Shift

Shift
by Em Bailey

From the publisher:
Olive Corbett is not crazy. Not anymore.
She obediently takes her meds and stays under the radar at school. After “the incident,” Olive just wants to avoid any more trouble, so she knows the smartest thing is to stay clear of the new girl who is rumored to have quite the creepy past.
But there’s no avoiding Miranda Vaile. As mousy Miranda edges her way into the popular group, right up to the side of queen bee Katie – and pushes the others right out – only Olive seems to notice that something strange is going on. Something almost . . . parasitic. Either Olive is losing her grip on reality, or Miranda Vaile is stealing Katie’s life.
But who would ever believe crazy Olive, the girl who has a habit of letting her imagination run away with her? And what if Olive is the next target?
A chilling psychological thriller that tears through themes of identity, loss, and toxic friendship, Shift will leave readers guessing until the final pages.

Shift started out pretty well, but about halfway through the main character started to do things that were so implausible that it was almost ridiculous. Even the author seemed to know it was ridiculous, but she had no other way of furthering the plot. For instance,
"The thing that always bothered me about scary movies was how stupid the victims always seem, and how they never act on their instincts. They might say something like 'I've got a bad feeling about this', while they dither about opening the cellar door... But I did it anyway."
Yes, the main character did many stupid and irrational things that I found very irritating. However, I did care about the characters enough to be annoyed when they did those stupid things, so I guess that's saying something.
Teens might be a little confused by the British-isms in the book (Australian, actually), but I kind of enjoyed them. 

Areas of concern:  There are about 15 instances of bad language (not the big one), the main character tried to commit suicide before the beginning of the book, and there was a lot of bad teenage behavior like sneaking out at night, shoplifting, underage kids getting into clubs, drug use (minimal)...

Suggested ages:
School Library Journal - Grades 8+
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+
*Mrs. Duke definitely recommends older teens.*

The Lions of Little Rock

The Lions of Little Rock
by Kristin Levine

From the publisher:
"Two girls separated by race form an unbreakable bond during the tumultuous integration of Little Rock schools in 1958. Twelve-year-old Marlee doesn't have many friends until she meets Liz, the new girl at school. Liz is bold and brave, and always knows the right thing to say, especially to Sally, the resident mean girl. Liz even helps Marlee overcome her greatest fear - speaking, which Marlee never does outside her family. But then Liz is gone, replaced by the rumor that she was a Negro girl passing as white. But Marlee decides that doesn't matter. Liz is her best friend. And to stay friends, Marlee and Liz are willing to take on integration and the dangers their friendship could bring to both their families."

I'm hoping that middle school students will like this book - it has an important story to tell. Having had the honor of listening to Carlotta Walls Lanier, one of the Little Rock Nine, speak at Blevins, it was interesting to hear the next stage of the story. The closing of the high schools in Little Rock for a whole year in an attempt to avoid integration. I thought the author did a good job of putting her characters into that situation. There was tension throughout the entire story wondering what would happen next. That being said, the historical parts were a little too preachy and long and some of the plot seemed contrived and too neatly resolved. But it is a good follow-up to Warriors Don't Cry.

Areas of concern:  Racial tension and some violence.  Nothing graphic or too scary.  The "n" word is used quite a bit. 

Suggested ages:
School Library Journal:  Grades - 5-8
Publisher's Weekly:   Ages - 10+

City of Bones

From the publisher:

City of Bones
by Cassandra Clare


 

"When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .
Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare’s ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end."


 This is a huge series in YA paranormal right now.  It is soon to be a movie, so that should add to the hype.  Our 8th graders can't get enough of this book.  It was one of the very first YA paranormal books I read, and I wasn't all that impressed.  I should probably read it again now that I'm used to the genre. 

Areas of concern:  I read this quite some time ago so I don't remember much, but other sites have mentioned some language, quite a bit of kissing (nothing graphic), and some gory violence.  I've heard that the books toward the end of the series get quite a bit racier.

Suggested ages:
School Library Journal - Grades 8+
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 14+

The Raven Boys

From the publisher:

The Raven Boys
by Maggie Stiefvater

"“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before."

I enjoy the writing of this author - it just flows. I haven't read "The Scorpio Races" yet, but I have read the Mercy Falls series, and they had the same beautiful flow of words - however, there is more about the language of this book below.

The story of this book was a little strange, but it was supposed to be. It had kind of a haunting feeling (which you will learn later is very real). The characters were all fascinating, and I would hope that the author will delve more into each or their back stories in succeeding books in the series.  By reading the synopsis of this book, you would think it was going to have a big romance. It doesn't. What it does have is a captivating look at the relationships between the different personalities. It is chock full of eccentrics and off-the-wall people who somehow manage to be endearing. I'm quite sure this book will garner many awards this year, and if it wasn't for the bad language I would really recommend it.

Areas of concern:  This book contains an enormous amount of cussing and crudities.  Usually when a book has this much bad language in it  (the "f" word abounds) I just stop reading it, but we have this in the Blevins library so I thought I should know what is in it. While reading, I kept picturing Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory when someone wakes him up.... "Danger! Danger!".    I put tiny pieces of tissue in the pages that have bad words so I could remember how much there was. This book couldn't close properly by the time I was finished. We now have parental advisory stickers on CD's that have horrible language, why can't they do that with YA books as well?  I read many reviews before ordering this book, and nowhere was the bad language mentioned.  There was also a lot of teenage drinking and unfortunate teenage behavior.  No sexual situations.

Suggested ages:
School Library Journal - Grade 8+
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 13+

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner
by James Dashner

From the publisher:
"When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he's not alone. When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Gladea large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they've closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent upthe first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind."

This is a dystopian novel that is very comparable to The Hunger Games.  It is very gripping and intense,  you'll be lucky to have any fingernails left by the time you finish it.  It is also disturbing and depressing.  We see everything through the eyes of Thomas, the main character, who has lost is memory.  The reader is left as much in the dark as Thomas, which contributes to the disturbing atmosphere, but also makes for a very exciting read.

Areas of concern:  There is no swearing, however the kids in the maze have made up their own swear words - things like "klunk" and "shuck-face".  This book is very violent.

Suggested ages:
School Library Journal - Grades 6-10
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+
*Mrs. Duke would recommend it for 8th grade and up.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

The Adoration of
Jenna Fox
by Mary E. Pearson

From the publisher:
"Who is Jenna Fox? Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a coma, they tell her, and she is still recovering from a terrible accident in which she was involved a year ago. But what happened before that? Jenna doesn't remember her life. Or does she? And are the memories really hers? This fascinating novel represents a stunning new direction for acclaimed author Mary Pearson. Set in a near future America, it takes readers on an unforgettable journey through questions of bio-medical ethics and the nature of humanity. Mary Pearson's vividly drawn characters and masterful writing soar to a new level of sophistication."


This was a very interesting concept for a book. The less said about it the better for anyone else reading it. It is a science fiction book and deals with issues of bio-ethics. What I most enjoyed was reading the end of the edition I read where they interview the author. She talked about having 2 teenage daughters who got cancer and how this story came about when she realized that she would have done anything to save her daughters.

Areas of concern: Several uses of the "h" word, a handful of crude/vulgar language, and some kissing.
Suggested ages:
School Library Journal - Grades 8+
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 14+