Please enable JavaScript
All Books | Page 111 | LitPick Book Reviews
All Books
Wither
Lauren DeStefano
Synopsis: By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?

Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?
Publication Date: 03/22/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
Ask Amy Green: Summer Secrets
Synopsis: Amy is trapped in family vacation hell- until she and Clover, her teenage aunt, get a chance to interview a hot U.S. movie star with a secret.
(Age 11 and up)

Could this summer be any worse? Thirteen-year-old Amy’s dreamy boyfriend, Seth, is off to Rome, while she gets to spend two weeks on a tiny Irish island with a nagging mom and a neurotic aunt locked in a feud, not to mention a crazy stepdad and a surly cousin. Good thing Clover, teen advice columnist supreme, is there to keep Amy from going completely nuts! It doesn’t help Amy’s changeable mood that Seth keeps mentioning some girl in his e-mails, or that Amy feels an electric attraction to the mysterious young gardener next door. So when The Goss magazine unexpectedly sends Clover to glitzy Miami to write a revealing piece on a hot young actor (with Amy as her sidekick, of course) it couldn’t come at a better time. U.S. of A-mazing- here they come!
Publication Date: 03/22/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Bloodline Rising
Katy Moran
Synopsis: A story of loyalties tested, secrets exposed, and one boy’s search for identity amid the tangled political intrigue and deception of the Dark Ages.

A young thief known as "the Ghost" roams seventh-century Constantinople, tangling in political feuds and petty theft, using his eerie gifts of persuasion and stealth. With his father away at war and his mother devastated by his little sister’s death, Cai would rather be anywhere than at home. But when a rival ambushes and sells Cai as a slave, he begins to regret his choices. Aboard the slavers’ ship, Cai travels far from the warmth of Constantinople into his parents’ homeland — the forbidding land of Britain, where war is brewing between tribes. Bought by a clan head, Cai finds a new life as a tribal member, and using his uncanny talents, is put to work as a spy. The secrets he discovers, however, kindle doubt and disloyalty in his heart. Adrift in a society he still feels apart from, Cai seeks truth and revenge, throwing his life to the wind with startling results.
Publication Date: 03/22/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction
Gaia Warriors
James Lovelock, Nicola Davies
Synopsis: A book on global warming like no other, merging key concepts with firsthand accounts from people of all ages who have found ways to help.

(Ages 11-14)

Inspired by the work of outstanding scientist and thinker James Lovelock and written by acclaimed author Nicola Davies, here is a book that takes a clear look at how and why Earth’s climate is changing and the ways we can deal with it. Its style is simple and its explanations are compelling, illuminating not only hard facts but also the opinions and potential solutions of scientists all over the world. But there are other voices too, those of people young and old — lawyers, food producers, fashion designers, scientists, rock stars, architects, conservationists, kids, campaigners, and more — who are trying to change the way they (and we) live on the planet. At once comprehensive and accessible, this galvanizing call to arms includes web links and resources that make it easy to join the cause.
Back matter includes an afterword, resources for further information, a glossary, and an index.
Publication Date: 03/22/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Nonfiction
Cheesie Mack
Adam McCauley, Steve Cotler
Synopsis: "Cheesie Mack is a true original." —Gordon Korman, bestselling author of Swindle and Schooled

Ronald "Cheesie" Mack is not a genius or anything, but he remembers everything that happened before, during, and after fifth-grade graduation, and he's written it all down in his own unique and hilarious way—with lots of lists, drawings, and splenderful (that's splendid plus wonderful!) made-up words.

Cheesie—with a little help from Steve Cotler—writes about family, friendship, and tough choices in an unforgettable voice that will have kids laughing out loud. Readers of Diary of a Wimpy Kid will love both the clever humor and the black-and-white illustrations throughout.
Publication Date: 03/22/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Invincible
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Synopsis:

Nick Gautier's day just keeps getting better and better. Yeah, he survived the zombie attacks, only to wake up and find himself enslaved to a world of shapeshifters and demons out to claim his soul.

His new principal thinks he's even more of a hoodlum than the last one, his coach is trying to recruit him to things he can't even mention and the girl he's not seeing, but is, has secrets that terrify him.

But more than that, he's being groomed by the darkest of powers and if he doesn't learn how to raise the dead by the end of the week, he will become one of them...

Publication Date: 03/22/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Diary of a Part-Time Ghost
Synopsis: Fifteen-year old Ash wants nothing more than to be a normal kid and avoid trouble. And then his birthday gift transforms him into a ghost and zaps him back in time to the beginning of the American Revolution. If he thought that was bad, it's about to get a whole lot worse. Armed only with an ancient history book and the quirky advice of an annoying mentor, Ash must rescue his ancestor from one danger after another, including an implacable enemy who controls the very shadows. What starts out as a brief experiment in time travel rapidly changes into a race for his very survival, and Ash is running out of time. Despite his efforts to stay out of trouble, Ash finds plenty of it as he must decide what his role will be in the shifting balance of forces. Humorous and action-packed, Diary of a Part-Time Ghost will hold readers in its grip from the first sentence to the last. Book 2, 'Where Shadows Dance', is out: amazon.com/Where-Shadows-Dance-Ghosts-Volume/dp/1470179857/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
Publication Date: 03/22/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Calendar Mysteries: May Magic
John Steven Gurney, Ron Roy
Synopsis:

From the author of the popular A to Z Mysteries comes a story of magical mayhem featuring the younger siblings of the A to Z Mysteries kids!

May is for Magic...

