More books read, but no time to review!

With the new school year craziness, I haven't had time to post, but I'm still plowing through the young adult books.  Here's a few more quick reviews and thoughts:

1. "Pretty Little Liars" - Nope, no way.  Not for any academic library.  I thought I'd give it a read since a few of my elementary students requested it for the library.  I'm sure the TV show has a lot to do with their interests but, in my opinion, it's not appropriate for a school library.  One of the main characters has a sexual relationship with her high school teacher.  That alone is enough cause not to have it in your school.  There is drinking, sex and profanity in the book.  Not recommended for school libraries of any age range.
   
2. "Vampire Diaries" - Interesting in how very different it is from the TV show.  I only read the first volume, "Awakening", and it would be appropriate for 6th grade and up...at least this volume.  No inappropriate relationships, no one was having sex or drinking.  If your district has other vampire books, or books with paranormal characters, the book would fit right in.  Check the other volumes in the series first though as the character relationships might progress to sexual levels, given the TV show content.
   
3. "Oh.My.Gods" - Cute book about the descendants of the Greek gods.  Main character's mother remarries and quickly moves her daughter to a tiny island in Greece.  Naturally, you have the remarriage issues, new sibling and new student conflicts, etc.  The twist is that every student in the new school is a direct descendant of a Greek god, so they have paranormal abilities.  I would recommend this for middle schools and high schools.
   
4. "A Tale Dark and Grimm" - Loved this book!  It's a fun read and has a unique twist.  The author takes you through some of the original Grimm fairytales with Hansel and Gretel as the main characters.  The author narrates periodically in a humorous way.  Some of the content is grisly, however, so I wouldn't recommend it for young children.  I could see it fitting in for middle or high school students.
   
5. "Fever Crumb" - This is a good dystopian tale.  It reminds me a bit of "Black Hole Sun".  It's a bit long of a read at times, with detailed descriptions, but likeable just the same.  The futuristic world is dark with people rebelling against a race of beings who thought they were superior to humans, so they controlled humans and treated them as slave labor.  The main character is the first female engineer and you follow her as she makes discoveries, finds the rebel force and confronts her own history, etc.  It's recommended for middle school and up.

Now, I'm going to read a book for me, then back to the young adult lit!

"Monster High", Lisi Harrison (YA-fantasy)

"Monster High" by Lisi Harrison is the first book in a new series about students in a high school in Salem, Oregon.  Many years ago, monsters and witches moved to Salem to avoid persecution by normals.  Years and years later, they are still living there, but are in hiding.  This volume follows two teen girls new to the high school, Frankie Stein and Melody Carver.  With alternating chapters, you get to know each girl and her circle of friends, although they are in different cliques.  Melody recently moved to Salem from Beverly Hills and has a crush on the boy next door, only he burns hot and cold.  Will Melody be able to figure out what's going on with him and what his secret is?  Then meet Frankie, who was "born" a week ago.  Frankie is a little uncomfortable hiding her mint green skin under layers of make-up, not to mention her bolts and seams!  Once she meets the secret monster underground, will she stage a successful revolution or be run out of town?

This story is a lot of fun and you get to see old favorite monsters brought to life in young teens in new ways, such as Frankie, the granddaughter of Frankenstein.  This book has a little of the mean-girl clique issues, although it is toned down.  No sexual activity other than kissing in the book.  Parents are present and involved (or try to be) and no profanity, drugs or drinking.  There are other books in the series planned, each highlighting different monster and normie teens.  Recommended for grades 6 and up.

"Runaway", Meg Cabot (YA-Sci-Fi/Fantasy)

"Runaway" is the third (and final?) installment in Meg Cabot's Airhead series.  What is the secret plan of Stark Enterprises?  What does Nikki have on Stark that got her killed?  How are Em and Nikki going to resolve their issue of switched bodies?  Find out in the conclusion of the trilogy!

This book nicely wraps up all the loose ends for Nikki and Em, as well as the supporting characters.  I enjoyed how everything was resolved and think middle and high school students would as well.  There isn't any explicit sex in the books, although the characters are 16 and drinking, not to mention on their own without parental supervision for the majority of the book, as with the previous ones in the series, so I would not put it in an elementary library.

