Graceling (Seven Kingdoms #1)

Graceling is the debut novel by Kristin Cashore. It is the first in a series featuring the same land if not always the same characters.

When people are born with an extreme skill it is called a grace and the person a Graceling. The skill is accompanied by the changing of their eye color so that the eyes are two different colors.

Katsa's grace is the grace of killing - a grace she is burdened with and must learn to control so that she doesn't hurt someone she does not intend to hurt. Her uncle, the king of Middluns uses her grace to keep his citizens in line. Her reputation as a thug has spread across all seven kingdoms that make up the land. But Katsa does not enjoy hurting others.

To balance the pain she causes in the name of the king, Katsa has formed a secret council that helps people. During the council rescue of an old man she meets a strange man from the kingdom of Lienid - the first person she has met who can almost match her skill as a fighter. Together they will explore their graces and try to save a young princess in trouble.

Cashore has written a great young adult fantasy novel in Graceling. I will be watching her closely awaiting her next book!

Cashore, Kristin. (2008). Graceling. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Deadville

Deadville by Ron Koertge is about learning to live again after a loss.

Ryan is a stoner. He has been one since his little sister went into the hospital to die two years ago. It was his way of coping - or not having to cope.

When a classmate falls off of her horse and ends up in a coma his friend drags him to the hospital to see her. After forcing himself through the door the first time he is compelled to return again and again.

As he visits the hospital he begins to see ways to come out of the cloud he has been living under and begin to take charge of his life.

Ron Koertge captures the feelings of grief and the desire to keep going in a way that will appeal to readers who enjoyed Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson though it is not quite as intense.

Koertge, Ron. (2008). Deadville. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

A Feast for Crows (A Song of Fire and Ice #4)

A Feast for Crows is the fourth book in George RR Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series.

In this book the story continues as does the war for the rule of Westeros. There are not as many kings as there were in the last book but then again, others may try to make a claim.

Notable in this volume is the fact that main characters are missing from the narrative. Martin did this on purpose as the next book - A Dance of Dragons - will tell the same story from their point of view.

My only complaint is that the next book is not yet published! Otherwise, this series is a masterpiece.

Martin, George RR. (2005). A Feast for Crows. New York: Bantam.

Teen Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading Interests

Teen Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading Interests by Diana Tixier Herald is a reader's advisory guide to YA fiction.

This volume of the great Genreflecting series covers young adult fiction. Chapters include annotated bibliographies including: Issues, Contemporary Life, Adventure, Mystery and Suspense, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Paranormal, Historical, Multicultural, Alternative Formats, and Christian Fiction.

Next time you are looking for a good book to read, check out this guide.

Herald, Diana Tixier. (2003). Teen Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading Interests. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited Inc.

The Diamond of Darkhold (Ember #4)

The Diamond of Darkhold is the fourth Ember book by Jeanne DuPrau.

Lina and Doon and all of the people from the city of Ember have been living in Sparks for about nine months. It is winter and the added population has caused food to become dangerously low.

Lina and Doon decide to sneak off and go back to Ember to collect enough food for the winter. They know that everyone left quickly, without being able to bring everything they might have wanted.

But when they get back to Ember, it is not empty. And now that Doon has been captured and turned into a slave to raid the empty buildings, Lina must find her way back to Sparks alone to get help.

DuPrau, Jeanne. (2008). The Diamond of Darkhold. New York: Random House.

Chains

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson is the story of one slave in 1770s American colonies.

Isabel and her little sister Ruth live in Rhode Island. They are slaves. The woman who owns them has treated them kindly, taught them skills of freemen, and has written a will that will free them on her death.

But instead of being freed, the woman's brother sells them to the Locktons, a New York couple who believe that those rebelling against the King are criminals.

Now Isabel is in a city that is divided between British loyalists and American patriots. Her story follows the battles that help lead to a free United States.

This is the first installment in a series featuring Isabel and her new friend Curzon, a slave who works for the Patriots.

Anderson captures the injustice of slavery well enough that I was angry at most of the characters in the book!

Anderson, Laurie Halse. (2008). Chains. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Exodus

Exodus by Julie Bertagna takes place in one of our possible futures - a world full of water with very little land left after the polar ice caps melt.

The year is 2099 and Mara is fifteen. She lives on the island of Wing in the north. Each year the winter gets longer and the water rises making the island smaller.

The people must do something before there is no land left. When Mara finds evidence of new cities build for people to live high in the air above the rising water, the island people load their fishing boats and head south.

The do find one of the fabled sky cities, but there is no way in...

Bertagna, Julie. (2008). Exodus. New York: Walker Publishing Company.

In the Dark (Navy SEAL #2)

In the Dark is Marliss Melton's second book in the Navy SEAL series.

Now that Lieutenant Renault has been recovered from North Korea and is on the mend, he faces a trial - he is being made the scapegoat for the missing weapons. SEAL Team 12 must find the evidence to clear his name.

The one person, Hannah Geary, who has proof has been kidnapped and hidden in a military compound in Cuba. Lt. Luther Lindstrom will have to rescue her and protect her until they can collect the proof. The CIA is helping to some degree but will not step in until its own case is closed - they are after the man who is really selling stolen US weapons.

Other then Luther, Hannah does not know who to trust. It seems the weapons dealer has hired a pair of assassins to take her out.

Melton, Marliss. (2005). In the Dark. New York: Warner Forever.

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Fire and Ice #3)

A Storm of Swords is the third book in George RR Martin's Song of Fire and Ice series.

The war for a new king continues in Westeros. One of the five possible kings has died, but the battle goes on for the remaining challengers. The land is divided and the smallfolk suffer each time an army passes through.

Robb Stark rules the north but will not be left to rule in peace. While away from home fighting for the kingdom his home of Winterfell will face an attack.

Queen Daenerys is still across the sea amassing power to take with her back to Westeros.

Jon Snow and the black brothers of the Night Watch fight an attack from beyond the wall, with none of the kings answering their pleas for more men to fight off the wildings.

There is little else that can be said without including spoilers... Martin is a fantastic writer whose characters are realistically flawed and compelling even when revolting. This may be one of the best series of books ever written (but I will have to wait until all 7 books are published to be sure).

Martin, George RR. (2000). A Storm of Swords. New York: Bantam.

Movie: Vantage Point

Vantage Point is an action-packed thriller that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

While giving a speech in Salamanca Spain the President of the US is shot. The gathering was to celebrate the first successful peace-talks with the Middle East nations. But now the President is dead. Or is he?

Show from different points of view - a television news crew, a US tourist, a Secret Service agent, a local police officer, and the terrorists - the story is told and retold showing more of the plot with each view.

For anyone who likes the Bourne movies or other heart-pounding suspense, this movie will capture and keep your attention through the final credits.

Staring:
Dennis Quaid
Matthew Fox
Forest Whitaker
Sigourney Weaver
William Hurt
Director: Pete Travis.

Gravity

Gravity by Leanne Lieberman is the story of one teen coming to terms with the opposing factors in her life - Orthodox Judaism and her merging feelings for another woman.

The Gold family has big plans for the summer. The parents are going to Israel for the first time, older sister Neshama is teaching at a summer camp, and Ellie is spending the summer with her grandmother in a cottage on the lake.

Ellie has never really been outside of Toronto. The trees and the lake are a startling change. She plans on spending the summer studying the wildlife until she meets her neighbor - another 15 year old girl. Lindsay is nothing like Ellie; she isn't even Jewish.

Now that summer is over, Ellie has to figure out how her obvious attraction to Lindsay fits in with her place in the world or if the place her parents have created for her is not what she wants. How can she balance Torah, science and love?

Lieberman, Leanne. (2008). Gravity. Victoria, BC: Orca Book Publishers.

Forget Me Not (Navy SEAL #1)

Forget Me Not by Marliss Melton is the first book in her Navy SEAL series. The Navy SEAL series is a read alike suggestion for Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooter series.

Gabe Renault has been MIA for a year now. Following Navy policy, he is now considered dead. His wife and stepdaughter mourn his loss but are trying to move on with their lives. His wife, Helen, knows that even before he disappeared physically, he was gone mentally for a while. He was married to his career as a SEAL and his family took a backseat.

Just as life is becoming normal and Helen has decided she is happy with her new life, a phone call changes everything. Gabe has been found. He has no memory for the last three years - the whole time they were together.

Now Helen has to take home a man she resents to help him recover his memories before she can divorce him. Gabe cannot believe that he is married in the first place but realises that Helen is an amazing woman and wants a chance to get to know her.

And someone else, the person who set Gabe up in the first place - the man who left him for dead in North Korea - has to take care of him before his memories can resurface.

Melton, Marliss. (2004). Forget Me Not. New York: Warner Forever.

A Clash of Kings (A Song of Fire and Ice #2)

A Clash of Kings is the second book in George RR Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series.

