Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The Sigh

by Marjane Satrapi

Summary:
Rose's father is wonderful in every way. But when he returns from a trip without the present she asked for, she sighs a deep sigh. When a mysterious being called "The Sigh" is summoned by her sigh, he brings her the blue bean she had asked her father for. But his price is high, and Rose will have to live with the consequences.

Review:
The Sigh is an illustrated fairy tale for tweens.  The story is very cute, and will appeal to tweens who like fairy tales.  Rose falls in love and has to overcome a lot of adversity to find happiness, a storyline that many girls will like. The illustrations are fantastic and add to the story as well. It's a good book for younger tweens.

Genre: Fairy Tale
Age Level: 3rd Grade

Don't Turn Around

by Michelle Gagnon

Summary:
Noa has only relied on herself for years. She beat the foster care system, tricked it into letting her live alone. She's made a name for herself as a hacker, earning enough that she never has to worry.  But she she wakes up alone on an operating table, with no memory of what happened, she discovers that there are some things you can't plan for.  After she escapes whoever had trapped her there, she finds only one person she can trust, another hacker she's never actually met.  It up to her and Patrick to discover what happened to her, and the truth might just get them killed.

Review:
First things first, this is another trilogy. I didn't realize it when I picked it up, but it's good to know. Overall the book is interesting.  The book is a bit tech heavy, but the author makes it so that it is pretty easy to understand.  Noa is a strong character who has to lean on a stranger to survive. Patrick is the classic boy who had everything who realizes that everything he ever knew is a lie.  The book is fast-paced and interesting, good for both genders if they are into thrillers. 

Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

Breathe My Name

by R. A. Nelson

Summary:
Frances has worked hard to forget her past. Her parents, her friends, her life now are what matters. But when she receives a letter telling her her birth mother has been released from jail, she is forced to remember the past. The past where she had 3 little sisters. The past where her mother murdered them, and tried to murder her too.  It was only luck that someone heard her yelling, luck that she survived where her sisters didn't.  But when her mother writes to her, telling Frances she needs to finish what was started, Frances realizes the only way she is going to be able to move on from her past is to confront it face to face.

Review:
A fast paced psychological thriller, Breathe My Name is a hard hitting book about one girls struggle to move on from a horrific event.  The book does an excellent job of discussing mental illness in relation to the mother and the crimes she commits. The reader is left guessing her motives for contacting Frances until the very end, where a plot twist upends most of the readers assumptions. It's a great book for teens who like thrillers, but best for slightly more mature teens since the subject is pretty dark. 

Genre: Psychological Thriller
Age Level: 9th Grade

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Girl in Blue

by Ann Rinaldi

Summary:
When the call goes out for men to enlist in the Union Army, Sarah sees her chance to escape the life she's been trapped in, and her impending marriage to her terrible neighbor. Disguised as a boy, she joins the army and becomes a Union soldier.  After fighting in the battlefields of Virginia she's discovered to be a girl. Offered a chance to become a spy instead of being court martialed for lying to the government, she leaps at the chance to keep serving her country.  But being a spy is much harder than being a soldier, being a spy means betraying those whose trust you are out to gain.  Being a spy might even being betraying herself.

Review:
As usual, Rinaldi does a fantastic job of creating a historical novel that draws the reader in and makes them truly invested in the characters.  Sarah is a likable character, with flaws and dreams.  The people she meets along her journey each shape a part of the next stage in her life. it's a great book for girls who like adventure or historical fiction.

Age Level: 7th Grade
Genre: Historical Fiction

The Pirate Captain's Daughter

by Eve Bunting

Summary:
Catherine has always known her father was a pirate, even though he tried to keep the truth from her mother and her. When her mother dies, rather than be cast off to live with her aunt in America, Catherine convinces her father to take her to sea with him.  Disguising herself as a boy, she joins his crew as a musician.  But she's soon to discover that the life of a pirate isn't anything like the songs make it out to be.  Life as a pirate means she might not live to make it to the next port.

Review:
Catherine is a strong character with ideas of her own and a desire to make her own way in life, regardless of the standards of the time.  Bunting's book combines action and adventure with a little bit of romance.  The pirate crew is an unlikable bunch, and the things that happen aboard ship seem pretty true to life (fights and the like).  The book is great for girls that like adventure novels. 

Age Level: 6th Grade
Genre: Historical Fiction

Numbers

by Rachel Ward

Summary:
Every time you looked at someone, you can see the day that they will die.  What do you do with that kind of knowledge? Does knowing the day you'll die help you? Would telling people stop them from dying? The numbers haunt Jem.  Knowing the day that every single person she encounters will die makes every day almost unbearable.  Until she meets Spider, a boy whose death date is not far in the future. Maybe knowing the date will let her stop if from happening. Maybe he can be the one she saves.

Review:
The premise of Numbers is interesting, but the book itself is a bit disjointed and the language a bit hard to follow at times. The main characters are kids from rougher areas of London, so there is a lot of slang written in that might be hard for some teens to follow.  In some ways the harsher writing (or not as developed I suppose) does help the plot as it makes you feel a bit closer to the characters.  Overall the book is an interesting read but nothing thrilling.  Ok for teens who enjoy books about fate or star crossed lovers.

Age Level: 8th Grade
Genre: Realistic Fantasy Fiction
Series: sequel Numbers: the Chaos

Friday, December 7, 2012

There is No Dog

by Meg Roscoff

Summary:
So typically when you think of God you think of an almighty being, who works for the good of everyone. Not some teenager who acts on impulse and falls in love. And when God falls in love, it wrecks havoc on the planet he created (like volcanoes erupting and floods havoc).  Luckily his assistant Mr. B is there to try and clean up the mess, but when God falls in love with a girl named Lucy he's not sure he wants to keep playing nursemaid to this kid. Leaving us to wonder....what's going to happen if Mr. B isn't there to clean up the mess this time?

Review:
There is no Dog is a funny book about the roles we have in life.  God, a far cry from his normally depicted being, is an impetuous teenager. His moods are the reason the world has so many natural disasters. It's an amusing read, portraying God and the other immortal beings more like the Greek Gods versus the Christian singular one.  A good read for those who are able to appreciate more tongue in cheek humor, rather than those who would take the book literally in any sense. 

Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

The Night She Disappeared

by April Henry

Summary:
Kayla, Gabie and Drew aren't really close friends, but they go to school together, and work together at a pizza place.  The night Kayla goes missing on a delivery, Gabie was supposed to be working.  Gabie should have been the one delivering that pizza.  So now Gabie and Drew are left to wonder not only if Kayla is still alive, but if the killer is waiting to get Gabie next. 

Review:
This is a fast paced read that draws readers in quickly. The book alternates between the perspectives of all three characters, which lets you get to know all of them in a different way. Gabie and Drew work to find the kidnapper to save Kayla, which while a little far fetched makes for an exciting plot.  It's a good book for teens that like mysteries.

Genre: Mystery
Age Level: 8th Grade

Accomplice

by Eireann Corrigan.

Summary:
Finn and Chloe have done everything right so far. They've done good in school, participate in extracurricular activities, volunteer, basically have done everything that they have been told that would give them an edge to get into a great college. Which is great. Except what they've done thousands of other people have done.  They need to do something that really will set them apart, that will really make colleges want them.  So they decided to fake Chloe's kidnapping. Finn will play the devastated friend, and when enough time has gone by (and enough media attention) she will help Chloe 'escape' from her 'imprisonment.'  But once the plan is set into action Finn is left to see the devastation their ploy wrecks on everyone she cares about, and is forced to see just how far the consequences of the plan extend.

Review:
What I found most interesting, and almost believable, is how far these two girls were willing to go to get an edge on other college applicants.  This, more than anything, was the biggest thing that stood out to me.  Both girls were responsible and smart students, but the college application process brings out their worst qualities.  As outlandish as it is, their plot succeeds in the book, and Finn is left to carry her guilt about deceiving everyone, and ruining a few other peoples futures in the process.  It's a good read for teens, any who are going through this process themselves will definitely understand the motives of these girls.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th-10th Grade

The Knife of Never Letting Go

by Patrick Ness

Summary:
Imagine never having a private thought. Imagine if everything you thought everyone could hear.  If everything animals thought you could hear.  It would be endless Noise right? Todd has grown up in Prentisstown. A town of only men. A town where no thought is private, even from your dog.  But in a town where you know every thought of every person, secrets can still be kept.  Secrets that can destroy a world.  When Todd discovers a girl named Viola hiding in the nearby swamp, a girl whose thoughts he can't hear, everything he ever knew is shattered.  And when they become the most wanted people in Prentisstown, and in all of the New World, they will have to find a way to survive.

Review:
At first I had a hard time getting into this book, but the more I read the more the book drew me in.  At first you are led to believe that Prentisstown is all there is in this world, but as Todd meets Viola we discover that Prentisstown is one of many towns on the New World; a world that was supposed to be a utopian society until the problems that plague all societies emerged.  The book kind of mirrors the hope of the Puritans landing in Plymouth, only to discover that the perfect world is not as easy to make as you want.  The book is extremely engaging and will be liked by any teen who enjoys dystopian fiction or epics. The characters are extremely interesting, especially Todd as we can hear every thought he has.  The book does a good job of discussing the concepts of good and evil, and as you get further in the series you see the characters struggling with the definition of both in the same way Katniss has to in Mockingjay (as in President's Snow v Coin, but in this book it is Prentiss v Mistress Coyle). 