“Wish”, by Alexandra Bullen (YA-fiction)

Olivia is a high school student who just moved to a new city with her parents.  She’s shy and reserved and is your typical new girl who notices the hot guy who happens to be dating the most popular girl at school.  The twist?  Olivia and her parents are still reeling from the death of her twin sister the previous summer.  While still missing her sister, Olivia takes one of Violet’s torn dresses to a seamstress/dressmaker to be repaired.  Only, the dress she gets is NOT the one she brought in.  The new dress is drop-dead gorgeous and possesses magical powers.  With it, Olivia discovers she gets to make a heartfelt wish and it will come true.  She wishes for her sister to come back, and she does!  However, while corporal to Olivia, no one else can see or hear Violet.  The sisters visit the seamstress who tells Olivia that she still has 2 other dresses and wishes coming.  What will Olivia wish for next?

“Wish” is Bullen’s debut novel and I think she hits the ball out of the park with it.  The story is poignant and written well, with interesting relatable characters for young adults.  Olivia is relatable and the grief she and her parents exhibit while healing from the death of Violet is realistic as well.  This book is written in such as way that I can see it helping students who have suffered a loss, as well as being entertaining for those who haven’t.  Violet was a drowning victim and the scene is not overly descriptive when Olivia recounts the story to a friend.  There is some kissing and some underage drinking, but no sex, foul language or violence.  I recommend it for students in the 6^th grade and up.

"Shiver", by Maggie Stiefvater (YA-fantasy)

“Shiver” is a romance story about teenage werewolves but it is rather unique.  In this werewolf tale, werewolves are created once the human is bitten by a werewolf.  The former humans change into wolves whenever it the weather turns cold.  As time progresses, they need it to be warmer and warmer before they’ll turn human until, finally, they no longer can return to their former human shapes and live their lives as wolves.  Grace was kidnapped as a child by wolves who attacked her, but one wolf saved her from death and returned her to her home.  Since then, Grace has been drawn to the wolves.  When one of her classmates was killed by a wolf, but then Grace sees a wolf with his eyes, she starts to wonder if werewolves are real.  Eventually, she meets “her” wolf in human form, Sam.  They fall in love and have to uncover mysteries and resolve his dwindling time as a human dilemma before they can live happily till the next installment in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series.

While Sam and Grace are in a romantic relationship, their scenes together are not overly descriptive.  However, given some graphic scenes involving the wolves attacking humans, and Sam’s parents slitting his wrists after he first changes to a wolf and back, I would only recommend this book for junior high and high school students.

"The Lost Hero", Rick Riordan (YA-Fantasy)

"The Lost Hero" continues the storyline of Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief" series, but with a twist.  In this story arc, we are introduced to three new demigods, with splashes of the ones we're already familiar with.  These heroes are also at Camp Half-blood and we visit several Greek gods.  However, these Greek gods tend to morph into their Roman counterparts when in the presence of Jason.  Jason is leading his friends on a new quest to save the world, only he has no memory of his past.  Piper and Leo are 2 other demigods who will form the seven needed.  One question remains until the end of the book...where is Percy?

I rather enjoyed this new story arc.  Of the Percy Jackson series, I only read the first volume.  This one seems to be written better than the previous series.  It was a quick read and I am interested in the rest of the series.  I gave the book to my son (13 years old) and he devoured it in one day, which is a ringing endorsement.  This would be a great book for middle school students or advanced readers in upper elementary.  I purchased one copy for my K-6 school library and many of the 5th and 6th graders are chomping at the bit to check it out.  There are some battle scenes, but no profanity and no sex.

"Nightlight" by Harvard Lampoon (YA-parody)

Reading "Nightlight" is like watching a train wreck.  You're horrified, but can't look away.  "Nightlight" is a parody of "Twilight" by Meyers.  Granted, I'm not a fan of the original, but was intrigued by the parody, so thought I'd give it a whirl.  It's humorous in a "so bad I can't believe it way", but I have to admit that I've never been a big admirer of this type of writing either.  I got about halfway through the book before putting it down though, which says something. 

If you like parodies, then take it for a spin.  Otherwise, you may want to stay far away!

