Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Plenty of action; a true page turner.  I haven't read Finnikin of the Rock and while Froi stands alone as a book, I would have had more background information had I read the first of the Lumatere Chronicles.  Still I was not disappointed.



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The Future of Us by Jay Asher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


If you had the chance to see what your life would be like 15 years in the future, would you take it?

It’s 1996, and high school junior Emma and her neighbor Josh are best friends until an awkward, romantic moment creates tension. Then Emma gets a new computer and an AOL CD-ROM, which somehow allow her to access her future Facebook page when she goes online. She and Josh are able to read about what their lives will be like in 15 years, but what’s more, they discover that they can affect those future lives by their thoughts and actions in the present; everything they do in the present has an immediate impact on their lives in the future. Unfortunately, they don't always like what they see.

Can the two teenagers rewrite the future? Should they try?




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A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was OK, but definitely over the bounds of belief.  Nice descriptions.
On the brink of the Industrial Revolution, Charlotte and her sister Rosie are left to run the mill after their father dies unexpectedly. Almost everyone in the village of Stirwaters is dependent on the river-powered textile mill for their livelihood and the Miller sisters are determined to keep it running. Charlotte struggles to overcome one disaster after another and refuses to believe in the family curse that the villagers whisper about.
When Charlotte finds that her father had mortgaged the mill and payment is due, she despairs until a strange little man, calling himself Jack Spinner, arrives. He promises to spin straw into gold for them in exchange for her mother's ring.
Against her better judgment, Charlotte consents.
What price does she have to pay for enough gold to save her home, her mill and her village?




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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Who would have thought that a book about cell culture could be so enjoyable. Believe me, I was skeptical.
The book tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, a black woman who showed up at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951 with an aggressive case of cervical cancer. Two samples were taken from her cervix, and the cells from these tissue samples became one of the greatest breakthroughs in cell culture history: the world’s first immortal human cell line.
The cells were unprecedented in their ability to grow and provided advances ranging from the polio vaccine, to gene mapping, to in vitro fertilization.  Henrietta’s cells have been blown up by nuclear bombs to test the effects of radiation, and sent into outer space to monitor the effects of zero gravity.  But, despite the huge importance of HeLa, not much was known about Henrietta Lacks the woman.
Her family knew even less about Henrietta’s contribution to the world. Although the cells were taken in 1951, the year she died, her husband and five children knew nothing about it. They didn’t find out until 20 years later.
The author manages to make this book a book with multiple interesting stories - a poor young woman from southern Virginia whose cervical cells would change the world; a girl who yearns to know who her mother was; researchers and their amazing scientific advancements; a family that sought to understand how someone could be dead and yet immortal.

Everyone can enjoy this book, whether you are scientifically minded or not, it is very readable and amazingly interesting.




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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As a child, Jacob Portman's grandfather told him fantastic stories of peculiar children with unbelievable talents. They were War refugees, like his grandfather, living on a remote island off the coast of Wales. His grandfather even had old weird photographs of the children that Jacob dismissed as photo manipulations. As he moves into his teenage years, Jacob stops believing the far-fetched stories and concentrates on leading a normal life.
All of that changes when Jacob is the sole witness to the frightening murder of his grandfather, a horrific tragedy that leaves him reeling in therapy. On his therapist’s suggestion, he finds himself headed to Wales to visit the old home where his grandfather grew up. Suddenly, his grandpa’s tales don’t seem so far-fetched after all— against all logic, the peculiar children from the photographs are alive and well, seemingly preserved in time. 
It isn’t long before Jacob finds himself in over his head and in possession of some peculiar qualities of his own as time manipulation and monsters come to the surface.
There are authentic period photos throughout the book showing the children; also the writing is extremely atmospheric.




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Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It all started with a lawn mower, and thus was born an economic empire.
When his birthday rolls around, our unsuspecting entrepreneur’s grandma shows up with his present. Instead of money for his birthday, which would've come in handy, she gives him this old lawn mower that used to belong to his grandfather.
So he starts mowing neighbors' lawns to solve his money problems.
This short and hilarious tale pitches an ordinary kid with an old riding lawn mower into a dizzying ascent up the financial ladder.

As his business becomes more complex, the reader is entertained with quick lessons in, to quote some of the chapter heads, Capital Growth Coupled with the Principles of Product Expansion and Force of Arms and Its Application to Business, the young tycoon ends up smarter than when he started out, and worth half a million dollars.

