Graceling

by Kristin Cashore

       Katsa is a Graceling, one of a number of people in the Seven Kingdoms who are born with special abilities, or Graces.  The Graces can be anything and everything, from being graced with cooking, to giftedness in treating horses, to having a Grace to kill--like Katsa.  Graced people are feared by the general population and often exploited by the rulers of the Kingdoms.  Katsa lives with her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and she uses her Grace at his command.  Katsa hates the tasks of killing and intimidation that her uncle sends her to do, but she fears him and feels she has no choice.  Her way of rebelling has been to organize a secret Council with her cousin Prince Raffin, which undertakes missions of mercy throughout the Seven Kingdoms--a Council which her uncle the King must never learn about.

       In the middle of a rescue mission, Katsa first meets Prince Po, a graceling gifted with combat skills, though his skill can't compare with Katsa's.  She never expects to meet him again, and certainly never expects to be his friend.  But circumstances throw the two together again on a mission to discover the reason for the kidnapping of Po's grandfather.  This quest leads them into more danger than they could have imagined, and cements their friendship forever.

       This debut fantasy novel of author Cashore, is filled with appealing characters and tension-filled adventure.  The companion novel Fire is also in the LVJH library with a new cast of characters except one.  With the publication of these two novels, new author Kristin Cashore promises to be a favorite young adult author for years to come.   Reviewed by Mrs. Sams.



                                                                                                                                

Fat Cat

by Robin Brande

       Catherine may be really overweight, but she's also really smart.  She is in all AP classes with most of the same students every period, including Matt McKinney, her ex-best friend.  Her hardest class of the school year will be Mr. Fizer's Special Topics in Research Science class, where she is given a picture which will be the basis for a year-long research project.  For a student like Cat, who wants to go to a top-tier college, this project could be the thing that makes the difference between just passing the class and getting an outstanding recommendation and scholarship.  When Cat looks at the picture she has chosen, her heart sinks.  It is the picture of prehistoric people, naked and eating raw meat.  They are slim and muscular.  The woman appears strong and capable of hunting and taking care of herself--everything Cat isn't.  Cat stares at this picture most of the time she has to come up with her project proposal.  Her mind is blank.  The time is nearly up when she realizes exactly what she wants to do.  She will become her own project.  She will transform herself into a prehistoric woman--eat what they ate, live as closely to their lifestyle as it was practical to do.   For 207 days, Cat would eat vegetarian, walk most places, and live without her technology.  And at the end, she knew she would be a new person!  With the help of her best friend Amanda, Cat changes in just about every way possible, and gains the self-confidence she lost four years ago when she was betrayed.

       Funny, thought-provoking, and challenging, Fat Cat is a great novel for any teen, but especially for those who want to make themselves into someone better.  On the 2012 Texas Lone Star Reading list.  

       ~reviewed by Mrs. Sams 

Stuck on Earth
by David Klass

The first two chapters of Stuck on Earth are some of the funniest, most attention-grabbing first pages of a novel that I've read in a while.  An alien space ship orbiting Earth is checking out the planet for possible colonization by the Lugonians, a species whose sun is about to go super nova.  Katchvar III, a snail-like creature, has been sent to Earth to inhabit the body of a 14-year-old boy, to evaluate the human race and determine whether it deserves to live or be exterminated.  It is a well-known fact that humans are very violent beings with little positive to be said about them.  Ketchvar's host body, Tom Filber, and his family just seem to prove what is already known--humans are mean and destructive and don't deserve the beautiful planet they inhabit.
        While this story has a funny beginning, not far into to book it becomes obvious how miserable and dysfunctional Tom's life really is.  It is questionable whether Ketchvar is a real alien, or an alternate personality that Tom uses to deal with his unhappy life.  That question hangs over the remainder of the novel, causing the reader to constantly wonder if this is an entertaining sci-fi novel, or an intense story about a troubled teen.  The budding relationship with the girl next door, Ketchvar's environmental project to research the cause of pollution in the local river, and Tom/Ketchvar's struggle to connect with his father make this a novel which can be read on several levels. You will have to decide for yourself whether or not Ketchvar III is a real being from outer space or a figment of Tom's imagination.  Stuck on Earth is on the 2012 Texas Lone Star Reading List and highly recommended.
             ~reviewed by Mrs. Sams

