23 Minutes

23 Minutes
by Vivian Vande Velde

 From the publisher:
"Fifteen-year-old Zoe has a secret ability: she can travel back in time twenty-three minutes to relive events she wants to change. But Zoe has learned from experience that this is more curse than gift. Things almost never end well and people just tend to think she’s crazy.

But when she steps into a bank to get out of the rain and finds herself in the middle of a robbery gone horrifyingly wrong, Zoe knows she’s the only one who can help. The problem is, she has only a limited number of tries to make things right. Plus, a single mistake could get her killed—and not even time travel could bring her back from that.

Zoe has always considered herself a loser, about as far from a heroine as a girl can get. Now she has to dig deep to find a strength she never thought she possessed."

Wow, what a ride! I had a great time reading this book. It had an amazing concept, it was full of excitement and tension, and you couldn't help liking the 2 main characters. It reminded me a little of the movie 50 First Dates because of how Zoe would have to explain everything to Daniel every time she went back because she is the only one who remembers anything during her playbacks. Does that sound confusing? It really isn't when Ms. Vande Velde explains it. I will definitely be talking this one up to my students.

Areas of concern:
*Many people get killed in different ways, but those deaths get undone in the "playbacks".
*Under 10 uses of the "d" and "s" words.
*The main character comes from a very dysfunctional family and lives in a group home.

Suggested Ages:

Kirkus Reviews - Ages 12-17

Booklist - Grades 7-10

TimeRiders

TimeRiders
by Alex Scarrow

From the publisher:
"Liam O’Connor should have died at sea in 1912.
Maddy Carter should have died on a plane in 2010.
Sal Vikram should have died in a fire in 2026.

Yet moments before death, someone mysteriously appeared and said, ‘Take my hand ...’

But Liam, Maddy and Sal aren’t rescued. They are recruited by an agency that no one knows exists, with only one purpose—to fix broken history. Because time travel is here, and there are those who would go back in time and change the past. That’s why the TimeRiders exist: to protect us. To stop time travel from destroying the world... "

Several of my students love this series, so I thought I should read it and see why. It starts out with a bang on the Titanic and then goes back and forth between time and decades throughout. I've read several time travel books, and I think this one is my favorite as far as making sense and explaining the "science" behind it. I thought the plot and the changes in history were well thought out and really interesting. What would have happened if Hitler had won? (Well, it wasn't really Hitler winning, but you'll have to read that for yourself.) And the notion of saving teens from death to have them become TimeRiders that live the same 2 days over and over again watching for changes was kind of brilliant. The characters were likeable and appealing (especially non-human Bob), but I would have liked more background on most of them. I'm going to assume things will eventually come out as the series progresses, though. I think it would have slowed things down to have it all dumped in this first book. All in all I enjoyed it, and I'm hoping it will help students become a little more interested in historical fiction because of the adventures the TimeRiders have. One little problem is that this series is published in the UK with 9 books in the series, but only 4 have managed to make it across the pond so far. I don't know why they don't publish the rest of the series in the US, but I went ahead and ordered the rest of the series (actually I don't have the ninth one yet) online from bookdepository.com. The kids who have discovered this series absolutely love it. I liked it.

Areas of concern:
The use of Jesus Christ, Christ, Jayzus as expletives.
Some cussing, but not over the top.
Violence is rampant, but not gratuitous. The TimeRiders are placed in many scary situations that they have to get out of.
Some scary Gollum-esque nuclear-mutated humans that are cannibalistic (I may have just made up a few words there).

Suggested Ages:

Kirkus Reviews - Ages 12+

School Library Journal - Grades 8+

Loop

Loop
by Karen Akins

From the publisher:
"At a school where Quantum Paradox 101 is a required course and history field trips are literal, sixteen year-old time traveler Bree Bennis excels... at screwing up.

After Bree botches a solo midterm to the 21st century by accidentally taking a boy hostage (a teensy snafu), she stands to lose her scholarship. But when Bree sneaks back to talk the kid into keeping his yap shut, she doesn't go back far enough. The boy, Finn, now three years older and hot as a solar flare, is convinced he’s in love with Bree, or rather, a future version of her that doesn't think he’s a complete pain in the arse. To make matters worse, she inadvertently transports him back to the 23rd century with her.

Once home, Bree discovers that a recent rash of accidents at her school are anything but accidental. Someone is attacking time travelers. As Bree and her temporal tag-along uncover seemingly unconnected clues—a broken bracelet, a missing data file, the art heist of the millennium—that lead to the person responsible, she alone has the knowledge to piece the puzzle together. Knowledge only one other person has. Her future self.

