Really Weird Removals.com

Really Weird Removals.com by Daniela Sacerdoti tells the story of Luca and his sister Valentina who find out that they have the sight when their long lost uncle appears.  This allows them to see mysterious and dangerous creatures such as faries ghosts and trolls.  Because of this sight they get to help their uncle with his business of removing these irritating and nasty creatures who have infested people's homes.

This is a cute book that kids will like.  It's the perfect read for kids who are new to full length chapter books with the kids going on many adventures throughout the book.  The characters are well written and relateable and the creatures are different without being scary.  Kids will love the book and find it easy to follow.

Appropriateness:  There is no adult or questionable content in this book.  The book deals with monsters without being creepy or scary.  I would recommend this book to readers 9-11.

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Humbug Witch

Humbug Witch by Lorna Ballian is a delightful Halloween picture book featuring a Witch who can't do anything right.  It's sweet and silly and not scary at all making it a perfect read aloud for pre-school - first grade students around Halloween. 

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Trafficked

Trafficked by Kim Purcell follows Hannah a girl from Moldova who travels to America to work as a Nanny.  She takes the job after her parents disappear because she knows her grandmother can not support the two of them.  She soon finds things are not as she was promised as the family she works for treats her like a slave, requiring her to work all hours without pay and without the ability to leave.

I enjoyed the book although the main character had issues at time with being very very naive.  This book does do a good job of portraying human trafficking in the US without being to graphic for the audience.  I remained interested in the book throughout and finished it quickly.  It has an ending with a solid finale that leaves the reader satisfied. 

Appropriateness:  This is a tough book that is about a difficult subject.  While it handled the material in an age appropriate way the topic is still a tough one for teens.  There is an attempted rape and there is quite a bit of apprehension that the reader feels fearing that the main character will either be raped or sold into prostitution.  I would recommend this book to readers 14+ and younger teens if they have an adult to talk to.  This is a good book to explore the subject of human trafficking for teen readers, with the focus being on a domestic servant as opposed to one forced into prostitution it makes the story a bit easier to read. 

The Raft

The Raft by S. A. Bodeen is an edge of the seat thriller that follows Robbie as she is forced to survive after her plane crashes.  We follow her from the mainland Hawaii where she leaves her sister to the plane the raft and beyond as she struggles to live without water or food or any way to get help.

I loved this book and could not put it down.  I started it in the morning and read till I finished it because I couldn't stand not knowing what was going to happen next.  Robbie is strong but still very realistic both breaking down and pushing through when she really needed to.

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in this book.  It is an edge of your seat thriller that is scary without being violent.  I would recommend this book to readers 12+ and feel that boys would like this book as well as girls (if they can get over the book being about a girl).

Son

Son by Lois Lowry is a continuation of the Giver Series.  This book starts out before the Giver starts with Claire who is the birthmother of the baby who lived in Jonas' house.  After having a difficult birth Claire is shuffled off to work in the hatchery.  Not having been given the pills that the rest of the population takes Claire begins questioning her role in society and becomes obsessed with the child that was taken to her at birth.  She vows to do anything she can go eventually be reunited with him. 

This was a nice final book in the series that not only tied all the stories together but also provided a conclusion to the stories of all the characters.  I thought that the book was a bit uneven with the three sections which took place in three locations (much like the three books in the series took place in different locations) with the first section being much stronger than the other two. 

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in this book.  There are some fairly traumatic childbirth sequences in the first several chapters which could turn off young (or male) readers.  The story is very heavy and full of things that should be discussed making it perfect for younger readers who are looking for a more introspective and thoughtful story.  I would recommend this book to readers 13+

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A World Away

A World Away by Nancy Grossman follows sixteen year old Eliza who takes a job working as a Nanny to take a break from her Amish upbringing and explore the modern world.  Eliza grows up during her time away, falls in love, learns some family secrets and must decide if she is ready to become baptized and return to the Amish community or stay in the English world.

This was a delightful coming of age novel.  There is a lot of "Bonnet fiction" written for the adult audience and this book explores that environment but is solidly written for a teenage reader.   I really enjoyed this book.  It was sweet and watching Eliza explore the world and make decisions of what she was doing with her life.  I appreciated that while she was naive she was not excessively so.  I loved this book reading it quickly.

Appropriateness:  There is a bit of alcohol and drinking, an incident of Drunk driving and a few discussions of sex.  There is one incident of a boy pushing himself on Eliza but it does not progress further than she is willing.  I would recommend this book to readers 14+

Skipping Stones at the Center of the Earth

Skipping Stones at the Center of the Earth by Andy Huller is the story of Cal, a boy with fire red hair that has grown up in an orphanage that is located on the sunny side of an island located in the center of the earth.  The book tells a few interrelated and interesting stories.  The story of  the discovery of a giant screw that is found at both poles, how the screw is found and how it is unscrewed creating the hole in the earth that Cal's orphanage is located inside.  The story of Cal's father and most importantly the story of Cal.  The orphanage that Cal lives in is a strange place.  They have fire poles instead of stairs and the food is horrible.  Cal sneaks out every morning to watch a man skip stones in the great artic lake.

