Ugh! Sorry!

I just realized that I haven't updated my book reviews in a while!

Short synopsis for the ones I remember:

"First Grave on the Right" - Daydra Jones (I believe) - LOVED IT!  This book was a great read.  Very different type of story with a woman who can interact with ghosts in interesting ways.  Great humor and style.  This was a debut novel for Jones.  However, given the language, and some sexual content, I would not put this book in any K-12 setting.  Leave it for adults only.

"My Sister the Vampire" - (YA fantasy fiction) - this story was cute.  New girl at school is a cheerleader and thinks she'd do well with that crowd.  However, the cheerleaders are your typical mean girls scenario.  The twist?  The new student recognizes this and rebels against it.  She even goes so far as to apologize to the student that the group insulted at lunch.  Good thing too, as the new girl, and the insulted girl, realize that they are identical twins separated and adopted by different families when they were very young.  Naturally, they switch places and enjoy each others lives for a short time.  I'd recommend this series for 3rd grade and up. 

I know there were others, including the latest Anne Bishop book, but I can't for the life of me remember the titles at the moment.

Reading now:  Brain Jack.

"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.