Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The Originals

by Cat Patrick

Summary:
Lizzie, Ella, and Betsy thought they were identical triplets. But when they discover that they are actually clones of another girl, more of their life starts to make sense. Like the fact that they divide the day into thirds, and all share one life in public as "Elizabeth." They've never questioned it, trusting their mother and her plan to keep them safe. But then the girls start to fall for boys, and not the same ones, and the careful divided life they've lived starts to break apart around them.

Review:
This is not a book that debates the merits or demerits of cloning, but instead looks at the process only as far as if affects the three girls. They are three individuals who are not different than anyone else, but they share the same genetic makeup. It is an interesting commentary on how even in someone with the same makeup different traits become more noticeable.  The book is interesting and definitely believable. It has a little romance, thrill, and science fiction wrapped into a quick summer read.

Genre: Science Fiction
Age Level: 7th Grade

Bot Wars

By J V Kade

Summary:
Trout St. Croix didn’t want any trouble. When he recorded the video and posted it online he was just trying to find out what happened to his dad. His dad who went missing two years ago when he went off to fight the Bot Wars. Now there’s an uneasy peace, and robots have been relegated to their own territory. But this video has sparked more than just a search for his father. It’s become the thing that will start a movement, a movement to show that the government has been lying about robots and the people that support them.

Review: 
I picked up this book with low expectations, thinking it would be kind of a low budget transformers type novel.  However, Kade has created an Asimov like universe where robots are more like humans and the interactions between the two are as natural as can be, though currently that peace only exists in part of the world. The big brothery nature of the rest of the world, where robots are banned and seen as terrorists, is also believable. Trout is a great character that will appeal to both boys and girls alike.  Overall a good read not just for those who like sci-fi, but those who like adventure novels with a relatable hero.

Genre: Science Fiction
Age Level: 7th Grade


Monday, June 10, 2013

Prisoner B-3087

by Alan Gratz

Summary:
Jack Gruener was just like any 12 year old. He went to school, had friends, looked forward to his Bar Mitzvah. But he lived in Krakow, Poland in 1939, and the day the Nazi's invaded, his life was forever changed. This story, based on the true story of Jack himself, is the story of how one boy survived. He survived the Krakow ghetto and the uprisings and shootings that occurred there, to work camps to concentration camps. His is a story of survival under the most brutal terms, but also a story of the resiliency of humanity.

Review:
The story of Jack Gruener is one that truly moves a person. He survived the most brutal conditions at an age when he should have been playing or with friends. He lost most of his family, yet learned to continue on. The book does a good job of accurately portraying the politics of the era and the reality of life in the camps from the perspective of a 12 year old, and changes his perspective well as he ages. It is a great addition to any Holocaust book list. The story will really resonate with teens of both genders.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

In the Shadow of Blackbirds

by Cat Winters

Summary:
In San Diego in 1918, the deadly Spanish flu is spreading. Coupled with the fact that World War I continues to take the lives of so many young men, it's no wonder that many are looking to seances and spiritualism to cope. Mary Shelley Black has been sent to San Diego after her father was arrested for anti-war activities. After she finds out her best friend was killed in the trenches, his spirit begins to haunt her. For a girl that doesn't believe in ghosts, she is forced to find a way to help the boy she loved find peace.

Review:
As a native San Diegan, I was excited to read a book set in my hometown. The book was pretty accurate (at least from what I know) in describing the city as it was in 1918. While I was a bit skeptical about the spiritualism angle of the book, Winters writes in a way that makes it believable. The era the book was set in was wrought with change and terror for people. Between the flu and the horrors of the war brought about by changes in weaponry it is easy to see why people were so willing to believe in spirits. A good read full of interesting characters and history.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

Monday, June 3, 2013

When We Wake

by Karen Healey

Summary:
You never know the last day of your life will be the last day of your life. For Tegan, it was just a normal day. She said bye to her mom, met up with friends, and went to a rally. And then she was shot. Which for most people would be the end of the story. But when Tegan wakes up in a government facility 100 years in the future she finds she was the first person to be cryogenically frozen and re-awoken. Now she has to figure out how to live in a society both similar and different to her own, realizing the future that she lives in is nothing like the future she had hoped for.

Review:
Healey has created a compelling tale that is both interesting for it's characters but also for the questions it raises. The book is a bit of a warning about our hopes for the future. The world Tegan wakes up in has severe climate issues, immigration policies, and economic problems have been exacerbated.  It's a sobering glance at what might happen, told from the eyes of a girl who had big hopes for the future. Tegan has to struggle not only with realizing that everyone she knows is dead, but has to move forward with a life in this new century. It's a good book for those that like semi-dystopian tales or books about climate change.

Genre: Science Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade