Titles by Genre

Action/Adventure	Historical Fiction	Realistic/Drama	Fantasy/Science Fiction
Ark Angel Code Orange Code Talker Peak Sunrise Over Fallujah Skeleton Creek Wolf Brother Woodsong	Alphabet of Dreams Bat 6 Esperanza Rising Fire on the Wind Homeless Bird The Kite Rider Out of the Dust Red Scarf Girl Shadow Spinner Under the Blood Red Sun The Wednesday Wars	The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian Adam Canfield of the Slash Any Small Goodness Bad Boy The Breadwinner Call Me Hope Criss Cross The Day Joanie Frankenhauser Became a Boy Half-Moon Investigations I Am the Cheese The Legacy of Luna Plain Janes The Savage Savvy Schooled Slam So B. It Tangerine Waiting for Normal Walk Two Moons The Whale Rider The Wild Girls Zen and the Art of Faking It	Airborn The Alchemyst American Born Chinese Atherton: House of Power Catching Fire Coraline Dragon's Keep Earth Abides Elsewhere Exodus First Light Found Gossamer The Graveyard Book The Hunger Games I Am Legend The Lightning Thief Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment Pretties Ranger's Apprentice The Scarecrow and his Servant Specials They Came From Below Twilight Uglies A Wizard of Earthsea

---

Titles by Most Recently Read

 

Waiting for Normal, by Leslie Connor

• Genre: YA Fiction
• Summary: Addie's mother is an all-or-nothing type of person. Unfortunately, "nothing" means she often leaves for days at a time, leaving Addie to fend for herself. All Addie wants is a normnal life. Luckily, she is surrounded by a lot of other "normal" people who are willing and able to help her out.
• Opinion: This book is great in how it sheds light on the problem of mental health and how a parent's condition can affect the child. Mommers is quite the antagonist. Rarely have I felt so angry toward a character while reading a book, maybe because I'm a new father and couldn't imagine neglecting my child so badly. At the same time, Mommers loves her daughter and Addie loves her. It's complicated, just like real life. As a result of all that, I have rarely rooted for a character as much as I did for Addie. My only problem with the book was that the ending was a little predictable.
• Grade: A-
• Finished: February 2010

---

Savvy, by Ingrid Law

• Genre: YA Fiction
• Summary: The Beaumonts all get a savvy - a special power - on their 13th birthday. Mibs can't wait to find out what hers will be, but everything begins to go wrong when her father gets in a car accident. Her birthday party is a disaster, and everything gets a little crazy after that. Mibs thought her savvy would save her father, but know she isn't so sure, and she's put her family and friends in danger.
• Opinion: Ingrid Law is obviously a good writer; she has very good command of the English language and her sentences and paragraphs have a nice rhythm and flow. That in itself was enough to keep me reading. This book has some fun and interesting characters, and the whole concept of the savvy is pretty cool. I wish my family had savvies - I think. The plot line was a little obvious and repetitive, and the climax could have been a little more dramatic, but I closed the book with a good feeling inside, and that counts for a lot...
• Grade: A-
• Finished: January 2010

---

First Light, by Rebecca Stead

• Genre: YA Fantasy
• Summary: Peter joins his mother and scientist father on an expedition to study global warming on the Greenland ice cap. Below the surface, literally built into the ice, is a society of exiles led by women. Thea, a girl of the first line, is determined to lead her people to the surface. Peter and Thea come from different worlds, but they have more in common than either of them would have thought.
• Opinion: The concept of a civilization carved into the polar ice cap was cool enough to get my attention and keep me reading. My intial guess as to the history of Thea's people was wrong, and their true history made a lot more sense. However, I agree with what I heard one of my students say about the book: it's a little slow going toward the beginning. There are a lot of names to keep track of, and the climax wasn't as exciting as it seemed to be building toward, but again, how cool would it be to live inside a glacier. Cool, get it?
• Grade: B+
• Finished: November 2010

