Sparrow Road by Sheila O'Connor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I know a book is a good one when I have to keep reading to satisfy my curiosity about a character or plot. Sparrow Road offers mystery in abundance. O'Connor creates a very real world with characters you can relate to and see in your own life. The story combines dreams, sadness, happiness and imagination.
Raine and her mother abruptly move from Milwaukee, leaving behind friends, a job and a grandfather to take a summer job in Sparrow Road. Once owned by a rich family, Sparrow Road was donated to charity, became an orphanage and later shut down; now it is an artists' haven. And here is where the mysteries begin: why did Raine's mother suddenly decided to move? What is the connection between Lillian and Viktor? What happened to all those orphans, especially Lyman who left his name on a painting in the attic.
An enthralling read. Well worth the time.



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The Truth About Truman School by Dori Hillestad Butler

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Zebby is SO DONE with censorship!!!
As the school administrators force another layer of censorship on the school newspaper, editor Zebby quits!
Though she is done with editing the school paper, she is not done writing about the truth! With the help of her friend Amr, Zebby starts an underground website dedicated to getting the truth about Truman Middle School out to the students.
But while Zebby envisions lively discussions about the math curriculum, the website morphs into something she and Amr never expected—a malicious gossip site.
So when the cyberbullying attacks a particular girl, Zebby tries to get to the bottom of the problem and set the records straight. But how??




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Lockdown: Escape from Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Furnace is no ordinary prison - it's demonic. It is run by a sadistic warden with the help grotesque guards who bully, abuse and force inmates to do hours of manual labor. Alex has been framed for a murder and finds himself sentenced to life in Furnace. Can someone remain human in an inhuman hell?
The book is a page turner, has lots of violence, suspense and surprises. It ends abruptly leaving you frustrated that you don't have the next installment.



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Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a lovely, enjoyable, uplifting story. I could imagine this story being a movie of the week on the Lifetime Channel.

Living in the school bus her mother drives as a part-time job, Amber Appleton is an upbeat Catholic who spreads joy and happiness while keeping her own difficulties at home very quiet. Amber is irrepressible, always adopting the underdog: a group of needy students; a group of shy Korean women; a Vietnam veteran and haiku specialist; and a nursing home full of old grumps.
Amber's unending optimism in the face of difficult circumstances is well depicted with snappy dialogue and inner musings. When real tragedy hits and Amber is unable to cope, the stark difference between the Amber of the past and the present is effectively delivered in white space and short paragraphs. Amber feels blank. So, can she reemerge as her old exuberant self; can her bunch of misfit friends help? How?
Hugely enjoyable




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The Interrogation of Gabriel James by Charlie Price

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I started this book with the intention of skimming, but got hooked. From the get-go you know there has been a double murder ... but that's all you know. Bit by bit, like peeling the layers of an onion, pieces of the mystery are revealed through Gabe's questioning by the police. You know there has been a crime but you don't know the who, why, where, or how ... and that keeps you reading.



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Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Fast, witty dialog and comic-book plotting distinguish this novel. A quick and easy mystery featuring the paranormal has cupcake baker Lizzy Tucker searching for special stones which can cause havoc to the world if found by the wrong people. She has special skills that help find the stones and help from a couple of questionably “normal” people. Diesel is sent to protect Lizzy as bad guy Gerwulf Grimoire is hunting for clues to find the stones. The ancient stones are tied to the Seven Deadly Sins; consequently, clues take the form of pride, greed, lust, envy, wrath, sloth and gluttony. This is book one on this Unmentionable series and focused on Greed, the subsequent books I guess will focus on the other sins.



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Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This novel not only tells a story of a family concealing secrets, failing to communicate and not willing to forgive; it is a story for all families - as what family is perfect. We can all learn from Delilah's story. Delilah’s grandmother has died so she and her mother make the trip back to Vermont. This is the first time in 8 years that the pair have been in Vermont since Dlilah's grandfather’s funeral. The funeral that stopped Delilah’s yearly summertime visits, the funeral that changed everything. Delilah has no idea what happened that day. She begins to see that she is not the only one with secrets and actions that need to be explained. Her family is hiding a generation of Hannaford secrets, secrets that would fill in the missing links of her life. Secrets that are too painful to be retold.



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The Cardturner :a novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker by Louis Sachar.
The Cardturner : A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker by Louis Sachar

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a book about bridge, and it is for teens. Bridge the card game – know it?



