UNTOLD, THE LYNBURN LEGACY, BOOK TWO by Sarah Rees Brennan

Brennan, Sarah Rees, Untold, The Lynburn Legacy, Book Two. Random House Books for Young Readers, 2013. ISBN-13: 978-0375870422 $14.68 YA Novel- fiction. 

Sarah Rees Brennan takes her readers back to the Sorry-In-The-Vale town. Untold, Brennan’s sequel to her Gothic work Unspoken, takes place a few days after Kami Glass, the story’s heroine, and her friends clashed against Rob Lynnburn, a man who lusts after power and control. In Untold, we, the readers, see the aftermath of the battle that took place at the end of Unspoken. Revealed as the series’ antagonist, Rob wishes to rule the town through fear, manipulation, and destruction. Seeking power and protection from Rob’s reign, members of the town with magic of their own have started to join him. Not willing to go down without a fight, Kami, Jared, their friends Angela, Holly, and Rusty, and the rest of the Lynnburn family join together to find allies of their own and search for a way to combat Rob’s vast number of followers. Further, in the devastating aftermath of her last battle Kami’s link with Jared severed. For the first time since their connection, Jared and Kami find themselves feeling isolated and vulnerable. Additionally, the two learn to find ways to cope with their mental separation and reconnect with each other in physical ways. Kami discovers she can now choose who to love without Jared’s overpowering influence and bond. But is her love for Jared real or is it the aftermath of their bond? To discover herself and fight against her enemies, Kami will need to burrow her way through Sorry-In-The-Vale’s secrets and, to her own shock, her own family’s secrets as well. What she discovers in the dark vault of secrets will test her in ways she never thought possible. Untold proves to be another stunning  and compelling work by Brennan. The witty and sarcastic humor is still there, elements of love and passion are further shown, and death continues to be a dark element to the story. Unlike Book One, Brennan draws out more of her characters by adding their voices throughout the book, exposing the reader to the character’s strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, without their bond, Brennan makes Jared and Kami appear a bit needy, shown as constantly pining for each other and worrying about each other’s thoughts rather than their own. Overall though, the story was nicely done and leaves the reader hanging at the end- a sudden pause of breath for whatever comes next in Brennan’s Book Three!

Jacquelyne Yawn

UNSPOKEN, THE LYNBURN LEGACY, BOOK ONE by Sarah Rees Brennan

Brennan, Sarah Rees. Unspoken, The Lynburg Legacy, Book One. Random House Books for Young Readers, 2012. ISBN13: 9780375870415 $14.63 YA Novel- fiction.

Ever had an imaginary friend growing up? Well what if that imaginary friend you talked to as a child was real? 

Meet Kami Glass, a teenager living in the English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Kami is like most girls, she likes to dress in style, has a best friend and two crazy brothers, and is even in love with a boy- Jared, whom she has known all her life. However, no one knows about Jared except her due to the fact that he seems to exist only in her mind. Despite that odd quality, life is normal for Kami until the Lynburns move back to their manor in town. The Lynburns are a family that has a dark past and even darker secrets. The two teenagers, cousins, arrive at school and Kami quickly encounters the shock of her life. Jared is real. Now our protagonist needs to uncover not only the mystery of the Lynburn’s, but also her feelings about Jared. Through their mind link, the two are aware of their feelings and thoughts, but can Kami still trust him? And will Kami uncover the mystery behind the brutal animal sacrifices and nurder happening in her secretive town? Sarah Rees Brennan does a fantastic job creating a strong and compelling story in Unspoken. The author shows her ability to bring Gothic romance to a new and modern age with her independent heroine and the boy that needs to be saved. Brennan provides for her readers a strong cast of characters full of complexities and a dash of quirkiness. Throughout the story we see characters using witty humor in their dialogues that helps to lighten the atmosphere of a dark and suspenseful story. Even with grisly deaths, the reader can laugh as they read lines like: “Your soul like the souls of a thousand monkeys on crack, all smushed together.” Overall, the book is very entertaining to plow through and leaves the reader hungry for more.