When it comes to telling funny stories, no one surpasses Paulsen, and here he is in top form; plus you get a primer on economic policies.




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Divergent by Veronica Roth

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


If you liked Hunger Games, you will like this trilogy.



In this world there are 5 factions each of which believes the opposite of their lifestyle is the root of evil.  Life within each faction is rules by its beliefs and loyalties. You have Abnegation, Candor, Dauntless, Amity and Erudite.

When Tris leaves her Abnegation family to become one of the wild, fearless Dauntless, she must learn a new lifestyle.  But she begins to see truths in each factions’ beliefs. She also discovers that she is actually a Divergent, with the strengths of multiple factions, and is therefore a target of dangerously controlling leaders and see by these leaders as a threat.

This is a very fast-paced novel and not for the faint-hearted.  There are so many twists and turns that you are kept on the edge of your seat waiting for the next jolt.





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Flip by Martyn Bedford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Have you ever woken up in the morning and not known where you were – you have to take a couple of seconds to figure out where you are? Well what if you woke up and you didn’t recognize the body you were in?

Alex Gray opens his eyes to a bedroom he’s never seen before in his life. It’s not his room and he is wearing strange pajamas; Alex walks through a house he’s never seen, into a kitchen that’s filled with the smell of croissants (which Alex really dislikes), a girl dressed all in black with purple hair, named Teri, and a tall, lean Mom who looks like a ‘cross between a human and a giraffe.’

And thus begins Alex’s discovery of his new life, what has happened to his old life, and his battle to get home.

This novel offers as many thrills and chills as it does humor, love, and an in-depth look at the psychological toll change brings and the deep seated desire to survive.


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D.Gray-Man: Opening, Vol. 1 by Katsura Hoshino
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A student recommended this series. I found it quite enjoyable. Easy enough to understand (sometimes manga story lines escape me - perhaps I'm getting too old. The concept leaves plenty of room and opportunity for plenty of episodes. I did not waste my time reading this :)

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The Big Book of How to Say It by Rosalie Maggio

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Every house should have this, it is a huge resource. Even in this age of emails and twitters, you still have to be able to write a note, a letter, a complaint, advice and references. This book tells you how. Whether you are at school and as student council secretary have to write letters, or you are working and have to deal with customers or suppliers, if you are a teacher and have to write a reference - this book tells you how.



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Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Samuel knew the forest, he loved it; he was at home in it. His skill at hunting meant that he was responsible for providing meat for nearly the whole Pennsylvania frontier settlement where he and his parents lived. That day he was hunting, deep in the forest, when it happened.

Smoke across the tops of the trees.

It couldn't be a forest fire. It hadn't been dry enough. Could it be coming from the settlement? No, he rejected the idea. For that would mean only one thing, an attack. Samuel turned and started running. He caught the smell of blood before he could see the settlement.

There had been an attack on his settlement, an attack on his home, and he hadn't been there to help. All the cabins had been burnt to the ground. Most of the settlers were dead, killed by tomahawks and arrows, and many had been scalped. It was clear from their tracks that the Indians had been lead by men on horses – soldiers, Red Coats.

But Samuel didn’t find his parents' bodies. For some reason, they had been taken captive.

Samuel swore he would get them back, but how much can a 13-year-old do?





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The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Do you ever look at the missing children pictured on your milk cartons or in the newspapers? Janie did – and she saw herself.
Janie Johnson is a normal fifteen year old, red-headed girl. She is an only child and comes from an ideal family with a respected mom and dad. She is learning to drive, has a best friend, and she even has a crush. Janie and her friends always look at the missing people on the back of their milk cartons at lunch for entertainment, but one day it was Janie's picture. Was this a joke; was it really her? She knows her face and is shocked by the picture, only, the name is not hers. Jennie Spring, three years old, is what the milk carton said. Could it be true, did her parents really kidnap her? Was her family out there still wondering what happened to their little girl? Maybe she’s not an only child; were there other awkward looking red-heads like her? Is this why her parents don't have any baby pictures of her up on the walls? What’s real and what’s not?




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Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


How do you make something of yourself when you are the 6th of 7 brothers and born into poverty? Cunxin spent his first 11 years as a dirt poor son of peasants in China. Then, quite by chance, he was chosen to be taken to Bejiing and the Madame Mao Dance Academy. With no experience of ballet let alone living in a city, Cunxin bravely endured the hardships of loneliness and the rigors of dance.