---

Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevin

• Genre: YA Fantasy
• Summary: When fifteen-year-old Liz wakes up on a cruise ship, it takes her awhile to realize that she and everyone else onboard has died. Their destination is Elsewhere, where people and animals go when they die. In Elsewhere, everyone grows younger until they are babies delivered back to Earth. Liz isn't sure what to make of this...
• Opinion: I love the original concept of this book, and though I questioned several times whether the author would pull it off, in the end I felt satisfied. You can't help feeling for Liz, who will never grow old. Many elements of the plot seem over-simplified, but you can excuse the author for not nailing some of the particulars of Elsewhere in exchange for focusing on Liz's emotional growth. I must admit that I felt a little choked up toward the end, and I think this book would be an especially interesting read for anyone who has recently lost a loved one.
• Grade: A
• Finished: October 2010

---

Skeleton Creek, by Patrick Carman

• Genre: YA Fiction
• Summary: Cleverly integrating online videos, this spooky book set in Oregon features two teens trying to unravel an old mystery in the woods by their house. There are ghosts, secret societies, and truly creepy clips to watch. Ryan is laid up in bed with a broken leg, wishing the whole nightmare would fade away, but Sarah just won't stop digging into dangerous territory...
• Opinion: I think this concept of using the internet to bring a new dimension to a novel is brilliant, and I'm sure we will see more of it in the future. I just hope the final product is better. Skeleton Creek has a good hook, and the first couple of videos do a great job giving you the heebie-jeebies, but from there it gets a little repetitive. The narrator, Ryan, can't really do much because of his leg, so his storyline is a little boring. Sarah is always getting into trouble, but most of the videos are just her talking to Ryan in a slow, drown-out manner. The ending recaptures some of the creepiness of the opening, but the reader is left with many unanswered questions. You have to read the next book, which I won't be doing. Maybe I'll just watch the movies...
• Grade: B-
• Finished: September 2010

---

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

• Genre: YA Science Fiction
• Summary: In this sequel to The Hunger Games, Katniss has returned home to District 12, but her life has not exactly returned to normal. She is torn betwen two guys, Peeta and Gale; she has feelings for both but cannot commit to either. Then President Snow appears in her living room to inform her that she has unintentionally started a revolution among the Districts. All eyes will be upon her - again - as she fights for the lives of those she loves.
• Opinion: Well, I was a little disappointed. I loved The Hunger Games and had high hopes for the second book of this trilogy, but I don't think the setting or the action matched the intensity of the first book. The first half was slow to get going, and when the plot did finally pick up, it seemed repetitive. I thought the action would lead in a different direction, but maybe that's for the third book, which I'm not sure I'll read or not. I suppose it will depend on what I hear...
• Grade: B
• Finished: May 2010

---

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

• Genre: YA Science Fiction
• Summary: Every year in a future North American society called Panem, twenty-four children must fight to the death on live television. The arena is always different - sometimes forest, sometimes desert - but the result is always the same: there can only be one winner.
• Opinion: This book is so good that I really want to be careful about giving too much of the plot away. Just read it, especially if you like stories with a lot of action set in the outdoors. If you like the television show Survivor (and I confess that I do) you'll love The Hunger Games. The actual Hunger Games are just brutal, and Collins does a good job of getting that across without being overly graphic. The inner feelings of tension, suspense, and anxiety that I experienced while reading the scenes that lead up to the beginning of the Games - right along with the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen - made for the most intense fictional reading experience I've had in years. I haven't enjoyed a book so much since Uglies (my first review on this blog) and this will be the first time since that book that I read the sequel. I've already checked out Catching Fire.
• Grade: A+
• Finished: March 2010

---

Dragon's Keep, by Janet Lee Carey

• Genre: YA Fantasy
• Summary: Princess Rosalind is destined for great things, or so the prophecy of Merlin states. But Rosalind has been cursed since birth. One of her fingers is a dragon's claw, and the people closest to her are dying mysteriously. To top it off, a fierce dragon steals her away from everything she knows and holds her prisoner on his island. Could Merlin have been wrong?
• Opinion: I've grown tired of fantasy lately, but this book might have renewed my faith in the genre. I love how gritty it is, how Janet Lee Carey doesn't pull any punches in describing the filth and fury of the times. Dragons aren't real, but in this book they are. Everything they do is believable. I also like how Carey illustrates the superstitions of the day, and how those in power used the fear of witchcraft to further their own ends. Above all, this is a beautifully written book with great descriptions and real emotion, and I look forward to reading other works by the author.
• Grade: A
• Finished: February 2010