The land of Westeros is in chaos. There are four kings and one queen claiming power and they are about to clash.

I don't want to give too much away about the first book, so it is difficult to add any plot summary...

The Stark house is spread over the kingdom and by the end of the this book there will be no two in the same place. Tyrion Lannister is finally taken seriously for his wisdom and strategy. Boys who used to listen to their mothers stop doing so when they become kings. Daenerys is still trying to get back to Westeros to reclaim the thrown stolen from her father.

What Martin does in the midst of a well thought out plot, is create characters who are whole and flawed. Each character is an important part of the story and interesting in his/her own right. He is a master story teller.

Martin, George RR. (1996). A Clash of Kings. New York: Bantam Spectra Books.

Gender Blender

Gender Blender by Blake Nelson is a newer version of Freaky Friday.

Emma and Tom were best friends when they were younger. But now, in sixth grade, it is not cool to be friends with the opposite gender.

During an accident, they switched bodies. Now Emma is trapped in Tom's body and Tom is in Emma's. While trying to figure out how to get their own bodies back, they learn a lot about the other gender.

Nelson's book is a light look at the differences and similarities between boys and girls.

Nelson, Blake. (2006). Gender Blender. New York: Delacorte Press.

The Hunger Games (book #1)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a book you will not be able to put down.

In this dystopian future, after the current countries have failed, Panem is the civilization that exists where the US is now. It is made of one Capital City and 12 supporting districts that support it. There were thirteen districts but one was destroyed with the citizen tried to revolt.

Now The Hunger Games are played each year to remind all citizens of the power the government holds over them.
In each district two tributes are chosen - one male and one female - between the ages of 12 and 18. These contestants fight each other to the death in the ultimate reality television show.

In District 12 the day participants are chosen is a day of fear for all families. This is the first year that Prim is entered into the drawing. The odds are in her favor with only one slip of paper with her name - names that are not drawn stay in the bowl for the next year - but she is chosen none the less. In an act of bravery her sister Katniss volunteers to go in her place.

Now Katniss must fight twenty-three other tributes to stay alive - including Peeta, the boy who gave her family food when they were on the verge of starving to death.

This first book in the series is sure to grab your attention and not let go until the end and leave you waiting impatiently for the next installment ...

Collins, Suzanne. (2008). The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic.

She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders

She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan is the story of a man named James who becomes a woman named Jenny.

This memoir of the author traces the life on one person becoming a woman and is an interesting look at what makes a gender. How much of gender is biological - based on hormones - and how much is societal projection?

This is a touching story of how one family deal with the fact that the father is becoming a woman - a change that is not as shocking to some as you might think. At one point, her son said since she is a dad and a mom she should be called "Maddy."

This is a detailed look at transition from within a loving family - a nice change to some of the overly depressing stories of other Trans people.

Boylan, Jennifer Finney. (2002). She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders. New York: Broadway Books.

Deep Cover (Selena McCaffrey #2)

Deep Cover is the second book in Rachel Butler's Selena McCaffrey series.

Selena thinks she is finally free of her uncle's influence. She is ready to get on with her life - to focus on her painting and Detective Tony Ceola. But the FBI has other plans for her.

They want her to take over her uncle's drug empire long enough that they can arrests the upper level players. Oh, and did they mention it is not an option. Selena will be prosecuted and likely deported if she does not cooperate.

Add on top of all the rest that they want her to work with her uncle's second in command - the man who tried to kill her in the last book.

If she pulls it off she will be free and safe from deportation for the rest of her life...

Butler, Rachel. (2005). Deep Cover. New York: Dell Books.

Debbie Harry Sings in French

Debbie Harry Sings in French by Meagan Brothers is a story of finding oneself.

Johnny has been taking care of his mother since his father died in a car accident. It seems like his mother has been drunk since that day. Now Johnny is following in her footsteps. When he ends up in the hospital his mother sends him to live with his uncle in South Carolina.

In SC he does not fit in. At first he thinks he is the only goth at school. Then he sees her - Maria. When they start talking about music they see that they have similar taste. When Johnny suggests that Debbie Harry of Blondie is the best, Maria decides to give her a try.

But Johnny doesn't just like Debbie's music. He thinks she is the coolest person ever. He wishes he could be cool and brave and beautiful. When Maria buys him a dress that looks just like Debbie's, Johnny thinks she has the wrong impression.

