Rapunzel Untangled

Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C Bennett follows Rapunzel a girl who believes that she has a terrible illness that makes it necessary for her to be isolated, living in a tower away from society.  While looking up something on the internet she stumbles upon facebook and soon forms a relationship with a local boy.  Luckily he turns out not to be a serial killer and she invites him to climb up into her tower and the two fall in love causing her to question everything her mother has told her about herself.

I wasn't expecting much when I started this little book but soon found myself unable to put it down.  The mix of the traditional and the contemporary worked very well and the additions to the story were perfect.  Rapunzel was innocent without being stupid and her handsome prince was kind and swoonworthy. 

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in this book.  Rapunzel does attend one "teen" party but it is made clear to readers that she drinks a root beer and does not have any alchohol  There is the whole plot point of inviting a boy that she has met on facebook to meet her at her house which is a bit troublesome and should invite some discussion of what could have happened.  I would recommend this book to readers 11-14.  It's got quite a bit of romance and kissing (which is not too detailed) but it also has a fair amount of adventure. 

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Scorch

Scorch by Gina Damico is the second in the Croak series.  This series follows Lex a grim reaper as she goes about her business sending souls on their way.

While I greatly enjoyed the first book in the series.  It was slow and not very exciting and after feeling like it a chore to read too many times I finally gave up and put the book down.

Approropriateness:  This is a fairly clean series that will appeal to older teens.  I recommend it to readers 13+

Shades of Earth

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis is the third book in the Across the Universe Trilogy.  The book begins with Amy and Elder crash landing on the surface of the planet.  They then unfreeze Amy's parents and the other scientists and military on the ship. The two groups clash from the start. Can they figure out a way to live in peace?  Can they fight the dangerous threat on the planet and figure out who and what the enemy is.

This book was terrific and kept me guessing throughout.  It was a fitting end to the trilogy.  Amy and Elder grew in ways that were true to their characters and the new setting worked perfectly and readers were given a nice solid ending. I couldn't put the book down and finished it quickly even though it was very long.

Appropriateness:  This series is very scary and violent with implied sex (and attempted rape in previous books). I recommend this series to readers13+

Etiquette and Espionage

Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger is the first book in the Finishing School series.  This book follows fourteen year old Sophronia who has been sent off to finishing school by her parents to learn to be more ladylike.  She soon figures out that this is not an ordinary finishing school.  After being attacked by flywaymen (highway men who fly) on her way to her school who are looking for a mysterious prototype she finally gets to the school which is a giant airship and the teachers aren't just there to teach them how to be fine young ladies but they're teaching them how to be spies and assassins. 

This is an interesting novel which fans of steampunk lit will love.  The descriptions of the ship and steam creatures are fantastic to read and I loved the descriptions of the day to day activities on the ship.  There were some things that felt under developed however.  The first is the world is a bit underdeveloped.  There are vampires and werewolves whose existence doesn't seem to add to the story one bit.  The names of the characters are all so strange and so long that it really took away from the story for me.  All in all it's an entertaining story.

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in this book.  The main character is fourteen but seems a bit older.  There isn't more than a touch of romance.  I would reccomend this book to readers 12+

Fabulous Hair

DK Publishing's book Fabulous Hair is a great book for girls who would like some simple new hair styles and hair care tips.

This is a great book that my daughter can't put down.I bought it for her because she enjoyed the American Girl hair care book so much and wanted new styles to try. She reported the book is much better and has a lot more information.   This book has hair care tips and styles for girls with a variety of hair types (even ethnic hair) and is easy to read with great instructions that my third grader had no problem reading and figuring out how to do herself (although the information is not complex enough for adult readers).

I recommend this book to readers 8-12

Safekeeping

Safekeeping by Karen Hesse follows Radley who returns home from volunteering in Haiti to find that the country has been thrown into complete chaos. A fringe group has taken control of the government, assassinated the president, thrown thousands of citizens in jail and made interstate travel illegal without a permit. When Radley finds herself stranded at the airport she must travel on foot to her parents house and after that to Canada without being caught by the police that she believes are after her because of her parents.



I had mixed feelings about this book. The series of pictures intertwined throughout the book just didn't work for me. Instead of enhancing or illustrating the story they just seemed like filler, often having nothing to do with the plot whatsoever. The story however was interesting and kept me reading till the end. While I felt the author didn't explain the problems going on in the country well enough (and the heroine didn't talk to anyone for the majority of the book) the survival and travel story was interesting and kept me reading to find out what would happen in the end.


