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!

I've been remiss!

It's been quite a while since I've posted, but I've been reading like crazy!  Here's a couple of the more recent ones!


"Abandon" by Meg Cabot - Excellent book, very intriguing.  It's based on the Hades/Persephone myth but set in modern times.  The book deals with a girl who died, but came back to life after escaping the Underworld.  She has several serious issues to deal with, such as being disconnected from the world, a former best friend who committed suicide as a result of having an affair with a teacher, parents getting divorced, moving to a new school far away from her previous one, not to mention the Furies who are after her and a tempestuous relationship with John, the ruler of one Underworld.  This is the first book in a new series and one I would recommend for middle or high school.  The affair is not gone into detail, but mentioned as she tries to avenge her friend.  No sex or profanity is described.

"Matched" by Allie Condie - Interesting dystopian book, the first in a planned trilogy.  This book reminded me of "The Giver" in that the society is planned by a group of people and the general populace does whatever they are told.  Once children are of age, they are matched with their future mates.  They attend a banquet where the matches are announced.  However, once at home, there is a glitch in the information and one person sees a flash of a second match.  What is she to do?  The novel winds its way through the society and how professions are determined, friendships, love, even entertainment is all proscribed by the ruling body.  What happens when someone rebels?  One thing that I love about this book is that it gives the same though provoking feel as "The Giver", including killing the elderly at the age of 80 in a manner that the majority of people don't know that it is murder, but the writer avoids killing babies.  That scene in "The Giver" always bothered me, so I'm very glad it is missing from Condie's world.  If you're looking for a companion, or a replacement, to "The Giver", this would be a good one.  Recommended for middle school or high school.  Nothing more than kissing is done sexually, no profanity, and the elderly are killed off using poison in their food, although in the actual scene they simply fall asleep.

"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.

"Black Hole Son", by David Macinnis Gill (YA-Sci Fi)

"Black Hole Sun" is a dystopian novel set in the future on a teraformed Mars.  The population is extremely segregated by social and economic classes.  The working class population struggles to earn enough to eat and water is scarce.  The life is hard and dangerous, and that is before you toss in the former humans turned cannibals who eat children and torture people.

This book was a favorite of my mentor, and my teenage son also loved it, however it was not my cup of tea.  It's a shame really, as I was hoping the book was more along the lines of "Firefly", but it ended up more like "Resident Evil".  While I love fantasy novels, sci-fi often leaves me wanting more.  The violence and imagery in this book did not appeal to me in the least.  I read halfway through the book before giving up as I really didn't care to finish it.  Given the violence and torture, I would not put this book in any school younger than an upper middle school or junior high school.  There wasn't any sex or inappropriate foul language. 

"39 Clues: The Maze of Bones", Rick Riordan (YA-mystery)

"The Maze of Bones" is book 1 in the 39 Clues series.  This volume, written by Rick Riordan, introduces us to Amy & Dan Cahill and sets the stage for a very big mystery.  Amy & Dan are 14 and 11 year old orphans when their grandmother dies.  In the reading of her will, they, and 40 of their family members, are presented with a choice.  They can either take a million dollars now, or they can get one clue.  The clue is the beginning of a long mysterious quest to a lot of power and money, but it will be difficult and dangerous and only one person or team can win.  Many of their relatives opt for the cash, but Amy and Dan choose the quest.  They have to use their wits and knowledge to beat everyone else to the next clue, which leads to another clue, etc., however, their distant relatives are trying to win as well.  They mislead the children, follow them, and try to kill them.  Amy and Dan, with the help of their young au pair, manage to elude most of the traps on their world-wide hunt.

There have already been several volumes in the series published, which helps readers move through the series without needing to wait for the next edition.  The story reminds me of the "National Treasure" movie, which mixes fiction with historical facts, so the reader doesn't realize they're learning while they're reading for fun.  The quest is intriguing and has an online counterpart where the readers can login and help Amy and Dan find clues.  There are some minor suspenseful scenes, but no sex or profanity.  I would place this book in the 3rd through 6th grade range, although it would also be great for low level readers in middle school.

"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.

"Eternal Ones" by Kirsten Miller (YA Fiction)

"Eternal Ones" is a story about what happens when someone remembers flashes of their past lives, but with an interesting twist.  In this case, Haven is a small town girl planning to head to New York for college in a few months.  However, ever since she was a child, Haven has been prone to fainting spells where she has visions of herself in a former life and her grandmother and half the town believe she's demon possessed.  Her best friend Beau, who happens to be gay, is also college bound.  The two bond as children and start a dress-making business together to help pay for college.  One day, Haven catches a glimpse of Ian, a famous playboy, on TV and has a flash of him as Ethan in her former life.  All of a sudden, they notice people watching their every moves.  There's also the problem of if Ethan killed Constance in the past life and if Haven can trust Ian.  There's a weird society that helps reincarnated people, only they're also corrupt and have a hand in several disasters and seem to have a weird obsession with Haven/Constance and Ian/Ethan.

The book was different, but I didn't see anything in it that would be objectionable (assuming reincarnation itself isn't objectionable to some).  There are a couple times that the "lovebirds" allude to sleeping together, but they don't go into any kind of detail.  It all happens off-screen.  There's less of that in it than in the Meg Cabot "Airhead" books, for example.  No swearing or anything.  Also, the secondary character, Beau, is gay, but is not in a relationship during the entire book.  Having a gay character would help students with different lifestyles to identify with someone, and yet not throw the parents or school board into a tizzy, so I wouldn't have any qualms about putting it in a middle school at all.

"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.

"I am a genius of unspeakable evil...", by Josh Lieb (YA fiction)

"I am a genius of unspeakable evil and I want to be your class president" is not appropriate for school libraries, in my opinion.  Granted, I didn't get further than 20-25 pages into the book, so things might have turned around.  However, during those 20-25 pages, all the 7th grade protagonist did was complain about his life and mock people.  Not seeing any redeeming qualities in the character, I promptly put the book down and moved on to one more interesting.

"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.

"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.