Wildwood by Colin Meloy

While watching her brother and running errands in Portland, OR, Prue's brother is kidnapped by a murder of crows.  They lift him up out of his Radio Flyer wagon and fly off, with him in tow, into the Impassable Wilderness.  Though no one has even gone into the Impassable Wilderness and lived to tell about it, Prue is determined to go and get her brother back.  Her school mate, Curtis, is equally determined to help. 

Once Prue and Curtis get into the forest, the first thing they see is a pack of coyotes dressed in soldiers uniforms and talking to each other.  The Impassable Wilderness, or, Wildwood, as the inhabitants call it, is a far cry from what they are used to in Portland.

Now, to be clear, I am a HUGE fan of Colin Meloy (lead singer of my favorite band, The Decemberists) and so I might be biased, but I found this book to be, simply put, charming.  A quick read, even though the page count makes it look daunting, I blew through this book and I can't wait to read the next one in this planned series.

Give to Narnia fans.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Conor's mother is very sick.  His father has basically abandoned him and started a new family in America.  And now,  a monster is visiting Conor periodically.  At 12:07 to be precise.  The monster needs to tell Conor three stories.  After that, Conor is expected to tell a fourth story - his secret.

A quick read that is about a teenager trying to deal with some very heavy problems in his life.  Ness does a great job of getting the tone and the inner (and outer) conflict of Conor just right.  The dark and messy illustrations only add to the story.  Give to reluctant teen readers  and/or those who don't shy away from sad subject matter. 

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

In this near future, men die at age 25 and women die even younger, at age 20.  Because of this, men have become polygamists to help perpetuate the human race while scientists work tirelessly for a cure.  To facilitate these marriages, pretty girls are kidnapped off the streets and shipped to their future husbands.  Such is the case for 16 year old Rhine.  She is stolen off the New York City streets and sent to Florida to marry a man she has never met.  But Rhine is no shrinking violet, she is determined to escape to get back to New York and her brother.

A Handmaid's Tale for teens would be my best description of Wither which would most likely not help promote it to teens and would most likely scare away parents. So, in selling it, I would say for teens (or adults) who liked Condie's Matched, Roth's Divergent, or, of course, Hunger Games since it is one more to add to the ever growing list of YA dystopian literature.  That being said, this story was very interesting with the author deftly handling some tricky subject matter for teenagers.  Wither is the first book in a planned trilogy and I plan to continue on with this series.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

As a librarian that is supposed to be knowledgeable about YA literature, I am embarrassed to admit that it took me this long to read The Book Thief.  I was scared of it.  Scared that it would be too sad.  But, I finally gathered up my courage and checked out the audiobook.

Narrated by Death, the story of a young German girl named Liesel growing up during World War II was, as I feared, quite sad.  However, it was, as I had heard and assumed, also, a beautiful story with wonderful characters, an interesting story telling style (in which you basically know who is going to die quite early on in the story), and a setting in a time period that will always, to me, be both heartbreaking and immensely interesting.  If you haven't read this, just get yourself together and enjoy the ride.  The audiobook is highly recommended - the narrator does a fantastic job and also, when you listen, you don't have to fuss over the pronunciation of the German words.

The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud



My theory on why I never wanted to read these is the covers - I hate them. But, as my last post also mentions, I am ever so glad I started them.

About a 2 1/2 years later after the end of Book 1, The Golem's Eye picks up with Nathaniel (or John Mandrake as his magician's name) is working for the government and is apprentice to a new and highly respected magician. He quickly realizes, however, that no one can be trusted once things start going wrong and all his fellow magicians are quick to put the blame at his feet. His only ally? His old "friend" Bartimaeus of whom he summons and gets an earful (seeing as they ended the first book with a promise of parting for good). An evil magician has created a Golem and Nathaniel needs Bartimaeus's help in finding the culprit.
Once again, Nathaniel isn't very like able (even though you see some potential shine through occasionally) but Bartimaeus is hilariously snarky. I am anxiously awaiting book 3!