Appropriateness: This is a book that teen readers will enjoy. There is a mention of rape (with Radley's friend) but besides that there is no adult content. While Radley has to work to survive the reader feels her strength and perseverance instead of the hopelessness and fear that these types of books often contain. I would recommend it to readers 12+

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Nibbles, A Green Tale

Nibbles: A Green Tale, by Charlotte Middleton tells the story of Nibbles, a hamster who loves dandelions.  When all the dandelions are eaten and Nibbles and his friends are resigned to eating slimy cabbage Nibbles gets to action.  He finds one last dandelion sprout and takes careful care of it until it sprouts and then walks to the top of a hill and spreads the seeds so that more can grow.

This is a terrific picture book that not only teaches about conservation but also teaches a nice lesson on the plant cycle.  The kids that I read it too all loved it and had different favorite parts and said they would love to hear it again.

Appropriateness:  This book will be enjoyed by students 4-8 and could be enjoyed by older students as part of a green lesson.

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The Twinning Project

The Twinning Project by Robert Lipste follows Tom and Eddie, twins living on two different earth's five years apart.  The twins have known about each other and have communicated through a psychic link.  They soon learn they indeed were separated and that they have to switch in order to save the world.

This book was odd.  While I liked the characters and some of the plot worked the whole premise was just bizarre.  The part time travel, part alien premise was just absurd.  Strangely however, I didn't put the book down and finished it rather quickly.  I think if the author had stuck with it just being a time travel story it would have been a much better story.  It's one of those books that's both bad and good at the same time/

Appropriateness:  There was no adult content in this book and no major violence.  I would recommend it to boys 10-14

There Was an Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish

As a music teacher I am always on the look out for what I call "singing books."  I've found there to be an overabundance of "old lady" books so while I was excited to see this I didn't jump on it as much as I do with other folk song books. 

However, when I read this to my classes they thought it was terrific.  They enjoyed the refrain (yo ho ho watch his belly grow) and espically loved the pictures of the fish and the bird playing with all the other things that the pirate swallows.  The ending, while not unexpected had my students laughing and I know they'll ask to hear this one again.

This will be a nice addition to any school or home library and is a must for small kids who love pirates.

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Mystic City

Mystic City by Theo Lawrence stars Aria who wakes up in the hospital with chunks of her memory missing.  She is told that the memory loss was caused by an overdose of a magical drug and that she is engaged to the son of her father's political rival whom she was sneaking around to see.  She soon finds out that things are not as they appear, that her father will do anything to keep the power he desires.

This was an interesting book that lovers of paranormal romance will enjoy.  The world building was fantastic, a combination between modern and paranormal with a bit of steampunk and dystopian mixed in.  The Romeo and Juliet style romance really works and I think readers will really fall for Aria and Hunter.  I did find the enemy to be a bit evil and one dimensional and wish there had been more of an explanation as to the reasons behind their hatred of the mystics.

Appropriateness:  There is quite a bit of talk of drug use (although it's a magical drug) and while the characters seem very teen the plot has to do with an engagement and marriage.  I would recommend this book to readers 14+ and think that it will appeal to the adult crossover audience as well as the teen.  While the book is being compared to The Hunger Games and X-Men in the promotional lit it is a heavy romance with a bit of action so this is a book for romance lovers as opposed to those who are attracted to action heavy novels..

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One Tough Chic

 One Tough Chic by Leslie Margolis stars the smart and confident Annabelle.  When Annabelle decides to show off her dog training for the school talent show it's a total disaster so her teacher assigns her to be a judge.  Will she be able to be fair when her friends want her to give them the win?

This is such a great book in a great series by Margoils.  Annabelle's troubles with boys and friends are spot on for middle school aged girls and she's a fantastic role model working hard at school and standing up for what is right and fair even when it's hard.  I finished this book quickly, it was sweet and fluffy.

Appropriateness:  This is a great book for middle school aged kids.  There's a lot of boy stuff that might turn off younger readers (obsessing over if a boy is her boyfriend and obsessing over kissing) but no adult or inappropriate behavior at all.  I would recommend this book to girls 11-14.

Review copy provided by Netgalley

Breathe

Breathe by Sarah Crossan follows Alina, Bea and Quinn who all live in a dystopian society where the air that you breathe is sparse and controled by a corporation.  When the three leave the security of their domed city into the airless outland with enough oxyegen to last them only a few days they soon find themselves on the run from the corporation who will do anything to protect their profits.

This was a terrific dystopian novel, the idea of a society where the very air we breathe is limited was interesting and the theme of profits before anything allows for discussion and thought.  I read this book quickly and loved the twists and turns.

Appropriateness:  This book does not have any adult content.  It is fairly violent and filled with tension.  The love triangle is not enough to put off male readers and it has a strong male viewpoint with Quinn as one of the main narrators.  I reccomend this book to readers 13+