This is a very interesting middle grade book.  It has an outlandish setting and background that kids will love.  The orphanage has a creepy but interesting vibe to it and the idea of there being a screw at the north and south pole is really interesting.  The characters are all distinct and interesting with the secondary characters having distinct and interesting personalities.  This is a book full of quirky and original characters.  There isn't much action in the book but the unfolding landscape keeps the reader interested.

Appropriateness:  There isn't anything in this book that would upset parents.  There is absolutely no romance and although the orphanage is creepy and horrible there isn't any violence.  The almost exclusively male cast makes this a book that young boys will enjoy.  I would recommend this book to kids 10-14.

Crewel

Crewel by Gennifer Albin takes place in a dystopian world that is controlled manufactured and regulated.  The world is manipulated by spinsters, women who have the ability to weave the fabric of the world.  Adelice knows she has this ability to weave but has been told to hide it her entire life.  When her ability is spotted during a test the government comes for her.

This was an interesting mix of magic and dystopia in a book that left me guessing.  Adelice is a very talented girl who is able to scheme and hold her own without needing a man to tell her what to do.  There's a nice love triangle which doesn't bug me as most love triangles do.  The book ended on a cliffhanger but also had quite a bit of finality.  I looked forward to reading this book and finished it quickly.

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in this book.  There is some talk of purity and the government maintaining and enforcing standards regarding sex and procreation and some great room for thought on what life means and control vs free will.  Adelice is in her late teens and the book is written for the older YA reader (however there is no inappropriate content for younger readers).  I would recommend this book for readers 14+ and the adult crossover audience.

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Malcolm at Midnight

Malcolm at Midnight by W.H. Beck with illustrations by Brian Lies tells the story of Malcom a classroom rat.  After arriving at McKenna school he soon finds himself part of a caper involving a secret society of school pets, and evil cat and a kidnapped iguana.  Malcolm must use his smarts and wits and his human friends to clear his name and to help save the school.

I loved this book.  Malcom was delightful and his relationships with the other pets and his classmates were fun to read.  The book is narrated by a mystery writer to the teacher and there are lots of footnotes defining the vocabulary words that the narrator adds to the story.  The book has a bit of everything friendship, adventure, mystery and even a touch of romance and the pictures are fantastic. I tore through the book enchanted at every turn, this is a book I will be buying for gifts.

Appropriateness:  This is a fantastic book that will be enjoyed by the middle grade audience.  It will appeal equally to girls and boys (Malcolm is a boy but his best student friend is a girl) and has some great vocabulary for growing readers.  I would recommend this book to readers 10-14 and it is fully appropriate for younger advanced readers. 

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Deadly Pink

Deadly Pink by Vivian Vande Velde takes place in a virtual reality fantasy game.  When Grace's mother comes and gets her from school she learns that her sister Emily is stuck inside a game that she created and slowly dying.  Grace is needed to go inside and retrieve Emily, a task that shouldn't take more than a few minutes.  When Grace enters the game she finds a pretty pink wonderland created for little girls but she finds that rescuing her sister is far more difficult than she could imagine.

This book was odd and after thinking about it I think the problem was the foundation of gaming.  The story within the game was a fun fantasy read and I loved following Grace as she outwitted the characters to rescue her sister.  The story outside the game was predictable and took away from the fantasy.  I think if instead of reality gaming the story was pure fantasy involving a trip to fairy land it would have worked much better.  I did like the story and I finished the book fairly quickly (and I've been in a mood lately where I'm dumping books half way through) but I won't be rushing to read another story that takes place in the virtual gaming world.  The suicide plot makes the book inappropriate for the tween audience who would enjoy the fantasy world of the game.

Appropriateness:  There is quite a bit of talk of suicide in this book.  It is handled well with the repercussions to outside family members being addressed and reasons why it's not ok.  Other than that there is no adult content.  I would recommend this book to readers 13+

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In the Bag

In the Bag by Kate Klise tells the story of four people who meet through circumstance.  Two single parents, Daisy and Andrew traveling to Europe with their kids Webb and Coco.  When the kids discover their bags have become switched they quickly start up an internet romance and are anxious to meet.  When they concoct a way to meet in Paris while their parents are working they don't know that their parents are meeting in Spain at Webb's art exhibit.

This was a fun book that would be perfect for a mother daughter book club.  It straddles the line between YA and Adult with separate narrations and could be easily stocked in either section.  I sped through this book delighted by both romances and the fun set of circumstances that gets both couples together.  This is a fun light beach read that mom's can share with their daughters.

