The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork Realistic Fiction (audio edition) * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Vicky Cruz is just going through the motions of her life when she decides to take it. Her suicide attempt fails, but it lands her at Lakeview Hospital where she meets Dr. Desai and several other troubled teens who she can relate to (and who understand her) much better than anyone she knows. Through her interactions … Read more
Illuminae Illuminae Files #1 by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff Science Fiction Suspense/Thriller * * * * Stars (Great!) Kady breaks up with her boyfriend Ezra just hours before their world (a secret mining colony on Kerenza) is attacked by outside corporate interest BeiTech. They manage to put their differences aside long enough to survive and escape, but they end up on different ships. Kady finds herself on the Hypatia, while Ezra is conscripted into … Read more
The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer Holm Science Fiction Tween – grades 5-8 * * * Stars (Pretty good) Ellie, sixth-grader, takes it in stride when her grandfather – who has cultured the elixir of youth from a heretofore unknown jellyfish – comes to live with her and her mother after being arrested for breaking into his own lab. Because his elixir works. And he’s now the same cantankerous and opinionated old man (who loves Chinese … Read more
You Wish by Mandy Hubbard Funny Supernatural * * * Stars (Pretty good) Kayla McHenry turns 16 and her mother – the party planner – throws her the most horrifying Sweet Sixteen party ever. Too much pink, too much cake, and too many people – none of them friends. As she blows out her birthday candles Kayla wishes for all of her birthday wishes to come true, which they start to do the following day … Read more
Nest by Esther Ehrlich Historical Fiction Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Tween (Grades 5-8) * * * SPOILER ALERT! * * * Eleven year old Naomi “Chirp” Orenstein is an avid birdwatcher growing up with her older sister in the early 1970s on Cape Cod. The Orensteins’ lives are forever changed when Chirp’s mother is diagnosed with MS (multiple-sclerosis). Mom – a dancer – sinks into a deep depression when her … Read more
The Language Inside by Holly Thompson Novel in verse Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Emma Karas’ family moves back to Massachusetts from Japan, where she has lived her whole life, when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. It is right after the Tsunami disaster strikes and Emma feels terrible that she can’t be with her friends and their loved ones, helping them in the aftermath. Although she’s fluent in English, Emma … Read more
Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis Fairytale Retelling Science Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Princess Snow (aka “Essie”) escaped to Thanda 8 years ago when her stepmother, Olivia, made an attempt on her life. Since then, she’s become adept at “stitching” together codes to modify the programming of the mining droids at settlement 42, and values the mental and physical challenges of her work (she makes extra money participating in the fighting circuit). When … Read more
Clariel Abhorsen series prequel by Garth Nix Fantasy * * * Stars (Pretty good) Clariel longs for her former home when her family moves to the city to further her mother’s ambitions in the Goldsmithing Guild. Clariel’s dream is to become a Boarderer and live in the Great Forest, but everyone else seems to have other plans for her – like setting her up as a puppet Queen. When she encounters a Free Magic creature, … Read more
Champion Legend series #3 by Marie Lu Dystopian Science Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) June and Day have been apart for a year when Day gets a message that June wants to see him. The Republic is in trouble. If it can’t produce a cure for the plague that is sweeping through the Colonies, they will attack. The Republic has no such cure, but its leader believes they can develop one if they … Read more
The Eye of Zoltar Last Dragonslayer #3 by Jasper Fforde Fantasy * * * * Stars (Great!) In order to safeguard her dragon friends from the Mighty Shandar, Jennifer Strange must undertake an information-seeking expedition (not a quest!) into the perilous Cambrian Empire to uncover the last resting place of the Eye of Zoltar – a powerful pink jewel that may or may not exist. She and her companions encounter most of the dangers the … Read more