Interactive History Adventure Books (Young Adult, Realistic Fiction)

"You Choose Books" has put out a line of historical novels where readers can choose their own adventures.  I read "The Titanic" by Bob Temple which was interesting.  The ending, obviously, is the same with it hitting the iceburg and sinking, however, the choices the reader makes determine if they live or die.  All of the tales supposedly happened to people on the ship and there are several historical details as well.  In this particular volume, you can choose to be a first-class passenger, an employee of the ship, or a third-class passenger.  From there you make such choices as to help others, have dinner with some people, go above deck, speak English, etc.  The book is short and none of the endings are gruesome or scary, so I'd recommend it for upper-elementary students through middle school.  A word of caution, however, in some of the story threads, you can die.

"Being Nikki", Meg Cabot (Young Adult, Fantasy)

"Being Nikki" is the sequel to Meg Cabot's "Airhead", which I reviewed a few posts ago.  In this story, Nikki is introduced to her brother, who claims their mother has gone missing.  Nikki/Em feels obligated to help look for her "mom", but lets her "brother" in on her secret.  Things with Stark are getting even more creepy with additional bugs in the home.  Plus, what's up with people thinking that Nikki is sending them email and texts, when Em certainly hasn't been?  Read it to find out!  The third installment, "Runaway" is due out in April 2010.

"Malice", Chris Wooding (Young Adult Fantasy & Graphic Novel)

"Malice" is the first Wooding book that I've read.  It's an interesting concept where the author changes from traditional storytelling to graphic novel format and then back again.  The idea is that children get their hands on an underground comic, gather some items like cat fur, tears and a feather, burn them and then say "Tall Jake take me away" six times (similar to other urban legends like CandyMan).  When you're alone, Tall Jake takes you away and you awake in a comic book world.  Readers of the graphic novel can see you and your actions from the "real world".  Children then fight to stay alive and get out of Malice.  If you die in the comic book, you die in real life.  If you return, you remember nothing.  It's a bit on the creepy side, but no overt violence.  I'd recommend this book for 7th grade and older, but not much younger than that.

"Airhead", Meg Cabot (Young Adult-Fantasy)

Meg Cabot has written several young adult series, including the "Princess Diaries" and "Avalon High".  "Airhead" is the first of a new series where an average, although intelligent, girl saves her sister from a tragic accident, but sustains fatal injuries in the process.  A few feet from her dying body, a teen supermodel suffers from a brain injury and dies.  Before anyone realizes that these girls are dead or dying, they are wisked away for a super-secret procedure where the average girl's brain is transplanted into the supermodel's body.  Naturally, given the amount of money involved and invested in the model, no one can know what happened.  Emerson must now live life as though she was Nikki, although she realizes everything is not perfect in Nikki's world either! 

Overall, this is a cute story and very entertaining.  I'd recommend this for middle or early high school readers.  If it means anything, I'm curious to see what happens in "Becoming Nikki", the second book in the series.

"Born of Ice", Sherrilyn Kenyon

"Born of Ice" is the latest in a new series by Sherrilyn Kenyon.  This series is NOT appropriate for young adults, unless they be of the older variety, given that there are sex scenes in the book.  This is an interesting new world placed sometime in the future when we have started populating other planets and have no trouble traveling between them.  Most of the characters seem to have their own personal spaceships, similar to how we have cars now.  The first two installments deal with two couples who are also friends, and this one is about the son of one of those couples and him finding his true love...who also happens to be a spy/slave sent to find or manufacture evidence against him and send him away for life.  It's a good quick read and an excellent form of brain candy.

"Flirt", Laurell K Hamilton (adult-fantasy)

"Flirt" is the latest addition to Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake series.  This book is a much smaller addition than her usual books are, but it's nice that it has an interesting plot and only one sex scene instead of the copious amounts of sex that has been found in her works as of late.  In this one, Anita turns down a few animator jobs but then one of her would be clients tries to force her to do it by kidnapping her and threatening to kill 3 of her loved ones.  Oh, and Anita crosses a line and also adds a lion to her list of animals to call.

"Death by Bikini", Linda Gerber (YA - Mystery)

"Death by Bikini" is another great selection for middle school students.  This one is very popular in my school library, so I thought I'd give it a read.  This one is a murder mystery that takes place on a private island resort.  The heroine is the owner's daughter who solves several mysteries.  Long time mystery fans will figure things out before they happen, but there are still a few interesting twists along the way.  There is some light romance, but nothing more than a kiss, keeping it appropriate for a younger audience while still being interesting enough for older students.

"Bounce", Natasha Friend (YA - Realistic Fiction)

"Bounce" is another realistic fiction novel by Natasha Friend, who also wrote "Lush" and "Perfect".  I've already reviewed "Lush", but "Bounce" is also a great one for middle schoolers.  This one is about a family who's widowed father is marrying a woman with several children in a different city and state.  So, it incorporates blending families as well as being the new girl in school.