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud



When the Prequel to the Bartimaeus Trilogy, The Ring of Solomon, won the School Library Journal Battle of the Books this past year I knew I had put it off for long enough - I needed to read this series. I decided to try audio since it's set in london and that means the narrator would be British and would, automatically, be a better narrator than most audiobooks (sorry Americans, but we all know a British accent is the best) and Book 1, The Amulet of Samarkand, did not disappoint!
Nathaniel is a young wizard apprentice who is smarter than he is given credit for and much more driven than his underwhelming master. Nathaniel's bad experience with a powerful wizard brings out his spiteful side as he calls up djinni Bartimaeus to help him steal the Amulet of Samarkand. All does not go as planned...
Bartimaeus is a wonderful character and overshadows any flaws that appear in the story (like how unlikeable Nathaniel is).
Recommend to fans of Angie Sage, Eoin Colfer, Rowling, etc.

Chime by Franny Billingsley



I read this because of the National Book Award issues between this and the accidental (and poorly handled) nomination of Lauren Myracle's "Shine." (I'll be reading Shine quite soon...) Briony is living with a secret - she is a witch. A witch living in a time where witches are hated and hanged. She believes she is evil - that she caused her sister's personality quirks through creating an injury as a child and causing her stepmother's illness before she passed away. Briony does not allow herself to live a normal teenage life until Eldric comes to town and seems to automatically lighten the mood, opens up a world of true living to Briony, and introduces her to some hard truths.
It took me a minute to get into it, but once it started rolling, I really enjoyed the book. I've never really read anything quite like this so I'm not sure of true read-a-likes, but I would try to pass it on to fans of Kristin Cashore and Megan Whalen Turner perhaps?

Crossed by Ally Condie



In this sequel to Matched, we find Ky fighting and Cassia farming in different areas of the Outer Provinces.  Ky is just trying to survive while Cassia is biding her time to escape and look for Ky.  Cassia and Ky both make runs for it (both with a new friend in tow) and eventually meet up.  But are Ky's and Cassia's plans the same?  And what is the secret about Xander that only Ky knows?  An excellent follow up to the original story - it keeps you one the edge of your seat just like the first and will make you anxiously await the third installment!  Give to fans of, of course, Matched.  But introduce the series to fans of any dystopian literature.  (It's like a less violent premised Hunger Games.)

Hold Still by Nina LaCour

Caitlin's best and only friend, Ingrid, has just committed suicide. How does Caitlin deal with such a loss? How can she not blame herself for not seeing the signs? How can she read the diary that Ingrid hid in Caitlin's bedroom the night before she died? How does life go on?

Both sad and uplifting, this story gives a personal and realistic view of the struggles of both mental illness and the loss of a friend to suicide. A Gateway Award nominee this book is more for older teens - grade 8 and up. Heavy, but will definitely keep their interest. Give to fans of 13 Reasons Why, Hate List, and/or If I Stay.

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

The war is over but, as usual, all is not right and well for the Shadowhunters, vampires, and werewolves in book 4 of The Mortal Instruments series. Simon is dealing with secretly dating two girls, being kicked out of his house, being attacked by mysterious men in grey hoods, and, most importantly, dealing with the Mark of Cain and all that it entails. Jace is having dreams of killing Clary so he's scared to death of being around her. And Clary is stressing over the fact that Jace is avoiding her. Not to mention a blast from the past is suddenly back in Maia's life. All with a background of fighting an evil demon doing something evil and a evil vampire who might not be as evil as originally thought, the book reads similarly to the first three - if you enjoyed those, you'll enjoy this one. Be forewarned, it ends with a serious cliffhanger!


I listened to the audiobook of this read by Ed Westwick (of Gossip Girl fame) and Molly C Quinn (of Castle fame) and they both did a fantastic job - a rare statement coming from me when reviewing audiobooks...



Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Saba lives in Silverlake, a draught ridden area filled with dust storms and scarce food options. She lives there with her twin brother, Lugh, her little sister, Emmi, and her father who can read the future through the stars. Suddenly, a quick dust storm turns out to be a group of riders who kill her father and kidnap her brother. Saba embarks on a journey through harsh landscape and dangerous characters in trying to find and rescue her beloved brother.


