Aislyn Hollings, Ryan’s central character in this gripping, unusual book, has a serious social disorder, a deep and lifelong terror of speaking in public, of doing anything that draws attention to herself outside her family and small circle of friends. Debilitating as it is, this crippling imbalance has kindled her interest in gene therapy, to which end she’s engaged in research at a genetic engineering company, Nova Genetics, in Tacoma. Her oral presentation about her investigation into DNA and gene therapy in a scholarship competition goes awry due to her disorder, heightening the desperation and causing her to say yes to trying an experimental therapy, CZ88, developed by a professional on the staff of Nova Genetics, works, to Aislyn’s amazement, but the secrecy surrounding the drug and the side effects of the treatment soon expose the deadly consequences not just for Aislyn but for the others to whom this viral experiment has been administered.

The writing is tense and interesting, exploring a subject rarely represented in literature for Young Adults, opening the reader to the burgeoning, controversial world of genetic experimentation. “How much do we allow humans to change themselves and at what price?” asks the writer. What therapies are ‘right’ (like easing the suffering of those with Cystic Fibrosis like Aislyn’s little brother) and the sudden development of traits like instant charisma.

The book, 317 pages long, touches on themes of scientific integrity, responsibility, trust, copycat drugs, viral terror, military uses of bizarre inventions and the quest of a young woman to find a cure. It’s a great read.

Highly recommended!

Reviewer: Holly Gwinn Graham

The first book written by author A.J. Grainger, Captive is sure to leave an impression on young readers as well as old. Readers will quickly be drawn into the plot, written in both the past and present.

Things are not always as they seem for Robyn, the sixteen year old daughter of the British Prime Minister. Especially when the Prime Minister’s best friend owns a large pharmaceutical company that has been targeted by the extremist group AFC. The AFC already has one of its members in jail for the assassination attempt of the Prime Minister himself. Now they want the release of their member! Nothing will get in their way.

Despite the increased security and words of reassurance from the security team, Robyn is taken hostage by the AFC. Her captors tell her she can go home as soon as their demands are met. That was ten days ago and no one has come for her. During her capture she learns the pharmaceutical company her father is associated with was responsible for the death of a 12 year old boy; the younger brother of one her captors. Was the head of Bell –Barkov responsible for the young boy’s death? Did they knowingly skip the vital trial studies and put a drug on the market knowing it was unsafe? Did the Prime Minister, her father, help to cover it up?

While held captive, the young Robyn begins to question her father’s honesty. Could she really take the word of her captors, after all they are Extremist. One of her captors is not like the rest, he is kind to her. He only wants answers and an investigation into his brother’s death. Will the two help each other and will feelings start to arise as often do between captor and captive?

The author does a great job of developing the characters in this story and the well-developed mystery makes this work of fiction a page turner for its readers. Recommended for anyone wanting a quick read.

Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely give readers a firsthand look into what it is like to be black and white growing up in today’s America with police brutality on the rise and racism still at the forefront. Main characters Rashad and Quinn are 2 teenage “American Boys” growing up with different perspectives in the heart of America because of the color of the skin with which they were born. Despite the modern times, racism is alive, and police brutality is increasing, but only towards black youths. All American Boys makes you take a hard look at the racism that still exists today and makes you confront it head on. The authors captured 2 different perspectives with chapters alternating between each boy’s perspective yet the collaboration and editing brilliantly intertwined them beautifully opening my eyes as a reader to a racism that still exists today. Young and old readers alike will be pulled into this story and make them take a look at themselves and ask some serious questions on the problems around racism today in America. I definitely recommend this book.

From the beginning of the book Charlie Presumed Dead by Anne Heltzel pursues the mystery of what happened to Charlie. Lena and Audrey are two adult women pursuing a boyfriend who they suspect has staged his own death. The protagonists travel through Europe and Asia in pursuit of Charlies trail. This psychological thriller unfolds the lives of the two women and their relationship with Charlie and each other.

The author takes the reader through many twists and turns in the plot. This is the most enjoyable part of the book. Her descriptive language paints vivid pictures in the imagination of the reader. And she moves the reader through the book using the mind of each character. This literary method works well.

There are discussion in this that are for a mature audience.  This is better suited for a public library than a school library.