Genre: Science Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Series Information: Knife of Never Letting Go (Book 1), The Ask and the Answer (Book 2), The Madness of Men (Book 3)

Friday, November 16, 2012

Glimmer

by Phoebe Kitanidis

Summary:
What would you do if you woke up in bed with a stranger, not knowing how you got there, or even who you are? Would you run? Would you stay and try and find out? What if they didn't know how they got there either? Or what their name was?  Where do you go from there?  Elyse and Marshall woke up with no recollection of who they were, but when they are recognized around town, and brought back to their 'homes' they start to wonder about this place that they have supposedly grown up in. What they find will shatter the town to it's foundations, that is if they can survive it.

Review:
The book is a bit confusing, since as the reader you are trying to figure out everything just as the characters are. The entire town's population operates under a fog, which we find out is the result of a magician.  I didn't realize the book was fantasy based when I picked it up, but it does a good job of talking about magic without seeming too far fetched, which will make it appealing to those who aren't very into fantasy fiction.  Overall it's a good read; it keeps you interested as you try and figure out what's really going on with everyone you encounter in the book. Good for teens.

Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 8-9th Grade

See You at Harry's

by Johanna Knowles

Summary:
Fern loves her family, she really does. But sometimes she just feels invisible.  Between her older sister and brother and their antics, and her little 3 year old brother Charlie clamoring for attention, she just kind of gets lost in the mix.  But when an accident happens, an accident Fern is sure she caused, the family is ripped apart. You never know how much you can take until you are taken past your breaking point, and Fern doesn't know how her family will survive.

Review:
Knowles' book is a poignant reminder of how easily breakable life is. Fern's family life wasn't perfect before the tragedy, but they all loved each other and were a constant presence in each other's lives.  Now she has to deal with her own guilt about the accident, a sister and brother sorting through not only their grief but their own immense issues, and parents who have completely withdrawn from their children.  Fern is a great character who you really identify with as she tries to find a way to bring her family back together. A great read for a slightly older tween or teen.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 7th-8th Grade

Timeless

by Alexandra Monir

Summary:
It had always been Michele and her mother. They had a great life in Los Angeles. But when her mother dies in a car crash, Michele finds herself across the country living with grandparents she's never met. Grandparents who happen to be Windsor's, one of the oldest (and richest) families in New York City.  As Michele struggles to adjust to her new life, she finds herself exploring the house her mother grew up in.  What she finds is a diary, a diary that takes her back to 1910. Where she discovers that everything she thought she knew isn't quite true.

Review:
For a book about time travel, Timeless is well written and pretty believable.  I enjoyed how the author didn't try to explain any 'science' behind the diary's ability to take Michele back in time to whichever time period she was thinking about. I also thought that her interactions with her ancestors were quite fun, plus the idea that she was the impetus for most of their choices is interesting. This book is the first in it's series, something good to know going in because a lot is left unresolved. All in all it's a good read for teens who like romance.

Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Age Level: 8th grade

Monday, October 22, 2012

Bullyville

by Francine Prose

Summary:
Bart's parents worked together in the World Trade Center.  It's where they met, where they fell in love, where they worked every day even after his father left his mom for someone else. But no one knew that on the day that the planes hit the towers. On a day he had a fever so his mom stayed home to take care of him instead of going to work.  So instead of losing both his parents, it was only his dad that was gone. But he was gone already, but no one quite understands. Now Bart's at a prep school on a scholarship because everyone feels bad for him, but the school is only making his life worse.

Review:
One of the more interesting aspects of Bullyville was reading how Bart dealt with his father's death. He struggles to not only accept his father's death, but to find a way to accept that despite the fact that his father left he is still allowed to grieve.  The bullying at the school he attends seems a bit far fetched, however the main story is interesting. It's a good read for boys.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 5th-6th Grade

Between Shades of Gray

by Ruth Sepetys

Summary:
Lina knows things aren't quite right in the world right now, but the war going on doesn't seem like it will touch her in Lithuania.  The fighting between the Germans and Russians seems far enough away that her family will be safe. Until one night in 1941, when the Soviet guards come and round up anyone who might be a threat to them as they take over the country. Lina and her mother and brother are sent to a Siberian work camp while her father is sentenced to death. But surviving is a daily challenge, and keeping your will to survive the bleak and freezing life at the camp is another.  As Lina sees all her hopes and dreams for her future disappear, she somehow must find the strength to keep moving forward.

Review:
What I liked most about this book was that it was about WWII but wasn't about the Holocaust. Instead it told a story few people know about. The gulags of Russia were alive and well during the war years, and innocent people were sent there by the hundreds.  Lina's story was not unique, many children saw the future they thought they had ahead of them shattered as they struggled to survive their 30 year prison sentence.  It's well written and a great read for older tweens and teens.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 8-9th Grade

Dead End in Norvelt

by Jack Gantos

Summary:
Norvelt, Pennsylvania has always considered itself to be a special town.  Built because Eleanor Roosevelt herself wanted more places built where everyone could have a house and a job and a life, the town has always prized itself on being a place where neighbors help each other. But now the jobs are fewer and people are moving away.  When Jack accidentally fires his dad's rifle (the one he wasn't supposed to even touch), his mother makes him help out Miss Volker, the town's first and only medical examiner, as a punishment. As he helps her write obituaries, Jack discovers there's a lot more to the town than he ever thought. Norvelt has a lot of secrets, and Jack is the one who gets to discover them.

Review:
Dead End in Norvelt is a great read for tween boys. Jack is adventurous and relatable, this adventures with Miss Volker amusing and inventive.  The book deftly weaves in a bit of history, reminding readers that there's a lot more to the places we know than we think. 

Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 4-5th Grade

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

by Emily Danforth

Summary:
The day Cameron Post's parents die is the day she first kisses a girl.  She can't help but be relieved that they will never know about her, they will never have to be ashamed that she is gay.  But when her extremely religious aunt moves in to take care of her, she finds being true to herself is a constant challenge.  As she grows up, and embraces her sexuality, her aunt sends her to a religious boarding school which claims it can 'readjust' her sexual orientation.  What she learns there will change her life forever.

Review:
Danforth's book about a girl who has to learn to embrace herself in the midst of a conservative community and family is both well written and timely.  This is a great book not just for LGBT teens, but for any who seek to try and understand what these teens go through as they try to be themselves. The hurt and shame that Cameron feels as her aunt tells her she is going to hell for being who she is is something most teens will never go through, which is why reading a book on the topic is important.  Highly recommended for slightly older tweens and teens. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9-10th Grade

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Strings Attached

by Judy Blundell

Summary:
Kit Corrigan has dreamed about being on Broadway since she was little.  Now in New York, leaving her past behind her, she's working in a chorus line in an off-Broadway show just hoping to be discovered.  But when her ex-boyfriend's father shows up, offering her an apartment and a dream job working as a Lido dancer if she's make up with Billy.  But Kit soon realizes that making up with the boy she still loves isn't the only thing that Nate Benedict wants from her.  As rumors swirl about Nate's true occupation as lawyer to the mob, Kit finds herself caught up in more than she bargained for.

Review:
Blundell's book is a great historical piece about life in the 50's.  Kit is a hopeful young girl striking out in the world on her own, eager to leave family troubles behind her.  What she finds instead is that the things you try to leave behind never really stay where you want them.  It's a fun read with a bit of suspense that older tweens will like.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

The Lions of Little Rock

by Kristin Levine

Summary:
It's the beginning of the school year in 1958 in Little Rock, and Marlee is not excited about it.  She's not much of a talker you see, and this year she starts middle school, with teachers she's never met before, who probably will want her to talk. But on her first day of school she meets Liz, a new student who becomes her best friend.  But when it's revealed that Liz is actually African American, both girls have to learn to stand up on their own and force those around them to realize that perhaps race shouldn't be a reason to dislike a person. 

Review:
Lions of Little Rock is a book about great courage.  Both girls demonstrate remarkable maturity throughout the book, even when those around them tell them they are in the wrong for being friends.  The book is set during the height of the civil rights movement, the year after the Little Rock 9 had been allowed to attend a 'whites only' school.  The book explains the hatred and fear that spread through the communities regardless of their views, and the worry that those who opposed segregation felt even as they worked to ban it.  The book is a great read for tweens. 

Age Level-5th-6th Grade
Genre: Historical Fiction

Friday, August 10, 2012

Turtle in Paradise

by Jennifer Holm

Summary:
Turtle and her Mama are like 2 peas in a pod.  Well, at least they were til her Mama sent her to live with relatives in Key West since Mama was working as a housekeeper for a lady who didn't like children.  Now she's living with her aunt and cousins in a ramshackle house on the keys, surrounded by even more family members she's never met.  But she finds ways to keep busy, helping her cousins with their babysitting business (even if no girls are officially allowed) and discovering a map to some buried treasure.  But when a freak storm comes in while she and her cousins are looking for treasure they are left stranded and just hoping that someone will find them.  Adventures in the comics always turn out swell, but will they in real life?

