Shea worries when her brother Odin goes missing because she knows that his social skills are severely lacking. She decides to head to L.A. to find him, and when she does, she is dragged into quite the adventure. Odin has broken into an research lab that experiments on animals, and while escaping, manages to acquire a bionic dog. Shea ends up getting some help from a fellow named Twist, and together they go up against the ruthless Singular Corp. Fast paced and entertaining. Will be enjoyed by reluctant older readers, especially boys. Rated mature due to violence and language.
I've been waiting quite a while for book two to come out, and I'm almost out of patience.

Alina Starkov and her childhood playmate and fellow orphan, Mal are drafted into an army and sent to cross the Fold, a place of darkness where terrifying creatures called volcra threaten the life of the soldiers. When she and her friends are attacked, Alina reveals a power she had no idea she possessed, and after unknowingly saving everyone, is subsequently whisked away to meet the Darkling and be trained as a Grisha. Separated from Mal, envied by some, feared by others, and treated with suspicion by most, Alina is easily lured by the luxury of her new life, the ability to control her power and the allure of the Darkling. She discovers a secret however, and she is the only one with the power to battle head to head with the most powerful force in the kingdom. Warning. This is book one. You are going to want to buy book two and three just to have it on hand for when you finish the first one. It's REALLY good.

I hope that I'm wrong, but I think that this will be one of those classic books that is loved by adults and not really appreciated by the younger audience of teens that it targets. I think the size of the book will intimidate many potential readers and I think the confusion of the fairy tale set up story, and then the three stories (Germany, 1933 with Friedrich Schmidt during Hitler's rise to power, Philadelphia, 1935, with two orphaned brothers, Frankie and Mike Flannery and then the home of migrant workers in Southern Caifornia, 1942 with Ivy Maria Lopez) will be enough to confuse all but the most avid readers. I've already recommended the story to our music teacher, because of the music talk and quotes that are embedded throughout the tale. Will be REALLY interested to see what 11, 12, 13 year olds think of it. There's no question that it's a spectacular story, but I'm just not convinced that it will be beloved by our tween/teen readers.

Imagine waking up 100 years from now; the boy you loved has had an entire life without you and has died, your parents are long gone, the house you grew up in probably doesn't even exist anymore, the language and slang of your youth has become old school, and everything you do feels unfamiliar. That's the existence Tegan Oglietti starts to live when she is brought back to life in 2027, 100 years after she died. She finds out that she has signed away any rights she thought she had, and she is the property of the government. Worse then that, they clearly have a plan for her, and it is not something she wants for herself. Tegan finds friends and romance where she doesn't expect it, but also finds out that what she was told was her purpose is not really the truth. Tegan is one of those take no prisoner kind of girls, and you'll be cheering for her throughout the entire tale.

The Way Back From Broken captures the pain, bewilderment and betrayal felt when a younger sibling dies. Two children, each of whom has experienced the death of a sibling, end up taking a canoe trip with one of their moms. She injures herself, and the two children must make the four day trip back to civilization to get help for the injured adult they were forced to leave behind. Although the content deals with the heartbreaking topic of death of young children, the tale is not depressing and contains what feels like authentic descriptions of the feelings of the surviving children. Much of their canoe journey is metaphoric for having the courage to continue on. I was able to read this through an advance digital copy provided by Net Gallery. One warning is that early on in the story there is reference to a friend who wants to get laid, so it is probably best read by those who are older.