---

The Plain Janes, by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg

• Genre: YA Graphic Novel
• Summary: After Jane survives a terrorist attack in Metro City, her parents move the family to the quiet suburbs of Kent Waters, where the biggest danger for Jane is boredom and finding interesting friends. She enlists a group of girls who share the same name and an inability to easily fit in, and together they start pulling some harmless art pranks around town. Unfortunately, the police and her parents don't think the pranks are very funny.
• Opinion: I haven't read many graphic novels, so I enjoyed the format, and I appreciated that this was a graphic novel about regular high school kids and not super heroes. I flew right through it, so if you're looking for a quick read, this should do it. The story itself is pretty good, relevant for our times, and it's hard not to sympathize with Jane dealing with the post-traumatic stress of surviving a bombing. I also liked how the stereotypical popular girl turnd out to be not so stereotypical. One of the plot lines is never wrapped up, which is a little frustrating, but I guess that's life...
• Grade: B+
• Finished: February 2010

---

The Breadwinner, by Deborah Ellis

• Genre: YA Fiction
• Summary: When the Taliban took over Parvana's city of Kabul, Afghanistan in 1996, women lost almost all of their rights and priviledges and basically became prisoners in their own homes. After her father is unjustly imprisoned by the Taliban, Parvana must disguise herself as a boy and go out into the city to earn money for her family. What she discovers about life in Afghanistan is both shocking and disheartening, but Parvana is blessed with hope and determination.
• Opinion: One of the things I appreciate about this book is that it was written in 2000, before the attacks of 9/11 brought widespread attention to Afghanistan and the Taliban. Ellis was ahead of the curve in documenting the abuses the Taliban inflicted on the people of Afghanistan, women in particular. Reading this book makes you furious, and I give Ellis credit for walking the fine line between not holding back in describing the brutality of Taliban rule while not being overly graphic. After hearing about some of the things Parvana participates in and witnesses, Parvana's mother says it best: "What century are we living in?" This is an important book to read in its own right, even more so when you consider that American soldiers are still fighting and dying in battles against the Taliban every day in Afghanistan.
• Grade: A
• Finished: January 2010

---

Ranger's Apprentice, Book One: The Ruins of Gorland, by John Flanagan

• Genre: YA Fantasy
• Summary: An orphan of the Kingdom of Araluen, Will has his heart set on becoming an apprentice knight. His small stature makes this impossible, and he reluctantly accepts apprenticeship to the mysterious ranger, Halt. With the evil Morgarath mounting an offensive on the kingdom, Will's training will be cut short and put to the test.
• Opinion: I almost didn't make it beyond the second chapter of this book, but I'm glad I kept reading. The story is very predictable, which was my initial concern, but it's an enjoyable kind of predictable. It's been awhile since I've read a true fantasy along the lines of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and reading this brought me back to that comfortable kind of world without machines, where truth is measured in steel and honor. Morgarath seems pretty weak as far as bad guys go, but Will and his friend Horace are likeable characters, as is Halt, and the action sequences, when they finally come, are pretty cool. If I was younger I would be way into reading the sequels, but I think I demand more from my fantasy these days.
• Grade: B+
• Finished: January 2010

---

The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schmidt

• Genre: YA Historical Fiction
• Summary: During his 7th grade year in 1967-68, Holling Hoodhood learns about life, love, and William Shakespeare. With the Vietnam War in full swing and his sister turning into a flower child, the world is changing, and so is Holling.
• Opinion: Holling is a Yankees fan, so I liked him right away. How cool that he got to go to Opening Day at Yankee Stadium; I'm definitely jealous. But this book isn't about baseball, which is fine. It's about Holling coming of age, the most classic theme in young adult literature. Schmidt keeps it fresh through Holling's humorous voice and the backdrop of Long Island life in 1967-68. I've read books about the Vietnam War, but never from the point of view of the homefront, which I found interesting and engaging. Holling's teacher, Mrs. Baker, was awesome, and except for the sentence diagramming, I'd love to be more like her. My only problem with the book was that it seemed like the scenes were a little random at times, some of them not relevant to the main plot, but I guess that's 7th grade for you!
• Grade: A-
• Finished: November 2009

