THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN by Susan Pfeffer – REVIEW December 10, 2009
Posted by karinlibrarian in young adult.Tags: companion book, death, disasters, love, Science Fiction, series, survival, tornado, young adult
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Harcourt Children’s Books – April 1, 2010
A year has passed since a meteor collided with the moon, sending it closer to the earth, and forever changing the world. In LIFE AS WE KNEW IT, Miranda chronicles the events her family experiences as they struggle for survival during dramatic weather changes, loss of friends, and dangerous food shortages.
The companion novel, THE DEAD AND GONE, follows the hardships of Alex and his sisters in New York City. The author paints a more gruesome side of life in this installment. One that stays with the reader long after the book is closed.
THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN brings the two stories together. We, once again, see Miranda at home with her mother and two brothers as they continue to eke out a living. They find ways to deal with food shortages, poor air quality, cold temperatures, and lack of electricity. Even though they are doing okay now, Miranda knows it won’t always be like this. The food deliveries might stop and then what would they do? Miranda’s mother rejects any suggestion of leaving , but Miranda knows there will come a time when they’ll have no choice.
Miranda’s brothers leave for a fishing trip in an attempt to supplement the provisions they receive weekly from town. Matt and Jon bring back a lot more than fish. While fishing, Matt and Jon run into a band of travelers including Miranda’s father, his new wife, Lisa, and their new baby, Gabriel. Also traveling with them as a man named Charlie and a brother and sister named Alex and Julie. As if that weren’t enough, Matt meets a girl named Syl and claims her as his wife.
If supplies were dangerously low before, adding six more people to the mix made it down right frightening. Everyone struggled – with issues of privacy, issues of jealously, and issues of conscience.
THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN returns the reader to the first-person diary form of LIFE AS WE KNEW IT. Miranda documents her changing life as she talks about her growing family, her complicated feelings for Alex, and the grotesque discoveries that still seem to pop up even after a year. Their lives settle into a new routine until an unthinkable disaster rips through town. Miranda and her family are forced to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives if they want to survive in the world they live in now.
Susan Beth Pfeffer gives her readers what they’ve wanted. Personally, I’m very glad she went back to the first-person diary format. Even though there were times Miranda seemed at bit too whiny and I wanted to strangle Alex, I’m happy with the ending of the book.
If this series is new to you, please begin by reading LIFE AS WE KNEW IT followed by THE DEAD AND THE GONE. You won’t be able to understand the full impact of what these characters are going through in THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN without knowing a little about their backgrounds.
HUSH, HUSH by Becca Fitzpatrick – REVIEW October 22, 2009
Posted by karinlibrarian in young adult.Tags: angels, friendship, high school, love, suspense, young adult
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Simon & Schuster – October 13, 2009
Nora is a responsible girl. She keeps her grades up and always informs her mother where she is and what she is doing. Since the death of her father, Nora’s mother has had to take a job that keeps her away from home and out of town several days a month – leaving Nora alone. Nora wants to do everything she can to keep her mother’s trust since it is the only way they can keep their farmhouse. If Nora’s mother doesn’t think she can be trusted, she’ll quit her job and stay home with Nora. They would have to sell the home Nora has lived in all her life. The only thing she has left of her father.
Boys have never been an issue for Nora. They’ve never caused her to lose focus on her studies because no one at school has ever interested her. Until her Biology teacher shakes things up in class on the first day of Sex Education by changing seating arrangements. Instead of sitting next to her forever best friend Vee, she is forced to sit next to a new student named Patch. Immediately, Patch makes her uneasy. He seems to know too much about her.
Shortly after meeting Patch, strange things start to happen to Nora. A man wearing a ski mask jumps in front of her car, her room is ransacked, and someone tries to kill her twice. Nora doesn’t know who to trust. When Vee meets two new boys and attempts to set up double dates, things just get worse. Nora is frightened most of the time. Is Patch the one in the ski mask or is it Elliot, the new guy Vee wants her to date?
Nora is about to find out humans aren’t alone on Earth. Angels do walk among us, it’s just that all of them aren’t focused on heavenly pursuits.
HUSH, HUSH by Becca Fitpatrick is an enjoyable mix of suspense and romance. Patch is definitely the type of dark and mysterious character that will make girls go weak in the knees. While some of the situations Nora gets herself into seem a little far fetched, they don’t take away from the story. Overall HUSH, HUSH was a book I couldn’t put down. There is a lot readers still need to know about the characters, but Becca Fitzpatrick isn’t finished. CRESCENDO, the sequel, has already been announced. I just hope we see more of Patch.