Review:
Holm's book is not your typical book about a family during the Great Depression.  While it touches on themes of want and talks about how far people have to travel for work, the overarching theme through the book is about family and being resourceful.  Turtle is a spunky character many girls will identify with.  The quirky Key West family she finds herself with are colorful and fun, making me wish I lived in the Keys myself.   It's an absolutely fabulous book for tweens, especially those who like a little bit of adventure in their books.

Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 4-5th Grade

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone

by Kat Rosenfield

Summary:
Becca can't wait to move away from college, to shake off the trappings of her small town life and move somewhere new and exciting, never to come back.  But when a girl from out of town is found murdered on the same night Becca graduates, the repercussions shake the entire town's foundations. Becca finds herself trapped, worrying about the girl that no one knows, unsure of who is telling her the truth.  Murders don't happen in her hometown, or at least they didn't.  Now they are left wondering who among them could have done it, who among them has gotten away with it.

Review:
Rosenfield's book is both well written and engaging.  The book is told mainly from Becca's point of view beginning at the time when the murder occurs, the book is interspersed with chapters from Amelia Anne's point of view from her last day alive.  The resulting novel draws readers in and leaves them guessing til the very end about who did it.  It is a great story about the repercussions a tragic event has not only on those immediately involved but also all those peripherally around it.  The book is great for any teens who like murder mysteries. 

Genre: Mystery
Age Level: 8-9th Grade

Never Fall Down

by Patricia McCormick

Summary:
Arn had always been the one with the plan in his family.  Always scheming to find a way to make a little money so he could buy treats for his siblings, or a little extra food for the family.  But when the Khmer Rouge comes to Cambodia, Arn's skills turn out to be what saves his life.  Whether it is staying out of trouble with the guards at the kids camp he is sent to, or learning to play a musical instrument and sing for the military higher ups, or learning to shoot a gun and kill to save himself, he finds a way to survive.  But what is the cost of his survival?  How do you live with yourself when everyone you love is dead, when you have committed terrible acts to live?

Review:
Never Fall Down is a story of how one boy survives the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge.  The book is based on the true story of Arn Chorn-Pond.  His recollections of the war are mixed with what McCormick imagines happened to create an incredibly compelling and gruesome story.  The book is incredibly frank in it's telling of the thousands of killings that happened in Cambodia at the time.  Arn is almost completely disconnected emotionally from his telling of watching people murdered in front of him or doing the killing himself.  It is a brutal reminder of the atrocities of war from the point of view of a child who should never have had to have witnessed it, not to mention participate in.  The book is a great book for teens, but due to the violence is really best for older teens or those who are a bit more mature.

Genre: War Fiction
Age Level: 10-11th Grade

Breaking Stalin's Nose

by Eugene Yelchin

Summary:
Sasha has waited for the moment he could finally become a Young Pioneer for almost his entire life, all ten years of it.  His dad is his hero, a guard for the Kremlin who roots out anyone who doesn't support Communism.  He thinks Stalin is the best leader that Russia could ever have, and writes him letters telling him so.  But all that changes when his father is taken by the police on suspicion of being a spy for the West.  Sasha must choose between being loyal to his father or supporting his beloved Communism.  He realizes that perhaps everything he had believed in isn't quite what he was told. 

Review:
What I liked most about this book is the way Sasha evolved from being a boy who idolized a system and saw no flaws in it to one who was able to see in a quick period that no system could ever be perfect.  Many children who grow up in dictatorships or other types of systems know no other way of being, so they accept that their system is the best with no qualifiers.  Sasha sees Communism as the absolute best, and Stalin as the best provider they could have (I liked one scene where he is given a carrot as a treat and thinks that he is lucky because American kids have probably never had a carrot.)  The book is well written and provides some history with a story that is engaging for children (though depressing for adults who know more about Russian history.)

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 4th Grade

Friday, July 27, 2012

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

by Mary Pearson

Summary:
Jenna has survived a terrible accident, by all accounts she should have been dead.  After being in a coma for over a year, she is working to regain a semi-normal life in a small beachside town across the country from where she grew up.  But as she tries to put the pieces together about what happened not just to cause the car accident, but also to her and her friends afterward, she realizes that all is not what it seems.  In a world where biotechnical advances have allowed people new leases on life, Jenna is left to figure out just what makes a person a person.

Review:
While the plot was fairly easy to guess, Pearson's book raises a lot of interesting questions about bioengineering and its consequences.  I thought that Jenna's struggles on whether or not her parents saving her was a good or bad thing to be quite poignant.  They could only save a portion of her brain, so was she even really a person? Or was she a machine masquerading as a person?  She didn't want to die, but didn't want to live if she was less than real.  The premise reminded me of Eva, another book where parents overstepped societal rules and norms to save their daughter from death.  It's a fantastic book that sticks with you.

Genre: Futuristic Fiction
Age Level: 8-9th Grade

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

When You Reach Me

by Rebecca Stead

Summary:
It all began when Miranda's mom was selected to be a contestant on the hit game show "$20,000 Pyramid." Or was it when her best friend Sal got punched in the face walking home from school.  Or was it when the crazy guy on the corner showed up.  Or when the spare apartment key she and her mom keep in the fire hose box is stolen. Or when the first mysterious note arrives asking her to write everything down, because the letter writer is going to need the whole story in the future.  When space and time seem to collide, Miranda learns that sometimes the things we think are unbelievable are the things that shape our lives.

Review:
One of the best parts of Stead's novel is how it deftly deals with questions of time and space as it convinces the reader that things in the future can change the past.  And that things that might have changed the past from the future, like someone time travelling, won't change the past because the things that have changed the past have already occurred (she says it much better than I do here).  Miranda is a well written character, as are her friends and family.  Definitely a great read for tweens of both genders.

Genre: Science Fiction
Age Level: 5th Grade

Moon Over Manifest

by Clare Vanderpool

Summary:
Abilene and her daddy have been wanderers since the day she was born.  Together,they have rode the rails, jumping on and off trains in and out of towns they would see once and then never again.  But then Abilene hurt herself, and after she recovered her daddy sent her to live with old friends of his in Manifest, Kansas.  But Manifest is more than it appears, and it might just hold the key to her father's past, and both of their futures.

Review:
Moon over Manifest is one of the best true tween books I have read in awhile.  The writing is excellent, the characters well developed and appealing to readers young and old.  The story is told mainly in present day (present day being about 1936), with stories of Manifest in her daddy's day told by the local Gypsy woman as visions.  The result is a absolutely wonderful story about a town coming together during the hardest of times and being inspired to do so again. A fantastic read for tweens.

Age Level: 4-5th Grade
Genre: Historical Fiction

Friday, July 13, 2012

Tell Me a Secret

by Holly Cupala

Summary:
Rand never thought she would be one of those girls who ended up pregnant.  She had been so focused on not being her sister Xanda, never mentioning her, never being like her, never saying that she was dead, that it wasn't even on her radar. She was going to go to art school, have a career, do great things.  But now, living with her parents disappointment and lies, being ostracized in school by rumors that she was trying to trap the father into marriage, it's the memory of her sister that gets her through each day.  A sister that she is finding out, wasn't what she had appeared to be in life. Who, in death, becomes what can bring them all together once the truth comes out.

Review:
Tell me a secret is a book about a truly dysfunctional family.  With a mother only involved in her church, a father who buries himself in work, and a rebellious sister whose actions lead to her death, Rand is left virtually alone in a house where no one tells the truth if it's deemed too painful.  The book is about the choices we make and the consequences that they have, the dangers of believing rumor and the need we have to cling to things we believe to be true.  It's a good read for older tweens and teens, but it does talk about drinking and sex so is better for the slightly older crowd. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

Pure

by Terra Elan McVoy

Summary:
The purity rings that Tabitha and her friends wear were supposed to make their lives easier.  The rings were a symbol of their promise to God that they would save themselves for marriage.  But as the girls get older, they are finding that life is not as black and white as they had thought it.  When one of them makes a decision that goes against their promise, they find themselves pitted against each other as they discover that you can't dictate your friends choices, only whether or not you value their friendship over your beliefs.

Review:
Pure is a very readable story about young girls growing up and realizing that their insulated world of religion is not always going to have all the answers for them.  Tabitha in particular is a voice of reason throughout, finding ways to rectify her religious beliefs with everyday life, and helping others to as well.  The book does not really focus on whether sex is right or wrong, nor is it overly preachy on the topic of religion, but does a good job of showing the potential problems that many young people who are religious face.  It's a good read, semi-along the lines of the movie Saved, good for older tweens and teens.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8-9th grade

Trash

by Andy Mulligan

Summary:
Raphael, Gardo, and Rat have never known a life without want.  Their days are not spent in school, but sorting through the trash dump looking for things they can use or sell.  Then one day their lives change with what they find.  It may have seemed to be just a simple brown leather satchel, but the map it contained would lead them to a treasure that would change their lives forever.  As long as they lived long enough to find it.

