Darius and Twig by Walter Dean Myers

Summary courtesy of Amazon.com

New York Times bestselling author and Printz Award winner Walter Dean Myers once again connects with teenagers everywhere in Darius & Twig, a novel about friendship and needing to live one's own dream. This touching and raw teen novel from the author of Monster, Kick, We Are America, Bad Boy, and many other celebrated literary works for children and teens is a Coretta Scott King Honor Book.

Darius and Twig are an unlikely pair: Darius is a writer whose only escape is his alter ego, a peregrine falcon named Fury, and Twig is a middle-distance runner striving for athletic success. But they are drawn together in the struggle to overcome the obstacles that life in Harlem throws at them. The two friends must face down bullies, an abusive uncle, and the idea that they'll be stuck in the same place forever.

Review - 

145^th Street Harlem… No protection from the gangs, violence, and thugs outside the front steps or absent fathers, depressed mothers and abusive uncles behind closed doors.  Unsupportive teachers and counselors at school who have lost faith in motivating their students. No guidance, no faith, no hope…

But two best friends, Darius and Twig, are there to support each other; to find vision and purpose; to find the best in each other.  Darius is a young aspiring writer who has a chance at a college scholarship if he could just revise the story he turned into the college magazine, The Delta Review. Twig is an exceptional middle length runner who sees his for chance for college if he stands out at his high school track meets. Both have dreams of coveted scholarships and the chance to be move beyond the low expectations of the people around them.

This is a story of True friendship!

Like Darius’s alter ego, his imaginary Peregrine falcon; Fury… these boys are going to fly!!!

Walter Dean Myers, who grew up in Harlem, is celebrated for an expressive, genuine writing style that depicts the essence of the inner city. Darius and Twig is no exception; care is taken to emphasize the hope for the characters without losing their urban dialect. Characters in the story like Midnight and Tall Boy or Twig’s Uncle paint a harsh picture of their worlds. This relatively short yet gripping novel; only 201 pages will attract reluctant readers.  The language used is strong and the situations are violent. For this reason I would recommend the book to readers in grades 8 and up. I would also recommend listening to this book on audioCD. Brandon Gill does a superb job giving distinct voices to the various characters. I feel it gave me a better appreciation for the novel than if I had just read the book. 

Counting by 7's by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Summary (courtesy of Amazon.com) Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn't kept her from leading a quietly happy life . . . until now.

Suddenly Willow's world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read.

Review: Wow! As I began reading about WIllow, my first thoughts were, “She’s such a special gifted girl with caring supporting adoptive parents who supports her passions. She couldn't have asked for a better life” Then…. POW! we are confronted with the worse tragedy a child could encounter; the sudden death of both of her parents. Personally I thought many of the situations that occurred in the story were not realistic. The Social Services officers would not automatically allow a non-relative have custody of someone. Also the chain of events were too predictable, too prepared, especially the conclusion. However, I still loved the compassionate empowering feeling of the story.  I enjoyed the way the author weaved the uniquely individual characters lives toward each other. Each of the secondary characters are imperfect, raw, tainted by life and damaged in their own way. The tragedy of Willow’s loss drives each of them into action to not only help Willow but also to help themselves.

Review: Lost in the River of Grass

Lost in the River of Grass
by Ginny Rorby

Book Description:

A science-class field trip to the Everglades is supposed to be fun, but Sarah's new at Glades Academy, and her fellow freshmen aren't exactly making her feel welcome. When an opportunity for an unauthorized side trip on an airboat presents itself, it seems like a perfect escape–an afternoon without feeling like a sore thumb. But one simple oversight turns a joyride into a race for survival across the river of grass. Sarah will have to count on her instincts—and a guy she barely knows—if they have any hope of making it back alive.

Review: 

Oooh. I was already kind of terrified of the Everglades and now, boy, I don't ever want to step foot in them without a majorly seasoned tour guide.  This book was one dangerous encounter after another.  I loved how as Sarah faced the possibility of death over and over, she became more and more capable.  She is truly a survivor.  One who when push comes to shove, must learn how to become more able on her own...one who will do whatever she must to survive. 

If you like survival stories, ones that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is a good one! 

