MAGIC OR MADNESS TRILOGY, IN THE FORESTS OF THE NIGHT

Justine Larbalestier. MAGIC’S CHILD

(Book 3 in Magic or Madness trilogy)
This might just be the best one in the trilogy. We get more explanations about what happened to Reason in Book 2; plus we get some really good moral dilemmas. Reason has gained some power with her new Cansino magic. She must make some hard decisions. It ends really well, but leaves some things open at the end. You need to read this trilogy. It's a unique, enjoyable fantasy.

Justine Larbalestier.

MAGIC LESSONS

The sequel to MAGIC OR MADNESS was hard to put down. It begins with Reason safely back at her grandmother’s house with her two friends Jay-tee and Tom. But that doesn’t last long. Something weird is going on with the door. A weird creature is trying to get through. Suddenly Reason is plunged through the door by someone or something. She's forced back to New York. I really like the way the characters have different talents with their magic and how they each see things differently. The dilemma between dying young or going crazy makes the magic intriguing. I’m off to read the third in the trilogy, MAGIC’S CHILDREN.

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes.

IN THE FORESTS OF THE NIGHT

Risika has been a vampire for 300 years. All that time she has vowed revenge against the vampire, Aubrey, who killed her brother and wounded her. He is one of the most powerful vampires around, so it takes Risika a while to get the courage to fight him. As Risika flashes back to her earlier life in 1701, we learn her story and why she hates Aubrey so much. This is a really well-written, succinct novel that makes me want to read all of her other books. The author got the call that this, her first novel, would be published when she was only fourteen. Very cool! Her second book is called DEMON IN MY VIEW, which includes several characters from this book in a unique way.

Justine Larbalestier. MAGIC OR MADNESS

Reason and her mother live in Australia. They have moved from town to town in the outback for Reason’s entire life. They have been running from her grandmother. Suddenly, Reason’s mom has gone insane, so she is sent to live with her grandmother. Since she has been taught to be afraid of her grandmother, Reason plans her escape as soon as she arrives. Reason does escape to a place much father away than she could have imagined. Then she must decide if her grandmother really is as bad as the dangerous man she encounters. I can’t say much more without giving away the good parts. This is a really different and intriguing book. It’s a trilogy, so I’ll be reading part 2 next. Can’t wait. *Tidbit: the author is the wife of another great YA author: Scott Westerfeld.

BLUE BLOODS, CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE, AMERICAN BORN CHINESE

Melissa de la Cruz. BLUE BLOODS

Schuyler Van Alen lives in Manhattan and attends a prestigious private school. She’s the last in the line of a wealthy, distinguished family. But even with her family background, she doesn’t quite fit in at her school. She has two close friends and they live outside of the popular clique at school. However, soon she finds out that they all have something in common. The term Blue Bloods, isn’t just a term referring to rich family lineage, but in fact means blue blood. They are all vampires. At fifteen, Schuyler is just manifesting the symptoms and learning about what she is. The vampires aren’t a threat to humans, like in some vampire novels, due to their strict code. The threat is actually some other creature out there trying to kill the blue bloods. This is a cool read with a lot of intriguing history in it. With the many vampire themed novels currently out there, this one is one you won’t be able to put down. The sequel is due out in May. Can’t wait!


Laura M. Zeises.
CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE
Fourteen-year-old Lucy feels like everyone is leaving her behind. Most of her friends have boyfriends, and her brother left her to go off to college. So she is caught completely off guard when a junior boy starts giving her attention. Then her brother surprises her by coming back home, with some surprises. Suddenly, her life is the one changing and she isn’t so sure that she likes it. This was a wonderful, humorous, but also thoughtful book. The first page grabbed be right away and didn’t let go until I finished it.







Gene Luen Yang. AMERICAN BORN CHINESE
This graphic novel has three interrelated stories that weave together. In one story, Jin Wang’s family moves to a new neighborhood where he is the only Chinese-American. The kids aren’t very accepting of his differences. Even though he was born in America, the kids think of him as Chinese. Finally, he becomes friends with a new student who just moved in from Taiwan. In another story, a boy is embarrassed by his cousin visiting from China. Will these boys finally be accepted by their friends at school? Or will they learn to just be themselves and not worry about it? Check it out

NEW MOON, SLEEPING FRESHMAN..., RULING CLASS

Stephenie Meyer. NEW MOON

The sequel to TWILIGHT was as awesome as I predicted. Although, I was disappointed that Edward was gone for a large portion of the book. I had prepared for that after reading about it on Mrs. Meyer's website. I did quite enjoy the development of the character Jacob. I loved the relationship between Bella and Jacob, almost as much as Edward & Bella. Now, I'm as anxious as ever to read the third book, which is called ECLIPSE. It isn't due out until the fall! Mercy! Oh well, off to read some other books to distract me from the long wait.

David Lubar. SLEEPING FRESHMEN NEVER LIE

Scott is just beginning high school and he’s a little nervous. Suddenly there are beautiful girls everywhere, his friends are changing and drifting away, and to top it all off, he’s agreed to so many commitments, he’s loosing sleep! Will he ever navigate the complex world of high school? Will he ever be able to actually utter a complete sentence to Julia, the girl he has a crush on? Guys, you will relate to Scott; Girls, you will have a lot of fun with him! Great, fun read.

