The Future of Us Book Review

Imagine you've just gotten a new computer. You power it up, go on the internet and are immediately brought to a Facebook page. It's actually your Facebook page, only it is your Facebook page from the future. Your future. Fifteen years from now. Would you read every detail about yourself and try to change the things you don't like or would you ignore it and let things happen as they are supposed to? That's the dilemma that friends Emma and Josh face in The Future of Us by Jay Asher (13 Reasons Why) and Carolyn Mackler (Tangled).

It's 1996 and Facebook hasn't even been invented yet, but when Emma's dad buys her a computer and she signs on to AOL (WECLOME!) she spies her future Facebook page and realizes that not only can she learn her fate, but she can also change the outcome. The things she does when she is 15 can alter the things that happen to her when she is 30.

Emma and Josh, have big decisions to make. Do they keep reading Facebook and do what they can to make their futures what they want them to be? Or do they log off and keep the future well, in the future? And why aren't they even Facebook friends when they grow up? Talk about a tough decision.

Book Review: Imaginary Girls

In Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma, Chloe has spent most of her fourteen years living in her older sister's shadow. Ruby is the girl that every guy wants to date and every girl wants to be. It evens seems as though Ruby has some kind of power over people, always getting them to do things for her. Chloe has never minded being known as Ruby's little sister, since it is Ruby who has practically raised Chloe. But when Chloe finds the body of a local teen at a party, her world is shattered. Sent away to live with her father, Chloe spends two years separated from Ruby until Ruby reappears and convinces Chloe to return home promising that everything will be the way it used to be. Chloe is shocked to discover that Ruby is right. Everything is the same as it was two years earlier--the dead girl is alive and Ruby's power over others is terrifying. A creepy reservoir with deep secrets, a living dead girl and Ruby's other-worldly powers add up to one scary mystery.

Trapped Book Review

I have to admit, I probably took the easy way out by reading Trapped by Michael Northrop in April when the threat of snow is unlikely. Regardless, Trapped is a gripping page turner. Scotty, a sophomore basketball player, narrates the events as they unfold of the seven students and one teacher who are stranded at school when a winter storm turns into the biggest nor'easter the U.S. has ever had. The small group, ranging from a jock and a bully, to the prettiest girl in school and the most average boy, must weather the storm by rationing left over cafeteria food, navigating the dark hallways, and ultimately deciding how to get help when the school building becomes too dangerous for them to remain. Scotty's admission that not everyone will survive builds the suspense immediately and the ever falling snow piles on the drama. Best read on a snow day, but pretty chilling on a warm spring day too.

Bide Your Time and Hold Out Hope--Monte Cristo Book Review

"All human wisdom [is] contained in these words...'wait' and 'hope.'"

These are the words of Edmond Dantes, also known as the Count of Monte Cristo, a man wrongly accused of being a Bonaparte traitor by his shipmates. As a result of this false accusation by Fernand Montego, who later adopted the name Count Morcerf, the man who would marry Dantes' former finacee Mercedes, Gerard de Villefort, the Royal Prosecutor who imprisoned Dantes to save himself, and Baron Danglar, a man who benefited immensely from the ordeal, Dantes was sentenced to life in the highest security jail. During the time he spent there until his elaborate escape only one thought was imprinted on his mind: revenge.

Dantes' revenge is not quick and it's not easy, but Dantes knows that through patience comes reward. By befriending--and saving--the son of the infamous Morcerfs, the Count of Monte Cristo begins to manipulate the lives of everyone involved in the betrayal with his impeccable charm and unrivaled intelligence. This one action of saving Albert Morcerf sets the wheels in motion for Dantes' intricate and meticulously planned revenge--these three men and those closest to them will have their lives changed forever as the persistent ghost from their pasts comes to haunt them (and without their knowledge... until it's too late!).

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is filled with action, adventure, romance, friendship and the ultimate betrayal. The characters, though removed from our present time, are believable even today. Each character has a strong motivation and a reality that they desperately work to preserve; yet each is blinded in some way by this driving motivation.

The original and abridged versions are equally good. This is one classic you don't want to pass up!!

For even more Monte Cristo fun, check out the movie or the sci-fi anime series Gankutusou: Count of Monte Cristo from our library!

It's All About Perspective--Jumped Book Review

Three girls, three voices, three perspectives.

Dominique is an all-ball girl who's been benched because her grades are too low; she doesn't like anyone getting in her space and everyone knows not to mess with her. Trina is a peppy artist who loves to flaunt her stuff. All it takes is one word, "hey," to send Dominique over the edge. Leticia is stuck attending zero-hour classes to make up for the subjects she failed last term. She overhears Dominuqe's plan to jump Trina at the end of the day--only she questions whether she really understood what she overheard.

Sometimes, what you don't do has more of an impact than what you do. With very little interaction among them at first, Dominique, Leticia, and Trina's lives will change forever as their paths intersect. For these girls, intent is not everything.

Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia is a fast-paced, gripping novel told from the perspective of three distinct and realistic voices. Your eyes will be glued to the page as you read about how decisions, actions, and words can change a person's life.

Girl in Translation Book Review

The Statue of Liberty, bright lights, and skyscrapers--these are quintessential landmarks of New York City. This is what 11-year-old ah-Kim (aka Kimberly) Chang is looking forward to when she and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to the U.S. Instead, she finds herself living in a broken down area of Brooklyn in a small apartment with no heat in the freezing winters and no air to cool them from the sweltering heat. The apartment also has many nightly visitors, such as giant roaches and rats. Despite her harsh living conditions, Kimberly has to balance school, which luckily, she has a great talent for, and helping her mother at the sweatshop in Chinatown. Faced with endless struggles, Kimberly continues to shape her own destiny and fights to create a better life for her and her mother.

Kwok’s debut coming-of-age novel about the life of a Chinese-American immigrant girl from adolescence to adulthood is engaging, thought-provoking, and heartwarming; it provides a glimpse into the lives and repressed hardships many immigrants faced, while expressing the universal struggle of holding onto your own identity while striving to fit in.

Rosebush Book Review

Someone tried to murder Jane. And it seems like they aren't going to stop until she is good and dead. In Michele Jaffe's pyschological thriller, Rosebush, popular girl Jane wakes up in a hospital bed paralyzed. Jane learns that she's been the victim of a vicious hit and run accident - only this was no accident. As Jane is layed up in bed, she begins to discover that it may have been one of her friends who tried to murder her. Is it her best friend Kate, beautiful and perfect but whose feelings for Jane may not be what they seem? Or is it Ollie, her boyfriend's best friend who has never hid his dislike for Jane and has been known to secretly video tape people? Or could it even be David, Jane's "perfect" boyfriend who was caught in a compromising position with another girl at a party on the night of the attack? Could it be her "secret admirer" who keeps sending creepy gifts to Jane? Or could this all just be Jane's heavily medicated mind playing tricks on her? As Jane's memories of the evening slowly come in to focus the suspense mounts and the killer just may be lurking in the shadows.

'The Person Just for Me'--Review of Girl Parts

Girl Parts by John Cusick begins with a young girl overdosing in front of her computer; the webcam has its eyes on her and hundreds of viewers are glued to their screens, watching her die. After being confronted for watching the suicide by his computer-tycoon father, seventeen-year-old David Sun is diagnosed with “dissociative disorder”… and he’s not the only one. What’s the cure? For David, the cure for his disorder is to pick out his perfect ‘companion’ from the well-known Japanese Company Sokora Solutions who specializes in creating custom made fem-bots to help males around the world.

Beautiful, red-headed Rose is everything David could ever want in a woman. Yet, David needs to learn to keep control, seeing as her intimacy clock is specifically designed to keep David in line and train him to form proper connections with females. This is done by sending him mild electric shocks to try and condition his behavior. And when the time finally does come for them to be completely intimate, David and Rose find out that despite Rose’s life-like looks and attitude, she’s still not a human girl. David and his lonely classmate Charlie both become emotionally involved with this unique girl, while Rose slowly learns what it’s like to truly be human.

From the very first page, to its disconcerting ending, Girl Parts addresses our growing reliance on technology and the importance of feeling connected to others. The book explores themes of humanity, artificial intelligence, and the role of the Internet in our lives. The concept is intriguing, combining science fiction with the real world. While it takes place in the present, technology is more advanced than it is today: students sit in front of computers all day for ‘school,’ and research in artificial intelligence is thriving. Though the story takes a while to build up and tends to drag in certain places, Girl Parts is a fun, quick read.

Fans of anime and manga will recognize these themes from numerous popular series, particularly Chobits, by Clamp. It was for Girl Parts’ striking resemblance to Chobits that I was attracted to this book. Artificial intelligence creatures desiring to be human and questioning their role in society is not a new concept, but Girl Parts does a good job at setting itself from the mainstream in an interesting and unique way.

The Replacement Book Review

Welcome to the town Gentry, where there is great fortune and prosperity, the direct result of an ancient pact made between two worlds. But deep down, there's a dark secret that no one will admit to: every seven years a human baby is taken as a sacrifice and replaced with a baby from the underworld. Most of the time the Changling dies, unloved by the family it tore apart--all except Macky Doyle. Macky just wanted to fit in; instead, his coloring is a little too pale, his eyes darker than normal, and he gets sick anytime he's overexposed to anything with iron in it. Macky wants to go on dates and kiss the girl of his dreams, even though she has a metal tongue ring that would poison him. He lives his life knowing it isn't his, knowing he isn't the real Macky Doyle, despite the ongoing love and support from his sister. But, when Macky's friend's sister gets Taken, he must return to where he came from and decide where his loyalties lie.