But when those closest to her become the next victims, Bree realizes the attacker is willing to do anything to stop her. In the past, present, or future. "

It took me almost a month to finish this one, and that is usually a very bad sign. It wasn't all bad, and I mildly enjoyed it, but I definitely could have lived without it. I found the time-travel element with all of the "Future Me" and "Past Me" references very convoluted and confusing. If some tiny thing in the past gets changed, wouldn't that have incredibly far-reaching consequences? Gordon B. Hinckley told the story of a passenger train that started out in Oakland, CA headed to Newark, NJ. When the train reached Newark, it was discovered that the baggage car wasn't there. When the officials looked for the baggage car, they found that it had made it to St. Louis correctly, but a switchman in St. Louis carelessly moved a piece of steel 3 inches and then pulled a lever to uncouple the car. A baggage car that belonged in Newark, NJ, actually ended up in New Orleans, LA, 1500 miles away, just because of 3 inches. Isn't it the same concept for time travel? Any tiny change in the past would have huge ramifications hundreds of years later. A small change would become a great gap and things would end up far differently, so I found all the visits in time to fix things very distracting. I know the author discusses the Doctrine of Inevitability, but then doesn't really seem to stick to it very well. And I do know that you have to suspend belief a little bit when reading time travel books, but this one just seemed a lot more awkward than others I have read. Maybe that is the consequence of having read it so slowly.

However, the book was fun and exciting with a snarky heroine fighting against all odds. I thought the author did a good job of building the future world - the Pentagon was fun :) . From what I understand this is a duology, so I will probably go ahead and get the second book for the library and hope the kids will not be as befuddled by it all as I was.

Areas of concern:
I don't remember any bad language, in fact the main character always substitutes the word "blark" or "blarking".
A couple of mild kisses.
Mildly intense action sequences.

Suggested Ages:
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 13+
School Library Journal - Grades 9+
*Mrs. Duke says, "I'm not sure why the ages are so high on this one.  It seemed like a very clean read to me".*

Doon

Doon
by Carey Corp &
Lorie Langdon

From the publisher:
"DOON…

Veronica doesn't think she's going crazy. But why can't anyone else see the mysterious blond boy who keeps popping up wherever she goes? When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months.

But the Scottish countryside holds other plans.

Not only has the imaginary kilted boy followed her to Alloway, she and Mackenna uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna's great aunt—and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation. Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the boy from Veronica's daydreams. But Doon has a dark underbelly as well. The two girls could have everything they've longed for...or they could end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that has become a nightmare.

DOON is loosely based on the premise of the musical Brigadoon, with permission from the Alan Jay Lerner Estate and the Frederick Loewe Foundation. Follow the journey at http://www.DoonSeries.com

~Destiny awaits!"

I think this book may have the most beautiful cover of any book I have ever seen. And it is set in Scotland and based on a Broadway musical, so really, what's not to like? I had really high hopes for this one. In some part, those hopes were realized. There was a lot of action and adventure, romance, princes, a castle, a romantic village, beautiful dresses, bad villains... All the right pieces were there, but it was a little too cheesy and corny for me a lot of the time. There aren't many people I think this book may have the most beautiful cover of any book I have ever seen. And it is set in Scotland and based on a Broadway musical, so really, what's not to like? I had really high hopes for this one. In some part, those hopes were realized. There was a lot of action and adventure, romance, princes, a castle, a romantic village, beautiful dresses, bad villains... All the right pieces were there, but it was a little too cheesy and corny for me a lot of the time. There aren't many people in the world who love Broadway musicals as much as I do, but I don't go around saying things like, "Sacred Stephen Schwartz!", "Holy Hammerstein!", or "Sweet Baby Sondheim!". I found that hugely annoying. However, all the other musical references brought pretty awesome visuals to my mind:  "Like doing a mash-up of Spring Awakening and Spamalot ." "I always imagined I'd be like Betty Buckley, performing way into the sunset of my life."   But that's just me. I can't imagine there are very many teenagers who would understand those quotes, but maybe it would inspire them to research and become interested in The Great White Way and that business we call show (I totally could have written Makenna's chapters in this book!). Another annoying thing was that the book was told from the POV of 2 best friends, and it seemed like every chapter one of the girls would be thinking or talking about how beautiful her bestie was and how she felt so plain next to her, and then the other one would say the exact same thing. So apparently they were both drop-dead gorgeous and didn't know it. But I read that the 2 authors voiced the different girls and I thought that was a good idea because you could definitely hear the different voice come through and there was no confusion as to which girl was talking. Even though things annoyed me at times, once I got into it I had to keep reading. It was exciting and romantic, the setting was gorgeous, there was a lot of humor, the secondary characters were interesting, and the whole premise was very unique. I think the target audience will love this book. As for me - on to the sequel! Areas of concern: 3 or 4 mild cuss words ("It hurts like hell"...) Some pretty serious kissing going on, but stopped before anything else happened. Suggested Ages: School Library Journal - Grades 7-10

The Here and now

The Here and Now
by Ann Brashares

From the publisher:
"An unforgettable epic romantic thriller about a girl from the future who might be able to save the world . . . if she lets go of the one thing she’s found to hold on to.

Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.

This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins.

Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth.

But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves.

From Ann Brashares, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, The Here and Now is thrilling, exhilarating, haunting, and heartbreaking—and a must-read novel of the year."

I am definitely not a fan of this author's Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, so I shouldn't be surprised that I didn't love this one. The premise was good, the time-traveling was interesting,the characters were pretty likeable and the writing was good (except for the typos in my ARC. I'm sure those were corrected for the book). I guess the biggest problem that I had with the book is that these 2 teenagers know that they are the last hope for the world and yet they spend most of the tim...more I am definitely not a fan of this author's Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, so I shouldn't be surprised that I didn't love this one. The premise was good, the time-traveling was interesting, the characters were pretty likeable and the writing was good.  I guess the biggest problem that I had with the book is that these 2 teenagers know that they are the last hope for the world and yet they spend most of the time talking about whether or not they should have sex. They know the exact date that they need to save the world and they waste the 2 days before that laying on the beach or sitting on swings. Seriously? They couldn't have done anything beforehand to try and change the outcome of what was approaching? And the ending was really disappointing. I will be taking a pass on the rest of the series. Areas of concern: I don't really remember much bad language. If there was any, it was just a handful, and no major words. Teenagers constantly talking about sex. A society where children can be taken away from their families or killed for breaking rules. Suggested Ages: Booklist - Grades 7+ Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+

The Loop

The Loop
by Shandy Lawson

From the publisher:
"Ben and Maggie have met, fallen in love, and died together countless times. Over the course of two pivotal days—both the best and worst of their lives—they struggle again and again to resist the pull of fate and the force of time itself. With each failure, they return to the beginning of their end, a wild road trip that brings them to the scene of their own murders and into the hands of the man destined to kill them.

As time circles back on itself, events become more deeply ingrained, more inescapable for the two kids trapped inside the loop. The closer they come to breaking out, the tighter fate’s clutches seem to grip them. They devise a desperate plan to break free and survive the days ahead, but what if Ben and Maggie’s only shot at not dying is surviving apart?"

I chose to read this book because of the synopsis in the front cover. It sounded like it could be similar to All Our Yesterdays , by Cristin Terrill, which was mind-blowingly awesome. Sadly, this one didn't even come close to the imaginative world-building and intensity of plot that was the hallmark of All Our Yesterdays . The loop was never explained fully, the characters weren't fleshed out very well,and although there was non-stop action, a lot of it was accompanied with question marks on my part. So while it wasn't terrible, it just wasn't as good as I was expecting, and I didn't really care too much about what happened to the characters. But it will probably appeal to middle school students because of the action and the brevity of the book (only 198 pages).

Areas of concern:
A handful of the *s* word and at least one of the *a* word. A couple of mild kisses. One character accidentally sees the other naked in the hospital. There is quite a bit of violence, since the whole premise of the book is that these 2 teenagers stuck in a loop where they get murdered at the end. In trying to get out of the loop, the teenagers did some illegal things like stealing a car.

Suggested Ages:
Booklist - Grades 7-10
Kirkus Reviews - Ages 12+

Tom's Midnight Garden

Tom's Midnight Gardenby Philippa Pearce

From the publisher:
"Tom was a cross and resentful boy when he was sent to stay with his uncle and aunt because his brother, Peter , had caught the measles. As soon as he joined his relatives in their small apartment, he knew he would be bored and lonely. He would miss Peter as well as the garden to explore, there was only a paved yard and a row of garbage cans outside the back door.

When the time came for Tom to go home, however, he did everything he could to prolong his visit. For he had made a strange and wonderful discovery--a discovery that he could share with no one, except Peter. And Peter believed it all, and even, for one brief moment, came to share in Tom's fantastic midnight adventure."

One night while staying with relatives, Tom hears the grandfather clock strike 13 times. He goes to investigate and is transported to a garden in Victorian times where he meets a girl named Hatty. Mysteriously, whenever Tom visits the garden, it is a different season and Hatty is a different age. The ending is beautiful and bittersweet. If you are tired of all the paranormal and dystopian offerings out there, take the time to read this little classic.
 I tend to review new books that come out, but I'm also going to take the time to review some classics of children's literature.  I hope that these classics are still being read because there is something to be said for beautiful prose and good storytelling that has nothing to do with vampires, werewolves or the apocalypse (zombie or otherwise).  Tom's Midnight Garden won the Carnegie Award in 1958.  It reminds me a lot of one of my favorite books as a child - Magic Elizabeth.  It also has the feel of The Secret Garden.  As much as I enjoyed it, however, for me it had neither the magical quality of Magic Elizabeth, nor the haunting quality of The Secret Garden.  Still, it is definitely worth reading.

