New Titles in Our Library

I Will Save You by Matt De La Pena

Will Save You is an inspiring story of a boy who has faced the worst life has to offer, but who is determined to not let it keep him down. Matt de la Pena tells Kidd's story through journal entries, lists, and traditional storytelling making for an engaging read. Readers will not be disappointed. Kidd is an exercise in character study. Through Kidd's interaction with Mr. Red, Olivia, and even Devon, readers can see that in spite of the engulfing depression Kidd faces day to day, something else hovers within reach - something called hope.

Review Quoted From: Book Trends Review

The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell

When children turn 16 in Chelsea Campbell’s fictional world, they receive a V or H thumbprint, declaring them a hero or villain forever. It’s a genetic thing, so you normally know what you are far ahead of time – but poor Renegade X ends up having an X, meaning he has a mix of both hero and villain genes.The book is spent with Renegade X and his quest to become a villain like his mom. Those that receive X’s eventually turn to V’s or H’s depending on their behavior in the years after the X, so Renegade X is constantly thinking about what he’s doing and how it will affect his future V or H status.

Review Quoted From: Chick Loves Lit Review

The Floating Islands by Rachel Neumeier

The story revolves around two characters, Trei and Araene, both in their own way caught between dueling cultures. Trei is literally caught between two nations, his mixed heritage keeping him from truly belonging to either, and yet he feels a conflicted loyalty towards both; Araene is caught between her abilities and her gender, in a society where women are not supposed to exercise their ambitions, she is both driven by her talent and stifled from exercising it freely. The uncertainty and self doubt at the heart of both arcs is handled deftly and compellingly, as both teens are made outsiders by forces beyond their control, even as both try to build a sense of belonging and struggle to come to terms with who they have become in their new lives.

Review Quoted From: BookYurt Review

The latest book in the series, The Power of Six (Lore), picks up after I Am Number Four with Four and Number Six still on the run. In case you’re unfamiliar with the mythology of the book series it goes like this: a group of powerful alien youths were sent to Earth with protectors to hide until the day comes that they can return home and use their abilities to save their home world that’s currently under attack by another vicious alien race. The children are numbered and the evil aliens can only kill them in numerical order (yes, the reason for this is explained in the books). So, on Earth they are constantly on the run, hiding, trying to survive until the time comes for them to return home and carry out their mission of saving their race.

Review Quoted From: Geeks of Doom Review

The Apprentice’s Masterpiece by Melanie Little

Fifteenth-century Spain is a richly multicultural society in which Jews, Muslims, and Christians coexist. But under the zealous Christian Queen Isabella, the country abruptly becomes one of the most murderously intolerant places on Earth.

It is in this atmosphere that the Benvenistes, a family of scribes, attempt to eke out a living. The family has a secret—they are conversos: Jews who converted to Christianity. Now, with neighbors and friends turned into spies, fear hangs in the air.

Review Quoted From: Annik Press Review

Bounce by Natasha Friend

Evyn's had enough problems in her life, starting with her mother's death when she was young. But now her father's thrown a whole new batch her way. Not only is he marrying a woman Evyn hardly knows, but he's uprooting Evyn and her brother to go live with this woman... and her children. - From Goodreads.comFunny, insightful, enjoyable and memorable. Bounce by Natasha Friend is one of those books that you remember. For the unique story set in the real world, the mood of relaxed storytelling and the warmth that it brings.  Bounce is a great story, it is emotional - and, like many of Friend's other books, it confronts issues that may face teenagers of today. 

Review Quoted From: The Book Slooth Review

Lush by Natasha Friend

It's not easy being 13, but when your father is a drunk, it's even harder. Just ask Sam. She can't even admit to her closest friends the true dynamics of her family. That's why she starts the notes in the library.

LUSH is author Natasha Friend's follow-up to the highly acclaimed PERFECT. Like her former work, it cuts to the raw emotions of this teen girl living in a not-so-perfect situation. The language is simplistic yet touching and moving. Sam is real and so is her father's alcoholism. LUSH will be helpful to young people who are going through the same problem Sam faces. Friend also includes a list of important alcoholism resources for kids and teens at the end of the novel.

Review Quoted From: Teenreads Review

During World War II, a family finds life turned upside down when the government opens a Japanese internment camp in their small Colorado town. After a young girl is murdered, all eyes (and suspicions) turn to the newcomers, the interlopers, the strangers.

This is her town as Rennie Stroud has never seen it before. She has just turned thirteen and, until this time, life has pretty much been what her father told her it should be: predictable and fair. But now the winds of change are coming and, with them, a shift in her perspective. And Rennie will discover secrets that can destroy even the most sacred things.

Part thriller, part historical novel, TALLGRASS is a riveting exploration of the darkest - and best - parts of the human heart. Review Quoted From: Small World Reads Review

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy, Calla begins to question the very essence of the world she has known.

Books like this one are incredibly hard for me to give a rating to. If I could base my rating solely on the storyline this book would probably be a 5 star book. I loved the story and the new take on mythical creatures. The werewolves or guardians as they are called in this story were unique and I was drawn into the story. I flew through this book in one day. It was well written and I wanted to keep reading despite the content. Review Quoted From: I am a Reader Not a Writer Review

At a special matching ceremony, Cassia Reyes learns she is to be paired with her childhood friend Xander Carrow. She is given a microcard with data about Xander, but a technical malfunction shows her matched with another boy – Ky Markham.Ky is from the unruly outer provinces and has been classified as an "aberration," a person who is not meant to be matched. Cassia questions her match to Xander, and her blossoming relationship with Ky soon jeopardizes her future – and his.