---

Adam Canfield of the Slash, by Michael Winerip

• Genre: YA Fiction
• Summary: Adam has gone from star reporter to stressed-out co-editor of the Harris Elementary/Middle School newspaper, The Slash. Now he'll have to deal with an over-eager 3rd grade reporter and a co-editor that he kind of has a crush on, all while possibly uncovering a huge scandal at the school which could lose good people their jobs.
• Opinion: I barely got through this book. I almost stopped after the first chapter, and by the time I finished I was relieved to be done. It's very unrealistic, which would be fine in a comic story with over-the-top exaggeration, but this book is neither over-the-top nor funny. I think Winerip is trying to be humorous, but in my opinion, he should stick to writing for the New York Times. I've taught a middle school newspaper class a couple of times, and it was often a struggle to produce enough articles. Here the Slash staff, which doesn't even have a teacher, is so dedicated that all 23 students show up to a meeting on a Sunday night. Really? Also, there wasn't even any suspense surrounding any of the Slash investigations; it was all so obvious. Maybe I'm just as bad as one of the impossibly mean and clueless adult antagonists in this book, but I'm not buying it. In fact, I'm glad I didn't buy it and I can return it to the library having only wasted my time.
• Grade: C-
• Finished: November 2009

---

So B. It, by Sarah Weeks

• Genre: YA Fiction
• Summary: Heidi doesn't know much about herself. She doesn't know her last name or where or when she was born, or how she and her mentally disabled mother came to arrive at their neighbor's doorstep when she was only a few days old. After finding her mother's old camera and a clue in the undeveloped film, Heidi sets out on a cross-country quest to find herself.
• Opinion: There is a lot to like about this book. Heidi, her mother, and their agoraphobic neighbor Bernadette are all very interesting and likeable characters, each with a soft heart and a stubborn streak. Heidi's predicament is original and interesting, and it's impossible not to root for her on her journey. The mystery of her past keeps the suspense tight until the climax, which in my opinion includes a coincidence that's a little hard to believe. I also had a hard time buying Heidi's incredible but unexplainable good luck, which somehow enables her to guess anything correctly. In a story this real, I didn't see a need for stretching the truth. Of course, the truth according to Heidi is the color of dinosaur skin, impossible to know.
• Grade: A-
• Finished: November 2009

---

The Alchemyst, by Michael Scott

• Genre: YA Fantasy
• Summary: Josh and Sophie are two apparently normal twins from San Francisco who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, torn between the forces of good and evil in a battle that has been going on for thousands of years. Apparently, the twins are not normal. They have extremely powerful magical auras, and their appearance in this ancient battle was foretold in the most powerful book ever written.
• Opinion: If you like the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, you'll probably like this, though I thought The Lightning Thief was better because it had better humor. The Lightning Thief also came out two years earlier than this book, so you have to wonder if Michael Scott came up with all this himself or copied the idea from Riordan. One difference in The Alchemyst is how it has gods and goddesses from different cultures, like Egypt and Scotland. It also gets more into the concept of magic and how it's been practiced by humans over the years. The Alchemyst could have been a little shorter, but the action scenes are pretty sweet and there are a couple of great battles. As usual with series books these days, I don't plan on reading the rest.
• Grade: B+
• Finished: October 2009

---

The Savage, by David Almond (Illustrated by Dave McKean)

• Genre: YA Fiction (Some graphic content)
• Summary: When Blue Baker's father dies, the school counselor tries to help by having Blue write down his feelings and emotions. It doesn't work. Instead, Blue starts writing a story about a wild boy living in the woods. When the boy who's been bullying Blue ends up in the story, things get ugly. The savage seems to be coming to life, and Blue starts to wonder where he ends and the savage begins.
• Opinion: At only 80 pages, and with a lot of those pages filled with cool illustrations, this book is a fast read. While the story about Blue is pretty good, it's the story Blue is writing that really gets your attention. These are the pages that are illustrated, and they read like a graphic novel. The savage is quite savage, so some of the content might be a little too intense for some young readers. Perhaps the best part of the book (besides the cool illustrations) is watching how these two completely opposite characters - Blue and the savage - each come to realize that they have more in common with the other than either would have imagined. It makes you wonder if such opposites don't exist within all of us.
• Grade: A
• Finished: October 2009