The Winter Place by Alexander Yates brings the mythical and reality together in a haunting story about a family who suffers loss and grief and the paths taken to reach happiness. Two young siblings, one with an ability to experience paranormal events, join forces to discovers a family they didn’t know and get clarity about the younger child’s disease. The events and people that come into their lives help to determine the course they take to find answers as well as to find home. The vivid narrator and settings kept my interest as well as introduced me to the mythical events as seen through the eyes of a young man searching for answers and the path that will lead him to discover his past, his present and his future. The book was very interesting and unusual because of the characters introduced in the story. The end is unexpected, but comes full circle for the main characters. The Winter Place by Alexander Yates, is a book that will keep the reader’s interest throughout the story. If you enjoy mystical characters, a story of loss and redemption and finally discovery, this book will give you a great read. There is humor, disbelief, action and a underlying sense of family love and loyalty.

Sieb Posthuma’s Where is Rusty? is a treat for the eyes.  Posthuma’s illustrations are wittily creative and are the prize of the book.  Readers follow Rusty and his family as they enter a busy multi-floored department store to do some shopping.  Both the title and the mother’s guiding foreshadow what’s to come — Rusty wanders off.  Remembering the audience, Rusty doesn’t come across as too scared.  Instead, he’s inventive in how he’ll hide from the patrol watchdogs around the store while still looking for his mother.  The only lacking caveat is that there is no remorse in Rusty.  Instead of an apology when is mom is snuggling with him that evening at home, “…Rusty’s not listening.  He’s worn out and dreaming about the dog-biscuit machine.”  A simple “I’m sorry mom” would have gone miles with this reader.  Because of this, Where is Rusty is an additional purchase instead of recommended.

Welcome to the Hotel Ruby, a suspenseful story laden with foreshadowing and figurative symbolism that mystery fans will enjoy.  Audrey and Daniel Cassella have recently lost their mother.  Their father was never really into parenting them and made plans for them to live at their maternal grandmother’s for the summer after Audrey had a party at her house.  On the drive from Phoenix to Elko in northern Nevada, they stop into the Hotel Ruby, which is a splurge.  Visually stunning, Audrey’s room is separated from her brother and fathers– hers being on the 13th floor which is under renovations.  Immediately, each person in the family is swept up, and away from each other, by the hotel’s oddities.  But when Audrey begins visually seeing people with blood on them when they are perfectly fine, she knows there isn’t quite right. Drama and tension build to a point where Audrey even tries to leave the hotel, but “the door only leads into the Ruby.”  Each character is questionable in their motivations, leading the reader, like Audrey, unable to know who to trust.  And while one might think they know how the story will wrap up, they too should not trust the oddities of the Hotel Ruby.  This page turner from Suzanne Young is recommended for high school audiences.

Over the course of a sophomore year, everything can change.  This is the experience of Lima.  Attending a private school where students call their instructors by first names, Lima’s life has always been simple.  She was the only child.  She had the best of best friends since grade in grade school in Hailey.  She didn’t get herself caught up in the drama around boys.  And she did well in her classes.  But the realities of high school life begin to creep into her world starting with Hailey’s 1st sexual encounter.  Hailey’s lack of desire to discuss it with Lima began the mixed messages she would receive, send and feel throughout the year.  Lima watches Hailey start to hang with a crowd who parties and pull even further away because of a new girl friend, Skyler.  Hailey toys with Lima’s emotions, coming back into her life over the course of the year whenever things get too out of control with her new scene.  Lima’s frustration bends to confusion when Hailey’s long time crush, Nate, shows interest in Lima instead.  But this is so much more than a battle for the boy book.  Lima meets an edgier group of students in seniors Meredith, Walker, Henry and Lily who will allow her to test out who she is and establish who she is not.  And slowly, the path to Nate will open with all of the physical and emotional connections going full boar.  Juliana Romano takes an honest look at a year in the life of Lima as she truly comes of age.  Lima even says “We had all played our parts in the things that happened over the course of the year.  No one person was to blame.  Maybe growing up was about being able to live with the fact that things weren’t ever totally black or white.”  Romano handles the most personal of choices with raw emotion and delicacy, just as it probably is for most teen girls who are deciding how to keep friendships alive and whether to have sex.  First There Was Forever is definitely for high school libraries, but can be a justifiable addition to a collection as Lima stays true to herself throughout the book.

