Scythe

Scythe

by Neal Shusterman

When Scythe Faraday walks into the lives of Citra and Rowan, they have no idea how their lives will change. 

They live in a time of immortality and perfect living. No one has pain. No one has hunger. No one has to suffer any longer. The AI takes care of everything and everyone knows that. 

But with immortality comes the possibility of future overpopulation, so the Scythes were created to "glean" the people and keep the numbers from becoming overwhelming.

Some Scythes are thoughtful and methodical, taking only those whose may harm others in the future, even if only accidentally. Others are more merciful, seeking out those who look to be tired of their permanency. 

And other Scythes feel the power too much, seeking to cause as much chaos, fear, and even pain as they go about their "duty".

Now Citra and Rowan are being trained to be future Scythes and their views of everything they thought to be true will be challenged like never before.

Final thoughts: Decent read. I'd give the story itself a 4 for the plot, but the missing expository elements like how are people entertained and kept physically/mentally challenged? Why do people not know all of their history if they have so much time to study it? Where is the darn speech-to-text feature so that people know how to pronounce old words correctly?

Rating: 3/5

Model Spy

Model Spy

by Shannon Greenland

Kelly James may have an IQ of 191, but she can still make stupid decisions.  Socially awkward (and what 16 year-old about to graduate from college wouldn't be?) and really lonely, when Kelly is asked by a super-cute boy to help him find out the truth about his dad, she jumps at the chance.

And wouldn't you know it!  The one time she breaks a law (and a pretty big one - hacking the government's main database is really, really bad), she gets caught.

But before she ends up in jail, she's recruited by The Specialists.  Now on Team Two, Kelly has joined an elite group of teens with special talents like linguistics, martial arts, theft, and more.

Nicknamed Gigi (for "genius girl"), Kelly knows she has a LOT to learn about being a secret agent.  And with her first mission coming up, she doesn't have time to lose.

Can she save her fave guy's dad and the day all at the same time?

Final thoughts: Complete and total cotton candy.  It's the first in a series of quick-print books that's more formulaic and less quality.  Too many questions pop up from time to time.  If you can relax and go with the flow, it's a quick read.  If you can't, it will set your teeth on edge.

Rating: 3/5

Stitches

Stitches

by David Small

When he was born, he was sick and always crying.

When he was six, he had all sorts of sinus problems. So his dad, a radiologist, took tons of x-rays as therapy to help make him better.

When he was eleven, a growth appeared on his neck. Instead of taking him to surgery to have it removed, his dad bought his mom a new car and new furniture for the house.

When he was fourteen, he finally got the surgery he needed. And then had a second one the next day. And THEN he found out that he had cancer and that was why the doctor had been forced to remove glands and one of his two vocal chords.

So now he is mostly silent. Watching his extremely dysfunctional family fall apart before his eyes. And drawing it all.

It isn't until he is finally allowed to go to therapy that he finds out that life isn't supposed to be this hard. Then and only then can he draw his way past it to a better life.

This graphic novel is a very quick read with artwork that brings truth to the saying about a picture being worth a thousand words. Stitches is a finalist for the 2009 National Book Award.

La Primavera

La Primavera
by Mary Jane Beaufrand

Flora's never been her mother's favorite. In fact, truth be told, her mother hates her. When she was born, her mother would have drowned her in a river if not for her Nonna (grandmother).

Because her mother hates her, she's worked hard to stay out of the way. So while everyone dotes on her beautiful older sister, Domenica, Flora spends her time in the dirt and muck, gardening and taking care of the house. She even trains to be a soldier and learns how to wield daggers, swords, and staffs.

That training comes in handy when her father joins forces with a dangerous man. Together, those two hatch a plot to kill the leading family in town and take control of the city.

But, as we all know, things don't always go as planned and it's up to Flora to save her family. Of course, she has to save herself first.

Set during the Italian Renaissance and inspired by Botticelli's La Primavera, this is the tale of growing up and staying alive when everyone wants you dead.

Anything but Typical

Anything But Typical
by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Jason is not your average, everyday, twelve-year-old boy.

Jason has autism.

He has been given labels like ASD, NLD, and PDD-NOS. He has IEPs.