Promoted as, you guessed it, a new Hunger Games, Blood Red Road was a solid and entertaining story. The dialect (dropping all g's, using "afeared" instead of afraid, etc) and dialogue (no quotation marks, ever...) were hard to get through in the beginning, but once you get used to it, it flows pretty well.

A reasonable recommendation for teen readers looking for their next dystopian fix.



Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

So, at first, I hated it. Granted, it was an audio book which I tend to more easily dislike, but still (Libba Bray read it and usually authors ruin books when they read them themselves, but she did a great job). I found the satire to be just too thick and almost offensive in its obviousness. Like, seriously, I was offended for teenagers. Also, almost all of the characters seemed to be over-simplified caricatures of themselves. Ugh.


But then, it got a little better. Then a little better. It soon became a full out party of themes that I love - feminism, the evils of corporate greed, the falsity of reality tv. So fine, it grew on me. I think that, probably, if I read it instead of listening to it, some of the things that annoyed me wouldn't have made me as crazy (the footnotes, the "commercial breaks," the whiny voices of some of the characters, the thinly veiled Sarah Palin impression, etc.) and maybe I would have liked it more from the start. But, in the end, I enjoyed the story and the message.

A good book to offer politically and socially conscious older teens.

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Oh man, what a cover. As one of Yalsa's Best of the Best this year, and with such a fantastic cover, I picked this up with high hopes. It's a post-apocalyptic zombie story that's not campy (Forest of Hands and Teeth but for dudes). Benny Imura decided to join the family business - killing zombies. Joining up with his brother, Tom, Benny goes outside of the fence into the Rot and Ruin and learns so much more about life than just a career in zombie killing.


I will say, that I listened to this one, which almost always makes me not like the book as much as if I read it (unless done really well) and that is the case with this one as well. Benny was a little too obtuse for my taste (seriously, borderline offensive to teenagers obtuse) and the book was probably about 100 pages longer than it needed to be (there was a lot of description and down time between action). Also, biggest pet peeve, I found the dialogue quite inauthentic. However, I think it would still be a sound recommendation for teens just, maybe, older teens that have more patience... but older teens that can overlook murderous villains saying the word "butt" instead of a curse word. Really, if you are willing to kill and torture, I doubt you watch your language...

That being said, I would consider reading the sequel (coming out pretty soon) I would just make sure to read it instead of listen.



Divergent by Veronica Roth

Set in a future Chicago, Beatrice must decide to be a part of one of five factions within the society. When tested to see what faction she would work best in, she is told that she is divergent - doesn't exactly fit in anywhere - and that she must keep that a secret to protect herself. This realization is the beginning of Beatrice questioning how truly perfect her society is.

One more dystopian title to add to the YA list (oh Hunger Games, nothing will be as good as you), there's a lot of hype around this one. I, for one, was not enamored. Obviously, I'd recommend it to teens interested in continuing on the dystopian path but I would not list it first. (Matched, in my opinion, had a better story with a more realistic romantic side plot.)

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Maya lives in a small community on Vancouver Island (Yay for Nanaimo references - I've been there!) under the shadow of a medical facility. Most people in the town work for the facility, so no one thinks twice about the goings on there. But Maya soon becomes aware that things might not be as they seem with her community, with the medical facility, or with herself.


A companion series to Armstrong's Darkest Powers Trilogy, this novel should be a hit with the fans of that story line. It's a great story that teen fans (and adult fans) will enjoy but be careful - a cliffhanger awaits you at the end of this one. Ugh.

Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart

*yes, boyfriends, plural. if my life weren't complicated - I wouldn't be Ruby Oliver.


Real Live Boyfriends!

Definition:
A real live boyfriend does not contribute to your angst.
You do not wonder if he will call.
You do not wonder whether he will kiss you.
And he does not look at his phone while you are talking, to see if anyone has texted him.
Of course calls. He's your boyfriend!
And of course he listens. He's your real live boyfriend!

The opening, quoted above, starts with Ruby's standard list making. Ruby is finally in love and excited to have a Real Live Boyfriend! But, of course, the happy does not last and Ruby's other standard, self-questioning neurotic behavior, comes out when her boyfriend, Noel, visits New York to stay with his brother and stops acting like a real live boyfriend.

