Please enable JavaScript
12 and up | Page 105 | LitPick Book Reviews
12 and up
Sophia's War: A Tale of the Revolution
Sophia's War
Avi
Lives hang in the balance in this gripping Revolutionary War adventure from a beloved Newbery medalist.In 1776, young Sophia Calderwood witnesses the execution of Nathan Hale in New York City, which is newly occupied by the British army. Sophia is horrified by the event and resolves to do all she can to help the American cause. Recruited as a spy, she becomes a maid in the home of General Clinton, the supreme commander of the British forces in America. Through her work she becomes aware that someone in the American army might be switching sides, and she uncovers a plot that will grievously damage the Americans if it succeeds. But the identity of the would-be traitor is so shocking that no one believes her, and so Sophia decides to stop the treacherous plot herself, at great personal peril: She’s young, she’s a girl, and she’s running out of time. And if she fails, she’s facing an execution of her own.     Master storyteller Avi shows exactly how personal politics can be in this riveting novel that is rich in historical detail and rife with action.

Book Details

Keeper of the Lost Cities
Keeper Of The Lost Cities
Shannon Messenger
A New York Times bestselling series A USA TODAY bestselling series A California Young Reader Medal–winning series In this riveting debut, a telepathic girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world—before the wrong person finds the answer first.Twelve-year-old Sophie has never quite fit into her life. She’s skipped multiple grades and doesn’t really connect with the older kids at school, but she’s not comfortable with her family, either. The reason? Sophie’s a Telepath, someone who can read minds. No one knows her secret—at least, that’s what she thinks… But the day Sophie meets Fitz, a mysterious (and adorable) boy, she learns she’s not alone. He’s a Telepath too, and it turns out the reason she has never felt at home is that, well…she isn’t. Fitz opens Sophie’s eyes to a shocking truth, and she is forced to leave behind her family for a new life in a place that is vastly different from what she has ever known. But Sophie still has secrets, and they’re buried deep in her memory for good reason: The answers are dangerous and in high-demand. What is her true identity, and why was she hidden among humans? The truth could mean life or death—and time is running out.

Book Details

Plague Riders (After the Dust Settled)
Plague Riders
Gabriel Goodman
Shep Greenfield is a plague rider. When his parents disappeared after an attack on their home, he agreed to deliver medicine for the sinister Doctor St. John. The doctor runs the camp of River's Edge with cruelty and total control. But the pills he makes are the only hope people have, now that the doomsday plague nightpox has hit Wisconsin. On one journey, Shep learns that his parents may still be alive. Doctor St. John forbids him to look for them. But with fellow rider Cara by his side, Shep saddles up his horse and escapes from River's Edge. The two young riders must race to stay ahead of the doctor's hunting pack and find Shep's parents before he loses them for good.

Book Details

Mallory McDonald, Super Snoop (Mallory, No. 18)
Mallory McDonald, Super Snoop
Jennifer Kalis, Laurie B. Friedman
Mallory is on a mission. Max, her brother, is spending all his time with his girlfriend and won't allow Mallory around for ANY of it. Mallory wants to know what's going on when they're together. Are Max and Winnie hatching secret plans? Are they causing danger? And as Max's sister, doesn't she have the right to know? Mallory McDonald, Super Snoop, is determined to spy on them. But when she digs up the dirt she's looking for, she'll find that snooping is messy business!

Book Details

Ashes of Twilight (Ashes of Twilight Trilogy Book 1)
Ashes of Twilight
Wren MacAvoy works as a coal miner for a domed city that was constructed in the mid-nineteenth century to protect the royal blood line of England when astronomers spotted a comet on a collision course with Earth. Humanity would be saved by the most groundbreaking technology of the time. But after nearly 200 years of life beneath the dome, society has become complacent and the coal is running out. Plus there are those who wonder, is there life outside the dome or is the world still consumed by fire? When one of Wren's friends escapes the confines of the dome, he is burned alive and put on display as a warning to those seeking to disrupt the dome's way of life. But Alex's final words are haunting. "The sky is blue." What happens next is a whirlwind of adventure, romance, conspiracy and the struggle to stay alive in a world where nothing is as it seems. Wren unwittingly becomes a catalyst for a revolution that destroys the dome and the only way to survive might be to embrace what the entire society has feared their entire existence.Ashes of Twilight is the first book in a trilogy by Kassy Tayler.