Time Between Us

Time Between Us
by Tamara Ireland Stone

From the publisher:
"Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett has the unique ability to travel through time and space, which brings him into Anna’s life, and with him a new world of adventure and possibility.

As their relationship deepens, the two face the reality that time may knock Bennett back to where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate, what consequences they can bear in order to stay together, and whether their love can stand the test of time.

Fresh, exciting, and deeply romantic, Time Between Us is a stunning, spellbinding debut from an extraordinary new voice in YA fiction."

I finished this 2 days ago and am not sure I remember it enough to really review it. That's probably a bad sign. I know that it has gotten rave reviews, and I know that I liked it, but it was in no way life-changing for me. One of the best things I remember about it is that it had a strong family unit with loving parents who were there and very protective. That is unfortunately not the norm for YA books. I quite liked the characters. I loved that Anna was obsessed with travel books and music, an...moreI finished this 2 days ago and am not sure I remember it enough to really review it. That's probably a bad sign. I know that it has gotten rave reviews, and I know that I liked it, but it was in no way life-changing for me. One of the best things I remember about it is that it had a strong family unit with loving parents who were there and very protective. That is unfortunately not the norm for YA books. I quite liked the characters. I loved that Anna was obsessed with travel books and music, and that she was a good and loyal friend. The secondary characters were fun and important to the story. I think teenagers will really enjoy this book. Areas of concern: I don't remember much cussing at all. There was one part where the teenage couple were spending the day together walking along the beach... and then it says something like, ".. and then we spent the night together". It is never mentioned again. There is a robbery where a character is held at knife-point, and a bad car accident which leaves a character in a coma. Suggested Ages: Booklist -  Grades 7-12 Publisher's Weekly -  Ages 12+

Ruby Red

Ruby Red
by Kerstin Gier

From the publisher:
"Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!
Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon—the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.
Kerstin Gier's Ruby Red is a young adult novel full of fantasy and romance."

I really enjoyed this book.  A lot of it is set-up, but it was very interesting.  I loved the heroine, Gwenny.  She's really spunky.  Her voice sounds a little young for her age of 16, but I liked that about her.  In most YA books, the heroine has a secret that she can't tell anyone, so the best friend is left in the dark with hurt feelings.  Not so in this book.  Gwenny tells her best friend, Lesley, everything about her secrets even though she isn't supposed to.  I kind of loved that about her, and I loved the character of Lesley.  The prologue starts the book off with a bang, which you don't understand until the very end.  I had to go back and re-read the prologue as soon as I finished the epilogue and then went, "ah-haaaaa".  I also appreciated that there was no insta-romance.  There were two very creepy characters and it will be interesting to see what evil they will be up to in the next books.
The writing in this book is wonderful.  The credit for that should go to the translator, Anthea Bell (who also translated the Cornelia Funke Inkheart books), every bit as much as the author, Kerstin Gier.  It never felt like a translation to me.  There were some "British-isms" in it, but I loved those, and anyway it was set in London so it was natural. I look forward to reading the next 2 books in the trilogy.

Areas of concern:  Around 10 uses of the "d" word, one use of the "a" word, a couple vulgarities.  Overall it was a pretty clean read.

Suggested ages:
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+
School Library Journal - Grades 6+

So Close To You

So Close To You
by Rachel Carter

From the publisher:
"Lydia Bentley has heard stories about the Montauk Project all her life: stories about the strange things that took place at the abandoned military base near her home and the people who've disappeared over the years. Stories about people like her own great-grandfather.

When Lydia stumbles into a portal that transports her to a dangerous and strange new reality, she discovers that all the stories she's ever heard about the Montauk Project are true, and that she's in the middle of one of the most dangerous experiments in history.

Alongside a darkly mysterious boy she is wary to trust, Lydia begins to unravel the secrets surrounding the Project. But the truths behind these secrets force her to question all her choices--and if Lydia chooses wrong, she might not save her family but destroy them . . . and herself."

The premise for this book sounded interesting, and I think it could have been really good. But the whole thing felt slightly forced.  40's references were thrown in your face through the middle section.  In the time travel element, the main character kept acting like she had never learned about WWII and made so many stupid mistakes it was annoying.  Teenagers might feel completely different about it, though.

1 use of *g-d*, and one use of smart*a*.  One passionate kiss.  A small storyline of children who are imprisoned and tortured.

Suggested ages:
Booklist - Grades 8-11
Kirkus Reviews - Ages 12 +