Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The List

by Siobhan Vivian

Summary:
Every year the list comes out. Every year the prettiest and ugliest girl in each grade is determined by that list.  The list can make or break someone at Mount Washington High School. When the 8 girls on this years list find out their rankings, each reacts differently. Perhaps this year one of them will break the cycle, but what will it take for them to do it.

Review:
The List grabbed me right from the start. The list is a horrible tradition, but one that you can easily see happening anywhere around the country.  The book alternates from the perspectives of each of the girls selected, both the prettiest and the ugliest. Each girl's reaction is believable, and their evolution about their perception of the list from beginning to end is really interesting. It's a great read for teens about the dangers or owning too much into social perception, as well as the dangers of bullying.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

Fever, 1793

by Laurie Hale Anderson

Summary:
It's been years since the Revolutionary Wary, and Philadelphia is a busy city and Matilda's family's coffeehouse is one of the places to see and be seen.  When yellow fever strikes the city, everyone is completely unprepared.  As the disease progresses thousands flee, Matilda included. Unfortunately she doesn't get far and is forced to return to Philadelphia, a city where no one leaves the house for fear of disease. Now she must learn to survive on her own, and then maybe she will make it through this pandemic.

Review:
Fever, 1793 is a great historical novel about a pandemic few knew about. With medicine rudimentary at best, there was little that could be done when these diseases arrived in overcrowded cities. The book stays true to the times and gives an accurate depiction of life in the late-1700's.  Matilda goes from being a sullen teenager to self-reliant and impressive. It's a good read for tweens who like historical fiction.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 6th Grade

172 Hours on the Moon

by Johan Harstad

Summary:
In an effort to get people excited about space again, NASA holds a contest to send 3 teenagers to the moon for a week (along with an experienced crew of course). When Mia, Antoine, and Midori are selected from millions of teenagers across the world they are thrilled to go. But the moon hides some dark secrets, and what they find up there is something none of them expected.

Review:
I don't know what I was expecting when I picked up 172 Hours on the Moon, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I got. Harstad's book is full of suspense, but he writes it in a way that makes it fairly plausible.  The government conspiracy will intrigue any who like that sort of thing, and the book even has a little romance thrown in. I'll admit I was completely thrown by the ending, the book was nothing that I expected but is definitely going to be sticking in my memory for quite some time.

Genre: Science Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

One Moment

by Kristina McBride

Summary:
If only Maggie could remember what happened at the top of the cliff. Maybe if she could remember those moments before her boyfriend Joey fell to his death it would make more sense. But as Maggie starts to remember snippets of what happened, and what led up to that moment, she realizes that maybe she never really knew Joey at all. As the secrets that he kept start coming out, she realizes that maybe the boy she loved was never really who she thought.

Review:
A well written novel, One Moment  is the story of how secrets never stay hidden. What struck me the most is how everyone, Joey's family, Maggie, and their friends, all had to learn to accept everything Joey had done while alive that they never knew about. His secret life made them reexamine the "perfect Joey" they thought they knew, but all had to realize that they were still allowed to love and miss him.  Maggie is a great character, and the book does keep you interested throughout. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade

Monday, February 11, 2013

Butter

by Erin Jade Lange

Summary:
No one knows Butter's real name. No one really cares to know either. He sits alone at lunch, is ignored in classes by virtually everyone but his music teacher. You see, Butter is obese. Extremely obese.  And he's had it. He is done with being who he is. He's decided there's only one way out, and that's to eat himself to death. One last, huge meal. And he's going to broadcast it on the internet. When he shares his webpage, "Butter's Last Meal", with classmates, he suddenly finds that he's the most popular kid at school. The thing is, he's only popular because he's supposed to kill himself. So what does he do now that he's finally found a place?

Review:
Butter is a dark novel, as one can infer from it's premise. Butter himself is a very depressed kid who has hidden that depression from his parents and anyone else who kind of knows him.  The book is a cautionary tale about the dangers of peer pressure. I won't spoil the ending, but it really harks on how little you can know a person, and how important it is to try.  A good read for those who like more serious titles, but it's definitely for an older crowd.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade

The Foreshadowing

by Marcus Sedgwick

Summary:
There had always been signs that Alexandra had a gift. From the time she was little she had premonitions of when someone would die. Nothing she could harness and control, but when the visions came they always came true.  Now in the middle of WWI, she's already lost one brother, and dealt with the guilt of knowing it would happen. When her other brother sent to the front, she sees his death in her dreams. Knowing she can't live without trying to save him she leaves for France, hoping to change what she's seen.

Review:
Alexandra is a brave character. She sets off into the middle of war town WWI and suddenly has to face the realities of war, which are realistically portrayed in the book.  Her premonitions are not presented in too wild of a fashion, making them more believable. Overall a good wartime book about one girls struggle to change the future, but has no idea what will result from it.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

Falling For You

By Lisa Schroeder

Summary:
Rae knows life’s not fair. If it was maybe her dad would have stuck around. If it was maybe her mom wouldn’t have married Dean. If it was maybe he wouldn’t have gambled everything away and started to take the money she makes from her job.  When she meets the new guy at school, Nathan, she meets someone who treats her well. Who cares about her.  But when Nathan turns controlling, she breaks it off rather than feel suffocated by him. But you never know what might cause someone to snap. What might cause them to come after you instead of acting normally. All Rae wanted was a normal relationship, what she ends up with might just end her life.

Review:
This book grabbed me right from the start. Rae is a smart character whose home life just makes you want to find a way to help her out of it. She is independent and works hard, only to find everything she works for continually taken away from her.  The way she deals with Nathan is extremely mature, and you can feel her empathy for everyone she meets. The book keeps you guessing til the end (the book is starts with her in the hospital but you don't know why). A great read for teens. It portrays abusive relationships in a nonjudgemental light in terms of the victims. Very moving.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th grade