Alton Richard’s great-uncle Lester Trapp is rich and ailing, a combo that leads Alton’s parents to hatch a plan for the teen to cozy up to the old man and carve out a chunk of inheritance. Though blind, Trapp is a brilliant, world-class bridge player and needs someone to read him his cards and make his plays. Enter Alton, who gets roped into serving as a card turner. He withstands the constant barbs from his uncle and grows more intrigued by the game (in no small part due to the cute, girl who also plays). The pages are filled with detailed commentary on the basics and then nuances of the game, and a little whale image appears when the bridge talk is about to get deep so readers can skip right ahead to a wrap-up. But don’t be fooled: it is astonishing how Sachar can make blow-by-blow accounts of bridge not only interesting but exciting, treating each play like a clue to unravel the riddle of each hand. It is also a book full of understated humor and shows the many and varied funny foibles of humankind.







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Dark Song by Gail Giles

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Creepy..... and all too possible.
The book describes the implosion of a family who has it all one day... and loses it all too quickly. Ames sees her life crumble before her as her dad loses his job, gambles away all their assets and leaves them destitute. The situation is made more intolerable as her mother turns into the mother-from-hell. The family has to relocate where Ames meets Marc. And then things really get creepy. What a mess. You have to read this to really get the full eerily-real feel to this tale.

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Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Looking for love in all the wrong places!
Fast paced with short chapters, this novel follows the lives of 4 narrators, Ellie, Josh, Corinne (Ellie's best friend) and Caleb (Josh's best friend) describing how each is affected by the Ellie's unplanned-unwanted pregnancy.
Promiscuous Ellie sleeps around under the erroneous assumption that this equates with love and the guys will stick around. She is constantly disappointed.
Josh gets her pregnant. So the stage is set for the drama which unfolds.

What will Ellie do? Which choice is best or least painful or less wrong? Will Corinne and Caleb's relationship with each other and with Ellie withstand the pressure?

Josh feels awful; he treated Ellie horribly; he is a screw-up; but can he change?

Get the tissues out. (AP)

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Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jennifer Jones has been released on parole, and the whole country wants to know — where is JJ? Information about JJ’s whereabouts are under strict lockdown. There are only a few people who know.
Alice Tully has an ordinary life, she works at a coffee shop, lives in her apartment and has a loving boyfriend. Alice is also obsessed with reading about child murderer, JJ. Alice knows more than she lets on about JJ and the circumstances that surround the murder years ago.
A thought provoking story that delves deep into the life of the protagonist. What does Alice know?....(AP)

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The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet by Reif Larsen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This one gets a 5. It is so unique - a novel and an encyclopedia of trivia all in one.
Twelve-year-old, genius, T. S. narrates the story of his journey from Montana to Washington, D.C. to collect his Smithsonian award. As he crosses the country he also searches for an understanding of his world. Like most 12 year-old, T.S's mind wanders and the pages are filled with his diagrams, maps, reasonings - including a map of 26 McDonalds in North Dakota; an analysis of types of boredom; the merits of the juice pouch versus the juice box, to name a few. As you read the entertaining story there are these side trips to very entertaining trivia. There is never a dull moment in this book.
The writing reveals a narrator with a quirky character full of knowledge but so innocent, a flawed but loving family, and a spirit and goodness that abounds. Thank you Tecumseh Sparrow, I wish you well.

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The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The Carbon Diaries 2015
by
Saci Lloyd

Could this really happen? Are we reading fiction or an account of the future?
On the first day of rationing Mum couldn't get on the bus because she had forgotten her carbon card.
The government has decided that we need to cut our carbon emissions by 60%. Now the UK has become a guinea pig for the rest of the world, and two months into carbon rationing the country seems to be falling apart. In between blizzards we've had blackouts, food lines, looting, and thousands have lost their jobs.
Under the new system, each person is allowed 200 carbon points to spend each month. That has to cover our expenses for travel, food and heat.
The only thing that seems normal now is my band, the Dirty Angels. The Angels were so hot at practice. I played this wild bass.
The government has installed smart meters on every house. If you go over your monthly limit the smart meter starts controlling your energy use. What used to be personal before rationing has now become political. Go too much over your monthly limit and you will get a red envelope from the Carbon Department. Then you are in real trouble.
Because of my sister, Kim, our whole family has been put on "CO death row." We have to get our carbon use down. It is 2015. The new world of carbon rationing is destroying my family. This is my carbon diary about the first year of carbon rationing in the UK.