He has been ostracized and ignored by the students around him.

He has confounded and confused his parents because of his problems.

But what else is he to do? Who else can he be?

He can only be who he is when he's around people. He can only get upset by loud noises. He can only feel stress when asked a question that he does not know how to answer in a way that will please people. He can't tell people that he loves them (because you feel feelings, you don't tell them). He can't stop the hand movements, the hair pulling, the sounds.

He is lost in the world of the "neurotypicals" and is just trying to get by. The only person who understands him is his younger brother (who also adores him) even if he can't appear to return the feelings.

And that's how it is for him until he meets PhoenixBird online in a forum for aspiring writers.

Jason has so many stories to tell and PhoenixBird seems to honestly like them. She also seems to honestly like him... but, of course, she hasn't really met him yet, so she doesn't know about his autism.

Can Jason take the risk to meet her in person? Will she be able to accept him for who and what he is?

For those people who are working with children with autism, this is an amazing read. You get right into Jason's head and you learn to empathize with his plight to fit in. If you know someone with autism and want to understand him/her better, you must try this book.

Schooled

Schooled

by Gordon Korman

Capricorn Anderson is not your normal teenager. He's never used a cell phone, never IM'd his friends, never tapped the keys on a computer, and never watched television. He wears tie-dye shirts and woven sandals. He believes in non-violence and the sacredness of all life. He is one of the last two people to live on a "hippie" commune run by his grandmother, Rain. The only person he's ever known is Rain and the only life he's ever known is there.

When Rain injures herself during one of her homeschooling lessons for Cap, his world turns upside-down. He's forced to live with a former member of the commune and her daughter (who makes him feel things he's never felt before). He's forced to attend middle school (where he's immediately elected class president). And he's forced to catch up to the world that left his little commune behind (whether he likes it or not).

Can Cap figure out where he fits in the world and still be true to himself? Or will he continue to be ridiculed, laughed at, and have water dumped on him while he does tai-chi on the front lawn?

Breaking Dawn

Breaking Dawn

by Stephenie Meyer

The fourth and final installment of the Twilight Saga told from Bella's point of view is the largest of them all; however, it's not the best.
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All of the plot points of the first three books get tied into a nice bow in this book that has Bella getting married, having a baby, and turning into a vampire, all before the halfway point of the book. While it's fun to read about all the different vampires out in the world, there are far too many mentioned to make this book easy to understand. It's over-complicated and sometimes confusing with all the different personalities vying for face time.
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Most difficult is that the ability to relate to Bella is lost almost at the start of the book and Edward is basically a side-note. The key to the first three books was the relationship between the two, but after they are married, things shift drastically and the entire dynamic shifts with it. And while the entire idea of vampires really existing isn't realistic, the book takes it beyond vampires living in our world and makes it almost like we're living in their's. Even Bella's human friends serve only as background at the wedding and are never heard from again.
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While the first three books were appropriate for middle school, this final book isn't. There had even been talk by Meyer's own publishing company of putting a warning label on the books for parents of children under 15. It's very graphic and even a little gory. While it's good to read this book to find out the end of the story, it may not be worth the cost of purchase unless you're a die-hard fan.

Jinx

Jinx
by Meg Cabot

Jean Honeychurch has always had bad luck. She seems to be cursed in all she does. When she was born, the hospital was struck by lightning, which led to her being nicknamed "Jinx". And that nickname has followed her in more ways than one. Wherever she walks, she falls. If there's something nearby to crash in to, she does. When shes leaves Iowa to get away from a stalker, she doesn't even get picked up at the airport by her aunt and uncle.
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Of course, the reason for her bad luck could be as simple as her inability to accept who she is: a witch. One hundred fifty years before, Jinx's ancestor predicted that there would be a very powerful witch in the family, and the two top contenders are Jinx and her cousin, Tory. The questions remain, can they both be witches? And, can two witches in the same family, with very different views about HOW to use magic, get along?
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Add to all of that Zach, the boy on whom both cousins have a crush, and you have bad magic in the making.
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This is a typical Meg Cabot book. If you've read any of her other books and enjoyed them, this will be familiar to you. And while Jean and Tory do attempt spells from time to time, the story is more about Jean's need to come to accept herself before she can feel accepted by others. It also has Cabot's signature boy-in-love-with-girl-who- loves-him-but-she-doesn't-realize-he-even-thinks-about-her-that-way story. Essentially, this is a cotton candy book; it's fluffy, light, and sweet, but basically empty. If you're looking for something light and easy to read, without draining your brain, this is for you.