Review:
Mulligan's book is told through through the alternating perspectives of Raphael, Gardo and Rat, as well as other important characters who appear throughout the book.  While the writing itself is not stellar, and the story itself is a bit underdeveloped. the 3 boys are decent characters who hold your attention.  The story does seem to come together a bit superficially, how 3 mostly illiterate boys are able to decipher a complex code is just a little unbelievable. Overall it's good for a quick read for those who like a bit of adventure and danger in their books.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 6th Grade

Thursday, July 5, 2012

The Beduin Gazelle

by Frances Temple

Summary:
Hamila and Atiyah have been betrothed since birth, as tradition dictates in their nomadic culture.  When Atiyah is sent to Fez to school so he can learn and better their tribe, Hamila is left behind.  But when a freak sandstorm separates her from the rest, and leaves her alone in the harsh desert, she relies on the kindness of a neighboring tribe for survival.  When the cost of their hospitality becomes her hand in marriage, Hamila is left to desperately hope for an escape.

Review:
Temple's book is a fast paced, quick read for tweens.  The characters are engaging and well written, and the story is excellent.   The book is loosely tied to The Ramsay Scallop, another marvelous book by the author.  Both are rooted in historical fact and definitely appealing to younger and older tweens.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 4th Grade

Double Helix

by Nancy Werlin

Summary:
No secret ever really stays a secret.  It doesn't matter how hard you try, in the end, especially if it's a big one, it's going to come out.  When Eli starts work for world renown scientist Dr. Wyatt, he is warned by his father to stay far away from him. Suspicious and confused by his father's pronouncement, given with no explanation, Eli begins to investigate further into Dr. Wyatt's experiments.  But what he finds may be more personal than he could ever imagine.

Review:
Double Helix is about the dangers of genetic engineering.  The book deftly brings up the very sensitive topic about the moral complexities of genetic modification.  Is it right to destroy a potential life because you ultimately know it is going to die of a terrible disease or is it better to only allow the healthy to survive?  Eli's mother dies of Huntington's Disease in the beginning of the novel, fueling the debate brought up in the book.  It is a well written novel with engaging characters which older tweens will like.  It's got a bit of conspiracy, a love story, and is overall very though provoking. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

Dark Water

by Laura McNeal

Summary:
Life has changed rapidly for Pearl and her mother.  Once they lived in a large house, the perfect family living whole with her father.  But then he left, leaving her and her mother to fend for themselves amid a huge pile of debt and without an income.  Now they live in her uncle's small cabin on his property, and while they are happy and welcome there, Pearl finds herself searching for more.  For love and adventure.  As she finds herself falling in love (that all consuming first love) with a migrant worker who works for her uncle, she learns that the choices we make for ourselves can have disastrous consequences for those we love.

Review:
Pearl is a self-centered, ignorant teen girl who makes a series of selfish choices that ultimately lead to (*spoiler alert*) the death of her uncle.  Pearl can't see past her own desires and wants to anyone else's.  Watching her fall in love with Amiel makes little sense, as he pushes her away constantly and they barely interact.  What is redeeming about the book is the way it does make the reader think about how the choices of one person rarely just affect them.  Pearl didn't cause the fire that started, but her actions lead to someones death.  Ultimately she ends up alone and shunned, and it's only then that she grows up.  A decent read for older tweens but not something I would really recommend.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The Season

by Sarah MacLean

Summary:
Lady Alexandra Stafford could care less about the fact that she is a debutante this year.  But unless she gets herself ruined, a possibility that although tempting would probably result in her mother murdering her, she will find herself paraded throughout the marriage mart that is the London Season.  As the Season progresses, she finds herself entangled in the investigation into her old friend Gavin's father's death, which is much more exciting than balls or tea parties.  As danger looms over them Gavin and Alexandra might find more than they bargained for in each other. Will they live happily ever after? Or die at the hands of a traitor.

Review:
The Season is a fantastic regency romance written for teens.  It has all the elements of the more adult romance novels written, but without the more racy bits, making it suitable for teens or older tweens.  I really enjoyed the book personally and with there was a sequel!

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 8-9th Grade

Revolver

by Marcus Sedgwick

Summary:
When Sig finds his father dead on the ice, he thinks that things can't possibly get worse.  They, along with his sister and stepmother, have lived a hard life in the Artic Circle, though they have always been lucky his father has been able to find work as a surveyor wherever they have been.  But he is about to find out that even the dead keep deadly secrets.

Review:
Revolver is told though Sig's perspective as he struggles not only to deal with the death of his father but with the accusations of a man who has hunted them, unknown to Sig and his sister, since the death of their mother 10 years ago.  It weaves a realistic tale of the harsh Artic life that many life with a story of survival.  It is well written, though the end is a little preachy when Sig decides not to shoot the man himself.  A good read for boys especially. 

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 7-8th Grade

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Life as We Knew It

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Summary:
All anyone would talk about in the days before it happened was the moon.  It was going to be so exciting, though all her teachers turned it into an opportunity to assign homework.  An asteroid was going to hit the moon and everyone would be able to see it without a telescope.  No one had predicted what this asteroid was going to do to the moon.  Not even the astrophysicists realized the asteroid would destroy half of the moon and push it closer to Earth.  The catastrophe that follows the celebrated event will change the course of Miranda and her family's lives forever.  And not for the better.

Review:
I picked up Life as We Knew It expecting a suspenseful read about survival.  The book ended up being that and more.  It's a realistic read about what happens when our modern way of life is suddenly completely suspended.  When the day to day of living is gone, food is no longer delivered to grocery stores, electricity spotty at best.  Written as journal entries by Miranda, the book is a diary of a family suddenly forced to survive.  The decisions they must make are difficult, including the decision not to help neighbors or friends as they begin to suffer and die of disease and hunger.  It's a depressing read, but very realistic.  A good book for those who like survivalist fiction.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade
Sequel: This World We live In

Crossing to Paradise

by Kevin Crossley-Holland

Summary:
Gatty has been a field hand all her life. She's never left the estate where she's grown up, and never imagined she would.  When she is chosen to accompany Lady Gwyneth on her pilgrimage to Jerusalem, she's ecstatic for an opportunity to see the world.  Though she never imagined it would be so big. As Gatty and her companions make their way across the world to Jerusalem, she finds the world is a fascinating if scary place.  She'll learn to read, visit far away places, and have adventures she's never dreamed of.  But will she manage to find her way home?

Review:
Crossing to Paradise gives a fairly accurate portrayal of life in the 15th century.  Gatty is an uneducated field hand who gets the chance to travel to the Holy Land, learn to read and write, and experience things most people who lived in her position could never dream of.  The book is well written, but the historical accuracy the author strives to create with Gatty's language makes the book a little hard to understand at times.  The book is overall a good story, though fanciful in terms of how lucky Gatty is throughout the story.  A good read for those who like historical fiction, though better for older readers due to the difficulty in understanding the language at times.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 8-9th Grade

Friday, June 15, 2012

Lost

by Jacqueline Davies

Summary:
Essie has always had a hard life.  She's taken care of her younger sister since Zelda was born, and now works all day at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company to support both of them and her mother.  But when Essie meets Harriet, the new girl at work, she is immediately intrigued.  After all, why on earth would a well dressed, educated girl be working for $6 a day?  Despite the secrets both keep they find friendship together, but tragedy works in mysterious ways.  Neither is really who they appears, and neither have made it through life unscathed.

Review:
Set in the early 1900's, Lost seamlessly blends fiction and reality. Many aspects of the book are real, like the Triangle Shirtwaist Company and the terrible fire that happened there which changed fire code standards throughout the US.  Essie is like thousands of workers at the time, struggling to remain a step beyond complete poverty and desperation but finding ways to live there. One of the most interesting twists of the book involves Essie and her sister Zelda, though Harriet and her heiress story is also quite intriguing.  A good book for tweens who like historical fiction.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 7th Grade

Breathless

by Jessica Warman

Summary:
Katie never meant to lie about her brother.  But it's so much easier to be the new girl with a brother who died rather than the new girl with the brother who is crazy and is in and out of mental hospitals. Or the new girl with the brother who tried to kill her father, or might have killed a hospital worker.  So instead she lies and moves on with her life.  She's captain of the swim team and has a great boyfriend and friends.  But while things are great on the surface, when you are hiding a big lie it's bound to come out sometime.

Review:
While Katie's brother is in the book quite a bit, the book itself is not about him. it instead shows the devastation that having a person with mental illness can have on the family (especially when it's an illness that manifests violently).  Katie chooses to hide any association with her brother, and we can see throughout the book how guilty and ashamed it makes her feel.  It's an interesting look at mental illness from a person who is not suffering from the diseases themselves but is suffering from the aftereffects and from being a bit ignored by her parents because she is not the problem child.  Good read for older tweens.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

Rules of Survival

by Nancy Werlin

Summary:
Matthew's used to protecting his sisters from their erratic mother  But constantly reading her moods and keeping everyone playing their parts so that their mother won't go off the deep end is no job for a 13 year old.  So when Matthew sees Murdoch stepping between a father about to hit his son in a grocery store, he sees a man who might be able to help his sisters and him escape their mother.  But the problem with trying to escape a mother who can't be trusted to act sane is you never know what she is really capable of.

Review:
Written from Matthew's perspective as a letter to his youngest sister explaining what happened in their childhood, Rules of Survival is a gripping novel that makes you want to know what happens next to this family.  Matthew is a likable character, a boy who is trying to protect his family but realizes he can't do it on his own.  He has his flaws which show him for the boy he still is, even though he is trying to be the 'man of the house for his family.  The book demonstrates the absolute havoc that can be wrecked upon a family by untreated mental illness and the necessity of banding together in such a situation.  A good read for older tweens especially.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

Saturday, June 9, 2012

The Killer's Cousin

by Nancy Werlin

Summary:
David was hoping for a chance to start over when he moved in with his uncle, aunt and his 11 year old cousin Lily.  A chance to be around people who didn't know about the trial and his acquittal.  People who didn't know that he had been suspected of killing his girlfriend.  But he is not the only person trying to hide their past.  The house he's now living in holds its fair share of secrets.  Secrets which might not only destroy him, but his whole family.

Review: 
The Killer's Cousin is a psychological thriller which captivates the reader from the beginning.  The crime David was just acquitted of as the book starts is revealed in pieces through the book.  His sinister cousin Lily is surprisingly disturbing and worrisome.  The reader finds themselves wondering just how much of what is happening is real or how much might just be in the heads of the characters.  It's a book which will appeal to older tweens.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 7th-8th Grade

Test

by William Sleator

Summary:
Every student knows that they need to do well on tests in order to do better in the long run, to help them get into a good college and get a good job.  But what if one test was what decided your whole life?  What if you only had one chance to make it in this world, and if you failed you're only path was a lifetime of dangerous minimum wage jobs and struggling to make ends meet. As Ann finishes school and prepares to take the test which will decide her future, she stumbles onto a scandal which just might be able to stop the testing forever, provided she can avoid the guys who are trying to kill her for finding out.

Review:
While Test has an interesting premise, on the whole the book was poorly written and not very engaging.  Sleator doesn't really develop any of the characters well, and the relationship between Ann and Lep just seems to happen without any sort of explanation.  He presents a world where this test has become the be all and end all of a student's life, as well as a way to sort out any potential criminals, but no one outside the students know how important it is.  Perhaps a good read to recommend for those really into societal control or conspiracy theory books, but on the whole there are better books out there on a similar topic.

Genre: Futuristic Fiction
Age Level: 6th Grade

Safe

by Susan Shaw

Summary:
Walking home on the last day of school is a glorious feeling.  No more homework, no more tests, just fun and freedom for the next three months.  But all of that is interrupted for Tracy when she is grabbed from the side of the road walking home.  The whole ordeal only lasts a few hours, but when she is found beaten, raped, and traumatized you realize you're only at the beginning of her story. 

Review:
Safe is a book about a girl recovering from a traumatic experience.  The book doesn't focus so much on the act of what happened to her but about the aftermath.  We watch her as she tries to find security again, as she withdraws into herself in order to protect herself, as she tries to pretend everything is normal while pushing people away.  Tracy is a character that many can identify with, a strong girl who is trying to find her way.  I thought the Shaw was smart to include scenes where Tracy is viewed as the one in the wrong as well, like when the brother of her attacker tells her she is a horrible person for telling 'lies,' because in real life the victims of crimes like these are not only treated like the victim they are.  While the book does revolve around a really heavy topic, the way it glosses over the actual acts makes the book appropriate for more mature tweens.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 7th Grade

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Where I Belong

by Gillian Cross

Summary:
Sent to England to get an education and earn money to help her family back in Somalia, 13 year old Khadija finds herself living with Abdi's family.  Abdi wasn't too terribly thrilled about it.  He had just lost his father to some sort of accident in Somalia, what exactly it was no one seems to know, and now he has a new 'sister' Khadija, as if taking care of his mother and 2 younger sisters wasn't enough. 

Freya knew when her mother got on crazy kicks there was nothing stopping her until she got it all out of her system.  Except this time the crazy kick is Somalia.  And her mother happens to be one of the most famous fashion designers this century. When her mother sees Khadija she knows she has found the perfect centerpiece for her collection. But what none of them know is what will get set in motion when Khadija is discovered, what devious plots are launched and whose lives will hang in the balance by those they thought they trusted most. 


Review:
One of the most interesting things about Where I Belong is that it is narrated in turn by Khadija, Abdi and Freya.  They pass the story back and forth in a way that makes it seem like they are right there telling you in person.  The book doesn't really touch on any heavy immigration issues (a topic which is quite sensitive in England) but does interestingly talk about the disconnect many immigrants feel to the country they are from when they have never even seen their home country as well as the love many still have when living somewhere else.  The book does touch on the problems of Somalia, but also focuses on how it is still a place where people live, and that people love.  It's a really good read and great for older tweens.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

The Knife that Killed Me

By Anthony McGowan

Summary:
Paul has always considered himself to be a loner.  It's never been that bad for him, mostly it lets him fly under the radar of bullies or anyone else.  But then Roth notices him.  Roth, the most notorious guy at school.  Infamous for his violence and bullying, Roth is just the kind of person Paul is hoping to avoid. But then Roth does something surprising.  Instead of beating up Paul, he becomes his friend.  Paul, instead of running from a person he knows to be dangerous, falls right into his trap.  He likes being respected by his fellow students, even if that respect is tinged with fear.  And when a knife comes into the mix, and a terrible fight, Paul will find out that being friends with nefarious people is the worst mistake he could have made.

Review:
McGowan's book is written in the blink of an eye for the character, as he relives the moments that led to him being about to be stabbed.  None of the characters in the book are particularly sympathetic.  While you want to feel for Paul as he feels forced into doing Roth's bidding, you don't because he continually is given opportunities to extricate himself from the situation and doesn't. The book does have a good twist at the end but on the whole you don't feel very resolved when it finishes.  Most of the characters who should get caught don't, which I suppose also makes it more true to life.  A decent read for male tweens.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

A Certain Slant of Light

by Laura Whitcomb

Summary:
Helen has long gotten used to being unnoticed by those around her.  As Light, Helen has chosen several hosts who have sustained her, kept her tethered to the earth for the last 130 years.  Yet one day, in the classroom of her current host Mr. Brown, Helen feels someone looking at her.  James can see her, can hear her, and might be able to help her soul finally rest. 

Review:
This book was much less supernatural than I anticipated.  The story was not one of hauntings but one of finding peace.   Helen is able to transition to human form (yes it sounds a bit silly but the way it was written is interesting).  In this form she starts to remember her old life and the reason she is stuck haunting this world.  It is a very well written tale that will appeal even to those who don't like supernatural tales (like me!).  A good summer read for older tweens especially (there are drugs, sex and suicide discussed).

Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

The Eternal Ones: What if Love Refused to Die?

by Kristin Miller

Summary:
Haven has had dreams about Ethan for as long as she can remember.  Dreams so vivid they almost feel true. When she sees mega rich playboy Iain Morrow on TV she realizes that the dreams may not be true, but Ethan certainly is, and his name is now Iain.  As Haven sets off to find him so that she can unravel the dreams that have plagued her for her entire life, she will find not only her life is on the line, but that her soul is the ultimate prize. 

Review:
When I first picked up The Eternal Ones I was expecting a silly book about soul mates.  Instead Miller has written an engaging book that connects with the desire to find someone who will love us for all eternity, and find us no matter what the obstacles.  The book itself keeps us guessing about who the real Ethan is, and cleverly brings up the past lives of the characters to enliven the search.  One of the interesting parts of the book is how she explained that some innate skills are a result of our past lives.  For example
Overall, the book will keep older tweens engaged (though admittedly the beginning of the book is a bit slow).

Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Series Information: The Eternal Ones: What if Love Refused to Die?, All You Desire

Delirium


by Lauren Oliver

Summary:
Love is a disease.  When you're in love it can make you spacey, irrational, completely useless.  When you're not in love any longer it can make you angry, upset, a menace to society.  But what if all those negative side effects of love could be eliminated, and instead you could live your life like a completely rational human being?  Lena has never had to worry about this.  The government has found a way to completely cure people of falling in love, of the delirium that strikes those who contract this disease.  She is only 95 days til she gets the surgery that will forever protect her from being hurt, from ever having to suffer from the disease like her late mother.  But then she meets Alex, and everything she ever believed about love is questioned. 

Review:
One of the reasons I liked Delirium was that unlike in other dystopian novels where the populace is simply compliant with the governments wishes without a real reason, this population all undergoes a surgery to rid them of their more emotional sides and leaves them rational and compliant.  This factor helps to explain why the surgery continues and why the cycle is perpetuated without much complaint, as all the 'cureds' simply believe that the 'uncured' children will lead better lives without emotion and become much easier to handle, which they do.  Oliver has created not just a love story in a world where love is forbidden, but a story about how something as natural as love has become the enemy.  The premise of the book is, at first, fairly out there, but as the book progresses you find yourself wondering which side is really going to win in the end.  Very well written and engaging.