"Hunger Games", Suzanne Collins (YA fantasy)

The world is a very different place than we know it.  North America rebelled against the government and is paying the price.  We have been divided into 13 colonies that are not allowed to intermingle with each other.  In order to remind us of what we wrought, each year a boy and girl (ages 12-18) are randomly drawn from each district and forced to participate in a televised fight to the death.  Whomever is the last person standing gets food for their district for the next year...all other districts are left to starve and manage as best they can.  Hence the name, "Hunger Games".  The twist for this year?  The boy and girl from district 13, who's district hasn't won in several decades, happen to love each other.  How are they supposed to kill each other in order to survive?

"Hunger Games" is an interesting dystopian novel for young adults and the first in a trilogy.  This book is very well written with a male and female protagonist so as to engage readers of both genders.  The storyline is gripping with a few plot twists and the beginnings of a little romance (nothing more than a kiss).  There is some violent scenes, which should be obvious given the context of the book, but nothing overly descriptive.  This is a book that I would recommend for middle or high schools, as well as for adults.

"Need", Carrie Jones (YA fantasy)

"Need" is an entertaining romp into the world of pixies and weres.  After Zara's step-father dies, her mother packs her up and sends her from her Southern home to the Northern cold.  On Zara's first day of school, she sees a figure in the woods of a man that she has seen before.  Is it a stalker?  Given the evidence of gold glitter dust, her friends think he's a pixie out to either find his queen or kidnap boys.  What does he really want with her?  Why are so many of the teens at the school acting weirdly?  What's really going on?

This book has aspects of mystery, intrigue, romance (although kissing only) and suspense.  I would recommend this book for middle or high schools.  It was a nice quick read and very well written with decent character development.

"Fallen", by Lauren Kate (YA urban fantasy)

"Fallen", by Lauren Kate would be an excellent book for middle or high school libraries.  The storyline is about star-crossed loves who reunite every 17 years only to be tragically ripped apart...repeat.  There's also a bit of mystery and some religious overtones tossed in as you learn the origins of the characters.  This particular reincarnation finds the characters at a reform school for various misdeeds.  Parts of the story dragged on a bit, but the characters were interesting and make the reader want to get to the bottom of the mystery.  The second book in the series is due to be released this fall.

For those who would like specific details regarding appropriateness, there isn't any sex or explicit scenes, although there is some kissing.  There are a few fights and an epic battle, but most details are left out.

"Infinity" by Sherrilyn Kenyon (YA and Adult, Fantasy)

Nick Gautier is a 14 year old student who is often picked on by the more privileged students at his school.  He is from a broken home with a father in jail for murder and a mother who became a stripper to make ends meet.   While she loves him, Nick's mom keeps buying him loud Hawaiian shirts from Goodwill to wear to school, which doesn't help his image any.  Weird things start to happen in New Orleans and living teenage zombies (as opposed to undead ones) are eating his classmates.  Who's controlling them?  How do they stop the zombies?  Why do they keep coming after Nick?  And who is this guy who says he's related to Nick and trying to help him?  Is he really helping or is he the cause of the weird events?

"Infinity" poses an interesting dilemma for me.  It's a great read, and is written with a 14 year old protagonist so you'd think it was young adult lit, however, the lead character is also in her adult fantasy novels, although he's 10 years older.  I enjoyed the story overall, and it was great to see Nick as a young lad and how he met the other characters and became a Squire, but her adult novels are certainly not appropriate for middle school students, given the sexual content in them.  This book, however, is appropriate for both middle school and high school students and contains nothing more than a single kiss for romantic involvement.

"Skulduggery Pleasant" by Derek Landy (YA mystery fantasy)

"Skulduggery Pleasant" is a fun romp in the world of the weird.  Stephanie's uncle Gordon, a famous writer of fantasy mystery novels, seems to have gotten himself dead.  He was the owner of something that couldn't pass hands until he was no longer of this world, so someone helped him leave earlier than he had planned.  As his favorite and only niece, Stephanie inherits just about all of Gordon's worldly possessions even though she is only 12 years old.  After being attacked by goons, and rescued by Gordon's best friend, Skulduggery Pleasant, Stephanie is introduced to a fabulous new world of magic.  Skulduggery, an animated skeleton detective guides Stephanie on her quest to find out what happened to her uncle.

This is an engaging book and very entertaining, with many quirks and irreverent humor.  It would be good for upper elementary or middle schools. 

