2011+January


 * Sapphique by Catherine Fisher **
 * The sequel. And it seems final episode. Finn and Claudia are now up to their chins in kingdom/prison intrigue. This get so complicated I'm still confused after closing the book. But it was a great read. The last paragraphs about the peasants being stars actually moved me as much as the rest. YA for language. Good. **
 * Slob by Ellen Potter **
 * Owen knows he's the fattest kid at school. He also knows he's very, very smart. That doesn't help in some cases. There is some mysterious reason Owen wants to receive broadcasts from two years ago. But that's just a side story until close to the end. His school problems are as big as he is: a new kid who is a sociopath, a bully of a gym teacher, and someone is stealing his lunches. Then there is his sister who is in a club of girls who want to be boys. Too emotional for most elementary kids, but no bad language or problematic content. Just difficult. Good realistic fiction. **
 * City of Glass by Cassandra Clare **
 * Final episode in the Mortal Instruments. Clary, Jace, Simon and all of the others make their way to Alicante and the City of Glass, native home of the ShadowHunters. We meet new characters like Amatis, Luke's sister, and Sebastian, who is not what he presents himself to be. Builds to a terrific battle between demons and the rest of the supernatural world, as well as Valentine and his offspring. It dragged a bit for me at times. It's as much a love story as a conflict between good and evil. But the pieces tied together nicely at the end. Very good. YA for violence, romance, mild language (b-). **


 * Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld **
 * Book two of the Leviathan trilogy. Steampunk meets WWI as Prince Alek goes to Istanbul with Deryn (still disguised as a boy midshipman) onboard the Leviathan. They become embroiled in local revolution as well as efforts to diffuse the efforts of the Germans ("Clunkers") to control the straits. This one was better in action than the first, and the characters are becoming more real. It resolves nicely at the end even though we expect the story to continue. The small animal that hatches from the egg is perspicacious. Nice. This doesn't have anything objectionable for 5th graders but is marked YA for complicated history? **


 * A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park **
 * A partially fictional account of the story of a Lost Boy of Sudan and a young girl who spends each and every entire day walking to get water for her family. Yes this is violent, and incredibly sad. But also inspiring. Salva has this message: Stay calm when things are hard or not going right with you. You will get through it when you persevere instead of quitting. Quitting leads to much less happiness in life than perseverance and hope. (p117) Of course for Salva "hard" included war, starvation, death of loved ones, trekking through the desert, and living with tens of thousands in abysmal refugee camps. **
 * Short but moving. Excellent. Associated with waterforsudan.org **


 * Three black swans by Caroline B Cooney **
 * Cooney must be ancient, but this reads as very current. Two girls who believe they are cousins try to pull a hoax at school by pretending to be twins, but it becomes all too real. Then with a viral YouTube video things get out of hand. (don't they always?) This is a little too serious in tone for me, without really any action. But the emotions are good as well as the concept of self. The concepts of family, parenthood and nurture vs nature could be a good discussion too. 5th+ no language or other issues. **


 * Going Solo by Raold Dahl **
 * This is his life during World War II, especially as a RAF pilot. So very interesting as a first person account of how harrowing it was to be involved. He starts as a Shell employee in Africa--also so interesting. His training as a pilot, a catastrophic crash, and participation in airfights over Greece make for great reads. Mature language and content. **


 * The Pharaoh's Secret by Marissa Moss **
 * Talibah and Adom finally get a chance to visit the land of their ancestors where Talibah begins to have out-of-body experiences involving Hatshepsut, Egypt's only female pharoah. Mystery, history, and family are all tied up together. Quite complicated plot. The setting is presented so vividly. **
 * Dive: Book Three the Danger by Gordon Korman **
 * You need to have read the the first two to be fully invested in the story. Having lost a supporter, the four teens, Kaz, Dante, Adriana, and Star, are in a race to claim a billion dollar treasure of sunken Spanish gold. This one races from one breathtaking (literally!!) incident to another that will leave you glad you're on dry land. Nice final resolution. Good for 4th + **
 * Dark Life by Kat Falls **
 * Two underwater novels in one weekend. Brrr. In this sciFi dystopia, Ty is a pioneer, born and raised on a farm under the sea. But he secretly harbors a Dark Gift. In an effort to help Topsider Gemma search for her brother, Ty's world starts to fall apart. By the end, the lines between good guys and bad guys are quite blurry. Some romance. Lots of hair-raising escapes. 5th+ Very good. **

**Word after Word After Word by Patricia MacLachlan** Very short account of an author's extended visit (weeks) to a class and four kids' responses. Easy reading. Lots of poetry. Seems slightly pedantic to me, but meant to be inspiring. 3rd+ **Flying Solo by Ralph Fletcher** A class of sixth graders arrive to find that their teacher is out and the sub is home sick too. And no one has noticed. What to do? Under everything is the stress caused by the death of a classmate six months ago, and the "right to remain silent" Rachel, who hasn't spoken since. The internal conflicts are thoughtfully presented. Teachers will love the writing samples. Consequences are interesting too. Very good. Short read. 4th+ **The Pale Assassin by Patricia Elliott** The cover is enough to hook a reader. Eugenie de Boncoeur is caught up in the swirling chaos of the French Revolution. She is an "aristo" and that becomes more and more dangerous. Then there is the mysterious La Fantome who is legally betrothed to Eugenie--in order to torture her. The plot builds right up to the last chapter. There are some hanging details that might indicate a sequel. Excellent historical fiction 7th+ **House of Dolls by Francesca Lia Block** Unusual story about a collection of dolls and their little girl who is so unhappy.. Her grandmother reinstills the magic and love. And restores life to the whole family. Very short but great opportunity for discussion. 4th+ **How Oliver Olson Changed the World by Claudia Mills** Oliver's teacher says one person with a big idea can change the world. But his parents do everything for him and keep him from being independent. A visit from their Colorado state representative is the catalyst for Oliver to change his world. OK. 2nd+ (possible read aloud) Colorado author **Departure Time by Truus Matti** Two stories of a young girl who is lost spiritually and in a dream(?) also physically. She arrives at a hotel populated by a fox and a rat. In her real life she is moving to a new home after the death of her father. Pieces are revealed gently through both story lines. The surrealism of the dream world is a terrific hook. What is really going on? This would be difficult to understand as an elementary student. But there is nothing to make it YA.