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Adventure | Page 103 | LitPick Book Reviews
Adventure
Not Like You
Not Like You
Deborah Davis
"Starting a new chapter" is how Kayla’s mother, Marilyn, has always referred to their abrupt moves—five in the past two years. But what 15-year-old Kayla hates even more than moving is Marilyn’s drinking. It once landed Kayla in foster care, and she’ll do anything to keep that from happening again, even if it means making sacrifices in her own life to keep her mother from falling apart.Now Marilyn has moved them to New Mexico and promised, yet again, to quit booze for good. Kayla knows better than to believe her, but something about this move does feel different. Kayla is putting down roots, earning money as a dog walker, and spending time with Remy, a 24-year-old musician. And after years of taking care of her mother, Kayla is starting to think of herself and who she wants to be. She knows for sure who she doesn’t want to be. But is she willing to do whatever it takes to create a different life for herself—even if it means leaving her mother behind?Sharply honest and beautifully written, this powerful novel is about loving someone else enough to stay with her through anything—and loving yourself enough to let her go.

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On the Wings of Heroes
On The Wings Of Heroes
Richard Peck
Davy Bowman’s brother and their dad hung the moon. Dad looks forward to Halloween more than a kid, and Davy’s brother, Bill, flies B-17s. Davy adores these two heroes and tries his best to follow their lead, especially now. World War II has invaded Davy’s homefront boyhood. There’s an air raid drill in the classroom, and being a kid is an endless scrap drive. Bill has joined up, breaking their dad’s heart. It’s an intense, confusing time, and one that will invite Davy to grow up in a hurry. Still, Richard Peck is a master of comedy, and even in this novel of wartime uncertainty, he infuses his tale with humor: oddballs and rascals and boyhood misadventures alongside the poignant moments. This is one of Richard Peck’s very finest novels—a tender, unforgettable portrait of the World War II homefront and a family’s love.

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Silent Echoes
Silent Echoes
Carla Jablonski
Focusing on two girls living in two different eras, the reaction to these women hearing voices is vastly different as one is revered by the rich as a talented medium while the other is hospitalized and labeled a schizophrenic.

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Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean
Vampirates
Justin Somper
Twins, Connor and Grace, never dreamed that there was any truth to the Vampirate shanty their father sang to them before he died, but that was before the two were shipwrecked and separated from each other. For Connor, who is taken aboard a pirate ship, there's the chance to learn to swordfight, but for Grace, aboard a mysterious ship of vampire pirates, the danger is great. What will it take for them to find each other? "Totally original...I wish I'd had this idea." -Anthony Horowitz

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Hattie Big Sky
Hattie Big Sky
Kirby Larson
Alone in the world, teen-aged Hattie is driven to prove up on her uncle's homesteading claim.For years, sixteen-year-old Hattie's been shuttled between relatives. Tired of being Hattie Here-and-There, she courageously leaves Iowa to prove up on her late uncle's homestead claim near Vida, Montana. With a stubborn stick-to-itiveness, Hattie faces frost, drought and blizzards. Despite many hardships, Hattie forges ahead, sharing her adventures with her friends--especially Charlie, fighting in France--through letters and articles for her hometown paper.Her backbreaking quest for a home is lightened by her neighbors, the Muellers. But she feels threatened by pressure to be a "Loyal" American, forbidding friendships with folks of German descent. Despite everything, Hattie's determined to stay until a tragedy causes her to discover the true meaning of home.

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Dragon Avenger (Age of Fire, Book 2)
Dragon Avenger
E.E. Knight
Flung to freedom as their mother battles a group of slave-trading dwarves, young Wistala and her gray, scaleless brother, Auron, find themselves alone in the Upper World. And when Auron sacrifices himself so that she may live, Wistala must overcome her grief and fear to find others of her kind-and bring her wrath to bear on those who would destroy them.