Francine Pascal. THE RULING CLASS

I heard about this book a while back. I was looking forward to it, since it’s based in my home state of Texas. The locale is an upscale suburb of Dallas called Highland Park. As one of the main characters, Myrna Fry, says, the school is almost private because you have to have a home over “a mill” (a million) to attend. In this ritzy school, the high powered clique is called The RC, short for The Ruling Class. Myrna is desperate to get into the clique, but is completely blind to how they are really treating her. The other main character is way more interesting, Twyla Gay. She has just moved in from Abilene, so isn’t used to the cattiness of the girls in Highland Park. She’s teased at first, but decides to get back at the girls, including Myrna, who sort of pretended to be her friend. After reading this, I think you’ll be glad you don’t live in this snobby, over-styled world. Although, you’ll thoroughly enjoy seeing a glimpse of it!

TWILIGHT, PLAYING IN TRAFFIC, GOSSAMER, EACH LITTLE BIRD...

Stephenie Meyer. TWILIGHT

I had heard all the praise for this novel for quite some time. I finally got the chance to read it. Now I see what all the fuss was about! I stayed up really late reading it; I literally could not put it down. Now that it’s over, I can’t stop thinking about the characters! Bella has just moved to a small town called Forks to live with her dad. She meets this incredibly handsome, but confusing guy named Edward, who turns out to be a vampire. To protect her, he wants to stay away from her, but he can’t. She doesn't care about the risks, she can't stay away from him either. They fall in love. There are some cool action scenes, but the best part is the electricity between Bella and Edward. This one will stick with you for a while. Thank goodness there's a sequel, because I think it would break my heart to see this story end!

Gail Giles. PLAYING IN TRAFFIC

I've been wanting to read some more Gail Giles for a while now. She's from Texas like me & rumor has it that she even lives in The Woodlands, which is exactly where I used to live. (she even mentioned a few of the locations around town in the book- too cool.)
Matt is the type of guy who wants to blend in. He doesn’t really want to be noticed or stand out in school. So, when Skye begins to give him attention, he wonders, at first, what the deal is. Skye is definitely noticeable. She dresses in all black, has spiked hair, and is very beautiful. Matt is taken in by her and begins to fall in love with her. There are several interesting twists in this book to keep you turning the pages. The end is…yikes... just read it to find out! This book is recommended for high school and above.

Lois Lowry. GOSSAMER

If you’ve read any of Lowry’s books (The Giver, The Messenger, Gathering Blue, etc.), you’ll definitely love this one. That really is all you need to know to go grab it off the shelf. However, I’ll pique your interest a little more. This novel is as unique as her many others. It is about our dreams and where they come from, as well as how nightmares and good dreams can affect us. There is an eight-year-old boy who has lived a very sad life and a woman in the latter years in her life ready to take him in and help him. It’s a short, but very moving book that I won’t soon forget. * * *update 1/23/07- Lowry just won the distinguished Edwards Award from the ALA, which is an award that honors lifetime achievement in young adult literature. * * *Yea for Ms. Lowry!

Deborah Wiles. EACH LITTLE BIRD THAT SINGS

Comfort Snowberger is a fresh and wonderful character in a really sweet story. Her family is in the funeral business, as she shares with us immediately on the first page, "I come from a family with a lot of dead people." Comfort feels pretty at ease at funerals, unlike most other ten-year-olds. However, things change when she has several people very close to her die all within a few months. Comfort and her family are people I very much enjoyed getting to know. I was sad when it ended. I would definitely like to visit them again sometime. (suitable for readers as young as 4th or 5th grade)

PRINCESS FROM ANOTHER PLANET, DEAD GIRLS DON'T WRITE LETTERS, THE EMPTY MIRROR

Mindy Schanback. PRINCESS FROM ANOTHER PLANET

This is certainly not your ordinary “princess” book. Gracie’s mom is the queen of another planet. Or at least that’s what she says. No one believes her- they only pretend to. All of a sudden Gracie’s mom is getting signals from outerspace about some enemies that have landed on Earth to kill her and her family. Will everyone finally believe her that she is a Queen from another planet? Will Gracie finally accept her true identity? This was fun and different.











Gail Giles. DEAD GIRLS DON’T WRITE LETTERS

If you're looking for something different, this one's for you. After Sunny's sister has been dead for about 6 months, she gets a letter in the mail from her sister, Jazz. Guess what? She isn’t really dead. Jazz shows up at their house a few days later. But there's something about her that doesn't feel right. Is it really Jazz, someone else, or something else all together? Intriguing book. Please come see me after you read it, so we can talk about the ending.




James Lincoln Collier. THE EMPTY MIRROR

Wow, this was a different kind of book. Nick has some unusual dreams in the beginning and feels as though he’s lost something. Then later, while at the pond with his friend, they notice that he no longer has a reflection! Then when crimes start being committed in town, people blame Nick. They swear that they’ve seen him in all these locations where the crimes were committed. But Nick knows he clearly was not at any of those places. Unless he’s going crazy? He isn’t sure. This is quick read, because you won’t put it down until the mystery is solved. At least, I couldn’t.