Jacquelyne Yawn

DAUGHTER OF THE CENTAURS (CENTAURIAD #1) by Kate Klimo

Klimo, Kate. Daughter of the Centaurs. Random House Books for Young Readers, 2012. ISBN 13: 9780375869754 $14.57 YA Novel- fiction. 

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Kate Klimo brings a fresh new view of this setting. Instead of zombies, vampires, and the occasional werewolf (or both) we get centaurs. Daughter of the Centaurs centers around a young girl, Malora, who dreams of following her father’s footsteps to become a horse leader of the People, a small band of the world’s remaining humans. However, tragedy strikes when her People are massacred by a group of bat-like beings called Leatherwings. Left as the sole survivor, Malora finds herself alone with only Sky, her father’s stallion, as her companion and a herd of wild horses. Three years later, Malora and her herd are captured by a group of Centaurs, her People’s ancient enemy. To her surprise and astonishment, Malora finds companionship and a place to call home in the Centaurs’ society. Despite finding friends among the Centaurs, there are those who still fear and despise the foreign human. Will Malora ever truly feel welcome in her newfound community? The story is a great coming of age novel for young teens. Throughout the novel the reader comes across themes about belonging, those who feel ostracized, and society as a whole. As a first novel, Daughter of the Centaurs is a promising start for the trilogy. The story is entertaining, a great range of characters, and light-hearted. Yet, the book displays a few flaws that include lack of character development, not enough plot buildup, and a simplistic writing style. Overall though, the book is a fantastic read and recommended for any teen interested in a good fantasy.

Jacquelyne Yawn

DEATH CLOUD by Andrew Lane

Lane, Andrew. Death Cloud. New York: Square Fish, 2011. ISBN-10: 031256371X.

As adventure stories go, this one bristles with intrigue and pulses with strange twists and turns. A young Sherlock Holmes, intent on returning home for summer holidays from his boarding school, instead is diverted towards his estranged uncle’s home in the country. What begins as a humdrum, monotonous stay with inaccessible and cold relatives turns rather quickly into a sharp and confusing mystery when a dead body appears on his uncle’s land. It’s a promising tale, and young readers will enjoy the antics that Sherlock and his new mate Matty Arnatt get up to moments within meeting one another, from inadvertent spying on shady criminals to surreptitious boat rides. And the climax, well it’s just one round of intensity after another, with observation and cunning being the most deadly weapons.

The confusion around the titular enigma that momentarily lingers over bodies, a “death cloud” of sorts, is unfortunately resolved too quickly. However, that in turn does lead toward a new series of questions that befuddle the reader more than any would-be otherworldly forces. Basically the truth seems more farfetched than imagination, but at least Holmes is quick to point that out to the villains themselves, who only begin to question the feasibility of their plans at this young teenager’s prodding. Visually, readers might also be somewhat unsettled or perturbed by the villain himself who, having suffered a great injury during a war, has an almost laughable appearance if it weren’t so disturbing. Still, Lane uses history to his benefit and creates characters and settings that fit perfectly into the time period and the machinations of that era.

There does remain one major issue though—the imagining of young Sherlock Holmes himself. Any avid Holmes reader will find it hard to believe that as a fourteen year old, Sherlock had not yet developed his keen sense of observation, wit, sarcastic cunning at least to some degree. I can see him not fitting in at school, but I cannot imagine him being so… timid. I welcomed the summer tutor his brother hires for him, an American with sharp senses and a sharper brain, who guides Sherlock through his first stages of development into the dark world of mystery and crime solving. But Sherlock himself did not ring true for me, instead lacking in personality and falling for a girl far too simply like any typical teenager would. That Lane’s book is fully endorsed by the Conan Doyle Estate makes me wonder though, do I expect too much of the grand master detective? Or do his talents deserve to have been inculcated at an earlier age?

Nevertheless, the book does allow for a growing parade of subsequent books, which may resolve such issues as: Why his uncle was estranged from his father in the first place? When does Holmes’ disdain for common folk and ambivalence toward women develop? And what mysteries lie within his own family? It would be a fun experience to see if and how these unfold amidst the wild capers Sherlock is bound to pursue.