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff is a unique take on the popular topic of faeries in YA fiction. Yovanoff's engaging characters, beautiful language, and haunting tone alongside an eerie backdrop make her first novel a must read. For fans of Tim Burton, Irish and Norse mythology, faeries, horror, and unlikely heroes, this book is for you.

The Last Good Place of Lily Odilon Book Review

I always love a good mystery and The Last Good Place of Lily Odilon by Sara Beitia is just that. Albert Morales sneaks into his girlfriend's house to spend the night, only to wake up later and find her gone. Since Lily has been known to be a bit on the wild side, Albert tries not to worry too much. But when the police show up at school, Albert becomes a prime suspect in Lily's disappearance. With the help of Lily's sister, Olivia, Albert uncovers a shocking secret and sets out on foot to find Lily. The chapters alternate between real time and Albert's memories of meeting Lily and their relationship as it progresses. Albert is a regular high school guy, with difficult parents who don't understand him or his relationship with Lily. With a despicable villain, a sketchy jock and building suspense, this is a satisfying mystery.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares Book Review

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have teamed up again with their latest title: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares. It's Christmastime in New York and Lily is looking for someone worthy of sharing her first kiss. When Lily's brother Langston gives her the clever idea to leave a red notebook with a list of literary clues in The Strand (Lily's most favorite book store), she's hopeful she'll attract the boy she's been waiting for. Enter Dash (short for Dashiell), a bit of a grinch and certainly "snarly", who happens to be celebrating Christmas alone. Full of New York City landmarks, Christmas cheer, and memorable and quirky characters, this is the perfect read for the month of December. Fans of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist will find this to be more innocent and less edgy, but a fun read in its own right.

(Lily and Dash are named after a famous couple Dashiell Hammett and Lillian Hellman, both American writers.)

Book Review: You by Charles Benoit

Told in the second person, You could just as easily been called "If Only." Narrated by Kyle, a high school sophomore and a member of "the hoodies", Kyle's school is like every other - clique ridden. The hoodies wear black hooded sweatshirts, they drink beer in the park, they slack off and they pretty much stick to themselves. But when Kyle garners the hatred of the king of the jocks, even his fellow hoodies don't help him. Kyle scuffles through life, seemingly dead on the outside, until Zack an eccentric transfer student kicked out of a prestigious prep school befriends him. But by this point, Kyle's earlier choices may have already sealed his fate. From the start of Kyle's narration, the reader knows that things may not turn out well for Kyle. His decisions through out high school culminate in the final harrowing conclusion.

The Kyle that the world sees is very different from the Kyle that the reader knows. His feelings and thoughts are realistic. He acts tough, uninterested, and bored. Only the reader sees Kyle's hurt when he hears his mother telling his younger sister not to be like Kyle. Like Kyle, the reader will be left thinking, if only.

Set In Stone

I recently read Set In Stone by Linda Newbery. It was published in 2006, but I only came across it recently and something about it caught my eye. It's historical fiction, set in late 19th Century Sussex, England at an English country home. The narrative alternates between Samuel Godwin, a young artist who has come to the home to tutor the teen daughters of Mr. Farrow, the homeowner, and Charlotte Agnew, the governess of the girls. Samuel reminded me of Nick Carraway (The Great Gatsby) in his honesty, honor, curiosity and overall congeniality. He was also very sentimental in a similar manner to Carraway. What I liked about the story is that it started off like a Jane Austen novel, then it became mysterious (ah hah!) and then scandalous (yay!). The writing is beautiful and the setting is haunting. Well done!

Girl in the Arena

So I'll admit it, I was eager to read Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines because the description reminded me of Hunger Games, a book I'm in love with and just can't get over. A girl fighting to the death in an arena while the rest of the world eagerly cheers and boos each move they make - that description fits both Hunger Games and Girl in the Arena. In Girl in the Arena, Lyn an 18-year- old living in Massachusetts has her world turned upside down when her 7th stepfather, a gladiator in the popular Gladiator Sports Association (think NFL without the padding and the tackling but with swords and wild animals), dies in the arena. Thanks to some crazy finagling of rules, the Gladiator Sports Association determines that Lyn must marry the glad who defeated her dad. (heh) Not so fast, Lyn isn't about to spend her life just like her mother- losing husbands to the barbarous sport. So she decides she'll take on the glad in the arena herself, kinda.

Overall, I felt like the book needed more action and less chitchat. Also, while you have to expect a book with a plot like this to be somewhat contrived, it seemed to me that there were just too many "awfully convenient" situations that occurred. While the end left a bit to be desired, I did appreciate that the story wrapped up in 1 book and didn't leave the reader hanging.

Cover: When I first picked up the book, I thought the jacket was great. The girl on the front is intriguing, dressed as a beautiful gladiator (even her toe nails look pretty!) But there is one very big problem with this cover- Lyn shaves her head early on in the book and the girl on the cover has long flowing locks. Glaring!