Book Details

Changeling
Changeling
Kelly Meding
HEROES FOR HIREAfter barely escaping a madman’s attempt to annihilate all MetaHumans, Kelly Meding’s supernatural crime fighters have banded together to take back the streets of war-ravaged Los Angeles.Dahlia “Ember” Perkins still feels like an outsider among her new Meta friends, despite everything she’s been through since coming into her miraculous ability to absorb heat and extinguish fires. But when the police need help investigating human skins discarded like slipcovers on the street, the Metas’ youngest team member quickly finds her place. Evidence points to a murderer the likes of which they have never encountered but who inexplicably seems to be gunning for Dahlia—and who may be neither human nor Meta. After a bullet meant for her nearly kills one of her teammates, Dahlia uncovers a connection to the crimes buried deep in her past. As the danger escalates and her personal life falls apart, Dahlia soon learns there’s no such thing as a “normal” relationship when you’re a superhero. . . .

Book Details

Waking Storms (The Lost Voices Trilogy)
Waking Storms
Sarah Porter
After parting ways with her troubled mermaid tribe, Luce just wants to live peacefully on her own. But her tranquility doesn’t last long: she receives news that the tribe is on the verge of collapse and desperately needs her leadership. The tribe’s cruel queen wants Luce dead. Dorian, the boy Luce broke mermaid law to save, is determined to make her pay for her part in the murder of his family. And while the mermaids cling to the idea that humans never suspect their existence, there are suddenly ominous signs to the contrary.      But when Luce and Dorian meet, they start to wonder if love can overpower the hatred they know they should feel for each other. Can Luce fulfill her rightful role as queen of the mermaids without sacrificing her forbidden romance with Dorian?

Book Details

Rapture (Fallen)
Rapture: A Fallen Novel
Lauren Kate
The conclusion to the worldwide bestselling FALLEN series, with exclusive content from the darkly romantic world of FALLEN and an excerpt of Lauren Kate's novel TEARDROP.A USA Today bestsellerA New York Times bestselling seriesMore than 3 million series copies in print!When evil triumphs . . . when the world ends . . . trust your love.The sky is dark with wings. . . . Like sand in an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past, they must find the place where the angels fell to earth. Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn't know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again. Yet together they will face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed. And suddenly Luce knows what must happen. For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they've borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now will be the only one that truly matters. In the fight for Luce, who will win? The astonishing conclusion to the Fallen series. Heaven can't wait any longer.And don't miss FALLEN on the big screen! The first book in the worldwide bestselling FALLEN series is now a motion picture available for streaming.“Sexy and fascinating and scary . . . I loved loved loved it!”—P. C. Cast, New York Times bestselling author on Fallen 

Book Details

Fire in the Streets
Fire In the Streets
Kekla Magoon
What means more, shared values or shared blood? Maxie’s choice changes everything in this acclaimed companion to The Rock and the River.Bad things happen in the heat, they say.     Maxie knows all about how fire can erupt at a moment’s notice, especially now, in the sweltering Chicago summer of 1968. She is a Black Panther—or at least she wants to be one. Maxie believes in the movement. She wants to belong. She wants to join the struggle. But everyone keeps telling her she’s too young. At fourteen, she’s allowed to help out in the office, but she certainly can’t help patrol the streets. Then Maxie realizes that there is a traitor in their midst, and if she can figure out who it is, it may be her ticket to becoming a real Panther. But when she learns the truth, the knowledge threatens to destroy her world. Maxie must decide: Is becoming a Panther worth paying the ultimate price?

Book Details

Burn for Burn (The Burn for Burn Trilogy)
Burn For Burn
Siobhan Vivian, Jenny Han
Payback is paradise in this start to a trilogy from New York Times bestselling author of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (soon to be a major motion picture!), Jenny Han, and New York Times bestselling author of The List, Siobhan Vivian.Postcard-perfect Jar Island is home to charming tourist shops, pristine beaches, amazing oceanfront homes—and three girls secretly plotting revenge. KAT is sick and tired of being bullied by her former best friend. LILLIA has always looked out for her little sister, so when she discovers that one of her guy friends has been secretly hooking up with her, she’s going to put a stop to it. MARY is perpetually haunted by a traumatic event from years past, and the boy who’s responsible has yet to get what’s coming to him. None of the girls can act on their revenge fantasies alone without being suspected. But together…anything is possible. With an unlikely alliance in place, there will be no more “I wish I’d said…” or “If I could go back and do things differently...” These girls will show Jar Island that revenge is a dish best enjoyed together.

Book Details

Pages



RECENT BOOK REVIEWS