Author Archives: SSBRC Former Member

The Baby

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The story starts with a 17th birthday party for Olivia at her home, and moves quickly to the totally unexpected delivery of a baby on the bathroom floor by her best friend,  Nicola, who didn’t even know she was pregnant. Nicola is not at all ready to be a mom. As the story progresses, Nicola expects Olivia’s help, but Olivia has her own problems to deal with, including her bullying boyfriend, Jonty, and keeping an eye on younger sister Alice. There is also Nicola’s friend Ben, who is struggling with secrets of his own.

Written from the various points of view of the five main characters, each chapter covers one month from February through June. The author, Lisa Drakeford, is British and the book is set in England.  This is a well written YA book exploring the impact and consequences of an unplanned baby on a group of friends, their families and their futures.  Teenage pregnancy, and especially teenage parenthood, is an important issue which doesn’t appear very often in YA literature. In The Baby the focus is on not only teen pregnancy but also about being a parent, experiencing bullying, domestic violence, and friendship.

 

Confessions of a High School Disaster

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Confessions of a High School Disaster is the humorous story of  Chloe Snow, a high school freshman told from pages of her diary.

It is reminiscent of Bridget Jones’s Diary,  although Chloe is only 14. Chloe makes many bad choices, including drinking alcohol at parties, and being tempted to engage in sexual activities with older boys. She can also be mean to her friends.

Below is one of her entries that will give the reader a snapshot of her life:
I’m Chloe Snow, and my life is kiiiiind of a disaster.

1. I’m a kissing virgin (so so so embarrassing).
2. My best friend, Hannah, is driving me insane.
3. I think I’m in love with Mac Brody, senior football star, whose girlfriend is so beautiful she doesn’t even need eyeliner.
4. My dad won’t stop asking me if I’m okay.
5. Oh, and my mom moved to Mexico to work on her novel. But it’s fine—she’ll be back soon. She said so.

Mom says the only thing sadder than remembering is forgetting, so I’m going to write down everything that happens to me in this diary. That way, even when I’m ninety, I’ll remember how awkward and horrible and exciting it is to be in high school.

This book will appeal to teen readers who enjoy lighter reads, teen angst, and humor.

Finding What’s Real

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Finding What’s Real is the sequel to Escaping Perfect and does not stand alone, as it picks up right after the first book ends, and the plot continues where it left off. The main character, teenager Cecilia Montgomery, who was on the run for two weeks to escape her overbearing politician mother, has returned to her hometown. She misses the anonymity she enjoyed in the small town, but there is no way she can escape back to that life. Not now that her mother has announced that she is running for the presidency of the United States.

Now Cecilia is not only trapped with her mother, but surrounded by those who may be false friends, liking her only due to her family fame.

I wasn’t that impressed with the first book, and find the second one similarly predictable.  Young Adults readers may enjoy the drama, but I wasn’t enthralled with either book.

The Day I Became A Bird

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Day I became a bird

Originally published in Spain: El dia en que me converti un pajaro
A simple but sophisticated international title for your collection.

The first day of school a little boy falls in love with Sylvia, the girl that sits in front of him. The story is told as the picture show another story – the construction of the bird taking place. Our protagonist has learned that Sylvia is wildly into birds, so he has decided to become one to get her to notice him. He wants to stand out, as a bird, even though it is hard to climb trees, to keep his balance playing soccer and to even walk. He doesn’t care that others are giggling at him.  Matter of fact, nothing else seems important. All that he cares about is Sylvia.

A sweet, innocent tale of first love. Guridi is clever in use of minimalist drawings and sparse use of color set against a beige background. This allows the reader to really focus in on the story. thedayibecameabird5

Wearing the bird costume constantly has caused it to breakdown to the point where we see the boy’s face. This is the moment when Sylvia notices the boy. This is a great scene to open the discussion of loving others for who they really are and about just being thedayibecameabird0ourselves.

 

 

 

 

A good read aloud for older grade levels too.

Snail & Worm

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Tina Kugler has credownloadated an engaging beginning reader book. This book contains three short story that feature Snail and Worm.  Snail is a happy, likable guy that is sometimes misguided in his understandings. Worm is more astute and is friends with Snail.