Lock and Mori, written by Heather W. Petty, is a young adult CSI read that both genders will enjoy.  James “Mori” Moriarty is a teen who has lost her mother to cancer and is basically in charge of protecting her brothers from their violent father.  Their father, who is a London cop, drinks too heavily because of the loss of his wife and takes his frustration with life out on his kids, especially Mori.  Mori has that oldest sibling stamina to handle her horrible home life while being a start student.  When she meets Sherlock Holmes, there is something about his aura that both provokes her and attracts her.  Circumstances put them together at Regent’s Park on an evening after the brutal murder of a schoolmate’s father.  Both Lock and Holmes discuss how botched the crime scene investigation seems to be going.  Intrigued, Lock challenges Mori to a game to figure out who committed the murder.  The only rule is that both people have to share their information with each other.  Lock is mysterious because of his brilliance and because he is not the narrator.  With the story coming from Mori’s point-of-view, this reader kept wondering if Petty would have Lock would upstage the protagonist by the end, because, after all, he is Sherlock Holmes.  But Mori will go all the way to the end to maintain her control and fight her own battles.  Readers on either side who want one to out-maneuver the other will not be disappointed with the finale.  The only criticism involves the short scenes of passion between the two.  One character is about to go into the scariest situation of her life yet body groping kisses must happen first.  It doesn’t ring true for these super smart kids.  Their attraction to each other would have had enough tension without them having to get into bed together, especially with all of the other mysterious plotting and violent nature of the storyline. Still, the mystical London setting keeps the hints of the original Sherlock Holmes novels around and introduces this next generation to their past success.  Recommended for high school libraries.

Lyric Walker lives a normal teenage life until she is forced into the unlikely situation of an invasion by the Alpha in Undertow. Then her world is shattered as she takes on the problems of living with a secret that would tear her world apart. Her friends are kept in the dark and she lives with the fear that others will know. Soon she is forced into becoming a friend to Fathom, an Alpha prince, but soon begins to be attracted to his unlikely charms. The plot beautifully unfolds as Lyric discovers both a hostile and magical world.

The author creates the realistic world of a teenager who lives in a terrifying world. Things go from bad to worse as Lyric, a strong female character, battles for her friends and family. The book is fast paced and moves from one situation to another. It ended too soon and readers will be ready for a sequel.

Media 1 is in charge of your life.  You’ve signed a contract that you’ll have your life watched 24/7 as you’re a cast member of Blissful Days, the ultimate reality TV show, where reality is really scripted after all.  So is the life of Nettie Starling.  Navigating life on and off the mic, with missives from the producers on what products to promote or work into conversations, living via Blissful Days had been a good life.  Until Nettie starts to question the “Big Brother” control of Media 1 and how their “Initiative” may bring her more harm than good. In questioning their control, she discovers disturbing and possibly deadly aspects to the blissful life.  Slightly reminiscent of the movie The Truman Show, Nettie resembles in Mockingjay. Other characters are carefully crafted by Maya Rock to keep readers wondering who to trust, as one person’s “initiative” might lead to another character’s downfall.  This was a young adult novel that was looked forward to every night, ironically much like one’s favorite TV program.  Highly recommended.

Reading through Juniors by Kaui Hart Hemmings is a search for substance and story-line. Set in a huge Hawaiian high school, Lea is the perpetual new girl at school. While maneuvering the highs and lows of teen girl dramas and the “cool guys” romantic come-on games, Lea searches for friendship and a sense of belonging . She has a loving, healthy relationship with her mother and a deep friendship with a guy friend from childhood that are her guides for what is genuine and true. The descriptive language about Hawaii and the hanging-out surf/ sun culture is a delightful addition to often redundant situations of excited nervousness and soul crushing rejection. The weak action of the story is counter point to the internal dialogue that Lea expresses as she tries to figure out what she REALLY thinks and feels. Juniors shows how the younger, next-generation mirrors the superficial qualities of an older moneyed generation. Teenagers, especially young women, will probably identify with Lea and her teenage angst.