Just like the first three in this series, Ruby is self-involved and self-loathing all at the same time but continues to be amazingly witty and likeable throughout. I love this character. I love this book series. And I, especially, love this author. Give to those who want a lighter version of a Sarah Dessen book. Or to fans of Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle, and John Green.



Red Glove by Holly Black

In this sequel to White Cat, Cassel now knows that he is the rarest and most powerful of curse workers: a transformation worker. He also knows that his mother, an emotion worker, has cursed his friend Lila to make her fall madly in love with him. Cassel is trying his best to keep his worker gift a secret, avoid Lila until the curse wears off, solve his brother's recent murder, and decide if he wants to be a good guy or a bad guy.

The story moves along at a quick pace with a fantastic mix of mystery, fantasy, and romance. If you enjoyed White Cat, you will enjoy this one as well. For fans of Maggie Stiefvater, Cassandra Clare, and Kelley Armstrong.



The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

Annah has been waiting in the Dark City for Elias to return for three years now and has decided to give up. The city is no longer safe, the Recruiters are no longer looking out for the good of the people, and she wants to see if anything is left of her original home or if the Unconsecrated (zombies) have taken it over. As she is leaving the city she sees her face in the crowd of people entering - her long lost twin sister, Gabry. Gabry has returned to the city with Catcher and is looking for Elias (all three characters we first met in The Dead-Tossed Waves) as well as hoping to find Annah. When "the horde" of Unconsecrated get into the city, they find refuge in the Sanctuary thanks to Catcher being immune to the virus. Elias, Gabry, and Annah are, however, held prisoner in the Sanctuary to make sure that Catcher (their only source for food and supplies from the outside world) will continue to work to bring back supplies. That is, until they plan their escape. But how can they escape without being attacked by the undead?
In this third and final book in the Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy Ryan, once again, creates a love story in the middle of terrible circumstances. If you liked The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead-Tossed Waves then you should eat this title up as well. As annoying as it is when authors turn a trilogy into more than three books, I would be willing to forgive in this instance - I am dying to know what happens next!

Trash by Andy Mulligan

In the near future, three boys live in a Third World country and make their living picking through the local dumpsite. That's what all the kids do - pick through trash. Usually, they don't find anything of much use but one day, Raphael finds something special. Something the police and government officials want to find desperately. Something that they might kill for. Raphael and his friends, Gardo and Rat, have to get to the bottom of why this find is so important to so many people and then decide what they should do with it? Turn it in for a reward? Or keep it for themselves?


I remember ordering this title because it had such good reviews but the topic (and, let's be real here, the cover art) did not appeal to me. The only reason I picked it up was because of the rave reviews during School Library Journal's Battle of the Books (it beat one of my favorites in the first round...). A quick and straight forward read, this book is a mystery about political corruption. While reading it, I was reminded of the movie City of God - mostly because it's about kids living in poverty in Brazil but also because that movie was something I wasn't excited about watching before I started it, but was very happy I did afterwards. I think if you can talk teens into reading it (tell them to overlook the cover) they should enjoy it.

White Cat by Holly Black

Death workers, luck workers, memory workers, with just the brush of the hand on skin, a curse worker can “work” their magic. Cassel’s mother, an emotion worker, is serving time in jail for making millionaires fall in love with her and give her all their money. Cassel’s childhood friend, Lila, the daughter of a famous worker crime boss, was killed by Cassel himself and his whole family has worked desperately to help cover that up. Or that’s what Cassel thought, until a white cat comes along and shows him something entirely different about his life or what he thought his life to be. Cassel has learned how to con from the best, his mother, and with those clever con skills he tries to figure out what happened in his past and what will happen in his future.


Holly Black creates a realistic yet totally eerie world where everyone, even non-curse workers, has to wear gloves because no one can be trusted, laws are being passed to force people to take worker tests to potentially keep track of who has the power, and crime bosses are as powerful as they were in the 20s. A truly creative and exciting read; I am looking forward to the next installment of the new Curse Workers series.