One of the major themes that I loved was about freedom of choice. In this world, everything is decided for you, eliminating most of the dangers that caused humans stress and early death prior to this shift in society. And throughout the book, the author writes this life in such a way that you can definitely see the perks to some of them. Review Quoted From: Lytherus Matched Book Reviews

Lost in the River of Grass by Ginny Rorby

A science-class field trip to the Everglades is supposed to be fun, but Sarah's new at Glades Academy, and her fellow freshmen aren't exactly making her feel welcome. When an opportunity for an unauthorized side trip on an airboat presents itself, it seems like a perfect escape—an afternoon without feeling like a sore thumb. But one simple oversight turns a joyride into a race for survival across the river of grass. Sarah will have to count on her instincts—and a guy she barely knows—if they have any hope of making it back alive.

Lost in the River of Grass takes on the classic survival genre using one of the country's most unique wild places as a backdrop. In this tense, character-driven thriller, Sarah must overcome prejudice and the unforgiving wilderness in a struggle to survive. Review Quoted From: A Lovely Little Book Blog Review

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn't understand that once love--the deliria--blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she'll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: she falls in love.

Oliver's writing is outstanding! She's created this twisted world where love is considered a disease. I wondered how she would pull it off and as I continued to read, I fell effortlessly into her world. Ah, the dangers of love. Review Quoted From: Fantastic Book Review

Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky

Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her.

I've read quite a few dystopian books and AWAKEN is probably one of the most believable to me. In a society where everyone is plugged in, the most basic things that make us human are pretty much nonexistent. Schools have gone digital and nature itself is synthetic at best. I'll be the first to admit that I can't go anywhere without my toys and after reading this book; I believe Kacvinsky is on to something. Review Quoted From: Fantastic Book Review

The Monstrumologist by Rick Vancey

Rick Yancey leaves no room for underestimation and puts together a fine, chilling and emotionally affecting tale in the process. This story, under the found-fiction guise of a journal, places us in the head of young William Henry, an orphan in the care and tutelage of Pelinore Walthrope, a dour and no nonsense studier and hunter of what many would call monsters, though he most certainly would not. The town is facing an imminent infestation of Anthropophagi and dear Mr. Walthrope is the only one with the knowledge and ability to deal with it. Review Quoted From: Horner News Book Review

Scrawl by Mark Shulman

“Scrawl” reveals the inner life of a junior high school bully, a huge, violent, lower class, shambling boy named Tod Munn who is secretly brilliant but plays being an oaf to conceal his intelligence and retain his hidden-in-plain-sight status in the complex social economy of his school. We have so many books about the inner lives of girls or super-powered boys or just good-looking, well-intentioned kids who wind up in bad situations that it’s refreshing to read a novel that plumbs the personality of somebody who is trapped and has given up on himself and everyone around him. Review Quoted From: Brad Berens Book Review

Under Dogs by Markus Zusak

Before The Book Thief, Markus Zusak wrote a trilogy of novels about the Wolfe brothers: The Underdogs, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, and Getting the Girl. Cameron and Ruben Wolfe are champions at getting into fights, coming up with half-baked schemes, and generally disappointing girls, their parents, and their much more motivated older siblings. They’re intensely loyal to each other, brothers at their best and at their very worst. But when Cameron falls head over heels for Ruben’s girlfriend, the strength of their bond is tested to its breaking point.

Zusak's popularity is well-deserved. He writes emotionally engaging stories with understated humor and a bittersweet style that refuses to play by straightforward grammatical rules.

Review Quoted From: LA Times Book Review

Mr. Monster by Dan Wells

Fifteen-year-old John had been diagnosed by his therapist as a sociopath, and self-diagnosed as a (potential) serial killer.The dark side of John’s psyche, which he calls Mr. Monster, is always just below the surface, struggling to escape while John tries desperately to keep it under wraps. That struggle became decidedly more difficult after John confronted and killed a serial killer who was stalking his town in I Am Not A Serial Killer.As if trying to keep your homicidal impulses under control isn’t enough for a teenager to deal with, Mr. Monster finds John juggling a host of additional challenges: a mother who knows “what” John is but refuses to discuss it; an absent father; an older sister in an abusive relationship (boy does Mr. Monster want a piece of that guy); and an attempted first romance . Don’t read late at night.

Review Quoted From: Savannah Now Book Reviews

Life on Mars by Jonathan Strahan

This exemplary, almost old-fashioned anthology is a welcome relief in a teen fiction market dominated by dystopias, fantasy and paranormal romance. Twelve top-tier speculative fiction authors tackle the classic theme of colonizing Mars, incorporating cutting-edge science and mostly adolescent protagonists (more than half of them female) in tales of enterprise, accomplishment and sacrifice.

Most discount the possibility of alien life, using the futuristic far-off setting to examine contemporary issues:  racism, violence, environmental damage, economic disparity and, above all, what it means to be human.

Review Quoted From: Savannah Now Book Reviews

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