The premise of this book is interesting; set in a future when humans have eliminated death by wars, disease, age and crime, it has become necessary to cull the population through the use of Scythes; specially trained and appointed humans who are basically responsible for gleaning (selecting and killing) humans to keep the population down. CItra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe, and neither of them are eager to take on the job. They are even less thrilled when they find out that only one of them can become a scythe and the successful candidate will have to glean the other.

As you might surmise from the covers, these books are very similar. They are both written in a free verse, hip hop poetry format, they both involve main characters who are male athletes, and they both involve some sort of personal challenge which interferes with the athlete's focus. Where the books differ is that one is about basketball and the second is about soccer, and the nature of their problems is different, although both obstacles originate from family. 
I am quite excited to share these stories with some of my reluctant readers since I think the format of the text combined with the content will be a winning combination. If you've used these books with reluctant readers, I'd love to hear how it went.

Raim has waited all his life to become a member of the elite patrol called the Yun and dedicate his life to protecting the Khan and the kingdom of Darhan. He does not know his parents since he was abandoned and fostered by Loni, a man who has become like a grandfather to Raim. The only memento he has from his early life is a promise string tied around his wrist, but Raim has no memory of making a promise to anyone.
Something disastrous happens on the day Raim should becoming a Yun, and he is forced to flee Darhan and seek some answers.
I enjoyed this book, and will definitely read the conclusion (The Shadow's Curse). I especially liked the originality of a promise sealed with a knot, and having powerful magic protect that promise from being broken. (Imagine if such a thing really existed! People might take their promises more seriously)

Mara James is well known for acing her tests, being super organized, making lists and just being a huge overachiever in everything. Because of her well documented reputation for perfectionism, when she has a meltdown in her calculus exam, rips up her test and walks out, it gets videotaped and then posted to You Tube where it goes viral in an astoundingly short time. Deciding that she just can't face school and her friends after her psychotic break, she decides to escape to Tahoe to live with her ski bum father, Trick, about whom she knows almost nothing. He agrees, and she goes to spend the rest of that school year with him. Tahoe turns out to be nothing like what she imagined but also more than she could have hoped for. What will happen when her school year is up, and it's time to head home? An entertaining story for young adults who have had moments in their lives when they realize that trying to make everybody else happy doesn't make sense.

 Salt & Stone picks up right where Fire & Flood left off. The remaining competitors (64 from the original 122),  are recovering at base camp, waiting for the next leg of their race. Tella, Harper, Guy, Olivia, Jaxon and Braun have formed close bonds, and intend to stay together until the end if possible. All too soon, the next leg of their journey, crossing the sea, begins. 
I'm not usually able to say this, but I enjoyed book two even more than book one. Tella asserts her independence, which, while increasing the tension between her and Guy, is necessary for her development as a believable character. There are some deaths, a reunion, a new character, and some great twists, some predictable and one that blindsided me. Towards the end of the race, there are three challenges that must be met in order to advance to the finish. If you've read The Testing, Independent Study and Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau, the feel of Tella's challenges is very similar to what Cia experienced. If you haven't read the series, you might like to consider it. 
The ending leaves some unanswered questions, and I'd really like there to be a third book, but Scholastic has only bought the rights to the first two, so there might not be a third. That would truly be disappointing. Guess I'll have to get more people reading these two books! :-)
Definitely stock this on your middle school library shelf, but be warned that it does contain quite a bit of violence. If your readers can handle the Hunger Games and Divergent violence, they can handle this. Tella is morally strong so she does the right thing, even when survival instinct says to do the opposite.