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Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Finding a mummified body of a child is not the best way to start your day! Eighteen year old Fergus McCann finds the remains of a small girl while poaching turf with his uncle in 1980s Ireland. Thus begins a seamlessly interwoven novel of multiple story lines. Fergus is confronted with several life altering situations - discovering more about the little girl, his developing relationship with Cora, being blackmailed into running packages for the IRA, the trauma of having his older brother, a political prisoner, on hunger strike. There is never a slow moment in the book, the pace is fast. The characters are believable with catchy, involved dialogue.
The novel explores the vagaries of growing up, coupled with the political tension in Ireland during the '80s. Fergus has to grapple with becoming an adult as well as battling family, religious, and national problems. A beautiful book.

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Caleb + Kate by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Caleb + Kate by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma.
Find out how he feel and she feels as our modern-day Romeo and Juliet's relationship develops. Told from both Caleb and Kate's point-of-view, the reader follows rich and pampered, Kate whose life changes from boring to intriguing when she meets rough Caleb. Set in the Pacific Northwest, this novel explores the doubts and frustrations of teen love.

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Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
An unexpected and totally enjoyable find.
Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell
A ghost story, a relationship story, a mystery, all rolled into one. Iris finds herself haunted by the spirit of a boy named Elijah who disappeared years ago. Why did he pick on her to haunt? What is the mystery behind his disappearance and why the secrecy when she begins to ask questions?
Pursuing this mystery, Iris uncovers years of secrets some involving her father. Mitchell packs a lot into this novel and keeps the suspense from page to page.
So, what exactly did happen?


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The Juvie Three by Gordon Korman


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Juvie Three by Gordon Korman
Juvie is not a good place to be. Arjay, Gecko and Terence are serving time for one type of offense or another. Douglas Healy needs boys to live in an experimental halfway house; the three agree. Rules are simple: live with Doug in an apartment, go to therapy, get good grades, do community service.
But, when Terence tries to sneak out, the other two boys get into a fight trying to stop him. Doug intervenes and ends up unconscious. The boys steal a car and get Doug to the hospital. Then Doug doesn’t come back to the apartment! Why? Turns out he has amnesia. What are the boys to do now? No one wants to admit to the authorities they are on their own. How can they help Doug and stay free?
You’ll develop a relationship with the boys and their struggle.



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Something Rotten by Alan M. Gratz


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Something Rotten
by
Alan Gratz
________________________________________
Something’s rotten in the state of Denmark – namely the Copenhagen River which is so polluted that it smells. This is the first of many clever tie-ins to Shakespeare in this loose contemporary retelling of Hamlet. If you’re not a Shakespeare fan, don’t worry, the story carries itself.
This charming, witty novel opens with the death (perhaps murder) of Rex Prince head of the Elsinore Paper Plant. Hamilton Prince, the heir apparent to the Prince family fortune, has gone a little crazy since his father's death and his mother's remarriage to his uncle. Enter Horatio, Hamilton’s best friend who is tasked with finding out who murdered his father.
Horatio has a cocky way about him and a barbed tongue reminiscent of many teens. You will love him; he will soon become your favorite protagonist.
The many parallels to Hamlet are interesting, but Gratz wisely avoids producing a carbon copy of the tragedy. So enjoy and see if you can figure out the mystery.



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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A Swedish suspense story. Stieg Larsson was a journalist and agitator. He lectured on right-wing extremism and racism. He lived with the love-of-his life, Eva Gabrielsson, for over 30 years. They never married because marriage required registering and they feared this would lead to them being found and attacked by his right-wing enemies.
As a form of relaxation Stieg took to writing. He finished three novels and was taking these manuscripts, packed in WalMart bags, to a publisher. He never made it; on the stairs outside the publisher he had a heart attack and died.
The publisher read the manuscripts anyway, liked them and published the Millennium trilogy, as the books were called. They were an instant and huge success of international proportions.
Now the plot thickens, Stieg left no written will, so according to Swedish law, Stieg's estate was inherited by his father and brother. His partner of 32 years got nothing! This sparked a dispute between Eva Gabrielsson and Stieg's relatives. She claims that they "were never a part of our lives" and that they are not the right persons handling Stieg's estate.
A fact complicating the matter is that Eva has the laptop with the partly finished script for the fourth book in the Millennium series. And she will not publish the script unless she is given the full rights to manage the other three novels in the series, the novels which she and Stieg worked with together. However, Stieg's father and brother have not been willing to agree, and this has resulted in a stalemate. So what will happen next?
But wait, you think this is a plot line for a novel…… think again. This is the truth surrounding Stieg Larsson and his world acclaimed books that will soon be made into movies.
You can read the whole true life story in Time Magazine, May 24, 2010
And you can read the 3 Millennium books at the library
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo

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Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Thirty-three times. That's how many times she called me as she was dying alone in a motel room. Thirty-three times that I didn't answer the phone.
Disturbing, harrowing, sad…. The story of two girls, each enabling the other’s own eating disorder. Cassie is now dead and haunting Lia; Lia feels guilt over her friend’s death which causes her self-destructive behaviors to accelerate. As Lia's weight plummets, her parents, step-mother, and therapist all seem powerless to help. Wintergirls is a gripping tale of one girl's struggle with body image.

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Interred with Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I love Shakespeare and all his works. I was excited to find this book and see it touted as a best seller. But, it didn't live up to my expectations. References to 1600 characters left me addled, I couldn't enjoy the book with all the names and relationships I had to keep straight. Also, how does the protagonist just happen to buddy-up with someone who has the means ($) and expertise to get her back and forth over the Atlantic while eluding the police on both sides of the ocean! Come on!!

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The Photographer: Into War-Torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders by Emmanuel Guibert


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Photographer Didier Lefevre travelled on a 3-month mission to Afghanistan in 1986 when the Soviet-Afghan War was raging. This mixture of photographs and illustrations tells of his journey from Pakistan to the mission site in Afghanistan, his stay and his journey back to Pakistan that almost cost him his life.

A very unique combination of cartooning and photographs have been combined to portray so much on the journey: the beauty of the land, the terror of illegally crossing the border, traveling under cover of night, watching for Soviet planes. Then at the medical camp it chronicles horrific war wounds as well as sickness and accident victims. The photographs, the text, the illustrations capture the spirit, the agony, the willpower, the drive of the doctors who come to work here.

The political situation is explained at the beginning of the book to give the reader a reference point, but concentrates on human relations and interactions without getting too political. The reader is given a vision of the Afghani way of life, the ravages of war, the innocents and the opportunists.

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The Help by Kathryn Stockett


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was reluctant to start this book. I prefer trillers, adventure stories where there is a lot of action and I thought this would be too slow for me. Well, I couldn't put it down. The suspense built right from the start - would Abilene be found out? would Minny lose her job? would Skeeter get her man?.......
Set in 60s Mississippi, the book chronicals the work and escapades of 3 women as they attempt to write a book about black maids and their experiences in Jackson Mississippi. It brings segregation to full light, how actions can be misconstrued and a host of other themes. Truely a great read.

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Cowgirl at Heart by Christine Lynxwiler


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a solid mixture of romance and suspense. The romance is wholesome and fulfilling while the intrigue, mystery and twists in the plot line keep your riveted to the page. This is a book I can recommend to many and diverse ages as it encapsulates family values, ethics, and plain goodness. Elyse McCord, a dog whisperer, goes to the aid of an abused animal only to find herself in a situation. Along comes Andrew Stone to the rescue. Andrew carries emotional baggage of his own after the tragic death of his young wife. Together they end up in developing situations.

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The twilight Gospel: The Spiritual Roots of Stephenie Meyer's Vampire Saga by Dave Roberts


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Following the popular, yet controversial, Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, The Twilight Gospel by Dave Roberts is an overview of the different ideas and values that Stephenie Meyers promotes. Roberts identifies different themes in the Twilight books and examines them from a Christian perspective.

A short book with clearly defined chapters, it takes no time to read.

Roberts points out that though the Twilight books promote sexual relationships, physical beauty, and the idea that these things lead to perfection, there are also other themes throughout, e.g. compassion, family…..

A good book for parents, interested teen and teachers as it contains some interesting discussion points.

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The Orange Houses by Paul Griffin


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I toted this book around for a couple of weeks as I felt it my duty to read it so I could make a report. Then we had a few snow days and I was at home. I found a bunch of books that I wanted to read and so "The Orange Houses" remained shelved, or should I say 'bagged'. Eventually I felt guilty and took the book out intending to skim. I read the first few short chapters and was hooked.
-The Orange Houses- by Paul Griffin is a disturbing story revolving around three marginalized teens: Mika, a 15-year-old hearing-impaired girl, 18-yr-old Jimmi, a mentally disabled veteran, and Fatima, a 16-yr-old African illegal. Their paths cross and recross in The Bronx as each struggles with life and what fate has dished out.