I was surprised at how involved I became in the life of Cunxin. The book is written very plainly in a declarative style. What catches your interest is this little boy's determination to become something and to make his family proud.

The book became a feature film and I was able to watch a Today Show interview, on the Internet, that Anne Curry had with Cunxin. This was interesting as I got to see the subject of the book and catch glimpses of his dancing.



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Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Fast paced novel based on the popular theme of jealousy and hatred. Plenty of soap opera bitchy-ness.



Seniors Brooke and Kathryn used to be friends. They have one thing in common, they both have beautiful voices, well they actually have two things in common if you count their hatred. Now they are bitter rivals in a vocal-music competition.

These fren-enemies battle it out at school and at home through alternating chapters. Who will you side with, rich popular Brooke, or petite awkward Kathryn?

Plenty of material to get your teeth into in this novel.





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Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


To be a judge or a trial lawyer? Umm? Theo Boone is obsessed with all things legal. While he hasn’t taken the bar, he does offer advice to his friends, hangs out at the courthouse, and watches Perry Mason reruns. Things turn serious, however, when a witness to a murder, a young illegal immigrant, comes to Theo with evidence. So what to do with this bomb-shell?
John Grisham the well known adults’ author with best selling novels and mega-successful movies based on these books begins his YA career with a fast moving legal thriller full of explanations of many lawyer-ly issues. I read an interview with John Grisham where the author said he had talked with a group of middle-schoolers about the book. This audience where very forthright about what they wanted changed and what they liked. Therefore I am even more interested in reading the 2nd in the series to see if I can recognize differences in treatment and style.




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The Omnivore's Dilemma for Kids by Michael Pollan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Where do burgers come from? They start in feedlots where tens of thousands of cows stand on a hill of manure and eat from concrete troughs; their feed can contain chicken and cattle manure, chocolate, stale pastry, cement dust, molasses, candy, urea, hooves, feathers, meat scraps, fish meal, pasta, peanut skins, brewery wastes, cardboard, corn silage, pesticides.

And fries? Most potatoes start in huge fields sprayed with chemicals so toxic that no one's allowed to enter that field for five days after it's sprayed. Those chemicals stop the bugs, but the potatoes have to be stored for six months in a giant shed before they're safe for humans to eat.

Have you lost your appetite yet?

So what's an omnivore supposed to eat? An omnivore, someone who eats meat and vegetables, has a lot of choices. That's what Michael Pollan, the author of this book, discovered as he became a food detective and set out on a mission to understand what really goes on behind the scenes in food production.

This book will shock you with startling facts, scare you with the secrets that food producers would rather keep quiet, and probably make you a little sick when you learn some of the hidden truths behind the foods you eat.

You may not look at food quite the same way after this book.





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The Last Siege by Jonathan Stroud

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A boring Christmas vacation morphed into an adventure Emily never expected.

A group of children – loner Emily, local troublemaker Simon, and the decidedly off-beat Marcus – decide to break into the local ruined castle to look around, at Marcus’s urging. However, once they’re inside, they decide to come back to spend the night… and then once they’ve begun defending the keep, how long can they hold out against the siege of adults come to take them home? And why don’t they want to go home?

I really enjoyed this one. It was realistic with great believable dialog from the teens. It is well-written, humorous, and has plenty of action.





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Delirium by Lauren Oliver

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This was tedious. It went on and on, repeating itself (that is how it seemed to me). It could be likened to a soap opera, where you watch a few episodes then miss a few weeks only to find that the action hasn't really progressed during your absence. I also don't seem to enjoy romantic novels - too slow moving.

So here is the School Library Journal review:

In this gripping dystopian novel set in a future Portland, ME, everyone is safe, unhappiness can be cured, and the freedoms we take for granted have been relinquished in the name of "security" and "the common good." There is no risk and no pain, or at least there won't be for 17-year-old Lena Haloway and her outspoken friend, Hana, once they turn 18. They will then be eligible, in fact forced, to undergo the procedure that will render them impervious to delirium—the disease that was formerly known as love. You can see, of course, right where this is headed, but the ride is well worthwhile. Lena is an engaging and believable protagonist, at first compliant, then questioning, and finally desperate to save herself and the irrepressible emotions blooming within her. Her journey to understanding is both painful and exhilarating as she meets free-spirited Alex, succumbs to delirium, and wrestles with the social code she's been taught so well. Ultimately, Lena gets a shocking glimpse into the world outside the city's borders and witnesses the barbaric underpinnings of the "safe" world in which she has lived. Especially heartbreaking is her discovery of the fate of her mother, who was unable to stop loving her husband and daughters and paid a terrible price for her transgression. On the other hand, Lena's caring but numbed-out aunt and her scrupulously compliant older sister make clear the consequences of obedience to tyranny. Strong characters, a vivid portrait of the lives of teens in a repressive society, and nagging questions that can be applied to our world today make this book especially compelling and discussable