---

Zen and the Art of Faking It, by Jordan Sonnenblick

• Genre: YA Fiction
• Summary: When San Lee moves to yet another new school in the middle of 8th grade, he is determined to create a new indentity for himself. With his social studies class studying Buddhism, and San Lee being Chinese, it doesn't take long for him to get the nickname "Buddha". Soon everyone, including the girl he has a major crush on, is coming to San Lee for all the answers. Unfortunately, San Lee is totally faking it.
• Opinion: This book is hilarious, the funniest I've read in awhile. Sonnenblick has nailed the voice of San Lee, as sarcastic an 8th grader as I've ever met. He's the kind of character you root for but get frustrated with as he keeps digging himself into deeper trouble. The girl that he has a crush on, Woody, is also an awesome character. I definitely would have had a crush on her when I was in 8th grade! My only problem with the book was the predictable plot - we've seen it over and over on TV sit-coms and romantic comedies.
• Grade: A-
• Finished: October 2009

---

The Wild Girls, by Pat Murphy

• Genre: YA Fiction
• Summary: In the summer of 1972, Joan moves from Connecticut to California, and the first person that she meets is a girl in the woods who calls herself Fox. They become friends and write a story that wins a contest, which gains them entrance into a summer creative writing class at the local university. With a lot of problems surfacing in their families, Joan and Fox seek the truth by writing fiction.
• Opinion: I think I enjoyed this book more as a writer than a reader. In other words, if I wasn't so interested in writing stories, I might not have liked it so much. There isn't a lot of action, but the girls hang out in the woods all the time, which I can relate to. I feel like I also learned a lot from their writing teacher, Verla Volante, who is always offering great writing advice like "pay attention" and "ask questions." The characters are likeable and completely believable, and the plot contains just enough suspense to keep you hanging until the ending, which is satisfying without being too neat and tidy. After all, what would wild girls want with neat and tidy?
• Grade: A
• Finished: September 2009

---

Any Small Goodness, by Tony Johnston

• Genre: YA Fiction
• Summary: Arturo lives in the barrio, a Mexican-American neighborhood in Los Angeles where it's easy to get into trouble. There is crime and poverty, gangs and drive-by shootings, but there are also good people doing nice things. Arturo wants to be like that, someone who makes a difference. What will happen when he forms his own gang?
• Opinion: I really enjoy books that take me to new places, and though I've been to Los Angeles, I've never been to the barrio. This book shatters a lot of the stereotypes people might have about these tough neighborhoods. Arturo and his family aren't perfect, but I'm sure anyone reading this book would love to hang out in the Rodriguez house. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of my own home growing up, which makes me lucky. Arturo is a totally believable and likeable narrator with a good sense of humor and a good heart. It's a short book and a quick read, and it's fun trying to guess the meaning of the Spanish words sprinkled throughout (there's a glossary in the back for checking your guesses.) The only thing that bothered me was a slight departure from realism towards the end, a scene which I think could have been better explained by the author.
• Grade: A-
• Finished: September 2009

---

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, by James Patterson

• Genre: YA Science Fiction
• Summary: Max is a mutant, and she has five mutant siblings. They aren't blood-related, just bonded by what they've been through: poked and prodded by mad scientists and injected with bird DNA. They can fly. Now they are free and Max is their leader, but who can they trust as they attempt to rescue one of their own, Angel, and find out more about who they are?
• Opinion: I had a hard time suspending my disbelief with this one. Kids with wings popping out of their backs? About halfway through the book I was ready to put it down, but I pressed on. It's basically all a set up for the series that follows, which I have no interest in reading. I'm wondering if Patterson was involved with the TV series Dark Angel, also featuring mutant super-hero animal-like kids raised in an evil lab, one of whom is named Angel. If not, that's bordering on plagiarism, isn't it? The only redeeming aspects of this book are its fast pace and the occasional funny line. It's a rare thing for me to say I enjoyed a TV show more than a book.
• Grade: C+
• Finished: August 2009