Genre: Dystopian
Age Level: 9th Grade
Series Information: Delirium, Pandemonium, Requiem

Friday, May 18, 2012

The Other Half of My Heart

by Sundee T. Frazier

Summary:
Keira and Minna aren't just best friends, they are twin sisters.  They aren't completely alike, Keira is outgoing while Minna is shy, Minna loves to read but Keira isn't as gung ho about school.  And well, Minna is white like her father, while Keira takes after their African American mother.  But that never really bothered them until their grandmother enters them in the Miss Black Pearl beauty contest.  As Minna learns what it's like to stand out as the only light skinned girl in the contest, she realizes that life hasn't always been that easy for her sister.

Review:
Frazier's novel addresses questions of prejudice and justice.  Of what it is like to fit in and what it's like to be the only one like you.   Both girls must learn to understand what it's like to be different, and of the importance of standing up for each other no matter what.  The book is genuinely interesting and a good read for younger tweens.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 4-5th Grade

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

by Gabrielle Zevin

Summary:
Imagine waking up to discover that you couldn't remember the last 4 years of your life.  Not birthdays, algebra,  learning to drive, the names of your best friend, that you have a boyfriend, that your parents are divorced, that your mom has remarried and you have a 3 year old half sister.  Who knew hitting your head could mean having to relearn your life, and discovering that maybe you weren't living that great a life to begin with.

Review:
Zevin's novel about 16 year old Naomi, a girl who hits her head and becomes an amnesiac, is witty and enjoyable.  Naomi is a very relatable character.  As she relearns her life and rediscoveres friendships she finds herself wondering why she might have acted differently before the accident. What is interesting in the novel is watching Naomi try to really understand her actions before the accident and strives to be a better person. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th grade

What I saw and how I lied

by Judy Blundell

Summary:
Now that the war is over and her stepfather Joe is back, Evie is thrilled that life is getting back to normal. No more rationing or not being able to buy new things.  Joe is even taking her and her mother down to Palm Beach for a proper vacation.  A vacation where she can finally meet a boy to fall in love with.  Peter is everything she could dream of in a man.  But she's about to find out that things aren't always how they appear, and that she might not really know what even the people she loves the most are truly capable of.  Terrible things don't just happen in war.

Review:
A historical fiction novel, What I saw and how I lied, combines a WWII story with lessons of prejudice and doing the right thing.  Evie is a girl who can't wait to grow up, but when her parents go to trial for killing Peter, she learns that growing up is not all black and white.  She has to make the choice about whether to tell the truth about what she knows, or to lie to save her parents from jail.  The book talks about wartime injustices as well as war looting and profiteering (which is how Joe made his money).  Evie must struggle with seeing her first real examples of prejudicism, when friends are kicked out of their hotel for being Jewish, and rectify that with her belief that that problem should have been over and done with now that such a huge war had been fought.  It's a well written book that will hold ones attention.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 7-8th Grade

Matched

by Ally Condie

Summary:
Cassia has always followed the rules.  Of course it's not like she's ever really had a choice.  Everything she or her parents do is dictated by the government.  When they eat, where they sleep, when they die, where they work, who they marry.  When Cassia attends her Matching ceremony, where she and others her age will learn who they are going to marry, she is thrilled to find out that she has been matched with her best friend Xander.  She at least knows that they get along well and will do good together.  But when she goes home that night and plugs in the chip which will give her more information on the matching process she sees not Xander's face, but that of another boy. But society doesn't make mistakes like this.  Who is she really supposed to be matched with?

Review:
Matched presents a different take on the dystopian novels that are so popular right now.  In this society order is key.  Everything down to what a person wears is dictated by society, and everyone seems to be completely ok with this.  This seems to be the biggest downside of the book. The complete absence of any sort of rebellion by people is a bit hard to swallow, though Condie tries to explain that their compliance is due to the fact that many take the 'calming' pill given by the government, though that pill is not used by all.  The interactions between Cassia and Xander, and her new love interest Ky, are well written and believable. The story as a whole is a good read.

Genre: Dystopian Novel
Age Level: 9-10th grade

Series Info: Matched, Crossed, Reached

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Keeping Corner

by Kashmiri Sheth

Summary:
Leela's had a lucky life so far.  Her parents spoil her, her brother loves her, and her husband and his family seem like they will truly treat her well when she goes to live with them in just a few months.  You see Leela has been betrothed since she was a baby, was married at 9, and now that she is 13 she's not far from her anu, the ceremony which sends her from her parent's house to that of her husbands.  But when her husband dies, all of that disappears.  Now a widow, she is condemned to live the rest of her life alone and on the fringes of society.  Her first year as a widow is a year of mourning, a year keeping corner inside her home.  What she learns from a year inside might just give her the courage to break free of tradition and live a free life.

Review:
An interesting window into traditional Indian customs and life, Sheth's novel shows India on the brink of it's transition from British colony to free state.  Ghandi features prominently in the book, not only because he was important at the time but also because his teachings are what help Leela see the world as a bigger picture and want to be a part of it instead of just a widow.  The book addresses the clashes between modernization and traditions and the difficulty many have with melding the two.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 7-8th Grade

You Against Me

by Jenny Downham

Summary:
Rape is an ugly thing.  It tears up not only the victim, but their family and friends.  But the family of the perpetrator, what about them?  What is their family supposed to do?  When Mikey's sister claims she was raped, Ellie's brother is the one accused of it.  As he goes to jail, and then is released, she stands by him because that's what sisters do.  But what if the claim is true?  Who can she stand by then?

Review:
"You Against Me" is interesting because it not only looks at the aftermath of rape from the point of view of the victim's family, but also of the perpetrator.  The book addresses the shame and fear experienced by the victim, but also the social and emotional repercussions that those related to someone who commits a terrible crime face.  Both Ellie and Mikey have to come to terms with the face that the other's family is not the enemy, and have to learn that regardless the truth is the only thing that is really important, even if it is what tears one of their families apart.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10-11th Grade

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Looking for Alaska

by John Green

Summary:
Miles didn't exactly know what to expect when his parents sent him to Culver Creek Preparatory School, a boarding school in Alabama.  But from the moment he walks into the dorm room he will share with his new roommate Chip, Miles knows that there is something different about this place.  There's something about their friend Alaska, a girl who's confidence and love of life knows no bounds, that keeps everyone coming back for more.  But life can't stay perfect always. When a car crash interrupts, Miles and the rest struggle to come to terms in their own roles in the wreck.  And learn to live after others are gone.

Review:
Green's book is a study in before and after a tragedy.  Miles and the rest of his group at school are not bad kids, but they break the rules they want to.  They aren't exactly models of clean living but they never do anything really terrible.  But a tragedy that could have been avoided cuts through all of their lives.  We watch him and his friends try to come to terms with it, as well as with their own roles in it.  It is a well written book about loss and survivor's guilt, as well as the necessity of moving on.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

Beneath a Meth Moon: an Elegy

by Jacqueline Woodson

Summary:
Nothing could prepare Laurel for the loss of her mother and grandmother.  The last thing they told her as she drove for high ground with her father and brother was that they would see her soon.  But Hurricane Katrina changed all that.  It may be 2 years later, but for Laurel it might as well have been yesterday.  So when her new friend T-Boom offers her a bit of something to take the pain away, she figures it can't hurt.  But when that thing turns out to be meth, it turns out it can do a whole lot more than take away the hurt.  It can take away her entire life.

Review:
Told through Laurel's perspective, the book starts with her living on the streets begging for money so that she can buy her next hit.  We meet Laurel in the throes of drug addiction, where she is aware that her life is only going downhill but she can't find the strength to care about anything but her next hit.  The book attempts to really demonstrate the power drugs like meth have over the lives of those who take them, and the damage these drugs wreck over not only the addicts themselves but anyone around them. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

The Agency

by Y. S. Lee

Summary:
Mary Lang's life wasn't easy.  That's why when she is sentenced to death for stealing, she takes it as her due.  Perhaps dying at 12 is easier than living as a beggar and thief any longer.  But when a stranger offers her the opportunity to skirt the gallows and attend Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls, Mary Lang takes Quinn's place.  And this Academy teaches it's girls more than the usual skills.  This Academy sets it's girls up so that when they are ready they can take their places in the Agency, London's premiere women only spy house.

Review:
The Agency series is an entertainingly written novel about a mythical spy agency run by women.  Mary Quinn (Lang) is an interesting character who's history is revealed slowly through the three novels.  Her Chinese heritage is only hinted at in the first novel, but becomes more and more intriguing during the following ones.  The books are a great spy read.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 7-8th Grade

Series Information:
Book 1: A Spy in the House
Book 2: Body at the Tower
Book 3: Traitor in the Tunnel

Thursday, May 3, 2012

The Way We Fall

by Megan Crewe

Summary:
It starts with an itch, a cough here and there, no worse than a cold.  Then you start to feel better, you want to socialize with your friends and family, see as many people as you can.  And then you get worse, much worse, with a fever and hallucinations.  And then you die.  No one knew what the virus was, but as it sweeps through Kaelyn's small island town, she and everyone else is forced to try and survive as the world around them abandons them to their fate. 