Reviewed by Alya Hameed

A TIME OF MIRACLES by Anne-Laure Bondoux

Special Feature: Review by a Middle School Student

Bondoux, Anne-Laure. A Time of Miracles. Trans. Y. Maudet. New York: Delacorte Press, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-385-73922-1. $17.99 US, $20.99 CAN.

It is the 1990s and civil unrest is spreading throughout the Caucuses. Blaise Fortune (aka Koumaïl), a homeless seven-year-old orphan, sets off on a difficult and passionate journey alongside Gloria, his devout caretaker, out of the Republic of Georgia towards the free land of France. Throughout Bondoux’s heart pounding story of sacrifice and survival, these two helpless mendicants depend upon each other to reach the Promised Land and, most importantly, learn to persevere through the power of love.

In this fictitious young adult novel, the two exiles struggle through times of poverty, exhaustion, and distress, while growing together in spirit and family. Koumaïl and Gloria both sacrifice their own desires and needs for each other’s wellbeing, but they never lose the hope they have of arriving in France, away from the troubling and dangerous political unrest and near the answers to Koumaïl’s past. On foot, the pair transition from one refugee camp to another, each time listening to intense and harsh stories and seeing the physical and emotional scars of other refugees. In one instance, one of the refugees explains, “They came into our house with Kalashnikovs. They shot my husband. Fatima saw him fall on his prayer rug. Ever since then, she refuses to open her eyes.” Gloria, the mother-like figure, nurtures and guides Koumaïl through these many refugee camps and the countless miles in between. In response to the great sadness surrounding Koumaïl’s life, she, as a nurturing mother would, soothed the young boy by whispering, “There’s nothing wrong with making up stories to make life more bearable.” She releases enigmatic bits and pieces of Koumaïl’s life, from their first meeting at the site of the train derailment to the story of his beautiful mother. With her different and calming stories, Gloria teaches Koumaïl to love with all his heart and to keep from “catching a despair.” This is the impetus that propels the two’s emotions and determinations and is what leads Koumaïl to decrypt his past later on in the storyline.

Bondoux beautifully illustrates the passionate and suspenseful journey across Europe while opening up the mind of a poor nomad who lays prey to the chaos in this world. In this riveting novel, love and hope are put on the line and the importance of family is strongly expressed. A young Koumaïl develops into an adolescent in a bloody world and, ultimately, learns the immense power of love.

This exceptional work of literature leaves readers nail-biting questions and allows them to distinguish for themselves their own paths and values. “Is there a difference between a lie and a made-up story?” Will you learn the foolproof remedy of despair? Learn for yourself in this powerful novel, A Time of Miracles.

Review by Mauro Schenone, 8th grade

JERSEY TOMATOES ARE THE BEST by Maria Padian

Padian, Maria. Jersey Tomatoes Are the Best. New York: Alfred A Knopf, 2011. ISBN: 978-0375865633

Imagine being best friends with someone and then realize you will not see each other for a whole summer. That is what Henry Lloyd and Eva Smith feel like. They are Jersey girls and best friends.  Henry loves tennis and Eva loves dance. But their summer did not go exactly as planned.

Henry Lloyd got invited to go to Chadwick tennis camp in Florida for the summer and Eva Smith got accepted into the New York School of Dance. Both were thrilled at their accomplishments until they figured out that they would be far away from each other for the whole summer. Once both girls were at their summer camps, they loved their experiences and still kept in touch and told each other all the drama. Henry was at the top of the tennis rankings at Chadwick, and Eva was always noticed by the her ballet instructor and even asked to demonstrate. Little did anyone know that Eva had not been eating much. While Henry was making new friends and creating memories, people started to notice Eva becoming very skinny. Eva had anorexia. When Henry found out Eva’s problem, she could not stop thinking how bad of a friend she had been. Henry knew she needed to be there with Eva, so she drove back to Jersey. A few weeks later, Henry went back to camp and Eva went to a facility to help her eat correctly again. Because the facility was in Florida, they could see each other frequently. Henry and Eva never gave up on each other and that is what made them best friends.

The author, Maria Padian, shows what a true friendship looks like. Henry and Eva were there for each other for all the ups and downs they struggled through. This book really gets you hooked to see what happens next. It also really explains what anorexia can feel like and encourages you not to become anorexic. Jersey Tomatoes Are the Best is a book I encourage other teenagers to read not just for the fun of it, but aslso for those who struggle with eating disorders because it helps you understand what it feels like.

