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