The repetitive words and phrases are enhanced by the colorful, simple drawings.  The page layout is a mix of traditional full page with minimal text and multiple images with in-line text.  Younger readers will laugh at the absurdity of Snail playing tag with a stick and a stone, but may miss the secondary joke concerning Snail’s speed. They will giggle as Snail climbs a flower that bends under his weight, leaving him 1/2 inch from the ground. Worm cheers him on as he makes the climb. “Wow, I can see so much from up here!” Snail exclaims. Worm responds, “I’m so proud of you.” What a supportive friend!

Snail & Worm will provide the beginning reader a sense of maturity as this book is a bit different than the traditional beginning readers in shape, layout and content. It will also offer the struggling older student a good choice without embarrassment.

 

Understanding Suicide: A National Epidemic

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Understanding Suicide: A National Epidemic is a source book for those seeking to understand more about the global epidemic of suicide. Written by Connie Goldsmith, a registered nurse who also holds an Masters of Public Administration who has written sixteen non-fiction books for middle and high school readers, this text looks at true stories of families dealing with the death of a child, presents the risk factors for suicide, discusses suicide in children and teens, examines the escalating tragedy of suicide in the military, looks at suicide among the non-military adult population, and highlights how intervention and treatment can save lives.

The text includes source notes, a glossary, a selected bibliography,  photos and side bars, an index, and sources where readers can find additional resources, including books, video and audio, and websites.

This is not recreational reading, and is a bit dry. But with the epidemic of suicide, this new text (2017) will be a good addition to a school library.

In-Between Days

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In-between Days, by Australian young adult author Vikki Wakefield, gives a real look into the lives of people in a small, rural town. Known for its “Suicide Forest”, Mobius feels like a dead-end town, and Jacklin, a 17 year old girl, feels trapped there. Jack’s life is filled with sibling conflict, an overbearing mother, a dad who has left the family,  a miserable job, and a tumultuous relationship with her boyfriend, who breaks her heart.

Jack struggles to truly find herself after losing everything.   She makes a new friends in a man named Pope, a wanderer camping in the woods behind her house, and begins a new relationship with Jeremiah, the boy next door.  Jack’s internal struggle between sexual desire and true intimacy puts this book right on the edge of adult fiction. Readers who likes books with female main characters, teen angst, family conflict, and other realities of  life will enjoy this book.

My Brilliant Idea (And How It Caused My Downfall)

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My Brilliant Idea is about a fifteen-year-old schemer, Jack Dawson, who daydreams in class and ironically gets the brilliant idea to invent an app that stops you from daydreaming in class. This leads to him developing a series of complicated events with other characters that eventually build up to his initial plan.  But Jack runs into some trouble, and suddenly his idea that will lead him to fame and fortune doesn’t seem quite so sure.

It was hard to like Jack, as he was so annoying. And other characters, the weird girl, an even weirder boy, the stupid dad, the evil teacher, and the busy mom, just stayed stereotypes and did not develop.

Too predictable of a plot with non-engaging characters.

The Beast is an Animal

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The Beast is an Animal is a fantasy novel with a theme that felt fantastically dark like most fairy-tales. Here is a quote from the book: “Alys, in fact, had never been afraid. Her favorite nursery rhymes were the scary ones. The ones about The Beast sucking out your soul and leaving behind nothing but gristle and skin. Those were the ones Alys liked best.”

The story was engaging, suspenseful, creepy, scary, unfair, with a setting that felt very historical.  The book opens with a scenario that is reminiscent of the best classic fairy tales: twin sisters, born in a small suspicious village, are abandoned by their father in the woods.  They grow into something not quite human that need to feed on souls to survive.  Alys and the other children in the village are spared by the twins and taken in by a nearby village. Fear of the soul eaters and of the Beast rules village life, but the Beast is not what they think he is and neither is Alys.

This young adult novel will appeal to readers who enjoy dark fantasy, fairy tales, and historical settings.

 

A Dog in the Cave: The Wolves Who Made Us Human

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A Dog in the Cave: The Wolves Who Made Us Human combines history, paleontology, biology and medical science to  paints a picture of how man and wolves co-evolve together like no other animals on Earth.   The fossilized discovery, in 1997, of the prints of a boy and his dog walking through the Chauvet cave in southern France revealed carbon-dating much earlier than previously thought about the domestication of dogs from wolves. The author also details differences between wolves and dogs, what we’ve learned about how dogs think through MRI exams, how law enforcement, search/rescue and therapy dogs are trained, and more.  It is a wonderful science book that is so “readable” and touching I forgot it was a “science” book.  Anyone who loves reading about dogs will love this real-life dog story.