Review by Sarah, 8th grade

THE LIST by Siobhan Vivian

Vivian, Siobhan. The List. New York: Push, 2012. ISBN: 978-0545169172. 

On the last Monday in September, the students of Mount Washington High School will see copies of a certain list posted all over the school. It happens every year. It's unavoidable. It's a lottery of the ugliest and prettiest girls in the school, naming one of each category for each grade, 9th through 12th. The list is cruel but official, with a Mount Washington seal imprinted in the corner. Nobody knows who has the seal, or how it is passed down through the generations of list creators. But everybody knows that the notarized list will shape the school year for eight girls.

Siobhan Vivian's young adult novel takes on the volatile world of high school and shows how vicious it can be. The story follows the perspectives of the eight girls who were named on the most recent list, showing how each girl deals with what is either a great boost for popularity (for the prettiest) or a black mark of undesirability (for the ugliest).

Vivian explores the emotional complexities that accompany unrequested notoriety. The winners of Prettiest are flattered, but also cautious, and subconsciously aware that being pretty doesn't really matter all that much. Margot, the senior winner, is unnerved by the knowledge that her sister's "victory" the year before actually caused her to lose friends and retreat from the social strata, and she is also anxious about her unresolved history with her Ugly counterpart. Bridget, the junior prettiest girl, battles with an eating disorder -- one that caused the weight loss that got her recognized. Sophomore prettiest Lauren is new in town, still sheltered after being homeschooled, and she doesn't quite know how to handle the newfound attention she attracts. Finally, Abby, the prettiest freshman girl and a less-than-stellar student, struggles with conflicting feelings of insecurity and superiority, especially since her plain and academically brilliant older sister starts to give her the cold shoulder.

The emotional repercussions for the "ugliest" girls are expectedly severe. The senior, Jennifer, has made the list as ugliest for the fourth year in a row, and she longs to buck expectations as she tries to embrace her "ugliest girl in school" status. Junior Sarah reacts by making herself as ugly as possible, not showering and not changing clothes, to the detriment of her relationship with someone who thinks she's beautiful. Sophomore Candace, pretty and popular on the surface, is alienated by her friends and must address the fact that no one actually likes her as a person. In the freshman class, athletic swimmer Danielle is nicknamed "Dan the Man" and is ostracized by her own boyfriend.

The List alternates between the girls' perspectives chapter-by-chapter, examining their interactions with each other, showing the unexpected alliances that form in the face of rejection, and teasing out the mystery of who writes the list each year.

The characters face their insecurities with varying degrees of success. The "ugly" girls come a longer way than the "pretty" girls in mature self-actualization, but some need more help than others. With its flawed characters, The List demonstrates that beauty isn't a free pass for an easy high school experience, and that what's going on beneath the surface is far more important than appearances.

With so many perspectives to toggle through, it's understandable that not every character's situation is fully explored. That said, I would like to have seen more intricacy in junior Bridget's storyline; her experience with an eating disorder was a little too simplistic. Such a complex, painful affliction is difficult to tackle in spurts like Vivian does throughout The List, and Bridget's internal monologue fell flat for me. Covering a character's internal battle with thoughts of "I'm healthy! Just eat! But I mustn't eat!" just doesn't illuminate the psychologically damaging aspects of that kind of struggle. I applaud Vivian for giving her characters genuine real-life issues and examining how those challenges are colored and complicated by high school peers, but I wanted a little more from this particular storyline.

Overall, The List does an excellent job of illustrating a high school battleground and the relationships therein. Not every character gets a happy ending or has an epiphany, but each girl's experience of growth and self-reflection is drawn in a realistic, thought-provoking way.

Reviewed by Jill Coste

ALL THE EARTH, THROWN TO THE SKY by Joe R. Lansdale

Lansdale, Joe R. All the Earth, Thrown to the Sky. NY: Delacorte Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0385739313. $16.99. Ages 12-15

If Delacorte Press played in March Madness, I’d pick them as a winning seed in my bracket. With Joe Lansdale’s novel All the Earth, Thrown to the Sky, Delacorte wins again.

