Feed by M.T. Anderson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Book Description

Publication Date: July 17, 2012

Identity crises, consumerism, and star-crossed teenage love in a futuristic society where people connect to the Internet via feeds implanted in their brains.

For Titus and his friends, it started out like any ordinary trip to the moon - a chance to party during spring break and play with some stupid low-grav at the Ricochet Lounge. But that was before the crazy hacker caused all their feeds to malfunction, sending them to the hospital to lie around with nothing inside their heads for days. And it was before Titus met Violet, a beautiful, brainy teenage girl who has decided to fight the feed and its omnipresent ability to categorize human thoughts and desires. Following in the footsteps of George Orwell, Anthony Burgess, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr., M. T. Anderson has created a not-so-brave new world — and a smart, savage satire that has captivated readers with its view of an imagined future that veers nnervingly close to the here and now. http://www.amazon.com/Feed-M-T-Anderson/dp/0763662623/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345651596&sr=1-1&keywords=feed+by+m.t.+anderson

Don't get me wrong, I love a good fantasy! I loved the overall idea of this book. Especially with our world becoming more and more technologically minded. It's a concept that's a bit too close for comfort with today's world of technology.  Kids especially cannot go for more than a day without texting friends or communicating with some device. M.T. Anderson writes about a future dystopic world where feeds, or communication transmitters, quite literally link everyone to the commercial world around them from a "feed" installed in their brains. Reading, writing and even independent thought are a thing of the past.  Titus meets Violet, a girl who decides to fight the feed.

Be forewarned, this story is FULL of swears, more than I feel was necessary to get his point across. The premise was good. His execution, in my opinion, went overboard and was unnecessary.

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Seeds of Rebellion by Brandon Mull
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Description

Publication Date: March 13, 2012 | Age Level: 8 and up | Series: Beyonders (Book 2)

The second epic installment of Brandon Mull’s #1 New York Times bestselling fantasy series!After the cliffhanger ending of A World Without Heroes, Jason is back in the world he’s always known—yet for all his efforts to get home, he finds himself itching to return to Lyrian. Jason knows that the shocking truth he learned from Maldor is precious information that all of his friends in Lyrian, including Rachel, need if they have any hope of surviving and defeating the evil emperor.
Meanwhile, Rachel and the others have discovered new enemies—as well as new abilities that could turn the tide of the entire quest. And as soon as Jason succeeds in crossing over to Lyrian, he’s in more danger than ever. Once the group reunites, they strive to convince their most-needed ally to join the war and form a rebellion strong enough to triumph over Maldor. At the center of it all, Jason and Rachel realize what roles they’re meant to play—and the answers are as surprising as they are gripping. www.amazon.com

The second in the Beyonder's series my Brandon Mull. This book takes up right where the first book, "Seeds of Rebellion", ends. Jason Walker has made it back to his own world but can't stand the idea of leaving the world of Lyrian behind in the midst of rebellion again Maldor. More importantly he doesn't want to abandon Rachel, the other Beyonder he left in that world. Another high-action quest that will have middle-schoolers on the edge of their seats.

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When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Book Description

Publication Date: December 28, 2010 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Yearling Newbery

This remarkable novel holds a fantastic puzzle at its heart.

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, and they know who to avoid. Like the crazy guy on the corner.

But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a kid on the street for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then a mysterious note arrives, scrawled on a tiny slip of paper. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows things no one should know. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she's too late.

www.Amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.com/When-You-Reach-Yearling-Newbery/dp/0375850864/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345650334&sr=1-1&keywords=when+you+reach+me

I don't want to disclose any of the plot twists of this book especially since the Amazon summary doesn't hint about it... but I can say I was not expecting it to be science fiction/realistic fiction.  Although I enjoyed the writing style of the book it was just a bit "heady" for the age 9 and up it's recommended for. That being said, I did enjoy the realistic interaction of the characters and the author, Rebecca Stead's, writing style.  She gave such a wonderful visual image of life in the New York city neighborhood that I had difficulty in was the eventual switch to the science fiction genre during the book. Would I recommend the book? Definitely... but not to I thought I would recommend it to. I would highly recommend it to lovers of thought provoking science fiction stories.

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Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

"Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world."