Johnny is not gay. In fact, he is totally in love with Maria. But once he tries it, he realizes he really likes to dress up like Debbie Harry.

Brothers explains the distinct line between sexuality and gender in this beautiful story of one young man who likes to wear dresses.

Brothers, Meagan. (2008). Debbie Harry Sings in French. New York: Henry Holt and Co.

Geography Club

Geography Club by Brent Hartinger is the story of a secret gay club.

Russel is sure he is the only gay kid at his high school. Okay, he knows that with 800 students there must be others, be he feels alone. When he meets someone in a chat room who goes to his school they decide to meet.

Who would have thought that the school's star baseball player was gay? Russel wants to tell his best friend Min. When he comes out to her he is shocked to find that she is bisexual and has had a girlfriend for two years.

The four get together at an out of the way pizza place. There they create a plan to have a group where they can meet after school. But how can they make the club work without letting anyone know what it really is? They pick a name they think no one else would want to join...the Geography Club.

Hartinger, Brent. (2003). Geography Club. New York: Harper Tempest.

Love & Lies (sequel to Hard Love)

Love & Lies, the sequel to Hard Love, by Ellen Wittlinger continues the story of Gio and Marisol.

Marisol Guzman has put off college for one year in order to write a novel and fall in love. When she signs up for a workshop on writing, one of her classmates is her friend Gio whom she has not seen for a few months.

Now Marisol is reforging her friendship, serving coffee at a cafe, introducing a new friend to Boston, writing, and falling for her writing teacher.

Making some of the same mistakes she has made in the past, Marisol begins a relationship with one person while underestimating the feelings someone else has for her. Will she recognize the pattern? Will she do anything to change it before she breaks someone else's heart?

Marisol is a great character who has some growing up to do - not too surprising since she is eighteen. Her friendship with Gio gives her a foundation to explore her feelings with feedback that she did not have in the previous novel. Wittlinger is a great writer who has created likable character who, I hope, will appear in a few more books...

Wittlinger, Ellen. (2008). Love & Lies. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Fire and Ice #1)

A Game of Thrones is the first book in George R.R. Martin's epic series A Song of Fire and Ice - a brilliant fantasy series without equal.

In a time similar to that of King Arthur and his knights, but in a land unlike our own where the seasons of Summer and Winter can last for years, the seven kingdoms have been incorporated under one throne. King Robert Baratheon now rules.

It has been fifteen years since Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell has seen his friend Robert. He has been in the far North where his family have lived since the First Men arrived. But when the King and his Queen come to Winterfell, it is Lord Stark's duty to accept a position as the King's Hand.

With Summer coming to an end, Lord Stark finds himself in the capital surrounded by intrigue, politics and danger - nothing like the simple life he led on his own lands. The danger comes from all directions and and his children are trapped into a deadly game. When you play the game of thrones, you either win or you die. It matters little that Lord Stark did not volunteer to enter the game...

Martin, George R.R. (1996). A Game of Thrones. New York: Bantam Books.

Boy2Girl

Boy2Girl by Terence Blacker is a look at the idea of gender.

When Sam's mother dies he is taken to England to live with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. His cousin, Matthew, tries to be Sam's friend but finds him arrogant.

To try to put Sam in his place, plus get back at the group of girls who are their rivals, Matthew and his friends dare Sam to go to school dressed as a girl for the first week. But when Sam puts on a girl's uniform the transformation is a bit too real. Sam looks like a girl - not like a boy dressed as a girl.

When Sam gets to school he is taken in by the rival group of girls. He begins to take on the mannerisms and speech patterns of the girls. Does he like being a girl too much?

Once he has been accepted as a girl, how will he ever tell the truth?

Blacker, Terence. (2004). Boy2Girl. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Eight Seconds

Eight Seconds by Jean Ferris is about bull riding and friendship.

John just completed his junior year of high school. Most of his friends are graduating because he missed a year for heart surgery. Now he is healthy and his father has surprised him with a week at rodeo camp. The five day intensive course will teach John about any rodeo event, but he chooses bull riding.

John hits it off with his roommate at camp. Kit is also a bull rider and he and John quickly become friends. But, after camp is done and they met up again at a rodeo, John finds out that Kit is gay.

John doesn't think that this one fact about Kit should change their relationship, but it does. John is worried that people will think he is gay if they keep hanging out together. When the local bully jumps to just that conclusion, John reacts in a way that even he does not see coming...

Ferris, Jean. (2000). Eight Seconds. New York: A Puffin Book.