In Over Their Heads

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In book two of this series, the war continues with between the robots. Erin and Nick are two human children raised by robot parents. Erin and Nick, with Ava and Jackson, the illegal robot children in which the parents made, take their robot parents on the run to escape from the killer robots. The family arrives in the forest near a maze of caves where they meet Lida Mae.

The robot father connects to the internet which allows the killer robots to track their location. When the robots come for the family, the parents shut down so they can’t be tracked which leaves the kids on the run through the caves. They discover a cavern that is for robots only. Ava connects and learns there are baby robots in the cave that have the ability to grow as humans do. Eventually the killer robots surround the kids within the cave and prepare to kill everyone, human and robot. However, Erin comes up with a plan to connect her robot sister, Ava, to a killer robot and reprogram the killer robot with kindness. Because the killer robots are all internet connected, they all reprogram to see the good in the world.

The Year of the Garden

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When eight-year-old Anna Wang is given several packets of seeds and a copy of The Secret Garden by an elderly neighbor, she becomes intent on growing a garden of her own in the yard of her family’s new home. She meets Laura, also a new girl in the neighborhood, and together they start the work of plotting the land and turning the soil.  In this prequel to The Year of the Book, you can join Anna in a year of discovery, new beginnings, friendships, and growth.  Patrice Barton’s softly blended monochromatic illustrations match the delicacy of the text. Fans of Anna and Laura’s adventures will enjoy seeing the beginning of the girls’ friendship.

 

Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (And Thrive!) in the Real World

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This book discusses whether different monsters (Frankenstein, vampires, yetis, sea monsters, etc.) could exist. “If you’re thinking this book will tell you monsters are definitely, no-doubt-about-it real, you’re out of luck. Instead, it will give you information to help you decide for yourself what is fact and what is fiction…”

The text gives the history to how these monsters came to be well known and then includes information on why a person might act like a zombie for example. The illustrations would appeal to a younger set of students, but the text is written for an older student base. It is broken up with text features such as headings, text boxes, and monster facts. The end of each section includes a short quiz and there is a lengthy index in the back of the book.

While this topic appeals to many of my students and I think the book will be a popular check out, I think it is a book that students will read bits and pieces.

The Darkest Magic (Spirits and Thieves # 2)

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The Darkest Magic is the second book in what will be a trilogy titled Spirits and Thieves. This series is a spin-off of Morgan Rhodes very popular six book Falling Kingdom series. The Spirits and Thieves series will appeal to those who enjoyed the Falling Kingdom series, as it provides insights into the backstory of that series. The Darkest Magic does not stand alone. The reader must read A Book of Spirits and Thieves for The Darkest Magic to make sense. Once the reader reaches for The Darkest Magic, she enters a world of high fantasy.

The first book is of modern day sisters, Crystal and Becca, from Toronto, Canada, who find a book of magic that sends Becca’s spirit to Ancient Mytica. This is a powerful book and there are enemies who would kill them for it. In the second book, the sisters are reunited in modern-day Toronto, but they have to deal with the dangers from the Ancient world, and the danger of the evil Hawkspear Society (a cult-like group), that will do anything to find the sisters and obtain the book.

This is a very exciting contemporary saga that will engage YA readers of fantasy and adventure.

How To Disappear

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How to Disappear is a thrilling mystery told in the dual narration of the hunter (Jack) and the hunted (Nicholette). Nicholette, a popular HS cheerleader who has never been in trouble, witnesses the murder of a young woman in the woods near her house. Jack, a straight-A student athlete about to graduate from HS, is from a family of criminals. In fact, his father was a hit man and his older brother is in jail for armed assault. But once the murder occurs, Nicholette goes on the run to get away from the murderer, and Jack’s brother forces him to do what he can’t do himself: track down Nicholette and kill her. If he doesn’t, Jack’s mother’s life is in danger, as is his own.

The rest of the book is a cat and mouse game between Nicholette and Jack. There is mystery, adventure, and forbidden love.