Review:
Having just seen the movie Contagion, this book really resonated with me.  Kaelyn and her family and friends are simply trying to survive.  Others in the community use the virus as an opportunity to take control and seize supplies.  Others still are trying to find a way off the island.  The book is a cautionary tale about the lengths people go to try to save themselves, and the fear that unknown illness inspires in people around it.  The book is written in diary format, which adds to the novel as we learn about the disease and its discovery and the losses through her point of view. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8-9th Grade

Trafficked

by Kim Purcell

Summary:
When you come from nothing and a great opportunity presents itself, you'd be a fool not to take it.  At least that's what Hannah thinks.  She's a poor nobody from Moldova, an orphan living with her grandmother and barely making ends meet.  But then she's offered a chance to go to America.  She would be a nanny, able to go to school and live the kind of life she's only seen on TV.  She's not stupid, she knows that there are bad people out there who might take advantage of her, but these people seem different, better even.  But once she makes it to America she's going to find out that nothing is how it seems.  And in a place where no one knows who or where she is, there's no one to protect her.

Review:
Trafficked highlights an all too common issue in this day and age.  Even with all the literature and information available to warn people about the dangers of human trafficking, be it for sexual or slavery reasons, the problem still exists.  While Hannah's situation is, in the scheme of things, not the absolute worst, she still finds herself alone and without recourse as she is abused by the family she 'nanny's' for.  Hannah had known before hand that situations like hers could exist, but never thought she would be one of those girls who was trafficked.  It is a definite warning book that girls should read, a nicer version of the movie Brokedown Palace.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade

Before I Fall

by Lauren Oliver

Summary:
What would you do if you knew you were going to die today?  Would you do the same things you've done every day before?  Would you spend the whole day with family and friends?  Would you try and right the wrongs you've done in your life?  Samantha didn't know it would be the last day of her life when she work up on February 12th.  But she did know the next day, and the next, as she kept waking up to repeat the day.  You see Samantha keeps dying on February 12th, and it's up to her to figure out how to break the cycle.

Review:
Samantha is the pretty popular girl everyone loves to her face and hates secretly.  She and her friends are the ultimate mean girls.  But as she is forced to relive the day she dies over and over again, Samantha realizes the harm that she's done in her life and tries to rectify it so that she can break the cycle she's stuck in and move on to whatever is next, even if it means her death.  This was a great novel about coming to terms with ones life and making the right choices even when they are hard.  Samantha is a character that you start out hating but end up really sympathizing with and liking. The ending was both sad and poignant. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10th-11th Grade

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Somebody Please Tell Me Who I Am

by Henry Mazer and Peter Lerangis

Summary:
Ben had it made.  He was accepted at a great college, popular at school, had a great girlfriend he just proposed to.  No one could understand why he chose instead to enlist in the Army.  Why he wanted to go serve his country when he knew he was going to deploy to Iraq.  Then the unthinkable happens.  He is severely injured in an attack over there.  But once his body recovers, his family must cope with another reality. That while he can physically recover, his mind, his memories, might be gone forever.

Review:
There are not a lot of books which address this aspect of war for children or teens.  What is interesting is that the book tries to address the reasons for which Ben feels compelled to serve, despite coming from a background where the most common path is college and a white collar job.  It could do a better job on that, but it does at least try to address it.  The book is about the aftermath of an injury, one which is affecting more and more soldiers in a war where IED's are the most prevalent interaction with the enemy.  The impact this has on Ben's family is both real and sad, the guilt and anger felt by them and his fiance are understandable and relatable.  Overall a good read, but not one for a tween looking to read about the action and adventure of being a soldier.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

Thursday, March 15, 2012

You'll Like it Here (Everybody Does)

by Ruth White

Summary:
I'm sure you've heard the stories.  About aliens living among us, just like normal people.  Meggie Blue and her family are the perfect example.  Of aliens that is, not normal people.  Forced to escape Earth when they are found out by their neighbors, they land on a planet eerily similarity to the Earth they just left.  In fact it is Earth, but a different Earth.  An Earth divided by war. An Earth in a different time.  In Fashion City, the place where they land, everything is regimented.  Everything they need is taken care of by the Fathers.  Everyone tells them how lucky they are to be there, but maybe they aren't lucky after all.  Maybe they've landed in place worse than where they've ever been before. 

Review:
White has created a fun story for kids about aliens, but one which also addresses the issues of social control and identity.  The book is well written, with fun characters, and melds the fantastic with normality.  It's a good novel for kids who like fantasy or those who like more dystopian novels but are not old enough for the heavier ones.

Genre: Science Fiction
Age Level: 5th Grade

Desert Angel

by Charlie Price

Summary:
Two nights ago Scotty killed her mother.  Yesterday he tried to kill her.  Today Angel is running from him, with nothing but the clothes on her back and the kindness of strangers keeping her safe.  But can she justify putting others in danger to save herself?  Is her life worth more than theirs?  She knows Scotty will stop at nothing to find her.  So maybe it's time to turn the tables.  Maybe it's time to find him before he finds her.

Review:
Angel is a girl with a difficult life.  Her mother dragged her from boyfriend to boyfriend, resulting in a skewed and jaded perspective on life.  When she finds people to help her, people who never met her and have no connection to her at all, she must confront the fact that she can't go it alone like she wants.  The book is an interesting read about a strong female character who learns that it's ok to lean on someone else once in awhile.  The book does have language and violence in it, and addresses the topic of illegal immigration.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Also Known as Rowan Pohi

by Ralph Fletcher

Summary:
Bobby Steele used to be able to blend in.  People didn't used to know his name.  But after that incident with his father, that landed all over the papers, everyone seems to know who he is, and it's not to his benefit.  But he might have found the perfect escape from his normal life.  It began as a joke, with he and his friends applying to an elite prep school as new transfer student Rowan Pohi.  But when Rowan's acceptance letter arrives, Bobby realizes he may have just created a perfect out, a way to become someone else. Someone cool.  But is he really going to be able to outwit an entire school?

Review:
Fletcher has created a great character in Bobby.  Bobby is recovering from the aftermath of witnessing his father beat his mother, of his father going to jail, and of his mother leaving him and his little brother behind in her effort to escape his father.  Bobby is struggling to understand and deal with his anger and hurt over the entire situation, when he finds a way to use his creativity to escape.  Not to escape like his mother, but to escape in a small way that he can use to better his situation.  Bobby is a great character for boy tweens, witty and popular, able to turn any situation to his gain.  A fun read.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

Want to go Private?

by Sarah Darer Littman

Summary:
Abby knew high school was going to be different than middle school, she just didn't expect everything to be so hard.  Her best friend Faith is making new friends left and right, joining clubs and having fun, but Abby can't seem to find her place.  Combined with parents who just ignore her and the most annoying little sister, it's no wonder she prefers to spend all her time online with her new friend Luke.  She's never met him, in fact they met in a chat room on her favorite website, but he understands her more than anyone else.  When she's fed up with everything he suggests they have a fun weekend together.  He loves her after all, so Abby decides to meet him.  But what happens when online fantasy changes to reality, what's actually real and what's not.  For Abby it might be too late...

Review:
Want to go Private? is a story about the dangers of the internet, about the dangers that anyone who goes online is exposed to.  Abby has been taught all about how to be safe on the internet, that she shouldn't give out personal information to people she doesn't know, but Luke slowly gains her trust and she is convinced she's doing the right thing by telling him her name, about her life, giving him her address.  The book is a chilling reminder that even when someone knows the facts about something, all it takes is someone pushing the right buttons to get them to forget themselves.  A really good read for older tweens and younger teens about the dangers of falling for a fantasy.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 7-8th Grade

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

How to Save a Life

by Sara Zarr

Summary:
Over the last year, Jill's life has been turned upside down.  She is still coping with the unexpected death of her father last year, when her mother decides that the best way to cope with her grief is to adopt a child.  But not just any child. 

Mandy might be almost 19, but she is not ready to cope with the child she is carrying.  In Jill's mother she sees her salvation, a person who can get her away from her hometown in the midwest, away from her mother and terrible home life. 

When Mandy arrives at Jill's, both are faced with decisions they didn't want to make.  With a situation neither expected.  With time, and patience, maybe they can come to understand each other, perhaps things will finally work out for both of them.


Reviews:
Zarr's book is a poignant look at a teenage mother who is faced with the decision of whether or not to give up her baby.  Mandy is a character who doesn't know any better.  She was raised with a set of morals that Jill, the product of an upper middle class family, can't understand. Mandy comes to live with Jill in the type of house she has only seen in magazines.  Both have to learn to understand the other in order to find a situation they can both live with.  It's a book with a happy ending, not a perfect one, but one that is definitely the best for all involved.  Really good read overall.

All Good Children

by Catherine Austen

Summary:
Imagine a world where kids don't talk back to their parents, eat their vegetables without complaint, and are completely devoted to the success of society as a whole.  What used to be the stuff of horror movies is quickly becoming Max's life.  It all starts with a shot. A shot they say is just to keep you healthy, but instead it turns you into a zombie with no ambition but to listen and obey.  Max has watched all his friends turn into these robots, and by pure luck has tricked the system into believing he has had the shot.  But his small acts of rebellion are betraying the fact that he still has feelings, that he is an individual still.  He's not sure how much longer he can hold on.  If it is even worth holding on any more.