Appropriateness:  This is a book that older teen readers and adults will love.  It does not have any sex scenes and neither set of couples move further than kisses.  Coco does think about having sex with Webb because she thinks he'll expect it rather than because it's something she really wants to do (boo) and makes sure she's prepared by buying condoms (yay) but they don't because they don't get that comfortable with each other.  The two kids also make some rather stupid mistakes when it comes to meeting someone that they'd met on the internet (good chance for parents to go over internet safety) and while they do meet in a public place she then takes him to the apartment she's staying in.  I would recommend this book to readers 16+ but would not find it even the least bit controversial (provided you use it as an example for internet safety) for high school aged readers.

Jump into the Sky

Jump into the Sky by Shelly Pearsall takes place at the end of World War Two.  The book follows Levi whose aunt has shipped him from Chicago to North Carolina to meet up with his father who is in the military.  Levi encounters hatred and fear in a Jim Crow era south.  He also meets some very kind people who help him and finally is able to meet up with his father, a member of an elite paratrooper squadron in Washington State.

This is a fantastic piece of historical fiction that kids will enjoy and provides plenty of room for exploration.  I was fascinated by the story of the paratrooper company and the descriptions of Jim Crow era south are chilling.  This is a nice addition to the group of children's books that take place in the time period and it provides a different perspective portraying the African American experience making it a must buy for middle school libraries and classroom.  I finished the book quickly and was always interested in what would happen next. 

Appropriateness:  There are some harsh racial overtones that a young reader would probably need to discuss.  I would recommend this book to readers 11+ (although it is not inappropriate for older elementary schoolers, just very heavy).

Princess Academy Palace of Stone

Palace of Stone is the sequel to Princess Academy by Shannon Hale.  This book follows Miri as she heads to the palace to study in the university there.  While there she learns that things are not as good in the kingdom as she initially thought.  The people are upset by the selfishness of the royal family and begin a call for revolution.  Will Miri be able to save her friend the new princess while also changing what is wrong about their kingdom?

This book like Princess Academy was perfect.  It's politics and philosophy inside a pretty package with a sweet heroine who wants the best for everyone.  I tore through this book always excited to see what was next while reveling in the magical world.

Appropriateness:  This is a sweet book that will appeal to a broad audience.  It is written for the middle grade audience (10-14) but is interesting and deep enough for older readers if they can get past the title of the book.  The romance is sweet and innocent, nothing that would turn off young readers.  I would recommend this book to readers 10+

Review Copy provided by netgalley

First Comes Love

First Comes Love by Katie Kavinsky tells the love story of Grey a troubled boy who is happy to stay in the shadow until he meets Dylan a pushy girl who is visiting his town and looking to experience something new.  Grey who at first is irritated by Dylan slowly finds himself caring about her and she help him heal and move on with his life.

I liked this book.  It's a nice contemporary romance that has very real characters who aren't popular or absurdly rich.  The romance is realistic and passionate and I really enjoyed both of the characters come to understand themselves.  I finished the book quickly.

Appropriateness:  This is a book that's written for and about older teens.  Both Grey and Dylan are high school graduates who are taking community college courses and they act their age.  The relationship eventually grows sexual and there are lots of mentions of condoms (yay!).  I would recommend this book to readers 16+

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Viola in the Spotlight

Viola in the Spotlight by Adriana Trigani is the second book following filmmaker Viola.  Viola has returned from boarding school to spend the summer with her parents and friends.  She plans on spending time with her two best friends and is unhappy to find that they've already made summer plans.  Viola then throws herself into many projects (filming them all) including an internship with her grandmothers broadway show that is opening.  How will she handle her best friend Andrew who wants to be more than a best friend and another friend using her to sneak around with a boy, can she live all summer without the roommates she's grown to see as sisters?

I love Viola and her friends.  This book transported us to a new setting and gave us some new characters (while keeping the old).  Viola experiences highlights and low times over the summer.  She's a strong girl who isn't boy crazy and who cares about her filmmaking and helping out her friends.  I sped through the book and loved reading Viola's story.

Appropriateness:  This is a great contemporary novel that young adult readers will enjoy.  There is no adult content in the book and Viola's attitudes towards relationships in the series is refreshing when compared to most boy crazy heroine.  I would recommend this book to readers 11-15 however it is not inappropriate for younger readers (although Viola is 14 and in high school).

Smart Girls Get What They Want

Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer follows Gigi a super smart girl who decides to make a change in her life after discovering how much of a nobody her friends older sister was in high school.  Gigi and her friends slowly loosen up and become part of the high school community while maintaining their strict academics and experience some love on the side.