The Edge of the Light (Whidbey Island Saga # 4)

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The Edge of the Light is the fourth and final (according to the jacket) book in the Whidbey Island Sage. If it is true that this is the last book in the series, then I encourage you NOT to read it, as it will leave you frustrated and feeling incomplete. The major plot threads are not resolved. The reader doesn’t have any inkling of what will happen to the main character, even though the author built intrigue with the storyline of an investigative journalist having tracked her down. The reader is left hanging, as if there were to be a fifth book.  IF there is a fifth book, then I would encourage the reader to start with book one and continue through to the conclusion. It’s just that book four does not conclude the story.

This series will appeal to those who are familiar with western Washington state and the Puget Sound area. Set on Whidbey Island, the story centers on a group of teenaged friends facing a number of issues:  A grandmother with nice real estate that is being exploited by her daughter while the grandson, Seth, tries to protect her; Seth’s girlfriend, Prynne, who he wants to stay with but is worried about her drug use; Derrick, a refugee from the war in Uganda who is trying to locate his sister, Rejoice; Jenn, who is experiencing romantic feelings towards her teammate Cynthia, but worrying how her Christian conservative mother will respond; and then there is a Becca. Becca can read people’s thoughts and tries to make sense of what they think and say. She tries to solve their problems without letting them know how much she actually knows.

The plot is full of the issues and challenges these teen friends experience: elder abuse,  Alzheimer’s disease, drug use, lesbian relationships, and, of course, the paranormal abilities of Becca and her quest to keep this secret.

If a satisfactory conclusion wasn’t absent, this would be a fun read for YA mystery fans.

Gemini

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Gemini, by Sonya Mukherjee, takes on the difficult struggle of conjoined twin seventeen year-old sisters Hailey and Clara. Joined from the waist down, at their spine, the girls cannot be surgically separated. Now seniors in high school, they each have their own dreams and aspirations, and these don’t match each others, nor their mother’s. Told from dual points of view, the reader feels the struggle of each girl, and witnesses their self discovery and self acceptance.

There are few fictional books on this subject. One by Sarah Corssant is, I feel, more realistic (case in point: many conjoined twins don’t even live to the age of 17). Nonetheless, this is an intriguing and heart wrenching story.

Just Kill Me

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Just Kill Me, by Adam Selzer, misses the mark. While the story starts off with the intriguing warning of the main character Megan finding the letters of D, I, and E remaining in her alphabet cereal, the rest of the premise is lacking. Megan, employed by a ghost tour company in Chicago, helps produce more ghosts by killing near-death people in a nursing home; in essence mercy killings. Implausible as this is, it’s even effective in that the murders are all talk without action: nothing is shown. This is the same problem found with the character development: there are references to bi-sexuality, but without action. This book just doesn’t engage the reader in connecting to the characters or to the plot.

Mind Games (Lock & Mori # 2)

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Mind Games is book two of the Lock & Mori series, and it is anticipated that a third book will soon be published. For those unfamiliar with Lock & Mori, this is a modern day adaptation of the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Professor James Moriarty, although in these stories, Mori is a teenaged girl.

In Lock & Mori we see Mori’s father tried and convicted as a serial killer, and Mori and her brothers rescued from a domestic violence situation. Mind Games picks up two weeks after the father’s arrest. But even though her father is in prison, Mori doesn’t feel safe. Letters of a threatening nature are arriving, and police are receiving anonymous tips that lead them to believe that it is Mori, not her father, who has committed the murders.  Lock sticks by Mori and together they search for who is framing her.

This is an action packed mystery that can be read as a stand alone, although the enjoyment is enhanced by having read the first book.

The Flip Side

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The Flip Side is the story of a 15 yr. old sophomore girl who is an excellent gymnast training for the Olympic team. Having been home schooled during her younger years to allow the flexibility for training and competition travel, Charlie longs for a more normal high school social experience. The transition to high school is filled with fun teen events, including the upcoming Prom, but Charlie is afraid to reveal the highly competitive sports side of her life. She makes up excuses for missing study sessions, social events, even dates. This sets up numerous conflicts, and is further complicated when she meets Bobby, a star wrestler on the school team.

The Flip Side shows the dedication and extremely hard work involved in athletics at the pre-Olympic level, and contains good lessons about dedication and hard work, etc. What is hard to reconcile for the reader is why Charlie doesn’t relish in her accomplishments and let her classmates and teachers know of her athletic life outside of school. Her boyfriend, Bobby, gets plenty of praise for his accomplishments on the wrestling team. But she doesn’t even want to tell him, the one person at school most likely to identify with her goals.