Jack, Jane, and her younger brother Tony are orphaned in Oklahoma during the dust storms of the Great Depression. Armed with sixteen dollars and a “borrowed” Ford, they head out into the world: staying put means a slow starvation; moving out affords them at least a chance to live. Along their way, they get tangled up with bank-robbing gangsters, a slave-driving pea farmer/sheriff, and various other dubious characters. In what I’ve read so far from them, Delacorte never shies away from tackling tough issues in a respectable way. Their authors give kids adult responsibilities: Jack’s parents die in the first two pages; he’s buried them in the barn by the third page—no use wasting any time! Jack realizes that when the bank confiscates the property, the bank will own his parents’ bodies, but he says, “I had always been taught it wasn’t the body that mattered, it was the life inside it. That life was long gone now.” In my opinion, that’s tough stuff for a teenager, but it’s dealt with in an appropriate and mature way.

After losing his parents, Jack considers suicide, but decides against it, rationalizing: “I wanted to be like the heroes in books I had read about, who could stand up against anything and keep on coming.” This sentiment inaugurates a prevailing theme throughout the book: reading itself has power. Time and again, the characters, particularly Jane, compare themselves to heroes in books and draw inspiration to persevere. At one point, Jack picks up a book of poems, forming the words with his mouth, enjoying the way it feels to read; it almost works like a therapy of sorts in time of crisis. Frequently, when the trio meets new people, Jane makes up stories. When one older woman catches her in a lie, she asks Jane why she makes up stories when the truth is strange enough? Sometimes, however, the fiction is easier to bear than the facts. We see Jane accept the truth of their situation when she introduces them truthfully (and the new person dismisses it as falsehood!). Ultimately, she finds her destiny inextricably linked with her stories, but in an unexpected way: rather than making up stories, she writes down what she observes in the world around her.

Lansdale writes with an exquisite voice, giving detail and description in an Oklahoma dialect without compromising readability for young readers. For example, Jack muses about the prevalence of death: “It was the sort of thing that stunned you at the same time it made you feel as empty as a corn crib after the rats had been in it.” About Jane’s tall tales, he says, “She went on painting the barn, so to speak, when there wasn’t no need for paint, or for that matter, when the paint bucket was empty.” The affection between the three hits the reader with a poignancy. Jack develops an attraction to Jane for all the “right” reasons: she’s pretty, she has a pleasant voice, she’s smart, and she smells good. The developing romance is age-appropriate and tasteful. When a swarm of grasshoppers eats the entire backside of her pants, Jack ties what the grasshoppers left behind of his shirt around Jane's waist to cover her exposed rear end. The pair kiss twice, and although the trio spends many nights sleeping together, sex never arises as a remote possibility. While Jack and Jane’s affections for one another play an important role in their character development within the novel, the tale definitely is not a love story. The ending makes clear that growing up means moving on: Tony gets adopted by a kindly older widow, Jane finds her way as a writer out west, and Jack joins up as a carnival worker.

Lansdale’s novel serves not only as an enjoyable insight into the Great Depression through the eyes of children, but also as a timeless study of perseverance, spunk, and adolescence.

Marisa Behan

STARTERS by Lissa Price

Price, Lissa. Starters. New York: Delacorte Press, 2012. ISBN: 9780385742375. $17.99.

One of the latest offerings in the dystopian young adult fiction field, Starters features Callie, a 16-year-old orphan living in a post-biological-warfare Los Angeles, where the Spore Wars have wiped out every living soul between the ages of 20 and 60. Living on the streets of LA, where she fights “unfriendlies” and allies with “friendlies,” Callie is in dire need of money for permanent shelter for herself and her sickly brother, Tyler. This desperation pushes her to Prime Destinations, an organization that uses teenagers’ bodies as vessels for elderly people who want to feel young again (in this dystopian society, Enders, as they’re called, live to be well over 100 years old). In return for a hefty sum of money, Callie must simply allow a chip to be implanted in her brain and essentially go to sleep for days at a time while a 150-year-old Ender gads about and enjoys the blessings of youth and beauty.