CRASHED by Robin Wasserman – REVIEW October 13, 2009
Posted by karinlibrarian in young adult.Tags: family, friendship, love, medical ethics, Science Fiction, sequel, trilogy, young adult
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Simon Pulse – September 8, 2009
Months have passed since the terrible accident that left Auden injured and Lia aware of how much better it would be for everyone if she just left and never made contact with her old life again. She makes her way to Jude and his band of thrill-seeking Mechs. For a while, life is good. She has plenty of credit, she lives in a mansion surrounded by other Mechs, and access to several bootlegged med-tech downloads. Lia is even in charge of tours around the estate for newly downloaded Mechs considering making it their home.
Lia doesn’t trust Jude, but she accepts him as the leader of the group. When he insists she travel with Riley to a Corp Town to meet with his source for the bootlegged material he has been smuggling into the mansion, she doesn’t have a choice. While she is there, the unthinkable happens leaving her and Riley on the run.
Battle lines are drawn as Savona breaks away from the Faith Party and established the Brotherhood of Man, an organization dedicated to protecting the sanctity of human life. Savona instills fear in his followers in an attempt to start a revolution and force BioMax to halt production of future Mechs and limit the lives of the ones currently in operation.
Lia gets caught up in the cause, but as plans become more and more dangerous she begins to have second thoughts. How far can she follow Jude? Is she willing to allow him to go as far as he wants to go? Is she willing to end lives whether they be Mech or Org, to protect her own life? What will she do for the ones she loves? In the end, Lia must choose where her loyalties lie.
CRASHED is a wonderful follow-up to SKINNED. The world Robin Wasserman creates is creative and fascinating and even though the main characters are mechanical, many still find a way to be dynamic and evolve during the story. CRASHED is the second in a planned trilogy and I for one can’t wait for the conclusion.
If you love these books as much as I do, you might want to check out these titles:
UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld
PRETTIES by Scott Westerfeld
SPECIALS by Scott Westerfeld
THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX by Mary E. Pearson
AIRHEAD by Meg Cabot
Visit the author’s website.
Check out the CRASHED playlist.
crashed playlist
PRETTY DEAD by Francesca Lia Block – REVIEW October 9, 2009
Posted by karinlibrarian in young adult.Tags: love, vampires, young adult
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HarperTeen – October 1, 2009
Charlotte seems to have it all. She lives in a lavish mansion, has clothes busting out of her closets, and no adult supervision. But, like usual, things aren’t always the way they seem. Charlotte is a vampire and longs for a friend. She thinks she has found the perfect girl to fill that role when she sees Emily in English class one day.
Emily is a fragile thing with sad, dark secrets she’s only shared with Charlotte and Jared, her loving boyfriend. One evening, Emily sets wheels in motion that changes her and Charlotte’s life forever, without even knowing it, when she says the words, “Now I want to live forever. If I had one wish it would be to live forever with the one I love.”
Charlotte’s past and present collide when her old love comes to town with plans of his own, but that might not be such a bad thing for Charlotte. She might finally get what she has been wanting for a long time.
ELPHAME’S CHOICE by P.C. Cast – REVIEW October 8, 2009
Posted by karinlibrarian in young adult.Tags: centaurs, love, magic, romance, satyr, series
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Harlequin Teen – September 29, 2009 (first published in 2004)
Elphame, a satyr goddess born to a human mother and centaur father, has never felt a part of life. She has been worshipped and taken care of to the point no one feels comfortable enough with her to be free to speak to her like a friend. She has always been on a pedestal in the eyes of the people in Partholon.
Elphame decides it is time to strike out on her own. Along with her brother, she travels across the country to restore the long abandoned MacCallan Castle. A century has passed since the terrible Fomorian battle that killed many of Elphame’s clansman. While tales of ghosts keep most people away, Elphame feels the pull of the castle and knows deep in her soul she is meant to restore it and claim the castle as her own. She is meant to become The MacCallan, the leader of the clan.
Love is something Elphame assumed she would never experience. Who would want to love someone so clearly not human. She loves her strong hoofed legs, but at the same time is aware how they set her apart from everyone around her. She is completely caught off guard when she meets Lochlan, a hybrid Fomorian who claims to be her destiny. But, what are Lochlan’s true intentions? Can she trust the well-being of her clan for a chance at love?
ELPHAME’S CHOICE is a great romance. Anyone who enjoys reading about days of warriors and castles will find the setting appealing and Elphame is a very strong character and wonderful role model for girl readers. My major concern is this – I don’t think this should be marketed as a young adult novel. I found my copy in the young adult section at Borders and as you can see from the publisher information, it is being rereleased by Harlequin Teen. P.C. Cast first published this book in 2004 under Harlequin’s Luna imprint. I realize Harlequin didn’t have a teen imprint at that time, but…. ELPHAME’S CHOICE contains clearly spelled out sex scenes with typical “romance” language. I’m totally for allowing people (including teens) reading what they want to, but I think labeling it young adult and putting it on the young adult shelf is a little misleading.