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

     Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home—her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power—and the courage to fight her own inner demons?

summary from http://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Riders-Apocalypse-Jackie-Kessler/dp/0547341245

     A wildly original approach to the issue of eating disorders, Hunger is about the struggle to find balance in a world of extremes, and uses fantastic tropes to explore a difficult topic that touches the lives of many teens.

What an interesting look at the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse through the life of troubled teenagers! Very different, very profound and thought provoking. I liked it! I would recommend it to upper middle to high school students.

Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez

Welcome to Nightshade, California—a small town full of secrets. It’s home to the pyschic Giordano sisters, who have a way of getting mixed up in mysteries. During their investigations, they run across everything from pom-pom-shaking vampires to shape-shifting boyfriends to a clue-spewing jukebox. With their psychic powers and some sisterly support, they can crack any case!
Teenage girls are being mysteriously attacked all over town, including at Nightshade High School, where Daisy Giordano is a junior. When Daisy discovers that a vampire may be the culprit, she can’t help but suspect head cheerleader Samantha Devereaux, who returned from summer break with a new “look.” Samantha appears a little . . . well, dead, and all the most popular kids at school are copying her style.
Is looking dead just another fashion trend for Samantha, or is there something more sinister going on? To find out, Daisy joins the cheerleading squad. Summary via www.amazon.com

This book will suck in (no pun intended)all those younger middle school girls who are looking for a cute romantic fantasy with werewolves, vampires, psychics, telekinesis and of course... high school drama!  This is the first of the "Dead Series" including "Dead is a Battlefield", "Dead is Not and Option", "Dead is Just a Rumor", "Dead is So Last Year", "Dead is a State of Mind".

 

Learning to Swim to Sara J. Henry

“If I’d blinked, I would have missed it. But I didn’t, and I saw something fall from the rear deck of the opposite ferry: a small, wide-eyed human face, in one tiny frozen moment, as it plummeted toward the water.”

When she witnesses a small child tumbling from a ferry into Lake Champlain, Troy Chance dives in without thinking. Harrowing moments later, she bobs to the surface, pulling a terrified little boy with her. As the ferry disappears into the distance, she begins a bone-chilling swim nearly a mile to shore with a tiny passenger on her back.
Surprisingly, he speaks only French. He’ll acknowledge that his name is Paul; otherwise, he’s resolutely mute.
Troy assumes that Paul’s frantic parents will be in touch with the police or the press. But what follows is a shocking and deafening silence. And Troy, a freelance writer, finds herself as fiercely determined to protect Paul as she is to find out what happened to him. What she uncovers will take her into a world of wealth and privilege and heedless self-indulgence—a world in which the murder of a child is not unthinkable. She’ll need skill and courage to survive and protect her charge and herself.
Sara J. Henry’s powerful and compelling Learning to Swim will move and disturb readers right up to its shattering conclusion. www.amazon.com


This is a wonderful summer read with plenty of intrigue, suspense and romance. My only negative comment is the main character, Troy cries a lot. I suppose if I was in a similar situation, I would probably cry a lot too. That being said, Troy's character seems to be an independent and confident and self-motivated young woman yet she seems to be crying about something is most of the chapters. Personally, I chose to ignore that fact because the overall book was well written and the plot was intriguing.

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to NOT Reading by Tommy Greenwald

Charlie Joe Jackson may be the most reluctant reader ever born. And so far, he’s managed to get through life without ever reading an entire book from cover to cover. But now that he’s in middle school, avoiding reading isn’t as easy as it used to be. And when his friend Timmy McGibney decides that he’s tired of covering for him, Charlie Joe finds himself resorting to desperate measures to keep his perfect record intact.This is the hilarious story of an avid non-reader and the extreme lengths to which he’ll go to get out of reading a book. Amazon.com

Need I say  I was a bit reluctant to  recommend this book. It's hard enough to get some kids to read without having a book to give them ideas about NOT reading. However, this may be a really great choice for the reluctant readers out there. Charlie Joe keeps his chapters short (Charlie Joe's Tip #1) and interesting (Charlie Joe's Tip #19).  It also has a story kids can relate to (shh.... yes, I said there's actually a story line too!).


By the way, check out the cute book trailer I found on Amazon.com and also a promotional video for public libraries!