What We Become, a companion novel to Those That Wake, could stand alone but it’s not going to win any awards.  Main characters Mal and Laura, along with their foils Rose and Aaron respectively, are fighting against the “Old Man” who plans to harness the ability to control all human beings’ minds.  There is a lot of violent action in this story set in a futuristic New York city.  There’s also the romantic emotional pulls of trying to get Mal and Laura to reunite.  This is where this reviewer is left wondering which young adults will be attracted to the story and why?  The dystopian plot or the romance, girls or boys?  It’s a story.  It’s ok.  It was given to our book review group in 2015 though it was published in 2013.  Clearly the publisher is just getting rid of spare copies.  Explicit language advisory to those that need it.

We Forgot Brock! is a very exciting, adventure filled children’s picture book that will keep readers engaged.  Phillip sets out on a journey of a lifetime to find Brock when the family accidentally left him at the fair.  What puts a twist on this conflict is that Brock is Phillip’s imaginary friend.  But what reader’s are pleasantly surprised to find is that Phillip’s journey will give him a friend beyond imagination.  Younger readers will surely be absorbed into the story while adult readers will love the special heart-warming effect.  Recommended for preschool – 1st grade.

I Love You More Than Moldy Ham is an intricately illustrated picture book that is sure to keep kiddos intrigued.  The young monster sets out to make a little feast at his house for his mom as a surprise.  The rhythmic sequencing of the text creates a tune as one reads along.  Well placed rhymes make one want to turn the page.  Surprisingly, there are no names for the characters but they are still easy to keep track of and allow the idea that this story could be about anyone.  The colorful illustrations really add to the excitement and keep it just silly enough to truly enjoy.  Could be used to prepare for Mother’s Day.  Recommended.

When their tour guide dies in a tragic accident that happens while Emma and her small group of strangers are hiking during a huge wind storm, they now have no choice but to make it to Lake Superior on their own.  But not everyone in the group believes in the “All for one, and one for all” mentality.  In fact, when it comes to surviving mother nature and all of the creatures that come with her, one hiker has no qualms with a survival of the fittest mentality.  This is an exciting, attention grabbing book for adventure loving types who love adrenaline rushes. Survival is definitely the name of the game and with all of these types of shows on TV in the last couple of years, Stranded by Melinda Braun could be a go-to book for that kid who can’t find anything to read roaming your shelves…

The absolute best part of Una LaMarche’s Don’t Fail Me Now is Michelle’s voice.  It is aided by LaMarche’s terse storytelling abilities, keeping the action moving along without a single chance to pause.  In the 1st chapter of the story, readers learn that Michelle is a 17 year old senior with a mom who returned to jail on drug charges and two younger siblings to take care of while avoiding CPS.  Michelle is a quick thinking, AP classes kind of student stuck in her mother’s grasp of bad choices.  Extended family actually complicate the situation.  Michelle dad has been MIA for since she was 6. But now he’s dying, which she finds out through Tim, the step brother from another marriage to Leah, who is Michelle’s 1/2 sister of the same dying dad.  Michelle and Leah had never met, though they live in the same town, but Leah wanted to get Michelle the news…and the hope for an “heirloom” which could be money, something that would help Michelle dearly as she tries to hang on to her siblings.  While the realities of the cross country road trip storyline are totally far fetched, LaMarche’s character’s voices are so authentic that readers will want to see how the story ends.

Kris Dinnison’s premise in You and Me and Him is very possible in any high school around the world today, which is what kept me anticipating how the conflicts would be tied up.  Unfortunately, for this reader, the ending is where it falls apart.  “You” refers to Nash, the gay best friend of “Me”, Maggie.  Nash and Maggie have been besties since their preschool years.  Dennison captures the voice of a frustrated gay student quite well.  And it complements that of Maggie, who is overweight and proclaims from the opening sentences “I am not one of those shrinking-violet fat girls.  I don’t sit alone in my bedroom playing Billie Holiday albums while drowning my sorrows in a carton of ice-cream.”  But Maggie needs a Nash so together they can survive being slight outcasts in their teenage years.  Along comes “Him”, or Tom, a new kid who is drawn to Maggie and Nash his 1st day.  Tom is considered a hottie—to both Nash and Maggie. Nash calls dibs and Maggie will try to avoid the obvious sparks that fly, but there will be drama and some passionate kissing. No sex.