Review:
All Good Children is a story about the dangers of too much societal control.  How much is too much?  Security cameras might prevent crime, but when do they intrude too much into personal issues.  Mobile devices might help us keep in touch with friends, but when they are used to track your every move and see what information you are looking up is it worth the price? The book examines the problems of too much control, and the ease with which people might adapt to a more 'perfect' society, forgetting the costs that make this 'perfection' possible.  It's definitely a good read for any tween into conspiracy theories or those who like books about good intentions spun out of control.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age level: 8th Grade

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Legend

by Marie Lu

Summary:
June has been a child prodigy since day one.  She is the only person in the Republic to ever score a perfect 1500 on the nation's aptitude tests, setting her up to become one of the eventual military leaders.  But as she finished her training her brother is killed, and she is appointed to lead a squad in tracking down his killer.  A killer who also happens to be the Republic's number one most wanted.  Day is well known for his acts of terrorism, for destroying Republic equipment and disrupting supply lines to the front of the war with the Colonies.  But what June is about to find out is that Day is no ordinary terrorist, he is just a boy who wants to help his family in a system that has abandoned him.  A boy who has discovered that the country that is supposedly there to protect them, is actually the one killing them.  Now June must decide who to believe: the people she has trusted all her life, or the evidence given to her by a boy she barely knows.

Review:
Legend is another dystopian novel about the destruction of the world we know and the rigid militaristic societies which have taken it's place.  What sets the novel apart from others of it's ilk is the character's themselves.  Day is one of the poor, destined since birth to never amount to more than his parents, and kept there until he escapes and decides to live on his own terms.  June is affluent, born to a life of privilege, but one which has been filled with personal tragedy.  In the novel, it is June who has to realize that everything she has been taught has been a lie, that the world she lives in is not as black and white as she has been told.  The book itself is fast paced and well written, drawing you in and leaving you wondering what happens next.  Great for tweens who like other dystopian novels.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8-9th Grade

Once Upon a Marigold

By Jean Ferris

Summary:
Christian was raised by a troll in a cave, literally by a troll in a cave.  But he can't help but think that one day, maybe, he could meet the beautiful princess he sees every day across the river.  Maybe if she knew he existed he could be the thing that makes her happy, since he can't help but notice her immeasurable sadness every time he sees her.  With a little help from his stepfather the troll, and a lot of ingenuity, Christian finds a way to finally meet her, but will everything turn out ok?

Review:
Once Upon a Marigold is a charmingly witty fairy tale about an inventive boy with a heart of gold, who wins himself a princess.  The book has a few fun twists in it which keep the reader guessing about Christian's true roots and the real motives of the queen.  It isn't overly complicated making it ideal for tweens who like princess stories.

Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Age Level: 5-6th Grade

The Two Princesses of Bamarre

by Gail Carson Levine

Summary:
Meryl has always been the more adventurous sister.  The one who is anxious for adventures, loves sword fighting, and above all is always there to protect her sister Addie from trouble of any sort.  But when Meryl falls sick with the plague, it is up to Addie to find the cure that could save her sister.  But can Addie, who has never even had to get rid of a spider, face ogres or dragons or worse?  Will she succeed in saving her sister, or will she end up dead too?

Review:
Gail Carson Levine is well known for her entertaining and feel good princess stories, and The Two Princesses of Bamarre does not disappoint.  The story is well written, though predictable, with characters which will draw in girl tweens with their determination to be better than they are.  The book even has a love story in it, making it a great choice for any princess tale loving girl.

Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Age: 6-7th Grade

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Luxe

by Anna Godberson

Summary:
In the year 1899, the rules determining the behavior and conduct of New York's high society are strict and final.  They have the power to make or break a young socialites standing. In a world where old money rules and new money has to make it's standing known, Luxe follows the lives of several of New York's finest bachelors and debutantes as they learn to decide which rules are worth following, and which are worth breaking.

Review:
Luxe is a historical fiction version of many popular tween books, like Pretty Little Liars.  It is filled with intrigue, secret affairs, loves torn apart, and even a murder.  The book is well written, drawing the reader in and painting extremely intriguing characters.  It stays fairly true to realism in it's depictions of life at the dawn of the last century.  The book is a great read for older tweens due to some of the more mature content about the characters love lives.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 9th-10th grade
Series: Book 1 of 4 (Luxe, Envy, Rumors, Splendor)

Hold Still

by Nina LaCour

Summary:
The school year might be beginning like normal for everyone else, but for Ingrid, all it brings is reminders of the death of her best friend at the end of last year.  Caitlin was beautiful and fun, but what everyone believed she was was shattered when she committed suicide.  Now Ingrid is left behind trying to understand not only why Caitlin did it, but why Caitlin never talked to her about her problems.  When Ingrid finds Caitlin's journal, she finds a way to understand a little bit of Caitlin herself, the part that Caitlin always kept hidden. 

Review:
Hold Still was not nearly as captivating as other novels about the aftermath of a suicide.  However what it did try to explain was the fact that Caitlin knew that she was ultimately the one responsible for her life and that what she was going to do was not the only option.  The book focuses on her friend trying to understand the betrayal she feels, and how to deal with both that betrayal and her grief.  Overall it's well written but there are better books on the subject out there.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th-10th Grade

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Unwind

by Neal Shusterman

Summary: 
Years before Connor, Risa, or Lev were born, a war raged in America between those who were pro-choice, and those who were pro-life.  In the end a compromise is reached: abortion is ruled illegal but instead a new practice is put into place. A practice which allows parents to choose to retroactively terminate teens between the ages of 13 and 17 though a process called unwinding.  This solution meant that the child itself would not be killed because all of their body parts would be used for transplants, ensuring that they live on just in different forms.  Now it's been in place for years, and few question it, but for these 3 teens the death sentence put upon them might just cause the spark that causes people to see reason.

Review:
Unwind is an incredibly interesting, though disturbing, book which grabbed me from page one.  More than once I wondered how something like this could happen, and then realized how easily it possibly could.  The solution that was reached at the end of the war was supposed to be so ludicrous that it would shock the opposing ideological factions into realizing that their needed to be compromise.  Instead it became a death sentence for many teens, and resulted in babies being born and abandoned to the state until they were of age to be harvested themselves.  At first you think that everyone will see reason, but instead the demand for healthy body parts overshadows where these parts came from.  In one scene the unwinding process happens to one teen, who is conscious throughout the entire procedure.  It was deeply disturbing, and as a result I hesitate to recommend this book to any younger teen.  The book raises a lot of flags about the danger of being too ideologically wedded to a cause, about the necessity of compromise and reason, and discusses the courage needed to finally stand up to injustice.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade

Princess of the Midnight Ball

by Jessica Day George

Summary: 
There is a mystery in the palace in Westfalin.  A mystery that no one has been able to solve.  Though the twelve princesses are locked in their room every night, they manage to wear out their dancing slippers every third night without fail.  Galen has served his country during it's long war, but now he has returned and is working in the palace gardens.  As he meets and falls in love with the eldest princess, he realizes that he is the only one who might be able to discover the secret that the princesses keep.  But will he be able to discover it before the princesses are ruined by the whispers of witchcraft and murder which surround them?

Review:
The Princess of the Midnight Ball is an entertaining retelling of the Grimm Brothers Twelve Princesses fairy tale.  It is a quick read, but manages to be entertaining without being too silly, combines a love story with heroism, and pits good against evil.  The book will be appealing to tweens of all ages who like a romantic but adventurous tale.  

Genre: Fairy Tale
Age Level: 7th-8th Grade

Thursday, January 19, 2012

You Know Where to Find Me

by Rachel Cohn

Summary:
Miles and her cousin Laura didn't have much in common anymore.  Most of the time they spent together was when they would get high on pills.  But when Laura purposely overdoses, Miles is forced to confront her own choices.   She must decide whether or not to fight for her own life, or spiral into nothingness like her cousin. 

Review:
You Know Where to Find Me is a dark novel about the repercussions of a suicide.  Interestingly, the book focuses on recreational use of prescription drugs instead of the more typical 'trouble' drugs or alcohol.  Miles is not a character that one is easily sympathetic too, she is closed off from most people in her life and the reader can assume that it is mostly by choice.  The book focuses mainly on the pleasure that she feels being high, and it's hard to believe that no one ever figured out she was using.  Overall it's a decent read but there are better books that discuss this topic out there. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th-10th Grade

A Kiss in Time

by Alex Flinn

Summary: 
We've all heard the story about Sleeping Beauty, right?  But maybe we haven't heard the real story.  Maybe it is less of a fairy tale and more the real thing.  Maybe the entire kingdom is still sleeping, waiting for the princess to get true love's kiss.  At first Jack though he had stumbled upon some sort of weird theme park, one where everyone is sleeping, but when he can't resist kissing one girl, he comes to find out that maybe fairy tale's are more real than we think.

Review:
A Kiss in Time is a fluffy, fun fairy tale.  The book takes a lot of leaps which are hard to identify with-beyond the typical fantasy stuff, like the fact that Jack knows where to get a fake passport and that the Princess has no problems adjusting to 21st century life.  But overall the theme of the book is love, and it adequately addresses it.  Definitely a great read for girls who liked Ella Enchanted or similar.

Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Age Level: 7th-8th Grade