The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet   by Erin Dionne

    Being invisible to anyone who might make your life miserable, or even uncomfortable, is the goal of many junior high students.  Nothing could be worse than saying the wrong thing, and opening up yourself to humiliation.  So, you don't say anything at all. You don't want to attract the negative attention of your teachers, so you do your best to pass your classes.  On the other hand, you don't want to be considered a geek by fellow students, so you certainly can't do really well in your classes. You must wear the same kind of clothes as everyone else, like the same music, watch the same TV shows, and generally do your best to fly under the radar.
     Such is the goal of Hamlet Kennedy.  Her higest wish is to have a good, normal 8th grade year.  She never could have imagined how difficult that would prove to be. It was bad enough that she has the strangest family anywhere, but now it appears that her genius 7 year-old sister will be attending her school to take some fine arts classes.  Can life get any worse?  An appearance in Renaissance garb by her Shakespeare-loving parents, a befriending of her little sister by her two worst enemies, and a secret admirer who keeps putting origami pigs in her locker say yes!
    A fun, light-hearted story, The Total Tragedy of a Girl named Hamlet, hits the nail on the head when describing the troubles and anxiety of an 8th-grade girl. On the 2011 Texas Lones Star list, and available in the library.
                    ~reviewed by Mrs. Sams
   



A Season

of Gifts

by Richard Peck

      I've got to admit, A Season of Gifts is a great example of my favorite kind of book--the plot not so important, but filled with funny, quirky characters doing sweet and hilarious things, filled with witty turns of phrase.  In this case, it's Mrs. Dowdel who lives next door to the new Methodist preacher and his family.  Mrs. Dowdel is old as the ground her dilapidated house sits on and as big as the side of a barn.  But she doesn't let that stop her.  She is busy from dawn till forever every single day, working in her garden and doing a variety of other things that keep her and half the town fed and clothed.  She hides a heart as big as all outdoors with a grouchy exterior.  She has a finely tuned sense of justice and has the creativity to see justice served when no one else is able to. Just ask Roscoe Burdick, the town troublemaker.  Most people either know to stay out of her way, or are foolish enough to think she's a helpless old woman.  Woe to the one who underestimates her abilities! 

      In A Season of Gifts, Peck follows the adventures of Bob and his sisters Ruth Ann and Phyllis as they settle in to small-town life next door to Mrs. Dowdel.  From haunted houses to a funeral for an Indian princess, Peck keeps the laughs coming.  Season is a companion volume to Newbery award winner, A Year Down Yonder, and Newbery Honor book, A Long Way from Chicago, which is in our school library.  This heart-warming story is a quick read and highly recommended.   ~reviewed by Mrs. Sams

Hero
by Mike Lupica

Mike Lupica is known for his outstanding sports novels for young adults.  With Hero he takes on a whole new genre--superheroes.  Zach Harriman and his parents live in an amazing apartment on Fifth Avenue in New York City.  Zach can look across the street to Central Park, a place he loves better than any other.  Zach's dad is some sort of top secret trouble-shooter for the U.S. government, and answers to the President.  Very cool, except he's always gone, and Zach can't help being resentful.  Then, one day Zach just knows that his dad is dead, and he runs all the way home from school to learn that his father has died in a plane crash.  Zach knows something isn't right, because his dad was the best pilot on the planet.  Something is definitely suspicious.  
      Zach knows he won't be able to move on until he visits the site of his father's plane crash.  With the help of his best friend, Kate, he makes plans to take a bus out to the crash site.  Once there, strange things begin happening, including the appearance of an old man named Mr. Herbert, who seems to know all about Zach and his dad.  And he tells Zach that he has the magic, just like his father did.   At that moment, Mr. Herbert walks away fast, with Zach following.  And then, all of sudden, Zach finds himself back in New York City, though seconds before he had been three hours away.  So begins Zach's discovery of the magic within him.  He begins to exhibit more and more powers, and he just knows when he needs to leave the apartment for an encounter with the "bads."  He learns that he can trust very few people, even the ones he thought he knew the best.  Hero is a classic tale of good against evil, which just cries out for a sequel as Zach becomes more and more confident in his super abilities. 
Recommended.    ~Reviewed by Mrs. Sams
     


    

THEODORE
              kid lawyer
BOONE
By John Grisham

Theo Boone, 13, already thinks of himself as a lawyer.  He is the only child of two good lawyers in town, he knows most of the other lawyers, judges, clerks, and bailiffs in town and at the courthouse, and he has picked up a lot of knowledge about the law by hanging around and listening.  It is no wonder that all his classmates at school come to him when they have problems connected with the law--everything from a dog in the pound to an older brother in jail on drug charges. 

The biggest murder trial this town has ever had is going on at the courthouse right now, Judge Henry Gantry presiding, and Theo has a burning desire to be present for every bit of it.  The only problem is that he can't skip school.  Fortunately, he and Judge Gantry are tight, and he gets permission for his government class to be present in the courtroom on the first day of the trial.  After that, he has to rush over after school to watch, and then fill in the gaps by hacking into the court reporters' secure system.  Since there is no hard evidence, it looks like the defendent is going to get off scot free, even though Theo is convinced he really murdered his wife.