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When the Black Girl Sings by Bil Wright

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this novel. It may be predictable but touches on many teen issues, especially the ever present need to fit in and appreciate ones self.

Adopted by loving, white parents and taunted by classmates as the only African American girl in her elite, private school, Lahni Schuler, 14, is conflicted about her identity and deeply hurt by her parents’ separation.

When her mother takes her to an interdenominational church, Lahni is captivated by the soulful gospel singing. She joins the choir and receives inspiration from the flamboyant, talented director and organist. With a school singing competition coming up you will find the tension mounting. Also there is a boy stalking Lahni, so how will this aspect of the plot evolve? This story never gets heavy-handed ; the characters are well developed, believable and the narrative is real. You will find yourself rooting for the underdog and hoping the smug characters get their due too.





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Rikers High by Paul Volponi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Really good look at life in jail for a teen, if you ever thought of doing something unlawful, this will cure you. Martin Stokes has landed in jail for steering, telling an undercover cop where to buy drugs. He is due to be released but due to various judicial mishaps he's being held at Riker's Island for a few weeks that turned into months while he waits for his trial to come up. He's learned how to navigate the system and avoid becoming the target of bullies, but an accidental knife slash to his face and a transfer to a new ward lands him in the jail school, and he is the new kid again. Volponi spent several years as a teacher at Rikers and everything that happens in this book he saw or heard about. There are some really good teachers who help and defend the juveniles against bad corrections officers, but also some worthless and dangerous teachers as well. This is a very realistic novel and a great look at the corrections system from one teenager's point of view.



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Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Ansel and his sisters enter the forest; Ansel and only one sister return. And so begins this novel which is loosely based on the fairytale Hansel and Gretel.
Twelve years later Ansel and his sister Gretchen find themselves in a small town, Live Oak, where there is a history of girls disappearing. Is there a connection between these events? Will further disappearances occur and can they be stopped?
This story has romance, mystery, and a touch of the supernatural and will interest many readers.



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Fire Will Fall by Carol Plum-Ucci

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I didn't know until lately that this is the sequel to Streams of Babel. This novel stands by itself, but for greater interest you probably should read the first.
The story is told in alternating chapters which is a downer for me. I lose track of what's happening or if I don't like a character I resent reading about them too much; if I like a character I want to skip over to they parts where he/she is featured. Anyway, this is not my kind of format.
The story: Trinity Falls' water supply was infected with a virus when bioterrorists attacked. The four teens who were the most affected by the virus are moved to a big mansion so that their health can be monitored. Symptoms and emotional issues form the backbone of the narrative. Two other teens are introduced. These two are searching for clues to the bio-terrorists, and what these crazies are up to next.
Will the teens recover from the virus and its effects? Will the terrorist succeed in launching another attack? Read the book to find out.



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Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Samuel knew the forest, he loved it; he was at home in it. His skill at hunting meant that he was responsible for providing meat for nearly the whole Pennsylvania frontier settlement where he and his parents lived. That day he was hunting, deep in the forest, when it happened.

Smoke across the tops of the trees.

It couldn't be a forest fire. It hadn't been dry enough. Could it be coming from the settlement? No, he rejected the idea. For that would mean only one thing, an attack. Samuel turned and started running. He caught the smell of blood before he could see the settlement.

There had been an attack on his settlement, an attack on his home, and he hadn't been there to help. All the cabins had been burnt to the ground. Most of the settlers were dead, killed by tomahawks and arrows, and many had been scalped. It was clear from their tracks that the Indians had been lead by men on horses – soldiers, Red Coats.

But Samuel didn’t find his parents' bodies. For some reason, they had been taken captive.

Samuel swore he would get them back, but how much can a 13-year-old do?





