers, post on profile pages, and supply status updates. Kid is a particularly insightful teen who is struggling to find her identity in this venue where branding (being linked to a company logo) is the goal. She struggles with an over-protective single mom, a traitorous gal pal, and a crush on a branded hunky guy. Her best friend, Mikey, offers the kind of loyalty Kid seeks in the interplay of cliques, academics, gaming, music, and art. She is eventually branded, and popularity and perks are exciting. Yet, at the same time, Kid seeks to discover who an underground group called the Unidentified is as they sabotage war games, parties, and internet connections controlled by the corporate authorities.

Teens can easily identify with characters as the implications of a technology-dependent society emerge. Orwellian mind control and loss of individualism are valuable themes. The implication for adolescents who already live in a world that is eerily familiar to the text will not be lost.

Reviewed by Judith A. Hayn, Little Rock, AR

Marley, who is the ultimate Star Trek fan, lives with his mother and father above their movie theatre. He does not have a lot of friends because the other kids at school tease him and beat him up. Marley keeps a diary that he calls his Captain’s Log. He labels himself in his diary as “invisible” because he feels that no one at school knows he exists and those who do just want to hurt him. In AV Club Marley and his only buddy, Ramen, make a new friend, Max. Marley also likes Emily Ebers. He likes her so much that he allows her to design a dress for him to model, but that decision does not go well. Marley’s two biggest problems at school are the Gorn, a group of boys who constantly harass him by punching him and shoving him into his locker and pushing him into the gym shower with his clothes on, and Digger, a bully who makes Marley do his homework for him. Because Marley is constantly on the run from these boys, the track team coach notices how fast he is and asks him to join the team. Marley ends up becoming a track star and handles his bullies with the utmost determination.

In a time when bullying is so prevalent in schools, Lisa Lee has touched upon a topic of relevance. She does a great job demonstrating that bullying does occur, it does cause people pain, and there is a way out of it.

Reviewed by Priscilla A. Boerger, Boca Raton, FL

Maurissa Guibord’s debut novel beings with two divergent definitions of the word warp from Webster’s dictionary. It means “the set of yarns placed in a loom that forms the lengthwise threads of a woven fabric,” and the “hypothetical eccentricity or discontinuity in the space-time continuum.” These definitions are essentially the plot of Warped. Tessa Brody discovers an ancient tapestry in a crate of books bought at auction for her father’s bookstore. Upon pulling a loose thread, Tessa releases the soul of William de Chaucy, a sixteenth-century nobleman who was ensnared and held captive. Tessa and Will fight against the cunning enchantress who trapped him in the tapestry in order to leech his youth and vigor, as well as the “Fates,” who want to correct the snags in their tapestry of life.

Warped is a fun romp through time-travel and teenage romance that spans centuries. Tessa’s full name, Tesseract, is a clever wink to Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, a book that could easily be found in Tessa’s family’s used bookstore. Tessa’s life is like the bookstore—a little dusty, worn from her mother’s untimely death, but otherwise comfortable. When everything she knows is shaken by the arrival of a mysterious crate, Tessa lives out the fantasy of most bookish children—her world is transformed into a place of adventure and danger.

Reviewed by Adrienne Kisner, Boston, MA