Has anyone else read this yet? If so, tell me what you think.
2004 Edition Cover
NIGHT RUNNER by Max Turner – REVIEW October 6, 2009
Posted by karinlibrarian in young adult.Tags: friendship, love, vampires, young adult
3 comments
St. Martin’s Griffin – September 1, 2009
Zack Thomson lives in the Nicholls Ward – a mental institution, but it isn’t too bad. His medical condition makes it necessary for him to sleep all day and eat a very special diet consisting of strawberry smoothies. Living at Nicholls Ward ensures he gets everything he needs. He likes most of the people there, even the patients, but one nurse in particular is very close to his heart. Nurse Ophelia is the one that usually checks on him to make sure he has everything he needs and makes his dinner and snack during the night shift when she works.
Zack has a best friend named Charlie that comes to visit him often. They play video games or move furniture around to create barriers for ping pong wars. Since Zack is only up at night, he basically has the place to himself so they can do just about anything they want (as long as they put everything back by morning). Sometimes Nurse Ophelia even takes him and Charlie out bowling. Zack has never given leaving Nicholls Ward a second thought – until someone comes crashing through the front entrance on a motorcycle and tells him to RUN!
Zack is running for his life. With the help of Charlie he tries to stay out of sight and find the truth. The truth about his father’s death and the truth about himself. Nothing is as it seems.
NIGHT RUNNER is great. I picked it up because I saw that someone mentioned that it was gory and thought it might be a good horror novel. While there is some biting and bloodshed, it isn’t anything I would consider horror. Vampire lovers will like it.
NIGHT RUNNER is Max Turner’s first novel. He is a high school science teacher in Ottawa. I can’t wait for the sequel. ”Turner confirmed there would be a sequel. In fact, he had previously written and finished the sequel before he brought Night Runner to Harper Collins; however, due to a change in the ending of his debut novel, Turner rewrote the sequel three times before being satisfied.” (East Ottawa Star, Nov. 2008)
Check out Max Turner’s Facebook Page.
TIME OF THE WITCHES by Anna Myers – REVIEW October 6, 2009
Posted by karinlibrarian in young adult.Tags: family, historical fiction, love, Salem Witch Trials, young adult
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Walker Books for Young Readers – September 15, 2009
On a cold January night two mothers went into labor. Two babies, a boy and a girl, were born at exactly the same time, but one mother didn’t survive. One was left to raise both children.
Gabe and Drucilla have been together since the cold night of their birth and even though Gabe’s mother has loved Drucilla like her own, she still has a longing for a family of her own. For fifteen years Gabe and Dru were connected – bound in friendship and heart, but life doesn’t always work out the way it is meant to.
When Gabe’s mother dies, the two teens are forced to find somewhere else to live as servants and for the first time in their lives they won’t be together. The farms they are to work at are side by side, but the families are at odds. Dru goes to live with Thomas Putnam, Jr. while Gabe is to live with Mary Putnam, Thomas’ stepmother. Both farms are in Salem Village.
In an attempt to make a home for herself with the Putnams, Dru finds herself in a situation that puts many members of the village in danger. Accusations of witchcraft fly as Dru and other girls begin to point their fingers at members of the community – many times at the encouragement of Thomas Putnam’s wife – the woman Dru tried to treat like the mother she never had.
Anna Myers has written a watered down version of The Crucible. While the story was entertaining, it would have been much better had it been from the point of view of someone being accused rather than one of the girls making the accusations. I found Dru to be weak and became angry and irritated with her several times throughout the book. Readers will feel more for Gabe even though he isn’t the main character.
CANDOR by Pam Bachorz – REVIEW October 2, 2009
Posted by karinlibrarian in young adult.Tags: love, mind control, Science Fiction, subliminal messages, young adult
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EgmontUSA – September 22, 2009
Oscar Banks is the perfect boyfriend, the perfect son, and the perfect example of what every child should be like. Oscar’s father is the founder of Candor, an exclusive community where everything is perfect – there is no crime, teenagers do their homework and obey their parents, and everyone lives a healthy lifestyle (since instead of ice cream the stores only sell frozen yogurt and instead of popcorn at the movies they only serve carrot sticks).
Oscar plays the part of the model student perfectly – he has to in order to keep up his cover. Oscar has a way around the system and even developed his own business to counteract his father’s effects on the kids in town. Subliminal messages surround the inhabitants of Candor every moment of their lives. Messages like, Academics are the key to success, Keep Candor beautiful, Healthy breakfasts make for smart minds, and Avoid physical contact swirl through their minds, but Oscar has found a way to fight off the effects of the messages.
One day a new girl moves into town. Nia is completely different from everyone else. She is wild and free and Oscar quickly becomes fascinated with her. Oscar can’t stand the thought of Nia becoming like the other robots in town and starts to come up with a plan to save her.