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Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


How would you feel if you had a chimpanzee as a little brother?
Ben Tomlin's father moved the family to British Columbia for that very reason. Nobody had asked Ben, his Dad had accepted the new job before he told Ben anything about the move.
It was 1973. Richard Tomlin was a behavioral scientist interested in whether humans were the only animals capable of learning language. He wanted to find out if chimpanzees could learn American Sign Language. So he accepted a position at a university half way across Canada.
Ben spent his thirteenth birthday unpacking boxes at his new house. Now he was in a new town, Victoria, living in a new house and going to a private school.
For the experiment a particular chimp had to be found. It had to be a baby, because the whole experiment relied on raising it just like a human.
They named their chimp, Zan.
At first Ben thought that having a chimpanzee as a member of the family was the weirdest thing in the world and he resented him because of the move and because it made him look weird at school. But as he begins to work with Zan, spending time with him and teaching the chimp his first sign, Ben's feelings about his feisty new half brother begins to change.
What does Zan learn?
What do Ben and his family learn?
Can this experiment succeed?




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The Twin's Daughter by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Mystery, romance, drama mix together in this book of identity swapping/stealing. The story is set in the past and the author has managed to create a Victorian era feel to her prose. He choice of language and syntax adds to the dated setting very successfully. The story was good with a final twist.



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A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I could not read this book in one sitting - it was too heart wrenching. I needed time to compose myself. Conor experiences nightmares in the shape of a yew tree monster. The nightmares are connected to his mother's fight with breast cancer. The portrayal of Conor's anguish, anger, and desperation is so real that my heart was breaking most of the time I was reading. Have the Kleenex handy.



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Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Have you heard of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire of 1911? You may have heard it mentioned on the radio or TV as it is the 100 year anniversary. It was the catalyst for many of the safety laws enacted that we all enjoy in the workplace.
Back in 1911 many young women were working at the factory when fire broke out. These girls were trapped in the fire by locked doors and insufficient fire escapes. In the end, 146 girls were killed in the fire. An investigation faulted the working conditions of the factory as well as the locked doors as leading to the fire. This tragedy led to new laws about working conditions in factories. But did you know that many of the girls who worked at the factory had walked out on strike 13 months before to protest the conditions at the factory? They were fighting for the right to unionize as well as for safer conditions. Uprising follows three girls who meet during the strike. They come from different backgrounds -- two immigrant factory workers and one rich girl who wanted to help. The three become good friends and fight for the good of all -- until the end. Of the three friends, two die. Who will survive and who will perish?




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Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


After her aunt's death, Tessa Gray comes to England hoping to start a new life with her older brother, Nate. She is met by the Dark Sisters and imprisoned for many weeks and is trained to take her 'rightful' place by their master, the Magister. Tessa finds out that she is a Downworlder, a warlock with special shape-shifting abilities.
Tessa may not know much about magic, but she knows that the Dark Sisters are evil, and the menace they serve wants to marry her!
Tessa escapes with the help of two Shadowhunters. They take her to the Institute, a hidden, protected place. And that's just the beginning, for as the weeks go by she meets some very interesting people--only a few of which are fully human.
t is hard to know who to trust...and who to love – and for sure she finds herself falling in love with someone at the institute.
The Victorian setting is nice.




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Liar by Justine Larbalestier

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I have thought more about this book than most others I have read in my whole life.
It leaves you with more questions, and a huge desire to discuss the story with another who has read it.

Is lying by definition fiction. In that case Liar by Justine Larbalestier is the epitome of fiction. A mystery novel set in New York, where Micah Wilkins is a senior and an habitual liar: she lies about everything - her gender, her father's business, her family -- everything. Nobody believes a word she says.
She tells us she will tell us the truth as one of her classmates has been viciously murdered. Micah wants to come clean and tell us about it and how she is affected. And the mystery continues because do we believe her?
I've never read a book quite like this. I was compelled to read on and find answers to the mysteries, but are there any answers? Really, the only certainty is that Micah is a troubled girl (or is she even a girl?).




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Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Both horrific and witty, scary and funny, here is a great story.
Sam: college dropout, hamburger flipper considers himself normal and a little aimless. All it takes is a game of potato hockey and a knocked out light on a Mercedes to change Sam's world from normal to paranormal. The event throws him into the sights of an evil and powerful necromancer named Douglas Montgomery. Sam turns out to be a necromancer too, making him Douglas's target for either slavery or death.