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The Spider Stone (Rogue Angel, Book 3)
Rogue Angel: The Spider Stone
Alex Archer
In the crumbling remains of a tunnel that was part of the Underground Railroad, a mysterious artifact reveals one of the darkest secrets of Africa's ancient past. Intrigued by the strange, encrypted stone, archaeologist Annja Creed opens a door to a world—and a legend—bound by a fierce and terrible force. She is not alone in her pursuit of the impossible. A bloodthirsty African warlord, and an international corporate magnate exploiting a land, a culture and a people, are equally anxious to stake their claim on the relic's unknown power. Annja's odyssey deep into the primeval jungles of Senegal becomes a desperate race to stop those eager to unleash the virulence of the Spider God….

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Destiny (Rogue Angel, Book 1)
Rogue Angel: Destiny
Alex Archer
An ancient order tied to the Vatican... A blood fortune buried in the caves of France... A conspiracy of power, greed and darkest evil... Archaeologist and explorer Annja Creed's fascination with the myths and mysteries of the past leads her to a crypt in the caves of France, where the terrifying legend of the Beast of Gevaudan hints at the unimaginable. What she discovers is shattering: an artifact that will seal her destiny; a brotherhood of monks willing to murder to protect their secret; and a powerful black-market occultist desperate to put his own claim to centuries-old blood money. Annja embarks on a high-tension race across Europe and history itself, intent on linking the unholy treachery of the ages with the staggering revelations of the present. But she must survive the shadow figures determined to silence her threat to their existence.

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The Eternal Flame (The Great Tree of Avalon, Book 3)
The Great Tree of Avalon
T. A. Barron
Avalon, the great tree world connecting the earth and the heavens, is about to be destroyed. The warlord Rhita Gawr is bent on conquest—and using an army of deathless warriors, a corrupted crystal, and a plague of arrogance and greed to succeed. Three unlikely heroes are Avalon's only hope. Tamwyn, the wilderness guide, must travel the secret pathway to the stars. Elli, the brave young priestess, must defeat a terrible sorcerer in a realm of utter darkness. And Scree, the eagleman, must lead his winged people to do what seems impossible . . . This spectacular final volume of T. A. Barron's bestselling trilogy combines gripping adventure with profound ideas about the powerful connections between humanity and the world.

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The Yanti (An Alosha Novel)
The Yanti
Christopher Pike
In Alosha and The Shaktra, thirteen-year-old Ali Warner discovered that she was not an ordinary teenager, but was actually Queen of the Fairies. Through seven painful trials, Ali reclaimed many of her magical powers and defeated an elemental army that was preparing to attack the Earth. In the elemental world, Ali learned the true nature of her greatest enemy -- the Shaktra -- and discovered why it covets the Yanti, a mystical talisman of immense power that Ali now possesses.Now, in The Yanti, Ali discovers that a mysterious Entity is masterminding the Shaktra's attack on Earth, an attack that will kill billions and leave both Earth and the elemental world shattered. Still reeling from the death of one of her closest friends, Ali finds herself accused of murder on Earth and besieged by enemies in the elemental world. The Shaktra has had years to develop her magical abilities and her evil plots, guided by the otherworldly Entity. Ali has only known about her fairy powers for a month. There are holes in her fairy memories and her powers are still incomplete, while the Shaktra commands vast armies of hideous monsters and rules over hosts of dragons.Ali's allies are few: one dragon, one leprechaun, a single troll, a handful of fairies and an African boy, Ra, who has sworn to serve Ali even beyond death. Plus the mysterious disembodied Nemi -- whose love sustains Ali through her darkest moments of despair. Only the Yanti can stop what is to come. Unfortunately, Ali has barely had a chance to study it. The first time she tries to use it as a weapon, it nearly kills her. Unless Ali Warner can solve the riddle of the Yanti - and the mystery behind the Shaktra's insane bitterness -- then the Earth and the elemental world will be doomed.

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