CANDOR is an intense story about the dangers of control and the insistence of perfection. Readers will be fascinated with life in Candor and won’t want to put the book down. Oscar, even though self-serving at times, is a great character to get to know and Nia and Oscar’s relationship is heart-warming. In terms of science fiction, CANDOR is a winner.
THE HOLLOW by Jessica Verday – REVIEW September 8, 2009
Posted by karinlibrarian in young adult.Tags: death, friendship, high school, legends, love, perfume, secrets, young adult
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Simon and Schuster – September 1, 2009
Abbey’s best friend, Kristen, is dead. Finding it hard to accept, Abbey just goes through the motions of the funeral service and the burial. It seems wrong that Kristen isn’t standing next to her like she always has been in the past. Nothing seems right anymore.
Abbey and Kristen spent much of their free time at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. They enjoyed visiting Washington Irving’s grave and seeing what gifts people have left for him. Abbey and Kristen felt a connection to Irving since he was the author to make their little town so famous by writing The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Now, with Kristen gone, Abbey is left to wander the cemetery alone – until she meets Caspian.
Abbey struggles with the process of healing while distracting herself with Caspian. He is mysterious and beautiful and all she can think about. Feelings of guilt sometimes overwhelm Abbey since she is focusing so much on her complicated emotions for Caspian instead of preserving her memories of Kristen.
It turns out there are many secrets in the town of Sleepy Hollow and Abbey is smack dab in the middle of all of them. Why was Kristen alone at the river the night she died? Who is Caspian and why doesn’t he give her any information about himself? Will Abbey learn the truth behind The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?
THE HOLLOW was a book I was really looking forward to reading. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. There were so many opportunities for the author to suck us into a wonderful mystery, but then seemed to drop the ball. I kept reading, hoping to learn about Caspian and Kristen’s death, but even after 513 pages I still don’t know what’s going on. I felt completely let down by the ending. It could have been SO good.
THE HOLLOW is the first book in a planned trilogy – and yes, before you even ask – I’ll probably read the next one hoping to get some answers. Please Jessica Verday, don’t wait until the third book to give us some answers.
ROYAL BLOOD by Ellen Schreiber – REVIEW June 24, 2009
Posted by karinlibrarian in young adult.Tags: art, love, parents, series, vampires, young adult
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HarperTeen – June 1, 2009
Raven has enjoyed a blissful summer with the love of her life, Alexander, and dreads returning to High School. Not only will she lose the freedom to spend her nights cuddled next to Alexander in his coffin, but she’ll also have to deal with preppy Trevor, the bane of her existence, everyday.
Things start to shake up around Dullsville when Alexander’s parents come to town for a visit. Raven notices Alexander doesn’t seem excited to have them back. In fact, he seems a little distant. Almost everyone she knows catches a glimpse of the mysterious couple before she does and Raven begins to worry that Alexander doesn’t want her to meet his parents. She is relieved when she finally receives a dinner invitation.
Alexander’s parents are everything she has dreamed of becoming. They are elegant and seductive with dark and gothic tastes. Raven falls in love with them immediately. However, she gets the impression that they would have preferred Alexander had fallen in love with someone more like them – someone with sharp pointy teeth that sleeps during the day.
Raven’s dream world shatters when she learns the true reason for the Alexander’s parents’ visit. Can Raven and Alexander prevent the disaster that threatens their future happiness?
Ellen Schreiber has written a wonderful sixth book in the Vampire Kisses series. This installment is definitely my favorite out of the last several books. It was nice to see more Raven and Alexander interaction for a change – neither of them off on their own, trying to solve a mystery while keeping the other one “safe”. If you are in the need for an entertaining book that doesn’t make you think too hard, then this is the series for you.
Raven’s quirkiness and interactions with her family provide comic relief while she navigates the world of the extremely traditional Dullsville. Be sure to read them all in order. However, I have to say, if you are new to the series, ROYAL BLOOD would be a good place to start too. This one, while being the sixth in the series, could almost be a stand-alone. You’d miss some of the connections between Raven and her school friends, but other than that, Ellen Schreiber does a good job of providing enough backstory that the reader wouldn’t feel lost even if they had never met Raven before.
The others in the series are:
VAMPIRE KISSES
KISSING COFFINS
VAMPIREVILLE
DANCE WITH A VAMPIRES
THE COFFIN CLUB
Here is the website for the series.
There are also two graphic novels out for this series and a third one on its way.
VAMPIRE KISSES: BLOOD RELATIVES VOL. 1
VAMPIRE KISSES: BLOOD RELATIVES VOL. 2
Here is a book trailer for VAMPIRE KISSES
P.S. I have to say, I love the new cover designs. They are much better than the original ones.