---

Schooled, by Gordon Korman

• Genre: YA Fiction
• Summary: Capricorn Anderson has grown up home-schooled on a hippie farm straight out of the 60's. When his grandmother has to go to the hospital, Cap has to go to a public middle school, which may as well be another planet. Every year the 8th grade class nominates and elects the biggest nerd in school as class president. Guess who's on the ballot this year.
• Opinion: Do kids even give each other wedgies these days? Korman must refer to them at least five times, but I've taught middle school for ten years and have never heard of it happening. Makes me wonder if Korman is stuck in the 60's. And using the word "freakazoid"? That's so '80's. Korman has a good sense of humor, but for all its counter-culture themes, this book isn't exactly revolutionary. It's entertaining but not realistic, humorous and harmless but not especially insightful or inspiring.
• Grade: B
• Finished: June 2009

---

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman

• Genre: YA Fantasy
• Summary: An infant's family is murdered, but the infant manages to crawl away to the local graveyard. When the murderer comes after him, the graveyard's "residents" protect him and give him a name, Nobody, or Bod for short. With the killer still out there searching for him, the safest place for Bod to grow up is in the graveyard, raised by ghosts and a guardian who is neither dead or alive. But Bod can't stay there forever. After all, unlike his friends, Bod has a life to live.
• Opinion: I've always loved old graveyards, and now I'm sure that I'll love them even more. This story is such a creative take on what happens at our final resting places. Anyone who's ever walked a graveyard and wondered about the lives of the names on those old gravestones will enjoy this book for sure. While I think there are some minor character flaws with the antagonist, Jack, it's impossible not to root wholeheartedly for Bod and his companions. Their craftiness is so entertaining, and the whole story is tight with suspense. But maybe the best thing about this book is how its themes of death really make the reader appreciate life.
• Grade: A
• Finished: May 2009

---

Sunrise Over Fallujah, by Walter Dean Myers

• Genre: YA Fiction (Mature content)
• Summary: After the 9/11 attacks, Robin "Birdy" Perry enlisted in the army to serve his country. Now he is about to enter Iraq at the outbreak of war in 2003. Birdy is part of the Civil Affairs Unit charged with building the trust of the Iraqi people to minimize fighting, but he and his fellow soldiers soon realize that this war is very complicated and confusing. They are often not even sure who they are fighting, and the only ones they know they can trust are each other.
• Opinion: This book is essential reading for anyone trying to understand the war in Iraq. Myers nerved served in the military, but you wouldn't know it from reading his words. Birdy's story rings true. Myers captures the range of emotions experienced by our soldiers fighting over there: fear and bravery, frustration and pride, doubt and hope, mistrust and loyalty. There are some intense battle scenes that come with little warning, just like the nature of combat in Iraq. There is the inevitable bond formed between brothers in arms, and sisters as well. This is the first book I've read which gives proper treatment to the new role that women are playing in our military. I salute Birdy, and all who have served our country.
• Grade: A
• Finished: March 2009

---

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman

• Genre: YA Fantasy
• Summary: Soon after she moves into a new house with her mother and father, Coraline discovers a secret passageway to another house that is very much like hers. It even has another mother and father much like hers, only these have black buttons for eyes, and they would very much like Coraline to stay.
• Opinion: This book is creepy! I love it. My copy has a quotation which compares it to Narnia and Alice in Wonderland, and Coraline definitely has those aspects of a child following a secret entrance to another world. There is also an evil queen of sorts, only this one is scarier than the other antagonists. Maybe it's those black button eyes. Like Alice, Coraline also meets a helpful cat with a sense of humor. Neil Gaiman has a sense of humor, and he uses it to balance out the creepiness in this modern take on an old tale. A couple of my questions were left unanswered, but maybe that's just the nature of secret passageways to other worlds.
• Grade: A
• Finished: March 2009