Callie is understandably hesitant at first, but when a fire takes away her and Tyler’s only remaining belongings and they are forced on the run yet again, with Tyler coughing all the way, Callie determines that the money she’ll get from Prime Destinations is worth relinquishing control of her body. She gets control back, though, when she wakes up in the middle of her renter’s borrowing period. While Callie tries to figure out what went wrong, she enjoys the opulent lifestyle led by her renter, Helena, and starts a romance with Blake, a rather wooden love interest. As her feelings for Blake (inexplicably) grow, Callie also hears from Helena, who reveals that Prime Destinations is not as legitimate as it appears. The pressure builds as Callie races to stop the government from supporting Prime Destinations' nefarious plans. The plot races through its romance and reveals, ending with a cliffhanger that paves the way for book #2 in this trilogy.

Starters is fast-paced and simply written, sometimes to its own detriment. The hurried pacing overshadows the development of Callie's character, motivations, and history. The Spore Wars are not explained in depth, and we learn that they only wreaked their havoc a year prior. I would have liked to see more explanation of their destructive properties and more specifics about how Callie went from having a home to being a street urchin in a matter of months. Such a rough transition could have offered a great deal of personal exploration for Callie, but her emotions are explored only shallowly. We get the occasional comment on how nice it is to sleep in a comfortable bed again, and of course Callie is in awe of Helena's wealth and gorgeous home, but there is no emotional impact or self-reflection in Callie’s experiences. Tyler, Callie's sick brother, is her motivating force in life, but we don't really get any backstory to their relationship or why she feels so compelled to take care of him beyond older-sibling obligation. Additionally, the author, Lissa Price, suffers from a case of telling, not showing, as she uses her secondary characters as vehicles for exposition and not as well-rounded people that enhance Callie’s story. Finally, the flat romance between Callie and Blake calls to mind YA insta-love, wherein two characters are suddenly transfixed by each other for no apparent reason. On Callie and Blake's first date, Price again tells us instead of shows us what's happening. Apparently whatever conversation Blake and Callie had was killer, but we don't get to know what they talked about.

Despite its shortcomings, Starters delivers a fantastic concept and raises interesting ethical questions. I see echoes of Robin Wasserman's Skinned, with the idea of the brain inhabiting another body, and Marie Lu’s Legend, with a bleak, post-apocalyptic Los Angeles cityscape. Like both of those novels, Starters features an urgent desire for survival and a contemplative look at the lengths to which governments will go to maintain control. With its fascinating premise and the promise of further character development in the rest of trilogy, Starters will surely be a commercial hit.

Reviewed by Jill Coste

THE MOURNING WARS by Karen Steinmetz

Special Feature: Review by a High School Student

Steinmetz, Karen. The Mourning Wars. New York: Roaring Book Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-1-59643-290-1. $18.99 US.

The main character of the book is Eunice, a.k.a. Marguerite Gannestenawi. Eunice lives with her family in Deerfield, Massachusetts before she is taken as a captive to Kahnawake. Her father, Reverend Williams, and other families are also taken captive by the Maqua. The tribe’s Atironta and Kenniontie are to be her step-parents; they lost their own daughter, so Eunice, now called A'onote, is to take her place. While with the Maqua, A'onote befriends Gaianniana and Joanna. During her first Green Corn Festival, A'onote is officially adopted into the Turtle Clan. There she meets a boy named Arosen, who is her friend Gaianniana's cousin. Arosen is to become A'onote's husband.
For some time, A'onote hasn't received any new information about her family. But after receiving Kenniontie's [her Natie American father] favor for her wedding with Arosen, she heard that her father had been looking for her. Then, after some time in Kahnawake, Eunice meets her father, Reverend Williams. He promises to get her back. She also learns her brother Joseph has been freed and become a trader. She is forced to choose between her new peaceful life, or go back to things as before in Deerfield.

I found the book interesting because I am quite fascinated with subjects concerning Native Americans. I was captivated by the two worlds Eunice lives in, the way she adapts to her new surroundings, and the choices she has to make..

Some strengths of the book lie in the emotions Eunice feels. That Eunice is, in a way, waiting for someone from her family, especially her father, helps to shape story line. I don't think of this as a weakness of the book, but I do think the clans -- turtle, bear, or wolf -- don't really have anything to do with the story.

