"Warriors: Into the Wild", Erin Hunter (YA fiction)

"Into the Wild" is the first book of Erin Hunter's "Warriors" series.  This book is very popular among male and female middle school students, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.  In talking with one of the students, he seemed to indicate that they were warrior cats.  In my mind, I was picturing cats walking around on two legs and more human sized.  This was an incorrect perception on my part.  These warrior cats are kittypets (housecats) and stray cats living in the woods and their societies that they've created.  There are humorous references to things like taking cats to the cutter (vet), clearing away their dirt (poo) and such, but they also have some interesting tribes that they've formed.  Along with the new cat culture, there are traitors, manipulation and intrigue.  Definitely worth reading and good for reluctant readers given the content and easy vocabulary.

"Finnikin of the Rock" by Melina Marchetta (YA Fiction)

I just finished "Finnikin of the Rock" and have mixed feelings about the age range for it.  It's a great story and deals a lot with finding yourself, while also rescuing an enslaved and cursed people, reuniting them with exiles, etc.

There isn't any sex in it, and the violence (they are at war) isn't overly descriptive, however there are a couple things to be mentioned.  There are a few places where there are references to what happens to women by evil soldiers at war, and a couple references to a man bonding with a man.  Neither are overt or descriptive, but mentioned in passing.  If you know what they're talking about, it's simple to figure out, but if you don't know, you might not catch on. 

Overall though, it's an excellent read and one I can see in high schools.  Middle school is a maybe though.