Dead to You by Lisa McMann

From Good Reads:

Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It's a miracle... at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable...

My thoughts:

I just finished reading this book in one afternoon-- it is the type of story that grabs you and you can't put the book down until you know what happens. I don't want to put spoilers in my write up so all I will say is that hours later I am still pondering the ending. This would be a great book to discuss! This one is going to be popular with my student patrons!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

2012 Debut

From Good Reads:


Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl... Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.


My thoughts:

The start to another great series!!  Cinder, a loose retelling of the Cinderella story, is set sometime in the future in a place called New Beijing.  Cinder lives with her step mother and two step sisters and desperately would love to go to the festival ball... but can't because she is a cyborg and is not allowed by her step mother.  While all of this sounds familiar to the fairy tale there is a LOT more to this story.  The population of New Beijing is in danger due to a terrible plague that is killing so many.  There is also danger of potential war if an agreement is not worked out with the Luna population that live on the moon.  Cinder, a gifted mechanic, meet Prince Kai who needs her help to repair an android who just may have information that will save New Beijing.

Cinder is a fast paced, interesting, and well written novel.  I loved the cover art with the picture of a leg in a red high heel with the metal cyborg part showing.  I anticipate this will be a very popular book with my students.  I definitely have the rest of the series on my TBR pile as the books release.  While it is hard to wait, the conclusion to Cinder is satisfactory- a must for me in series books.  Highly recommended.

First Date

2012 DAC

From Good Reads:


The orphaned daughter of missionaries, Addy Davidson discovers God's unexpected plans for her life when a reality TV show turns her quiet existence on its head.




My thoughts:
The premise behind "First Date" is really cute- a reality tv show for teenage girls all trying to win a prom date with the President's son.  The main character, Addy, is encouraged to participate in the contest by her guardian/uncle and her school principal but she really does not want all the attention the show brings.  Many aspects of this novel are a bit unrealistic, but that did not detract from the appeal of the story for me.  I found this book to be thoroughly enjoyable.  In fact I felt a few moments of panic when it seemed the E Galley had only downloaded half the book to my Nook! Thank goodness I got the problem resolved and was able to read the rest of the book!

Addy is a very like-able girl and I really liked her dedication to her principles and religion.  I also liked the fact that she was not made to seem perfect.  Addy is a devout Christian but she struggles with how to share her beliefs with the reality show she is on.  First Date is a very refreshing  read about a teenager with strong values and a sense of purpose in her life that is not tied up in a boy for happiness.  The fact that the teenager finds a nice boy just makes the story romantic and delightful! 

Author website:

http://www.kristamcgee.org/

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

From Good Reads:
This is an extraordinarily moving novel about coming to terms with loss. The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming. . . .

This monster, though, is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.
It wants the truth.

Patrick Ness spins a tale from the final story idea of Siobhan Dowd, whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself. Darkly mischievous and painfully funny, A Monster Calls is an extraordinarily moving novel about coming to terms with loss from two of our finest writers for young adults.

My thoughts:


A Monster Calls is a masterpiece. I was captivated by the story behind this book- that Siobhan Dowd had the idea but was not able to write the novel before dying from cancer. I LOVED the author forward where Patrick Ness explained why he was at first hesitant to write someone else's story and why he ultimately did. I am so happy that I loved the actual book as much as I loved the backstory to the book. 

The emotion in this book is so powerful and the black and white illustrations are magnificent. It is pretty unusual to have illustrations in a YA novel and they really help to capture the horror and hope of this story. 

I am anxious to see what my student readers think of this book. I suspect they will really like it, although for different reasons than me. As a mother I found myself relating to how Conor's mother must feel. You hear about adult titles that appeal to a YA market, well I think this is a YA title that will also appeal to an adult market. 

As I said at the start of this review-- it is a masterpiece.