Rebecca Stead. FIRST LIGHT

Peter finally gets to see his father as an exploring scientist, rather than just a stuffy professor. His mom and dad have decided to let him come along on a scientific study in Greenland. His dad is a glaciologist and will be studying weather changes on the glaciers. His mom plans to continue writing her book on DNA. Peter is thrilled to leave school for a few months and go on the adventure with his family.

The secrets he uncovers there turn out to be beyond all comprehension. One day he goes exploring and stumbles upon a girl named Thea trying to pry a boy out of a crack in the ice. Peter helps Thea pull him to safety and continues to help her carry him to her “camp.” But what he finds isn’t a camp, but a huge community living underneath the ice in secret. After Peter has amassed a truckload of questions, they hustle him back to the surface refusing to answer any of them. He’s sent on his way and told to keep their secret.

Then when Peter sees his mom doodling a symbol that he saw down in the secret community, more questions come up. What is going on with that place and how is his mother involved?

The author has woven such an amazing story out of so many interesting topics.
There are many aspects of this story that I loved: The sled dogs that work so hard for their people and become members of their families, the science of fireflies, the igloo building, the mitochondrial DNA…I was continually intrigued and entertained! I’m not even going into some of the other cool aspects, so I won’t divulge any spoilers!

I’m floored that this is the author’s first published book. (but not totally surprised, since she just won the Newbery for her second book, which I also loved and reviewed here.) Also, what this author does better than anyone is tie up loose ends. You know how sometimes when you read a book or see a movie and something happened early on & you think “why didn’t they ever explain such & such.. or why did they bring that up & never finish it.” Well, every little thing you’re curious about in the book is neatly explained along the way or at the end. I love that! She did that with her second book too.

There is a really nifty website for this book here. The author's website is here.  I will be FIRST in line for her next book!

Elizabeth Scott. LOVE YOU HATE YOU MISS YOU.

Another great one from Elizabeth Scott! What a thoroughly awe-inspiring author!

Amy’s just been released from Pinewood rehabilitation center. It’s been 75 days since Julia died. 75 days since she’s had anything to drink. She won’t drink ever again, since it reminds her of that night. Amy thinks it’s her fault that Julia died. She begins writing letters to Julia in a journal to work through her grief. She also begrudgingly sees a psychiatrist.

The worst part of it the whole thing is that her parents are acting differently towards her. They’re acting like they care all of a sudden. Before they left her alone most of the time. She’s trying to deal with getting through the day with the crushing weight of Julia’s death on her mind, not to mention being a total outcast at school. So the last thing she needs is doting parents. Will she ever be happy or even want to be happy again?

As I may have said before, Elizabeth Scott is fast becoming one of my favorite authors! I always feel a sort of kinship with her characters and stories. Is that weird? Anyway, this is one of those books that I didn’t want to end. Here is one of my favorite paragraphs:
“I didn’t want those words from her, not like that, not there, but at the same time I wanted them so badly that if I could have plucked them from the air, swallowed them down, and let them swim inside me, I would have”

This is a book you won’t soon forget. It’s beautifully written. The characters are deep and real. Loved it!!

Justine Larbalestier. HOW TO DITCH YOUR FAIRY

This one’s been on my list for ages! Justine Larbalestier wrote the awesome MAGIC OR MADNESS trilogy, so I knew this would be good!

Fourteen-year-old Charlie lives in New Avalon where everyone has a personal invisible fairy. Each fairy has a specialty that helps you with your life. For example, Charlie’s friend Rochelle has a shopping fairy, which means that Rochelle always finds the perfect clothes at the right price. Stefan has a “getting out of trouble” fairy and other students have sports fairies that help them perform at their best. Unfortunately, Charlie isn’t as lucky as all those people. She has a parking fairy and she doesn’t even drive yet. But that doesn’t stop Danders, the school bully, to force her to help him get good parking spots all over town. Charlie detests her fairy and is determined to get rid of it, somehow, someway. When she finds out that Fiorenze’s mom is a fairy expert, she hopes for a way to finally ditch her fairy and maybe even get a better one.

This was a hoot! I thoroughly enjoyed New Avalon! The idea of having a personal fairy is fun and intriguing. The author is so inventive. This was just as fresh and creative as the MAGIC OR MADNESS trilogy. I enjoyed and was impressed by the new vocabulary and the lore of the fairies.
Highly Recommended!

Katie Alender. BAD GIRLS DON'T DIE

Do you like ghost stories? Haunted Houses? Who doesn’t! I had forgotten how much I love them myself!
When I picked up BAD GIRLS DON’T DIE I had avoided spoilers – not even reading the book jacket. It started out as a pretty normal YA book. So I got a delicious surprise when the book turned supernatural.
Alexis has a normal dysfunctional teenage life. She has pink hair. Her parents aren’t around much. She hangs around with a group called the doom squad, although she isn’t really close to any of them. So she spends most of her free time on her photography hobby and developing the pictures in her dark room, the old fashioned-way.
She has a thirteen-year-old younger sister, Kasey, who was just annoying at the beginning of the book, but then begins to change into something that Alexis doesn’t recognize. Kasey begins to behave in an old-fashioned way in her movements and with her phrases like “mother” and “oughtn’t.” She loses chunks of time and her eyes even change colors.
Furthermore, when odd events start happening in the house like unplugged electronic devices turning themselves on and doors slamming, Alexis starts to believe there is another presence in the house. She has to turn to someone for help. The only logical person turns out to be a cheerleader who happens to be her enemy. Can things get any worse for Alexis?
I loved the suspense! I stayed up super late to finish it, because I could not put it down!
Bottom line ~ This is a fantastic debut novel by Katie Alender!
To find out more about the book and the author click here.
My description is nothing compared to this cool book trailer – check it out:

Rebecca Stead. WHEN YOU REACH ME

Sixth Grader Miranda navigates her New York City neighborhood all by herself. She knows the safe places to go, the little tricks to avoid strange people and how to get her keys in her hand before she reaches her building. But some mysterious events occur that cause her to question what she knows. A crazy man begins hanging out on her corner doing weird things. Her best friend ditches her. Then she gets an unusual note that says:

“I’m coming to save your friend’s life, and my own. I ask two favors. First you must write me a letter...”

She doesn’t know who wrote the note or why. Then several other notes come to her. One mentions three events that come true over the following weeks. How could someone know what is going to happen in the future? And how is she involved?
This book is rich with details and wonderful characters. The setting is so well described, I felt like I was there in New York in the late 70’s. The story itself is so unique and intriguing. Every last detail is in place, which is no easy task with this kind of plot. I can’t say more about the plot without spoilers. This is just a smart, remarkable book that you will absolutely LOVE!!

I'm intrigued by this author & plan to read more by her. Here is her website.
This one looks awesome: