YA Book Reviews for January 16, 2008
From CRBSLS
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
Cammie Morgan attends an exclusive prep school for girls, but things are not what they seem. She is actually at a spy academy where girls learn covert operations and other skills. Cammie is not only a student there, but the daughter of the headmistress. She excels in being invisible, the girl that nobody sees, but when her CoveOps class is on an outside assignment she meets a boy from town who notices her even when she is trying to blend in. Like any good spy, Cammie and her friends investigate him and she sneaks away from school to visit him. However, the relationship is doomed from the start because he can't know who she really is, and he gets involved in one of her secret assignments by mistake. Very funny with a cover that will grab teen girls. Reviewed by Marion Burghart
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
Rebecca Ekstrom could not attend today, but sent the following review:
Can you pass on that I thought it was witty, humorous and insightful. It works well for middle school; I'm not so sure it would work for a high school student. Holling Hoodhood (yes, that's his name), is an unforgettable character and endures humiliation after humiliation while remaining humble. It is a coming of age novel where Holling sees things are not always what they seem and that we are all connected in some way. It also reminded me of the Wonder Years-due to the awkward stage Holling is going through, due to the time period, (Vietnam War), and the hippie sister with the father who doesn't approve of her philosophies. I have to wonder if the author was Holling's age at the time the book was written. It was the kind of book that gave me chills at the end and I got teary, (even though it wasn't due to what occurred at the end). My affinity for the book also comes from the fact that I loved another book he wrote: Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson
The forensic mystery stars Cameryn Mahoney, who is a seventeen year old assistant to the coroner (who happens to be her father) in a small town in Colorado. But, when the killing of her best friend rattles the small town Cameryn uses her detective skills and knowledge of science and death to try to track the killer, who starts to look like a serial murderer. Cameryn is so likeable as a character that while the depth of the books is less shallow than the reader would like, we still like Cameryn so much that we'd continue reading many sequels, which is exactly what I did. Ferguson's sequel, The Angel of Death, pits Cameryn against another suspicious murder, this time of a local school teacher, where she needs all of her knowledge because of the unusual way he was killed. As always, the main character battles more than just fighting crimes, she also has a mother who's trying to get back into her life and a love interest, but everything resolves neatly in each book without truly depending on a sequel or prequel. And with the explosion of forensic careers and classes in high schools, this would be a great read for science classes. (Reviewed by Alicia Abdul, Albany High)
Dead Connection by Charlie Price
A crime has been committed and Murray, the protagonist who spends his time in the cemetary talking to the dead, holds some of the information to help solve it. Interestingly, Murray isn't the only one telling the story; other key players like detectives and witnesses to the crime narrate certain chapters, but they're all trying to do one thing: solve the crime. Murray has a partner in crime, Pearl, the groundskeeper's knivving daughter whose hatred for Murray turns into a likeable relationship. While Murray doesn't confess to have supernatural powers, there is something to be said of his quiet and unassuming nature-- again a fun character-- who wants his tombstone to read "friend to the deceased." There is an unexpected ending that is creative, so it's a great little mystery to pick up and try to solve yourself. (Reviewed by Alicia Abdul, Albany High)
Schooled by Gordon Korman
13 year old Capricorn ('Cap') Andersen has been homeschooled his whole life by his eccentric grandmother Rain, the last--and only--member of a hippie commune somewhere in California. When Rain has a fall and is hospitalized, Cap's life is upended when he is enrolled in the local middle school. Here Cap is easy prey for the cruelties of the dominant clique. Cap is utterly naive about the social norms of daily life in school. When he is set up to run for president of the 8th grade class, Cap tries hard to fulfill the challenges of the task. Told in alternating voices--each chapter is told by a different person, from Cap, to the leader of the pack, to this guy's girlfriend, to a geek named Hugh Winkelman (who like Cap is the butt of many tricks)--this book is ultimately about bullying, but Korman succeeds very well in telling a fast moving story that is at once funny and touching and triumphant. Adults will roll their eyes at several unbelievable developments, but we are all routing for Cap, who of course wins friends and influence in the end.
Reviewer: Ann Sayers
Healing Our World: Inside Doctors Without Borders by David Morley
A non-fiction book which is a worthy purchase for all libraries. Accessible to grades 3 and up (although there are some graphic images of wounded and suffering children) the book presents--in clear text and basic photos--the history of this humanitarian group which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999. The author was the director of the Canadian section of MSF ("Medecins Sans Frontiers") and led missions to many parts of the world. After a straight forward introduction to the MSF mission, much of this book is made up of brief snapshots of volunteers, explaining where they worked and the people they helped. A moving and important book. Talk about character education...
Reviewer: Ann Sayers
"Love, Football, and Other Contact Sports" by Alden R. Carter
A funny, yet substantial take on the lives of several members of a small-town high school football team. Each chapter is narrated by a different team member and tells about an individual event that somehow changed their life (even the small things count). Humorous and touching, the stories poke fun at the stereotypical jocks and make a case for kindness and caring and just feeling good about oneself. Loved it! Easy read, gr. 7 and up. Boys will like the football; girls, the romantic slant (now who's being stereotypical!).
Reviewer: Judi Stott
"Sure Fire" by Jack Higgins with Justin Richards
007 has nothing on these twins. They don't even have any gadgets. Twins, Rich and Jade Chance lose their mother in a traffic accident, discover a father they didn't know existed, and then this new-found father is kidnapped over a stolen formula. However, the bad guys didn't figure on the twins coming to his rescue. Fast, exciting pace, with an unbelievable plot, but who cares when it's this much fun! Easy read, a bit longer than the Alex Rider series. Gr 7 - 9 or so.
Reviewer: Judi Stott
Trigger by Susan Vaught
Trigger is a powerful and emotional story about a brain-damaged teenager. Seventeen year old, Jersey Hatch is being released from a rehabilitation center where he has spent months recuperating from his injuries. He's ready to find out why he pulled the trigger. You see, he lost a whole year and a half worth of memories. Physically, he doesn’t look too good. He’s scarred all over, blind in one eye, and walks with a limp. His brain doesn’t work well either. He calls himself as a “5 year old genius." When he returns to school, he isn’t welcomed and everyone seems to be angry with him. His life is being torn apart because of the "incident" and he doesn’t know who to turn to. This story offers a unique and fresh voice to the topic of teen suicide. The author also provides a great resource page for readers seeking more information. Appropriate for high school students. (Reviewer: Sonji Greenaway, Albany High School)
Teen, Inc. by Stefan Petrucha
When Jaiden was two days old his parents were killed. In a bizarre twist, the corporation that created the faulty stove part that killed them petitioned for custody of Jaiden. So now, at 14, Jaiden is being raised by NECorp. He has rooms in the corporate headquarters, eats in the cafeteria and has his own project management team. But he's trying to be a normal kid in high school. When he is paired with Jenny for a science project he is torn between his loyalty to his "parents" and accusations from Jenny's father that NECorp is leaking mercury into the environment. Laugh out loud funny, yet thought provoking, this belongs between Korman's Son of the Mob and Tashjian's Gospel According to Larry. (Reviewed by, Melissa Bergin, Niskayuna HS)