Yes, I would recommend this book to people my age because, in some ways, the main character's life might correlate with the relationship between them and their parents. I would recommend it to someone my age or maybe someone older because a younger kid might not be able to understand the situation Eunice is in.

Steven Maglaya, 9th grade, 14 years old

ZITFACE by Emily Howse

Special Feature: Review by a High School Student

Howse, Emily. Zitface. Tarrytown, New York: Marshall Cavendish Children’s, 2010. ISBN: 978-0-7614-5830-251699. $16.99 US.

Zitface, by Emily Howse, describes the challenges and phases a teenage girl has to go through – for example, boys, heartbreaks, and changes in her body. The main character, Olive Hughes, is going through a really hard time dealing with school, boys, and her career – acting. But something worse pops up: acne, and not just a bit. Olive’s outbreak is severe. Before the acne, she has a boyfriend and a job, and every girl wants to be her. When her luck runs out, though, she gets dumped, fired, and made fun of. Yet she ends up happy being who she is and not caring what other people think of her.

To me this is a good book because, even though teenage girls go through all of these changes, Olive sees the bright side in everything, and this book actually teaches lessons on how to handle specific problems. I would definitely recommend it to another girl because it might help in whatever problems she’s going through.

Carmen Herrera, 9th Grade, 14 years old

THE LUCKY KIND by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

Sheinmel, Alyssa B. The Lucky Kind. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-75-86785-9. $16.99.

Nick Brandt and his friends Stevie and Eden all struggle with the same questions: “Are all families somehow messed up? Is anyone’s family normal? Does everyone hide something?” Nick finds out that his father has a secret adult son, born out of wedlock, who had been given up for adoption; Stevie’s parents barely know he exists, taking frequent exotic vacations, often over the holidays, leaving him behind in their NYC apartment; and Eden’s parents are weird, and fight constantly.

Sheinmel addresses difficult teen issues such as family tension, secrets, and first love. However, her characters engage in smoking, drinking and sex, none of which have direct repercussions in their lives.

The characters are relatable—only a few pages in and I cared about the narrator, his family, and his budding love with Eden. Sheinmel has addressed all the family issues appropriately and with understanding, but were I a parent, I’m not sure I would give The Lucky Kind to my son or daughter.

Marisa Behan

A TIME OF MIRACLES by Anne-Laure Bondoux

Bondoux, Anne-Laure. A Time of Miracles. Trans. Y. Maudet. New York: Delacorte Press, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-385-73922-1. $17.99 US. Ages 12+

When I turned the final page of this book and closed the cover, I said aloud to my empty kitchen, “Wow. That was an incredible book.” I can see why Random House decided to translate it from the original French for the American market. The fictional narrator, Blaise Fortune, also known as Koumaïl, tells his story – as a war refugee in the Caucasus – and grips the reader’s heart.

The memoir-like novel is a tale of abject poverty and homelessness, but never asks the reader to feel pity, or to feel sorry for Koumaïl and his mother-figure Gloria. Gloria and Koumaïl have been running away from war for as long as he can remember. They sacrifice food and energy for one another’s well-being, while always hanging on to their dreams, trying as hard as they can not to “catch a despair.” Gloria always puts a positive spin on their trials. She tells Koumaïl, “There’s nothing wrong with making up stories to make life more bearable.” She takes their often shocking situations and turns them into little blessings for Koumaïl‘s sake. For example, the first time we see them move to a new place, she instructs Koumaïl to dig a hole behind their shack (made of a corrugated tin roof, next to a garbage dumping ground):

“Finally, she shows me a spot behind one of the walls, where I’m supposed to dig a hole.
“What’s it for?” I ask.
“Well, it will be to do our business!” she answers with a wink.
“Oh, OK.”

It gives me a funny feeling to dig our toilet. In the Complex, we shared toilets with the other people on the floor, but here we’ll have our own private corner. Gloria says that we’re becoming bourgeouis. I don’t understand that word, but she laughs so hard that I laugh with her, right by the edge of our future poop hole.”Bondoux illustrates the cruelty of war through other characters like Koumaïl’s friend Fatima, a young girl who has refused to open her eyes since she saw her father shot on his prayer mat, or Stambek, whose “mind had stayed in the rubble” when a bomb struck their house. The prevailing theme of the novel is one of hope – regardless of who surrounds you and how bad the situation is – hope and family sustain you as you “always walk straight ahead toward new horizons.”