Review: Poison

Poison

by Bridget Zinn

 

Book Description:

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she's the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom's future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart…misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king's army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she's not alone. She's armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can't stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she's certainly no damsel-in-distress—she's the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.


Review:
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED this book.

It was funny, it was exciting, it had a great main character, and took place in an interesting world.

The cover is a little deceiving. It makes Kyra look like a really tough character, a la Katniss, and while she does have some of that in her, the overall tone of the book and the characters is much, much lighter. I found myself giggling a lot and I read this one really quickly because I was enjoying it so much... 

In fact, I loved the lighthearted tone of this book so much that I am giving it a GOLD STAR review and recommend that everyone pick it up!!

 

Island of Silence

Island of Silence

by Lisa McMann

The Unwanteds, book two



Book Description:
Following the life-altering events at the conclusion of The Unwanteds, the stark world of Quill and the magical haven of Artimé are now home to whoever wants to live there, whether they are Wanteds, Unwanteds, or Necessaries.

In Artimé, Alex Stowe and his friends continue to hone their artistic magical spells while welcoming newcomers, wondering how long this peace between Quill and Artimé will last. Alex is stunned when Mr. Today comes to him with a very special request—one Alex questions his readiness for, until circumstances offer a dramatic answer.
 
And back in Quill, Aaron Stowe, Alex’s twin, faces a very different path. Devastated by his loss of status after Justine’s defeat and seething with rage toward Alex, Aaron is stealthily planning his revenge and return to power.

Review:
This is a series that I will tell you I unabashedly enjoy. It has a very similar feel to Harry Potter, but takes a very unique spin on the arts. I envy Lisa McMann's imagination when I read about the artistically inspired spells the kids use in Artime. 

As in Harry Potter, this second book has taken the series to a slightly darker place.  While Artime is still a thriving, beautiful, and creative place, the political repurcussions of opening Artime to everyone are felt throughout the land.  While the Artimeans are busy battling the Quillians, they also discover that something sinister may be occuring outside of their land, as well. In fact, even as Alex is trying to wrap his brain around being groomed to lead Artime one day and also deal with his evil twin's sinister plotting (which gave me shivers, btw...kid's got real power issues!), several of Alex's friends go missing and Alex finds himself in charge much earlier than expected. 

The only fault I found with this book was that it left off with huge plot cliffhangers!! While a few questions were answered, many more were raised, and I'm going to have a hard time waiting for book three to find out what's really going on at the Island of Silence!!

Review: The Drowned Cities

The Drowned Cities

by Paolo Bacigalupi

 

Book Description:

In a dark future America where violence, terror, and grief touch everyone, young refugees Mahlia and Mouse have managed to leave behind the war-torn lands of the Drowned Cities by escaping into the jungle outskirts. But when they discover a wounded half-man--a bioengineered war beast named Tool--who is being hunted by a vengeful band of soldiers, their fragile existence quickly collapses. One is taken prisoner by merciless soldier boys, and the other is faced with an impossible decision: Risk everything to save a friend, or flee to a place where freedom might finally be possible.

 

Review:

I had heard how great Ship Breaker was...it won awards, even... but I just hadn't had time to read another dystopian book in the last year or so that wasn't already high on my priorities list. Well, I'm gonna have to make time to go back and read it now, because the companion book was stellar.

 

 

This book is set in a dark, war torn dystopian United States (well, what's left of it, that is...). It is gritty and violent and compelling. There is no romance and really little hope. Yet... you read continuously searching for the seeds of hope and finding little hints that it may yet be there to find.

 

 

Reminiscent of the darkest portions of The Hunger Games, Bacigalupi is an author for those readers who do not want their gritty future tied to romance... this is for a more hard core, action seeking science fiction reader. 

Review: The Lions of Little Rock

The Lions of Little Rock

by Kristin Levine

 

Book Description:

Two girls separated by race form an unbreakable bond during the tumultuous integration of Little Rock schools in 1958.

Twelve-year-old Marlee doesn't have many friends until she meets Liz, the new girl at school. Liz is bold and brave, and always knows the right thing to say, especially to Sally, the resident mean girl. Liz even helps Marlee overcome her greatest fear - speaking, which Marlee never does outside her family.