---

Woodsong, by Gary Paulsen

• Genre: YA Action/Autobiography
• Summary: Gary Paulsen looks back at his life in the northern woods running a dogsled team, from his first realizations about life and death to his first attempt at running the epic Alaskan Iditarod dogsled race.
• Opinion: A review on the cover says, "Even more immediate and compelling than his novels," but I disagree. I'm a huge Gary Paulsen fan, and while this book helped me to get to know him better, I don't think it's as gripping as most of his fiction. The first few chapters are the most powerful, with some intense, graphic descriptions of lessons Gary learned from observing nature and his dogs. Unfortunately, the description of the Iditarod race, which is the climax of the book, makes for rather tedious reading. It's all snow and cold and the monotony of the trail, which probably does capture the essence of the race, but isn't anything I would ever want to do.
• Grade: B
• Finished: March 2009

---

Found, by Margaret Peterson Haddix

• Genre: YA Science Fiction
• Summary: An airplane suddenly appears on a runway, empty except for 36 babies. Thirteen years later, Jonah and Chip begin receiving mysterious letters and discover that they were among those on board. With the help of Jonah's sister Katherine, the two friends, both adopted soon after the airplane incident, now begin a quest to find out who they really are. Along the way they will tangle with the FBI and find themselves caught between two competing agencies that are even more powerful.
• Opinion: Haddix is on her game. She's been cranking out masterful suspense books for awhile now. The hook here is very catchy, and Haddix delivers. This is one of those books that you might not be able to put down. It's fast-paced and keeps you guessing. On the downside, the characterization isn't very deep and the bad guys seem a bit too bumbling. This is the first in a series, so there's plenty left to guess about in the end, though the sequel doesn't seem quite as set up for suspense to me.
• Grade: A-
• Finished: March 2009

---

Atherton: The House of Power, by Patrick Carmen

• Genre: YA Science Fiction
• Summary: After finding a secret book left for him in the cliffs between his working-class land of Tabletop and the wealthy land of the Highlands, Edgar discovers that the world of Atherton isn't what it seems, and it is changing. Now Edgar, who has been alone all of his life, must make new friends and fight both old and new enemies in his search for the truth about his world and his place in it.
• Opinion: Patrick Carmen is great at keeping secrets, so I'll try not to give away any here. You can just imagine him savoring the suspense he created while writing this book, right down to the slow revelations and shocking realizations that his characters make. Speaking of the characters, they are very real, each driven by unique fears and ambitions. The book has many layers, much like the world of Atherton itself. The social and environmental themes are riveting. Be warned, however, that not every secret is revealed; you'll have to read the sequels for that. I have some guesses regarding what might happen next, but I'm not telling...
• Grade: A
• Finished: February 2009

---

Alphabet of Dreams, by Susan Fletcher

• Genre: YA Historical Fiction
• Summary: Mitra was born into Persian nobility but lost her family after her father challenged the king. Now she begs and steals to survive with her little brother, Babak, who they realize has the ability to dream for other people. Mitra hopes to cash in on his magical talent and use the money to find their family. Instead, they are sold to a powerful Magus who embarks on a long caravan journey to Bethlehem, where a new king is believed to be coming.
• Opinion: This book, like Fletcher's other novel about ancient Persia, Shadow Spinner, is very well-researched and realistic. The shared dream concept is a bit of stretch to believe in, but the possibility is very interesting and it works well within the plot. I found myself caring more about the story of Jesus's birth than Mitra's perpetual longing for her lost family, but just when it looked like the ending might be disappointing, Fletcher delivered a satisying reslolution. I read the "Note from the Author" with great interest and look forward to following up on a few of the historical questions myself.
• Grade: B+
• Finished: January 2009

---

Fire on the Wind, by Linda Crew

• Genre: YA Historical Fiction
• Summary: Storie is a logger's daughter who loves her life in the Oregon woods, but things are changing. She's nearly old enough to go to high school down in Forest Grove, a dashing young logger is flirting with her, and the forest itself is in danger of burning down as one of the worst wildfires in Oregon history approaches camp.
• Opinion: Crew is a fourth-generation Oregonian who clearly knows her local history. She gives the reader a great look at a typical Oregon logging camp in the 1930's, when new machinery was beginning to change the landscape of logging, both literally and figuratively. It's a life that doesn't really exist anymore, and Crew has captured it. Storie's coming of age is interesting to follow, but I thought the wildfire deserved more prominence in the story. I think the action could have been extended and intensified. The climax was too quick, and the loose ends were wrapped up a little too neatly.
• Grade: B
• Finished: December 2008