With the help of a bunch of friends, including a talking head, and some unusual acquaintances, witches, werewolves, a seer and a Harbinger, Sam has to figure out how to escape Douglas, keep his loved ones alive, and use his power while avoiding the nastier side of his new-found attributes.

The story can be gory and violent at times but this is off-set by witty dialog and comebacks. I couldn’t put it down, wanting to find out how Sam bested Douglas.

Recommended.




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Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Piper, who is accustomed to not being heard, is practically daring people to take notice of her now. For this deaf girl is about to take on a big challenge: she's going to be a manager of a rock band. She's determined to make this band a real band--a band that earns money. She is initially hampered by lack of both experience with intra-band politics and knowledge about music (a rational person might have thought these traits a plus). But the band, for better or worse, seems to be clashing in all the wrong ways, in impossible-to-ignore ways. Egos are larger than talent at times. It certainly doesn't help matters that two new band members have joined Dumb since it won the Teen Battle of the Bands. Can Piper do the impossible? Can she be the brains of Dumb?



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Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Nicely written and hard to put down.

A gifted harpist, Deirdre Monaghan has never been able to conquer her stage fright. So it's not unusual when, before performing at an important competition, Deirdre's nerves overwhelm her. What is strange is the appearance of Luke Dillon, a gorgeous flutist who helps clams her down and then performs a duet with her that wins the competition's grand prize.

Though Deirdre is instantly attracted to Luke, she knows there's something unworldly about him. Surely it's not coincidence that, since his arrival in her life, she's developed telekinetic powers and four-leaf clovers are popping up?

As Deirdre soon discovers, Luke has mysterious ties to the faerie world and other faerie beings appear. Soon she is the center of a faerie conflagration.





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Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


One of those books you wish would go on and on....

A fast paced adventure.
This futuristic novel is set on what was once the Gulf Coast. Nailer and his friends from the light crew are ship scavengers looking for valuable metals and other resources.

Loyalty is everything. To join the crew you must take a blood oath to be there for one another. If you break your oath, then you're out; and being on your own in this community, at this time, is something you want to avoid at all costs.

Nailer's best friend is Pima. These two are together when they make an extraordinary find. They find a newly wrecked clipper ship--a private ship. Nailer thinks his fortune is made, but then he discovers a survivor trapped in the wreckage—the privileged and wealthy daughter of the shipping-company owner.
What's to be done now? Help the girl or not? Who to trust or not to trust? Can someone that rich understand the desperation of poverty? Or has she another form of desperation to conquer?




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I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This won't get prizes for great literature but it is an engrossing, fast paced story. Can't wait for the next one.



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Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Adventure story, suspense story, love story, and throw in some travel, humor and photos too, all in one great book.
Little Princes is the true story of how an average twenty-something-year-old guy became caught up in saving the lost children of Nepal.
Conor Grennan took a break from his job to go on a year-long, globe-trotting adventure. But first to legitimize this self-indulgent trip, he decided to spend the first three months volunteering in Godawari, Nepal. Feeling inadequate at first, he was not sure he had the ability to survive in this war torn remote land. Grennan got to know the energetic and resilient children he worked with at the Little Princes Children’s Home, and realized that many of the children weren’t orphans at all, but rather the victims of unscrupulous con men.
Child traffickers tricked rural villagers into thinking they were paying to have their children taken to safety. But instead the children found themselves abandoned to live — or die — on the streets while the traffickers pocketed the money.
Grennan knew he had to find a way to reunite these children with their parents. And so he started his adventure.
A truly moving account of how one person can make a difference even in the face of seemingly impossible odds.




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Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Andi Alpers' little brother is dead, and it’s her fault. Her father left home, her mother's gone crazy and Andi's just trying to fight the urge to commit suicide.
When Andi’s father drags her to Paris where he's doing business, she doesn't care. When he tells her she'd better get busy researching Malherbeau's life, she doesn’t care. She doesn't even care about the music she once loved.
What's will make Andi care? Finding the journal of Alexandrine Paradis that's hidden in the secret panel of a guitar case made during the French Revolution. Andi engrosses herself reading about Alex's life. Alex wanted to be an actress but lands the job as playmate for the young son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. But there is a revolution brewing and heads will roll.
What do Alex and Andi have in common? What makes Andi care so much about someone who lived 200 years before her? Will Andi find answers to her life just as she finds answers to lives lived 200 years ago?