But then Liz is gone, replaced by the rumor that she was a Negro girl passing as white. But Marlee decides that doesn't matter. Liz is her best friend. And to stay friends, Marlee and Liz are willing to take on integration and the dangers their friendship could bring to both their families.



Review:
This was a book I would never have picked up on my own, but boy am I glad that I read it! This book talks about the time after the integration of schools in Little Rock, Arkansas. I had no idea that the year after "The Little Rock Nine" faced such a hardship attending school that the town's government decided to actually close some of the schools so that they would not have to deal with the integration issue. It seems to be a part of that story that has hardly been told...

Levine tackles the story in an indirect and captivating way. The main character, Marlee, has an older sister that was attending the high school, but now is only offered correspondance courses for school since they shut hers down. Marlee goes to the middle school, which is still open, but has to deal with issues of her own. She is a shy, shy girl who hardly even speaks in school and it's not until she meets Liz that she learns to come out of her shell.

The problems? Well, it turns out that Liz is African-American, but her skin is so light that she was "passing" as white so that she could attend Marlee's school. When the truth comes out, Liz is expelled from the school and even worse, her family is threatened because they were "trying to be above their station." One of the boys that had tormented Marlee has an older brother that is making life both miserable and unsafe for the girls now. All Marlee wants to do is find a way to keep her best friend, but she's not sure how on earth she'll be able to do that!

This book touched my heart. It made me cry and it made me want to learn more about this time in Little Rock's history. It is a book definitely worth reading!

Review: Partials

Partials
by Dan Wells

Book Description:

The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.

Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them—connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.

Review:

Feel like you are tired of dystopians, yet? If so, I'd say give Partials a chance and see if it restores your faith in the genre. I love dystopians, really love them, but with the influx to the market right now, it is easy to get burnt out! I'm finding myself having to be much more careful in my selections and having to space them out between books from other genres to give myself a mental reboot. However, I really, thoroughly enjoyed Partials and would read a sequel from this author in a heartbeat!

This book had a great premise and followed through with realistic fallout. I loved how not only had the human population been decimated by a virus (that they essentially unleashed upon themselves after creating the Partials superhuman army...), but that they then also had to deal with their inability to reproduce successfully and how their society dealt with the prospect of dying out. There were LAYERS of things going on here!! LAYERS, people.

Kira was a great heroine. She was tough, she fought for what she believed in...she made dumb mistakes and she was scared sh!tless sometimes, but she also inspired change! She was a gamechanger. She thought outside the box. In a word, she was awesome. I would take Kira on my side against the world, any day!

Full of action, great observations of people and not only how they react singly to important events, but as a group, with a really strong main character... Partials is a dystopia I recommend to all that love the genre. It makes my top three dystopians list! 


Review: Dirty Little Secrets



Dirty Little Secrets
by C.J. Omololu

Book Description:
Everyone has a secret. But Lucy's is bigger and dirtier than most. It's one she's been hiding for years-that her mom's out-of-control hoarding has turned their lives into a world of garbage and shame. Tackling an increasingly discussed topic that is both fascinating and disturbing, C. J. Omololu weaves an hour-by-hour account of Lucy's desperate attempt to save her family. Readers join Lucy on a path from which there is no return, and the impact of hoarding on one teen's life will have them completely hooked.

Review:
This was a compelling, intriguing, and at moments both gross and shocking book. It's like a soap opera unfolding in front of your eyes - you see it happening, you know what's coming, and still you can't look away...you are hooked!  

I watch Hoarders on TV. I'll admit it. It's one of those shows you turn on and then can't turn off again. I'll watch it for hours. It's educational in a way, but it's mostly morbidly fascinating. You can't help but wonder for hours how it's possible that people actually live like that! It also has the dual purpose of making me feel much better about how I live my life...sort of like Cops, LOL.

Anyway, this book read like watching an episode's aftermath. I could not put it down! There were moments when I wished I could, but it was impossible. I can absolutely see now why several of the teens in our Library had been bugging me to read this one!

For something a little different that you won't be able to put down...try Dirty Little Secrets!