I really liked each of the characters independently through 3/4 of the book, though I felt an editor could have encouraged less description of cookie eating after the 1st encounter.  But I don’t feel Tom got a fair shake at the end.  There weren’t enough shady comments or actions on his part to get the ax that he did.

Besides that, this colorfully covered novel will give colorful insight into the complexities of teen life today.  With a western Washington setting, schools up and down the Puget Sound corridor might especially like this pick.

Harper Lee, by Alexis Burling, a biography that is part of the Essential Lives Series, succinctly details the highlights and controversies that surround one of literature’s best-love, yet little known writers.  Nelle Harper Lee’s first novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, was a literary sensation from the moment of publication, garnering the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 1961.  The immediate acclaim for the book and the huge success of the movie put Lee in an unwanted spotlight.  Being essentially a very private person, Lee stopped granting interviews and became very wary of the intent of strangers.  The biography addresses the questions and speculations about Harper Lee and her status in American literature.  Side bars, photos and interviews highlight specific details about her life including speculations about the authorship of Mockingbird as well as legal battles concerning royalties.  It also discussed is the current  controversy about the publication of her “lost” novel,  Go Set the Watchman , in May of 2015. Source notes by chapter facilitate further research.  In a brief 106 pages, this is an excellent non-fiction book about the author of an iconic American novel.

In the RIVER DARKNESS, by German writer Marlene Röder, is a young adult drama that does not live up to the intrigue that gripes the reader in the opening paragraphs. The cover and the opening chapter lead the reader to expect that the book will be a mystery or thriller. But the reader is let down by the predictable plot and so-so ending. It almost seems as if In the River of Darkness was written to lead into future sequels. This quick read (222 pages, easy to read) can be read in just a couple of hours.

The plot centers around three teens: a new girl to town, Mia, and two brothers, Alexander and Jay, who live next door. The story is told from these three teens’ points of view. There is a bit of romance, a bit of mystery, but overall, there is no thrill in this story.

Teenage girls are sure to fall for Burn Girl and her ambivalent attempts to pursue the search for self, bought to light by Mandy Mikulencak’s persuasive writing style and her ability to build tension right up to the very end.

After her mother’s mysterious death, Arlie’s struggle to find her place in the “normal” world turns out to be a true emotional roller coaster ride. Stuck between abandonment issues and confusing emotions around family, friendship, and love, Arlie’s irrational behavior reflects her traumatic upbringing perfectly. Durango, Colorado is where her mother last took her when she ran away with her hiding from her mean step father. The mysteries around her mother’s death – whether she OD’d or got killed never was resolved but the process of finding truth took it all from Arlie.

The book expresses well that both emotional scarring as well as physical handicaps alike can have deep impact on our development. The author described the tender roots of emotional healing and that it is possible to transform one’s life.

Using various characters offering friendship and help providing a safe space for trust and growth keep the book interesting and alive. A truly heart warming teenage drama with lots of extra twists and turns.

Cam is smart teen.  Living in New York City, he as learned how to take care of himself and those he loves.  Unfortunately, this puts him in bad situations.  Taking out a loan from the Chinese mafia to try to save his mother’s house was a calculated risk.  When his bike gets smashed beneath a bus, his bike messengering income is gone, but the love of his life emerges.  As Nikki, the cause of the accident, bounds away doing Parkour, Cam is enthralled.  What this story spins into is one of intense action and teeming love energy.  Nikki has a path for Cam to follow to be able to make good on his loan, but it will involve legal activities.  This story has life and death twists and turns of a high action movie, which it was compressed into starring Taylor Lautner while being released in print.  It was truly a fun read and both high school boys and girls will race through it. Not recommended for middle school though.

Terrorist: Gavrilo Princip, the Assassin who Ignited World War I, a graphic historical fiction novel, is an engrossing account of the young Serbian anarchist whose assassination of Austria’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand led to The Great War (World War I). Henrik Rehr, a Dane who lived in Europe during the early 1980’s, and lived in New York City at the time of 9/11 terrorist attacks, is a well-known cartoonist and author of graphic novels. Rehr spent considerable time researching “old, old books” in the New York Public Library trying to figure out how “a small number of people of limited means carried out an act with broad repercussions.”