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The Trouble With Half a Moon by Danette Vigilante

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A quick read but with deep emotion.

Dellie lives in the projects with her mom and dad. Last summer her little brother was killed in an accident. Dellie blames herself. Her mother is overcome with grief and has become hyper vigilant about Dellie.
New tenants move in on the ground floor and the once peaceful building starts to have problems. A gunshot goes off in one of the halls. A small boy wanders the halls knocking on doors asking for bread. Dellie secretly becomes close to the boy, taking him under her wing, feeding him and finding out that he is neglected and abused by his mother.
Dellie sees the boy as her salvation – if she can save him maybe she will be forgiven.
Is Dellie’s emotional agony realistic; is she responsible for her brother’s death?
And the little boy, what goes on behind the closed door of his apartment?
Can Dellie and the little boy survive?




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The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible by A.J. Jacobs

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a really fascinating book and fun to read. HONEST

A.J. Jacobs attempts to live by the Bible’s laws as literally as possible for one year.

Jacobs does not ram religion down your throat. He shows us some of the zany and not-so-crazy rules from the Bible. On many occasions he also gives us some historical perspective to the origins of these laws - which I found very interesting.

Some of the famous laws visited include the Ten Commandments; not stealing including: neighbors wireless networks or straws that his two year old wanted to play with at Starbucks; be fruitful and multiply, no lying (this proved a hard one as sometimes it is easier to tell a white lie to a 2 year-old and avoid a tantrum. But he also obeys dozens of less publicized instructions, including growing a beard, avoiding clothes of mixed fibers and, yes, stoning adulterers.

Interpreting the Bible leads Jacobs to visit some remarkable Biblical communities, from a Kentucky-based creationist museum to the Pennsylvania Amish, from Christian charity workers to Hasidic Jews.

You all should really read this.





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Backtracked by Pedro De Alcantara

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A bit of suspense, time-travel and history.

While cutting school, Tommy stumbles into a time travel portal in Grand Central Terminal, and begins a series of time travel adventures through the Italian immigrant experience in New York City. As far as time travel goes this is a good book and Tommy develops as an interesting character. It's probably more interesting if you are very familiar with New York and like subway trivia, as it is fun to track all the action.

Read the book and see where he ends up, who he meets, how he gets back and how he grows throughout the novel.




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Gatsby's Girl by Caroline Preston

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Preston reimagines the life of Ginevra King, F. Scott Fitzgerald's first love and the basis for many of his novel’s leading ladies - Daisy Buchanan (The Great Gatsby ), Isabelle Borge (This Side of Paradise ), and Josephine Perry (The Basil and Josephine Stories ). Fitzgerald meets Ginevra at a party in St. Paul, where she is visiting her boarding-school roommate. The two hit it off and correspond for eight months with only one meeting, until Ginevra looses interest. Ginevra is very self absorbed, vain and spoilt. She turns her attention to Bill Granger, a solid but boring man, whom she marries at only 18. Life with Bill and their two children is not the grand romance Ginevra envisioned, and as Fitzgerald's literary star rises, she wonders what life with him would have been like. When she finds herself depicted in his novels and stories, it is clear Scott has never stopped thinking about Ginevra either. This fictional Ginevra matures somewhat; the prose is enjoyable and richly imaginative. This would be a great companion to The Great Gatsby.



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When the Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Succession of stories take place on seven consecutive All Hallows' Eves, from 1943 through 1949, and tell the story of Jimmy Cannon's teenage years in Rowlesburg, WV. Jimmy describes the high jinks, the championship football game, the risks and rewards of his part-time job, and other significant events that shape his love for his small hometown. It is a coming of age story as Jimmy learns to accept that the days of the steam engine are over and to better understand his emotionally distant father. Details and gentle humor help set the scene and reveal a great deal about these characters and their lives. You develop a great fondness for these ordinary people you could imagine meeting on the street.

A gentle, sweet read.





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The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a story about date rape and how a school’s secret society deals with the wrongs that befall individual students.



Alex has been date raped while under the influence of alcohol

All of her confused and ambivalent reactions to what's happened to her are explored. She moves from believing it's her fault and being ashamed of it, to being confused and shy, to being furious and wanting revenge and sometimes all the feelings occur at the same time. What happened that night is reveled slowly as the case against her attacker is gathered.



But should a group of students be the ultimate justice system? What about the police? It this system fair?





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