The Ruins of Gorlan

The Ruins of Gorlan
by John Flanagan

From the publisher:
"They have always scared him in the past—the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger’s apprentice. What he doesn’t yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied. . . ."

This is one of the top favorite series for my middle school boys. They can't get enough of Ranger's Apprentice books. So I decided to read it and see for myself what all the excitement was about. I really enjoyed it. There was naturally a lot of set-up at the beginning, which the succeeding books will not need, so I wouldn't be surprised to like some of the others even more. The characters were well-developed and it will be interesting to see where they all go from here. The character of Halt reminded me of someone, but I can't think who. It will come to me eventually. Not really Dumbledore-y or Gandalf-y because Halt never smiles and we all know that Dumbledore and Gandalf can have quite the twinkle in their eyes, but the relationship with Will was a lot the same. Or maybe Gibbs and DiNozzo :). There were so many important lessons to learn in this book alongside all the action. Loyalty, friendship, bullying, self-esteem and courage were all dealt with. I definitely recommend it. One thing that was kind of weird, though, was the medieval feel of the book, yet the characters kept talking about taking showers. I found that kind of distracting. 


Areas of concern:  5-10 uses of the *d* word.  Severe bullying, violence against fantasy creatures. 

Suggested ages:
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10+
School Library Journal - Grades 4-8

Nine Days

Nine Days
by Fred Hiatt

From the publisher:
"A fast-paced contemporary thriller in the vein of James Patterson and Anthony Horowitz set against the bustling backdrop of Hong Kong, Vietnam, and the border of China. This heart-pounding adventure takes place as two teens, an American teenage boy and his friend, a Chinese girl from his Washington, DC-area high school, must find her father who has been kidnapped—and they only have nine days. Although the characters in the novel are fictionalized, they are based on a real Chinese family who were part of the Chinese Democracy Movement and inspired this story."

This isn't the kind of book I generally read, and I'm not sure how much it will get checked out in my library, but I hope it does because it deals with some very important issues. We don't hear too much about political activists in China, or about human trafficking. Both of those issues are dealt with in this book in a way that makes it both exciting to read and also very informative. It made me want to educate myself more on the Chinese Cultural Revolution because I don't know much about it at all. Ethan and Ti-Anna are very likable characters (Ethan's constant need for food is endearing),and while some of the situations they get themselves involved in are a little implausible, it adds tension and interest to the story. I love that the author put the "real" Ti-Anna's story in at the end of the book. All in all I'm really glad I read it and I recommend it.

Areas of concern:  A teenager leaves home to go around the world on a dangerous quest without informing his parents .  He steals his parent's credit card to finance the trip.  However, that is dealt with at the end when the boy has to go to court and do community service and pay his parents back.

Suggested Ages:
Kirkus Reviews - Ages 11-16
School Library Journal - Grades 7+ 

Waiting For Normal

Waiting For Normal
by Leslie Connor

From the publisher:
"Addie is waiting for normal.
But Addie's mom has an all-or-nothing approach to life: a food fiesta or an empty pantry, jubilation or gloom, her way or no way.

All or nothing never adds up to normal.

All or nothing can't bring you all to home, which is exactly where Addie longs to be, with her half sisters, every day.

In spite of life's twists and turns, Addie remains optimistic. Someday, maybe, she'll find normal.

Leslie Connor has created an inspiring novel about one girl's giant spirit. waiting for normal is a heartwarming gem."

I enjoyed this book, but I think middle schoolers will like it more than I did. It was a little too cliché for me, but kids should really relate to Addie. I liked that she was so good amidst all of her struggles. It was refreshing that she struggled in school, it seems that most books of this ilk tend to make the main character amazing in school, even with no support from home. I felt like this was a more realistic portrayal of what a 12 year old in her circumstances would go through. It was also refreshing to have a step-father be such a good person.

Areas of concern:  A 12 year old girl in a bad home, a mother with serious issues.  There is some uncomfortable talk about a young girl going through puberty.  A step-father living with another woman, a mother getting pregnant with a boyfriend her daughter has never even met.

Suggested ages:
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10+
School Library Journal - Grades 6-8

Elemental

Elemental
By Antony John

From the publisher:
"A mysterious and powerful fantasy adventure from a Schneider Award winner

In the near future, most of the population of the United States has been destroyed by the plague. The few remaining survivors live in colonies on the barrier islands off the East Coast. In one colony near Cape Hatteras, almost all the members have elemental powers and can control wind, water, earth, and fire. All but sixteen-year-old Thomas. When the Guardians, the powerful adult leaders, are kidnapped by pirates seeking to take over their colony, it is up to Thomas and a small group of teens to save them and preserve the mysteries of the island.
Fast action, strategy, and mystery churn together into a bold and fresh fantasy from an award-winning author.."

Wow, what a great start to a new dystopian series! It grabs you from the very first, and I literally couldn't put it down until I finished it all in one day. It is very exciting, the plot was gripping, the characters were all really interesting and there were some electrifying plot twists. While I loved The Hunger Games and Divergent , I didn't give either one of them 5 stars because there were so many disturbing elements in those books. I didn't feel that way with this one (even though it was about elements :)). It was compelling without being disturbing. I appreciated that there was no bad language - occasionally it would state that a character cursed, but that was it. There was violence, but not the really intense kind that you usually find in dystopians. There was a hint of romance. I highly recommend this one. 

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+

School Library Journal - Grades 6-10

Poison

Poison
by Bridget Zinn

From the publisher:
"Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon."

This was a fun, enjoyable book. It is a little different from all the other YA books out there, which was nice. It had a strong start, then had some slow parts, but ended very well - if a little too easily. There were a couple of awesome twists at the end that were really fun. Once again, I love a spunky heroine, and who doesn't like a cute little pig? There were definitely flaws in the book, but overall it was very entertaining.

Areas of concern:  1 *h* word, 1 *d* word, a couple of sweet kisses.  Overall it was a very clean book.

Suggested ages:
Kirkus Reviews-  Ages 11-14
Publisher's Review-  Ages 12-18