In the fifth book of the Calendar Mysteries - an early chapter book mystery series - twins Bradly and Brian are celebrating Mother's Day by treating their mom to a hypnotist's show. But when the Pinto family gets home from the show, the twins' mom starts acting strange. She splashes in the bathtub for hours, she leaves corn kernels all over - she even quacks! Bradley thinks his mom has been hypnotized into believing she's a duck! Can Bradley and Brian, with help from their friends Lucy and Nate, turn their mom back into their mom?

Parents, teachers, and librarians agree that these highly collectible chapter books are perfect for emerging readers and any kid who loves mysteries!

Publication Date: 03/22/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Mystery
The Door in the Forest
Roderick Townley
Synopsis: At the mid point of three towns, in the center of three streams, in the heart of a forest, lies a mysterious island. Encircled by quicksand and sewn shut by vines, it is impenetrable to all but the poisonous snakes patrolling its waters. But Daniel is determined to get there, along with his friend Emily.

Emily is a bit mysterious herself. A girl who seems to know more than she can say, whose mother was taken away by government troops, and whose eccentric grandmother reads the future in her bubble bath.

Enter the soldiers. Their menacing commander is terribly interested in sleepy little Everwood. Is he searching for something? A treasure map? The island? The girl?

Roderick Townley spins a magical tale of lies and truths, of secrets kept and secrets revealed.

Sooner or later, we all must step through the door in the forest.
Publication Date: 03/22/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Mystery
The Golden Ghost
Peter Ferguson, Marion Dane Bauer
Synopsis: Delsie knew it wasn't a good idea to dare her best friend Todd to explore the abandoned houses by the old mill. But she couldn't back down after the words slipped out of her mouth. Together the two friends bike to the mill and try the door of each abandoned house. They are all locked . . . except one. Delsie and Todd sneak inside and discover two strange things. Someone is living there. And something doesn't want Delsie to leave. It's a dog, a strange golden dog, that only Delsie can see!

Newbery Honor-winning author Marion Dane Bauer spins a fourth spooky tale to complement her previous stories, The Blue Ghost, The Red Ghost, and The Green Ghost.
Publication Date: 03/22/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Purple Daze
Sherry Shahan
Synopsis: Purple Daze is a young adult novel set in suburban Los Angeles in 1965. Six high school students share their experiences and feelings in interconnected free verse and traditional poems about war, feminism, riots, love, racism, rock 'n' roll, high school, and friendship.

Although there have been verse novels published recently, none explore the changing and volatile 1960's in America-- a time when young people drove a cultural and political revolution. With themes like the costs and casualties of war, the consequences of sex, and the complex relationships between teens, their peers, and their parents, this story is still as relevant today as it was 45 years ago.

Publication Date: 03/22/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Poetry
Iglu
Jacob Sackin
Synopsis:

The rising sea has swallowed up most of the Iñupiaq people's native land and millions of Americans from the lower forty-eight are being relocated to Alaska due to the devastation from global warming. But when the Iñupiaq people rise up to fight for the survival of their culture, the private army Skyhawk is brought in to subdue the growing insurgency and the Iñupiaq rebels are labeled as terrorists. Separated from her family in the aftermath of the ensuing battle, fourteen-year-old April Ipalook desperately searches for a place of refuge amidst the war zone of northern Alaska.

Publication Date: 03/21/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Secret of Willow Patch
Ms. Tabitha Kristen, Mrs. Becky Ayers
Synopsis: After moving to Middleton Heights and meeting Tina Brooks, a sweet girl that lived down the street, David, Sherry and Cody become entangled in an adventure that most children could only imagine. When people start vanishing, they must solve the mystery with a little help from their reclusive neighbors, which is not an easy task. As they race against the clock to find their family and friends, they meet more than a few obstacles and unusual characters along the way. Will they finally reveal The Secret of Willow Patch?
Publication Date: 03/21/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Sanna, Sorceress Apprentice
Roxanna Matthews
Synopsis: The Thon Academy of Higher Magic will make Sanna a Sorceress, if she can just learn to conform. Her talents lie in the fiber arts-knitting waterproof socks and self-heating mittens. She angers a rogue sorcerer, and rescues a handsome prince who wants to marry her. Will she choose love, or magic? Includes pattern for Makeshift Mobius scarf.
Publication Date: 03/20/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Epiworld
Tracey Morait
Synopsis: Britain 2099. All human diseases have been eradicated by genetic cleansing, but there are still people who are 'unclean' and locked away in institutions. Travis is one of them, until one day Dr Alexander helps him to escape to a world where nothing makes sense. Travis has powerful seizures which take him and his new friend Demi on a quest through time to seek and destroy Chase, the man he hates. Along the way he has to deal with shocks, surprises, traumas, and death, until at last he ends up on a beach, where his fate will finally be decided.
Publication Date: 03/19/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Marked, Soul Guardians Book 1
Synopsis: --READERS FAVORITE AWARD WINNER 2011--

Sixteen year-old Kara Nightingale's ordinary life is suddenly turned upside-down when she dies in a freak accident, and she wakes up in a strange new world with a new career--as a rookie for the Guardian Angel Legion. Kara hurtles towards dangerous missions with the help of her Petty Officer and friend, David. But when she discovers a Mark on her leg, the entire Legion accuses her of being a Demon spy. Angels are dying, and David begins to pull away from her. Can Kara prove her innocence as she becomes the Legion's only hope? It's going to take a miracle to save the Legion, and Kara's luck has just run out...
Publication Date: 03/18/11
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy

Pages



RECENT BOOK REVIEWS