---

Call Me Hope, by Gretchen Olson

• Genre: YA Fiction
• Summary: It would seem like all Hope wants is to go to Outdoor School, and maybe get those cool purple hiking boots from the secondhand store, but what she really wants is for her verbally abusive mother to love her.
• Opinion: This is an important book because of its theme of verbal abuse, which can be just as damaging as physical abuse. Through Hope, Olson offers a model of how to deal with it, as well as additional resources. The author is even donating ten percent of her earnings from the book to the "Hands & Words Are Not For Hurting" project. Hope is a very sympathetic character; it's impossible not to root for her. She makes a nice connection to Anne Frank, whose book she is reading in class, and it's refreshing to see a good teacher in the story. On the down side, except for her issues with her mother, everything in Hope's life seems a little too nice and neat. Also, the story's climax is predictable and not very dramatic, and except for a nice touch on the last page, the resolution rather fizzles out.
• Grade: B+
• Finished: November 2008

---

A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin

• Genre: Fantasy
• Summary: The young wizard Ged unwisely tests the limits of his magic while training on the island of Roke, unwittingly releasing a dark shadow upon the world. On his quest to make ammends, Ged must face dragons, a sorcerer, and the windswept wilds of the Archipelego.
• Opinion: This is classic fantasy from 1968, so it's got an old-school feel. Le Guin was obviously inspired by the Lord of the Rings, but Earthsea is definitely her own creation. Magic is at the center of it all, and I enjoyed her take on it - the power behind names and the importance of balance. The shadow that Ged releases makes for an interesting antagonist. At times the exposition slows down the pace, but every built-up scene delivers. I'd like to read the other books in the Earthsea Cycle, but I probably won't get to them any time soon.
• Grade: A-
• Finished: November 2008
• View: Trailer from the Sci-Fi miniseries

---

Exodus, by Julie Bertagna

• Genre: YA Science Fiction
• Summary: One hundred years from now, most of the land on earth is disappearing beneath the oceans, the planet overcome by global warming. Mara knows her primitive island community doesn't have much time, and after finding a sign of hope on the ancient cyberspace "Weave" she convinces her people to leave in search of one of the fabled new sky cities rising from the waves. The voyage is dangerous, but the destination turns out to be even more of a challenge.
• Opinion: This book is awesome. There are three parts, each focused on a different setting, and Bertagna does a brilliant job making these futuristic glimpses of a very different earth seem very realistic. Just when I thought the story might be starting to lag (which Bertagna may have been doing for realistic effect) the final third of the book explodes with fantastic descriptions and riveting action. With the setting and plot being so strong, the characterization has a lot to live up to, and occasionally it seems a little forced. Mara is very admirable but not always authentic. Though the book stands well on its own, Bertagna wrote a sequel called Zenith, which I'm sure I will read.
• Grade: A
• Finished: October 2008

---

Peak, by Roland Smith

• Genre: YA Action/Adventure
• Summary: When Peak Marcello gets arrested scaling a New York City skyscraper, his divorced parents and the authorities work out a deal in which Peak will leave the country to live with his mountain-climbing father in Thailand. However, Peak's father has other plans. He's hoping Peak will become the youngest person to stand on the summit of Mount Everest.
• Opinion: I'm already a big fan of Portland author Roland Smith, so maybe I'm a little biased, but I really liked this book. I practically read the entire second half in one sitting. Although my boots have logged many miles up and down the Cascades, I'm no mountain climber, and I never fully realized the magnitude of what's involved in making an Everest attempt. It was tiring just reading about it! Any story about mountain climbing would seem to have an obvious climax, but this one doesn't disappoint. Beyond all that, what makes Peak so worth reading, in my opinion, is how Smith manages to weave the tragic Chinese occupation of Tibet into the plot. While he only scratches the surface of what is happening there, any increased awareness of the situation is welcome.
• Grade: A
• Finished: September 2008

---

Ark Angel, by Anthony Horowitz