Terrorist: Gavrilo Princip, the Assassin who Ignited World War I is a 232-page account, in detailed and powerful black and white drawings and text, of what drove Princip and his fellow Serbian anarchists to plan the assassination of Ferdinand. The account is stark, depressing, and disturbing. While thoroughly researched, Rehr notes “Certain liberties had to be taken for the story to work. I put words into the mouths of my characters that I did not necessarily have historical sources for, but I did my best to stay true to my understanding of the people I attempted to bring to like. There is nothing in the book that I know to be historically false, but there is a lot that came from my imagination.”

The historical information in this lengthy graphic novel is vastly more detailed than what is found in the current McGraw-Hill World high school History text used in the Olympia School District. The historical detail makes this work a good addition to the library collection. The graphic novel format will engage many a teen reader who never would plow through volumes of history books to understand the oppression of the Serbian peoples in the early 20^th century, their struggles for independence from Austria-Hungary, and the backgrounds of Princip and his accomplices.

Some readers may be sensitive to the significant amount of violence portrayed. Additionally there is course language, and scenes with excessive alcohol use, discussions of sex, prostitution, suicide and murder. Teachers and librarians may want to keep this in mind when recommending this book to students. Should the library receive complaints on the content, it may be noted that the book is a Junior Library Guild Selection.

In Earthrise: My Adventures As an Apollo 14 Astronaut, Edgar Mitchell essentially tells his life story.  We may think that today’s kids are growing up in an era of huge technological change, but Mitchell saw changes just extreme.  Born in 1930 in Texas, his family moved to New Mexico where he has vast prairies to explore and millions of stars to enjoy.  At the age of four, Mitchell flew for the first time, an event that planted a see for this farm boy.  Having an Airforce base in his town kept him enthralled as World War II ploughed through Europe.  Even after another move, he kept his love and began flying at the age of 14.  At 17 he became more intrigued in flying and space with reports that a UFO was captured in his old home town. The story continues along his choice to go into the Navy and the path to landing a job at NASA.  By chapter 4 readers will get to the exciting training Mitchell received to prepare him for his mission to space.

Audience was considered when Mitchell wrote this text.  It is not overwhelmingly technical. And what is particularly powerful is the chronological building of his dream.  Student readers can clearly see that Mitchell had a goal and had to work extremely hard to get it, even with some set backs and course re-alignments.  Therefore it is also inspiring to know that with a little planning, patience and perseverance, goals can be reached.

The side bar inserts are slightly repetitive to what is explained clearly within the text itself and would probably be skipped by most younger readers.  Yet the quotations at the start of each chapter are a creative touch to forecast what the chapter has in store.

It is clear Mitchell had a life altering spiritual experience on his decent back to earth.  Who wouldn’t?  This reader appreciates how tactfully he handled his discussion of this.  The resource notes in the back of the book keep it focused on the path and mission rather than his spiritual beliefs at this time.

Most students interested in space travel will like this text.  Recommended for middle and high school libraries.

Dare I say this young adult novel can be both entertaining and educational?  Sophomore Year Is Greek To Me is Meredith Zeitlin’s second young adult novel.  Though the first one is titled with a reference to “Freshman Year”, this is not a sequel.  In this story young Zona Lowell is leaving her beloved New York City lifestyle to be a new student in an international school in Greece while her father does research to write a book.  Zona herself is an investigative writer for her school newspaper, and while she has to let that be maintained by her friends back in the states, Zona throws in plot moving newspaper article inserts throughout the book.  Reading them is mandatory to make sure one doesn’t miss interesting plot points and character insights.  Zona will adjust to life meeting new friends, chasing after a “crush” who wasn’t all that, and settling into a friendly happiness with a boy that just gets her.  But the connection to Greece is not just by chance.  Zona’s departed mother was Greek and Zona has never met her mother’s side of the family. The whole climax of the story involves Zona going to stay with her Greek relatives by herself for the two week Easter holiday break from school.  Not only is this educational and foundational for Zona, but readers can learn a thing or two about Greek Orthodox Easter celebrations and Greek family structure.  I’d be curious what research path Zeitlin took because this reader would have liked to have tagged along.  A charming 15 turning 16 year old, coming of culture novel that girls as young at 7th grade might enjoy.  This stand alone is probably an additional purchase for most school libraries.