Shakespeare Bats Cleanup

Shakespeare Bats Cleanup

by Ron Koertge

Kevin is your average 8th grader. He likes girls, LOVES baseball, and just wants to be able to hang with his friends. However, his life changes when he gets mono, is forced to sit out part of the season, and is bored out of this mind. When his father, a writer, hands him a composition book, Kevin thinks little of it. Over time however, he begins to use the book as a journal to discuss his life, his memories, the girls he's liked, the game he loves, and his mother, who died and left him alone with his dad.

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Written in verse, this is an easy read for students, parents, and teachers. It's a great way to begin learning about poetry without reading poems that are only about love, dying, or dying after losing a love.

Harry Potter is HERE!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

by J. K. Rowling

In this seventh and final installment of the Harry Potter series, Rowling leads her readers on an adventure that stays almost completely outside of the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. As Harry struggles to come to terms with the sacrifices that must be made to win a war, he also must deal with the fact that he might not have known Dumbledore as well as he had believed. He also must decide which quest he really should be on: the search for the Horcruxes that are holding pieces of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named soul? or the mysterious Deathly Hallows that are said to control death.

Who lives? Who dies? And who steps up to fight for what is right when everyone is just trying to fight to survive? Read this amazing epic story to find out!

Fairy tales can comes true!

The Wish

by Gail Garson Levine

From the author of Ella Enchanted comes a new modern fairy tale.

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Wilma Sturtz has always been a bit of an outsider. She wears the wrong clothes. She says the wrong things. She can't ever seem to fit in no matter how hard she tries. When she does a good deed for an old woman on the subway, she is granted one wish... to be the most popular girl in her school.

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Immediately, things change.

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Not only is Wilma popular, she's the most important person on campus. All the boys want to date her. All the girls want to be her. And while she hasn't changed, she can do no wrong.

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However, it turns out that there is a loophole to her wish and if she doesn't find that old, wish-giving woman soon, everything could go suddenly, horribly wrong.

Here's a "chick" book...

Blister

by Susan Shreve

Alyssa Reed's life is good, even if she doesn't realize it. She has a home, parents who love her, four cats, a goat, and friends. But Alyssa's life turns upside-down when her new sister is stillborn, her mother falls into a deep depression, and her father finds a new woman and a new apartment. Furthermore, she is forced to move to a new apartment away from all that she loves and start at a school where she has no friends.

Because her life is changing so much and so quickly, she decides to change her name as well. She becomes Blister, "Like when your shoes are too tight... That's my new name." (38)

To try and fit in better at school, she lies about her family, steals her father's girlfriend's clothes and jewelry, and then tries out for the cheerleading squad. But will all these changes and lies really help make her life better? Or will they only make things much, much worse?

Here's a good one....

Godless

by Pete Hautman

Jason Bock is a former Catholic, now agnostic, soon-to-be-Atheist questioning God and his place in the universe. When he creates his own religion worshipping the town's water tower, he has no idea the effect he will have on himself, his friends, and the town. It's easy enough to create a religion, but controlling it is a whole other matter. Things get out of control and Jason soon learns that questioning his religion is normal; what isn't normal is how those simple questions turn everything upside-down.

Recommendation of the Week

Runner

by Carl Deuker

Chance is a lonely loner. Abandoned by his mother and constantly having to put up with a drunken father, the only time Chance feels at all normal is when he runs. Things get worse when his father loses his job and the small boat they live on, the only home they have, is in danger of being taken from them. When a man who works at the dock where Chance lives offers him a job that Chance knows is illegal, he feels he has no choice but to take it. As the months go by, however, Chance's runs get more and more dangerous especially since a girl from school, the only girl who even looks at him, is getting a little nosy and figures out what he's been doing.