This incongruity is what detracts from an otherwise enjoyable teenage sports / love story. I would like to further investigate the school experiences of the author, Shawn Johnson, who won a gold medal in the 2008 summer Olympics. It is possible that there is reason why an elite teenage gymnast wouldn’t want her school community to know of her accomplishments and goals, but it doesn’t make sense to me as a reader of her book.

 

The Swan Riders

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The Swan Riders is the sequel to The Scorpion Rules, in the Prisoners of Peace series (I am assuming there will be a third book, but can’t confirm from looking at the author’s website).  The Swan Riders action carries on immediately from the first book, and this is where the reader may become confused, as the main character, Greta, feels like a different character. The plot is confusing, with her going through the process of changing from a girl into an artificial intelligence (AI).

There is much action in both of these books, with climate change and war dramatically altering Greta’s nation, where she was once a princess.  She has escaped from being held hostage, and is traveling by horseback across the rural plains of Saskatchewan, accompanied by a band of human Swan Riders is to protect her and Talis, the AI who rules the world.

Greta’s transformation into an AI is destroying her mortal body. Will she survive? Will she be able to take over the body of one of the Swan Riders when the time comes? And if her physical body doesn’t fail her, will she be able to survive the rebellion?

This dystopian novel features a strong 16 year old girl as the protagonist, and will appeal to YA readers of this genre, if they have first read The Scorpion Rules.

Marked

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Marked is the sequel to the sci-fi novel Tracked.  The story features Phee, who just barely escapes from the city of Castra. But Cash, the leader of the rebellion and the prince of Bisera, is missing. Phee’s uncle James is dead. And behind all of this sorrow is Charles Benroyal. Phee is wracked with grief and seeking revenge. Phee builds alliances, continues to fight for the resistance, makes new enemies, and starts to fall for Bear, her childhood friend.

A love triangle complicates the story. Should Phee follow her new feelings for Bear, or continue to be loyal to her missing love, Cash?

Marked is a sad tale, filled with painful memories of battles and deaths that the surviving characters cannot forget. Think Katniss and Peeta in The Hunger Games.

Three Truths and a Lie

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A game of Three Truths and a Lie, played by four teenagers on a weekend getaway to a cabin in a remote area of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, reveals a terrible truth. This truth, where the sole female character, Mia, says she killed someone when she was 13, sets the reader on the path of suspense and horror.

The story is told in the first person perspective by Rob to an unknown person. Rob reflects on all that had happened. We know he survived, as he tells the story. Who else survived? Who was the killer? The reader may have many theories, but it isn’t until the final chapter, where there is a big and unexpected plot twist, that the real truth is revealed.

There is gore, sex, and a gay couple, so this book is best suited for high school aged readers.

Hurricane Kiss

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Hurricane Kiss is flying off the shelf and has a list of “holds” awaiting its return. The steamy black and white cover may be the initial draw, but the story itself keeps the teens reading through to the end.

The story involves a teenaged girl, Jillian, and her neighbors, who are confined in the car for a long road trip as they try to get away from an incoming hurricane. One of the neighbors is River, the former starting quarterback of Jillian’s high school. There is a backstory for River: while once headed to fame for his football prowess, he disappeared, serving time in a juvenile detention center. Now that he’s out, he’s quiet with a chip on his shoulder.

As the effort to flee to storm gridlocks in traffic, River takes action to find shelter, and he and Jillian find themselves inside their empty high school. Their time alone, where they wait for the storm to pass, allows them to look back at the past, and reconcile how to move forward.

The storyline is exciting and nerve wracking, with themes of teen angst, romance, and survival.

How to Track a Dragon

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This book is a spin-off from the DreamWorks Dragons movies. Readers who have seen the movies will easily identify with the characters: Hiccup, Stoick, Gobber, and Astrid.

A Rumblehorn dragon is attacking the Dragon Riders’ fort nightly. Gobber decides to build a wall to stop the dragon. While back at the village, Stoick is giving everyone a hard time. Hiccup soon realizes Stoick is missing his old dragon. Hiccup and Stoick will help the fort by tracking down the dragon. Stoick is able to lasso the dragon. The dragon flips Stoick up onto its back then flies out to show Stoick the real problem. A giant ocean wave is headed towards them. They head back to the Riders’ Fort and build Gobber’s wall even “longer and stronger to block the wave.” The village is saved and Rumblehorn stays to be Stoick’s new dragon.