This was a fantastic book.  Gigi is smart and a strong and unapologetic.  While she does change during the break she never at any point allows herself to compromise her ideals or what is important to her.  The romance was sweet and had me smiling until the end with a love triangle that really worked.  I finished this book quicky and couldn't put it down.

Appropriateness:  This book is able to maintain an older teen feel while still remaining completely innocent and appropriate for younger readers.  There is no adult content.   Gigi is the girl that all of us wish our daughters would be, smart and demanding and unwilling to give up anything for a boy.  The romance is sweet and limited to a few kisses.   I'd recommend this book to readers 13+ who are fans of romance and chic lit.

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Rebel McKenzie

Rebel McKenzie by Candice Ransom follows twelve year old Rebel who is sent off to live with her poor sister to spend the summer babysitting her nephew after running away because she was upset about not being able to go to paleontology camp.  Rebel finds out that things are very difficult for her sister who is attending beauty school after a divorce.  The trailer is small and there isn't a lot of food.  She makes friends with the neighbors, decides to enter a pageant and end up making a difference in a lot of lives.

This is a great book that kids will love.  It's so nice to read a book with a character that is not excessively rich (that isn't specifically about poverty).  While some of the money situations are a bit difficult to read about it's not the focus of the book and it's not written to be tragic, just the setting for everything.  There's a great set of original characters including the two neighbor girls, one who is a snotty reigning pageant queen and the other who is a mess after the loss of her mother.  My only complaint about the book was that the ending wrapped up a little perfectly with some obnoxious behavior being rewarded. 

Appropriateness:  This is an easy and quick read that will be enjoyed by it's intended audience of 9-12 year old girls (although it's a little flighty for readers older than that).  The book will provide parents with a good opportunity to talk about poverty with their kids and how we take things for granted that others have to struggle to obtain.  There is no adult content, romance or violence.

Sirenz Back in Fashion

Sirenz Back in Fashion by Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman is the sequel to Sirenz.  This series follows Shar and Meg who once again have found themselves in unwilling service to Hades again.  Shar is swept away to the underworld.  While there her existence is completely missing from Meg's world, replaced by rich girl Paulina whom Meg has to trick into wearing the golden fleece which will send her to Hades.

This was a nice sequel to Sirenz and felt like it's own book that could stand on its own.  I missed the interaction between the girls as they were separated for most of the book.  I found myself giggling at the humor in the books and the wacky situations that the girls got themselves into.  The twist at the end was perfect.  I finished the book quickly and enjoyed it as much as the first in the series.

Appropriateness:  This is one of those rare books that is written for older teens and is not only completely free of adult content but also has very light romance making it appropriate for younger readers who want to read something a little more sophisticated.  I would recommend this book to readers 13+

The Lost Code

The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson takes place in a post apocalyptic wasteland.  Owen has won a place in a summer camp that takes place inside a protective dome.  However soon after starting he drowns.  After being saved he wakes up in the clinic and then soon finds that he has a big secret.  A secret that must be kept from those in charge and one that could save the world.

This is an interesting mash-up of mythology and dystopia.  Owen lives in a land that's almost uninhabitable and he finds that an ancient secret that lies in his DNA could be the secret to changing it all.  I enjoyed this book but found it bumpy at times.  The mythology was a little out there and forced at times and the dystopia wasn't fully explained.  Owen was a great main character and there were several strong supporting characters.  I finished the book quickly.

Appropriateness:  This book has no adult content.  It felt like an older YA book that older teens will enjoy without having an excess amount of romance (to turn off the boys), violence and there is no sex or substance abuse.  It has a main character who is male making this a book that will appeal to male readers (it also has a fairly strong female lead although most of the girls are just a giggling herd).  I would recommend this book to fans of dystopian and fantasy 13+

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Princess of the Wild Swans

Princess of the Wild Swans by Diane Zahler is a retelling of the Six Swans.  The story follows Meriel the only daughter in the kings household.  She adores her brothers and when her father comes home with a new wife who seems to resent their existence Meriel becomes worried.  After the new Queen sends her brothers to school Meriel is suspicious.  When she finds a new group of swans on the lake that seem like her brothers she knows that something is wrong.  She soon finds out that they've been enchanted and she must make them shirts out of stinging nettles and remain silent until the task is done.

This is a wonderful retelling.  Zahler does a fantastic job with these retellings in a way that makes them perfect for the middle grade readers who love princesses but have no desire to read a romantic story.  This book is full of magic, suspense and girl power.  I finished the book quickly and had a huge smile on my face when it was over.

Appropriateness:  This is a fantastic middle grade book that is also great for younger advanced readers.  The story is fun and interesting full of evil queens and princesses without the usual romance that you would find in fairytale retellings.  There is some nice vocabulary the lexile is 819.  I would recommend this book to readers 9-13 with the book being short and interesting enough for a read aloud.