For Theo, the murder trial becomes personal when a friend of his tells him he might know something about the murder, and introduces him to an eye witness to the crime.  The only problem is that the witness is terrified of the police and doesn't want to testify because he is an illegal immigrant.  He can't afford to be jailed or sent out of the country.  Theo spends several sleepless nights trying to figure out how to handle this situation before he finally trusts the adults in his life.

This is John Grisham's first novel for kids.  While Theodore Boone is a likable character, the plot is a little slow.  Grisham spends a lot of time setting up the storyline, and then there are few surprises.  Still, it is an enjoyable read and would appeal to some kids who are interested in the law, or who don't need tons of action to enjoy a book.  I'd expect a second Theo Boone offering to be much better.        ~reviewed by Mrs. Sams

little princes

One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal

by CONOR GRENNAN

Stories like Little Princes, which I couldn't help but compare to Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea, convince me that even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, there is some good in human beings, that people do have the ability to change for the better, and that one man can make a difference.  That evidence, and the enthralling tale of rescuing abandoned and abused children in the middle of a remote and civil war-torn country like Nepal, made this book one that I couldn't put down.  Conor Grennan, a well-educated, international public affairs think-tank consultant, needed a break from his job, and as a single guy with a little savings, he had the resources to take a year off to travel around the world.  He decided to spend the first couple of months volunteering in a Nepalese orphanage, mostly because it sounded dangerous and would impress women in bars.  However, he had only been at Little Princes, an orphanage outside Kathmandu started by a French woman, for a few weeks when these children had completely won his heart.

The more he learned about the background of these children the more he wanted to help them, and when he discovered that most of them were not orphans at all, but trafficked children, essentially stolen from their parents in Humla, a dangerous and distant part of Nepal, he realized he intended to come back and try to reconnect them with their parents.  Back in the United States, Conor raises funds, and makes plans to return to Little Princes.  While in the States, he learns that seven children he expected to be moved to a safe house, had disappeared.  He blamed himself, and his resolve to return, find those seven, and establish his own safe house became his passion. 

The narrative of Conor's return, working with a government official to find his seven children, establishing his own home for children with the help of Farid, a dedicated Frenchman who loved the children as much as Conor did, and trekking into Humla to find the parents of the children at Little Princes, is a fascinating and engrossing story.  Conor Grennan writes with intensity and humor, making Little Princes an inspiring and entertaining read.  Well worth the time!!        Reviewed by Dail Sams







Epitaph Road

by David Patneaude

Earth in 2097 is a very different place than it had been in 2067.  After Elisha's Bear, the plague that wiped out 97% of Earth's male population, women had to take over everything--government, research, teaching, criminal justice, medicine--everything.  And with their control came stability, drastically reduced crime, environmental improvements, reduction of hunger and poverty.  The few men left in the world had two choices.  They could live extremely tightly controlled lives in the high population areas, or they could escape to the wilderness and become "throwbacks" or loners.  Fourteen-year-old Kellen lives in Seattle with his mother, an important official in PAC, the Population Apportionment Council, goes to school, studies constantly to pass his trials so that he might have a chance at a good job and fulfilled life.  His father is a loner and a fisherman, whom Kellen sees only rarely.  And though she had promised Kellen earlier that he could visit his father soon, she now keeps putting him off.  Kellen is becoming suspicious that something big is about to happen, and has little reason to fully trust his mother.  Eavesdropping, he learns that Elisha's Bear will be planted in the area where his father lives.  By doing online research guided by an unorthodox teacher, Kellen and two girls in his class begin to learn the truth about the plague, and decide to escape to the Olympic peninsula to warn his dad about the coming danger.  They couldn't possibly realize how dangerous this decision will be, and the unknown terror they are heading toward.   Epitaph Road is a different take on a future world which had been pulled back from the brink of destruction.  ~reviewed by Mrs. Sams

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dirty little secrets

by c.J. omololu

        Lucy, a high school junior, lives every minute of the day with a shameful secret.  She spends much of her energy just keeping her real life hidden from everyone she knows.  Her secret is something she has endured for as long as she can remember.  Her older brother and sister lived with it too, until they graduated from high school and escaped.  Now Lucy just has to hang on for another year-and-a-half, and she can escape too.  But most of the time it seems like she just can't make it that long.  For almost the first time in her life, she has a best friend, and a maybe boyfriend.  She believes she would lose them forever if they found out how she and her mother live--if they saw the mounds of junk, newspapers, and rotting garbage her mother collects and refuses to throw away inside their house.

       One day Lucy comes home to find her mother's dead body lying on the hallway floor.  She realizes her carefully hidden life will be revealed to the world if she calls 911.  Her dream of living a normal life will be over when she brings in the authorities.  Lucy is just not willing to give up the dream.  It is up to her to decide what to do and to deal with the situation all alone...

              ~reveiwed by Mrs. Sams