Taken

Taken by Erin Bowman begins in Claysoot, a town where boys disappear when they turn eighteen. After Gray makes a startling discovery he starts to question everything that he believed was true.

This is an interesting dystopian that moves at a faster pace than most that have been released lately. Instead of the entire book being based on the discovery of the mystery it is unraveled very quickly. The love triangle works well and the sexual rules of the society makes for an interesting contrast.

Appropriateness: There is a bit of implied sex in this book along with sexual rules for the society being a main plot point. There is also some alcohol use. I recommend this book to readers 13+

Slugger

Slugger by Susan Pearson and David Slonim tells the story of Ollie the slug who wants to do nothing more than to play baseball. He works hard to overcome the many obstacles he faces and is victorious in the end.

This is a fantastic book that will be enjoyed by kids ages 4-8.

The Testing

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau is a young adult dystopian novel that takes place in a society that's rebuilding. The society chooses members of the community to participate in the testing every year to compete for spots in the university. When Cia is chosen her father tells her that he suspects that the testing that he went through was brutal. Things start out simple but soon become dangerous.

This book is the closest to a Hunger Games rewrite as I've seen. There's young teens chosen to compete in a dangerous contest that's run by the leaders in the capital city. There's a booby trapped city, teens killing teens to get further in the contest and even evil people/animal hybrids. While it was very reminiscent of The Hunger Games I did find it entertaining and couldn't put it down. It's full of non-stop action and has a great romance and a bit of a mystery. If you can get over the similarities you'll enjoy the book.

Appropriateness: This book is very violent with kids killing kids and it's hard to read at times. I would recommend this book to readers 13+

Seven Little Bunnies

Seven Little Bunnies by Julie Stiegmeyer and Laura J Bryant is an adorable counting picture book.  The poetry is delightful and rhythmic and the pictures are cute with a sleepy ending that kids and parents will find calming.  I read this book to a class of first graders and they loved it.

Throwing Like A Girl

Throwing Like a Girl by Weezie Kerr Mackey follows Ella who starts a new school after moving to Dallas in the middle of the school year.  Ella, looking for a place to fit in decides to try out for the softball team.  The story follows her learning about the game, her teammates and new friends.

This is a nice, sweet and clean contemporary story.  There's a bit of romance but for the most part it's a sports drama.  I found myself interested throughout and finished the book quickly.

Appropriateness:  This is a clean YA novel that will be acceptable even to the most conservative of readers while still keeping a bit of edge with family drama and remaining secular.  There is no drug or alcohol use (although a bit of talk about a friend's parent being an alcoholic) the romance culminates in a fairly chaste kiss and the characters are all nice and helpful girls who care about and help their families.  I recommend this book to readers 12-16

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Taken

Taken by Erin Bowman begins in Claysoot, a town where boys disappear when they turn eighteen.  After Gray makes a startling discovery he starts to question everything that he believed was true.

This is an interesting dystopian that moves at a faster pace than most that have been released lately.  Instead of the entire book being based on the discovery of the mystery it is unraveled very quickly.  The love triangle works well and the sexual rules of the society makes for an interesting contrast.

Appropriateness:  There is a bit of implied sex in this book along with sexual rules for the society being a main plot point.  There is also some alcohol use.  I recommend this book to readers 13+

Review copy provided by Amazon Vine

Five Little Skunks

Five Little Skunks by Robert Collier Morles is a very cute folk song book.  The song is about a girl who goes to the park with her skunks who slowly wander away (as to the other people in the park).  There is a CD included with the song (and eleven other songs) which is nicely performed and will help if you don't know the song.  The inclusion of the CD makes this a fantastic bargain for parents and teachers.

You Know What You Have To Do

You Know What You Have to Do by Bonnie Shimko follows Mary Magdalene a teenage girl who has a voice in her head that tells her to kill.  The novel follows her through her life as she faces these impulses to kill.

This is a creepy creepy book.  Mary is a sociopath who doesn't feel much guilt about her actions and lies her way through therapy.  She's not one that teens can really relate to but she's certainly fascinating.  I had no problem finishing the book although I wasn't very satisfied with the ending.

Appropriateness:  This book has quite a bit of adult content.  There's talk of sex, abortion and quite a bit of violence.  I'd recommend it to readers 16+

Delusion

Delusion by Laura L Sullivan stars sisters Phil and Fee, magician sisters who have been exiled to the country during the war so they'll remain safe.  While there they find a college of real magicians and is determined to get them to help with the home guard.  Magic and love of course romance ensue.

This book has many issues that drag the book down making it unreadable even with it's original plot.  The author has issues with switching points of views to the point that the reader can get lost.  The plot also meanders around at some places where the reader wonders if anything interesting will happen.  I had to push myself to get through the book and put it down several times, pausing to read other things.

Appropriateness:  This is a book best suited for older teens.  There is quite a bit of sexual content and drunkeness and the characters themselves are older.  I would reccomend the book to readers 14+

Review copy provided by amazon vine

Confederates Don't Wear Couture

Confederates Don't Wear Couture follows Libby whom we met in Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink. In this book she is recruited by her gay best friend to model civil war era clothes as they follow civil war reenactors from town to town. While on their tour they come upon a ghost whose presence threatens to shut the entire circuit down.

While I loved Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink I wasn't as in love with this book. I think it was missing some of the lightness and romance that we saw when Libby was a new character and as we learned to love her boyfriend (who I came to hate in this book).

I'd recommend this book to readers 13+

Diego: Bigger Than Life

Diego: Bigger Than Life appears at first glance to be a picture book written for children full of poems about a famous painter. However, the topics of these poems make the book not appropriate for the picture book audience as it deals with his lovers and his politics. Making it more appropriate for middle school aged readers (who would be better off reading a book with paintings that are actually by Diego.) All in all the book is a failure