"Red Pyramid", Rick Riordan (YA Fantasy)

Rick Riordan's "Red Pyramid" is a great story and an easy read.  It is very similar to the author's other famous series, "Percy Jackson & the Olympians", but with Egyptian gods and goddesses instead of Greek ones.  Two siblings, a boy and a girl, share the lead roles in this novel and take turns telling the story.  A few chapters for each, and then they switch off as though they are transcribing notes after the adventure is over.  They even have comical asides to each other in their narration as well.  Great characters, interesting information on Egyptian mythology, intriguing plot and supporting characters, etc.  This book is an excellent choice for middle or high school readers and I look forward to the next installment.

"Morpheus Road" by DJ MacHale (YA Horror Fiction)

I have mixed feelings about "Morpheus Road".  Professionally, I think this book was very well done.  It is written well, has interesting characters and an intriguing plot.  This would be great for high school students or advanced middle school readers.  Personally, I thought the story was creepy.  Let me explain.  I'm not the type of person that likes to scare myself.  I don't enjoy haunted houses, slasher movies or Stephen King novels.  They just freak me out.  This book was written along those same creepy lines.  I'm sure those that enjoy the macabre will love the book and I didn't find anything objectionable about it other than the heebie jeebies.

"Morpheus Road" is the first book in a new trilogy by DJ MacHale, the writer of the popular Pendragon series.  In this book, we are introduced to a new cast of characters, one of whom is missing and another is being haunted by his own creation.  This creation seems to be able to possess people or force them to do his bidding and, his bidding is to kill off the protagonist.  In order to find out what happens and why, as well as solve the mystery of his friend's disappearance, you'll have to pick up the book...if you dare!

"Iorich" by Steven Brust (Fantasy Fiction)

I am a long-time fan of Steven Brust, however this latest edition to the "Jhereg" series, "Iorich" fell a little short of the mark for me.  I enjoy the fast paced action, well developed plot and characters, as well as the excellent dialog in his novels.  "Iorich" did have most of those qualities, but I found that it dragged on more than I would have liked.  Perhaps it was due to the mostly absent usual cast of characters, I'm not sure.  On the plus side though, this book got me thinking about how appropriate this series would be for middle and high school readers.  There isn't any sex or foul language in the book, and not even any overly descriptive violence.  The author even tries to incorporate social issues to get people thinking, which is great.

"Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer (YA fantasy)

"Artemis Fowl" is an interesting story of a 12 year old crime lord.  Artemis believes he has found a way to steal the power of fairies by using technology to translate their secret tome after tricking it from a fairy.  At the same time, Holly, a fairy, is the only female in the fairy police and has a habit of getting herself in more trouble than she can handle, such as being kidnapped by Artemis!  This is an interesting and engaging story for middle school students and perhaps for more advanced upper elementary students as well.  However, I do not recommend the audio version of this book as the change in perspectives from Holly to Artemis is difficult to follow at first when audio only.

"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.

"How to Train Your Dragon", Cressida Cowell (Young Adult Fiction)

"How to Train Your Dragon" is a fun read and excellent for reluctant readers.  This book has humorous pencil drawings and ink stains scattered throughout the book.  It tells the tale of an unlikely hero and his dragon who save the village, including his larger than life viking father.  Interestingly enough, this book doesn't have much in common with the movie that opened yesterday, with the exception of the cast of characters.  Still, I recommend it for grades 3-6.

"Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians", Brandon Sanderson

"Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians" was a hysterical romp through an interesting mind!  The hero, Alcatraz, is an orphan who receives a gift from his long dead parents on his 13th birthday...a bag of sand.  Little does he know, this sand can be used to create lenses with magical properties.  Swiftly, we are introduced to Alcatraz's unknown grandfather and a cast of characters with unique traits.  Alcatraz, himself, possesses the ability to break things.  He opens a car door and the handle falls off, he touches a gun and it falls to pieces, etc.  His grandfather's ability is to arrive late to things, so when he is attacked, nothing happens to him as he arrived late to his injuries, and so forth.  In this world, the horde of evil librarians are trying to assimilate other lands into the Hushlands.  They do so by controlling information to the populace.  For example, there are really 10 continents, but they hid 3 of them from the world!

There were several times where I literally burst into laughter reading this novel.  Such as when we learned that authors don't write books because they need to express their imaginations, but because they love to torture people.  This certainly explains all of those cliffhangers!  Recommended for middle/high school students or adults, but most certainly for librarians everywhere!  This is the first book in a 3 book series and readers must have a sense of humor to appreciate the nuances.