The book is beautifully told, a magnificent insight into the life of a nomadic refugee, and later, a lonely child immigrant far from home.

Marisa Behan

TOKEN OF DARKNESS by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia. Token of Darkness. New York: Delacorte Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-385-73750-0. $16.99

The main theme of Token of Darkness is constructed around Cooper Blake, his traumatic accident and its consequences. Due to a car crash, Cooper has to readjust his life and cope with the multiple facets of scars which now dominate his life. Not only did he miraculously survive, but since then, he is accompanied by Samantha, whom solely he can see.

Samantha becomes the center of his life, while he draws back from his friends, including his football team. Although she has no memory of her former existence, she helps him to come to terms with his new situation. Since the accident, Cooper is able to not only see Samantha, but also the shadowy demons which lurk in the dark to feed on weak humans and which threaten him and his surrounding again and again.

Cooper tries to return her kindness and support, but does not know where to start. He gets unexpected help from Brent, Delilah, and their mentor Ryan. All three have experiences when it comes to paranormal incidents: Brent is a telepath, Delilah is the manipulative captain of the cheerleading squad and a witch, and Ryan belongs to a long line of sorcerers. None of these three trust Samantha, and want to save Cooper from the potential threat she poses.

Token of Darkness is dominated by a dark and thrilling atmosphere. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes manages to tell a fast-paced story about growing up, trusting ones instinct, seeking help in times of need, and looking behind the mere façade of a person. In order to move forward in life, all of the characters need to face their problems, even traumatic experiences. Friends are paramount in achieving this aim; only with their support, Cooper is able to break his social isolation, and to become a happier person.

Karin Kakorski

Review: THE AGENCY: A SPY IN THE HOUSE by Y.S. Lee

Lee, Y.S.  The Agency: A Spy in the House. Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2010. ISBN: 987-0-7636-4067-5. 335 pages.  $16.99. Young Adult. 

The Agency: A Spy in the House is the first novel in Y.S. Lee’s Mary Quinn Mystery series for young adults. Set in Victorian London, the story introduces us to seventeen year-old Mary Quinn, the orphaned daughter of a Chinese sailor and an Irish seamstress.  It follows Mary on her first assignment for the Agency, a “collective” of secret agents working out of Miss Skrimshaw’s Academy for Girls. 

As the story opens, a twelve year-old Mary finds herself before a magistrate, convicted of theft and sentenced to death. Rescued from the gallows, she accepts a position at Miss Skrimshaw’ Academy. Though Mary learns how to navigate London’s polite society, but restless nature desires more. When she admits this to her instructors Miss Treleaven and Mrs. Frame, they proudly offer Mary a position with the Agency. Of course, she accepts, and after an expedited training period, is placed in the Thorold residence. Posing as a hired companion to the family’s haughty daughter, Mary gathers information about possible nefarious dealings in Mr. Thorold’s shipping business. 

This assignment takes a turn as she is almost caught searching Mr. Thorold’s home office. When she ducks into a closet, she discovers that she isn’t the only one investigating Mr. Thorold! Mary eventually teams up with the handsome young stranger from the closet, James Easton. The two follow a trail that leads them to a refuge for Chinese sailors. While searching the refuge, Mary is discovered by a caretaker who recognizes her, remembers her father, and provides her the opportunity to learn about her father-- and herself. As the plot thickens, Mary and James find themselves rushing to solve a mystery fueled by greed, piracy, and murder.  

Lee, a Ph.D. in Victorian literature and culture, has modernized the period detective novel by raising  issues of diversity, gender roles, and classism. Writing in third person, Lee alternates between Mary’s and James’ perspectives. This is Mary’s story though, so James’ voice sometimes seems an afterthought. The story includes some romantic tension, but not so much that it overshadows the rest of the plot. Overall A Spy in the House is an enjoyable read.

Heather Tylock