These teens are all living rough, avoiding police, fighting bullies, constantly dealing with fear and mental illness. But they share a longing for something better, through art, freedom, kindness.

The chapters alternate between the three teens' points of view, and tension mounts as each chapter counts down to a violent act predicted at the beginning of the book. The potential waste and injustice of this violence becomes more apparent as the reader becomes more invested in the characters: - why will someone be hanged?

Haunting and disturbing yet still hopeful.

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Still Sucks to be Me: More All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton Smith, Teen Vampire by Kimberly Pauley


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Despite being another vampire book this novel shines. Full of wit and one-liners from a sassy teen-vampire faced with all the turmoil of high school politics as well as being relocated to LA (small town Louisiana and not Los Angeles as she originally thought, what a disappointment)and starting in a new school for her senior year.
Mina's voice is fresh, appealing and hilarious. You will be sucked in from the first chapter on.

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Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan gets into the mind of fifteen-year-old Blake who is struggling to balance his perfect girlfriend Shannon and his photo partner and friend Marissa who happens to be a girl. He constantly gets in hot-water by saying or not saying the right thing. After taking a photo of a worn-down, drug addict on the street for his photography class (Blake always sticks to gritty photos), he discovers more about Marissa – that woman was her missing mother. As Blake learns more about Marissa, their relationship changes, and Blake begins to realize that though love and romance are confusing, friendship isn’t necessarily any clearer. While he works to perfect his photography, he realizes it takes just as much work to balance the two most important females in his life that couldn’t be more different.

Flash Burnout blends comedy with more serious matters perfectly in Flash Burnout. Blake’s dilemmas feel real to the reader, and I must say I laughed at some point during nearly every chapter is this novel. L.K. Madigan does a superb job getting into the mind of a teenage boy – a task many young adult authors have tried without as much success – as Blake’s thoughts feel authentic. This book is fast-paced and, despite its length, easy to read in one sitting because it’s so hard to put down. The references to the craft of photography, especially the tips found at the beginning of each chapter and in the title itself, add to the parallels in Blake’s life and enrich the reader’s experience. The only time I was let down was the very ending of this novel which felt rather abrupt. I wish Flash Burnout had gone further in time and not ended so suddenly, so that the reader could feel more closure with the characters.

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Letter to My Daughter by George Bishop


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I won an advanced copy on Firstsreads. It is a thin book but a pleasant read, ideal as a pick to fill in a few hours. Nothing earth shattering , but an enjoyable read exploring a mother’s recollection of her teen years written as a letter to her run-away daughter. The writing was good and the story was realistic.

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Metamorphosis: Junior Year by Betsy Franco


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What a little gem of a book.

Ovid, named after and inspired by the Roman poet, journals all of his thoughts into a notebook. This teenagers voice is very believable and honest; he holds nothing back putting all his feelings on the line.

Ovid's journal tells of his high school experience, he gives the reader a snapshot of his life, as well as the lives of other high school students in a unique way. Ovid also gives each student a separate identity, connecting each one to a Roman mythological character based on each personality and struggle. Other juniors wrestling with their demons include musician Orpheus, obsessed with his girlfriend; incest victim Myrra, trying to find what's left of the girl in her; Alexis, a female Icarus flying too high on weed; and Sophie and Caleb, an internet Psyche and Cupid.

The only fault with this book is that it is too short. Despite its brevity, it's amazing how each character, including Ovid, grows and changes.
Who knows, after reading this you may find yourself looking up Ovid and the original Metamorphosis.

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Fairest by Gail Carson Levine


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Remember Ella Enchanted? Do you like fairytale-like stories? Here is one for you.
In a world where beauty, and singing ability are revered, Aza is awkward, and homely. Her only attribute is her glorious voice and has a gift of throwing her voice, that she calls "illusing." A duchess invites Aza to act as her companion and accompany her to the palace to attend the king's wedding. The new Queen Ivi she sees a way of protecting her reputation and disguising her own lack of singing talent by threatening Aza's family. Aza deceives the court into believing that Queen Ivi is a gifted singer. When the ruse is discovered, Aza is forced to flee the castle in order to save her life. Aza discovers her own strength of character, learns about herself, and decides that her physical appearance is not worthy of the stress and worry she has wasted on it. The plot is fast-paced, and you don’t even have to read it – the book comes on CD so you can enjoy the story and the singing. What’s not to like?

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