A Year Without Autumn

by Liz Kessler

Jenni and Autumn are the best of friends, and their moms are best friends, too. Their families even vacation together, and they each own a timeshare where they meet every year. A few days into their vacation, Autumn asks Jenni to go horseback riding, but on the way Jenni decides to take the old-fashioned elevator instead of the new one. She goes up a floor, but when she gets to Autumn's condo, it's not Autumn. An old lady answers the door, and has no idea who Autumn is. Jenni soon realizes that she's gone forward in time a year, and that during that time, something horrible has happened to Autumn's brother. Is Jenni stuck in the future, or can she get back in time and change things for her best friend's family?

The first page of this book had me hooked instantly, and I can't really explain why. I think because Jenni's voice immediately drew me in. I couldn't wait to find out what horrible thing happened to Autumn's brother, and once that was revealed, I had to find out if Jenni would be able to save the day.

The Night She Disappeared

by April Henry

Gabie, Kayla, and Drew all work together at a pizza shop. One night, Drew takes a call for delivery. The caller asks if the girl with the Mini Cooper is working. That's Gabie, but she and Kayla have switched shifts, so Kayla goes out on the call. She never returns. Gabie is terrified and wracked with guilt, feeling deep down that Kayla's fate was meant for her. Unfortunately, she's right. The kidnapper is still out there, and he's coming for Gabie.

This is a fast, fun, read, with a lot of mystery and a little romance. I didn't think it was as original and creative as Girl, Stolen, but still enjoyed it.

The Cup and the Crown

by Diane Stanley

Molly is a lady of Westria now, raised from servant to noble status by King Alaric in The Silver Bowl. Political unrest with neighboring kingdoms means Alaric must secure an alliance by marrying a princess who doesn’t want to marry him. Alaric asks Molly to find the Loving Cup, rumored to be made by her grandfather, which will cause anyone who drinks from it to fall in love. He assembles a crew, including Tobias, friend of Molly and fellow former peasant, to go on a quest to find the cup. The journey leads them to Harrowsgode, the land of Molly’s magical ancestors, but this village has a sinister secret. Richard the Ratcatcher, a particularly well-rounded and delightful character, is key to helping the Westrians with their mission.  The fast-moving adventure is wildly creative, and suspense builds on every page. Readers who already know Molly will be happy to see her again, but this story stands alone. Background information is skillfully placed, and never interrupts or bogs down the new tale. Molly and Tobias’ strong friendship, and slightly awkward unrequited feelings for one another, is sweet and feels so genuine. A story to be cherished and read over and over again.

Blood Red Road

by Moira Young

Saba and Lugh are twins, born in a bleak future. They couldn't be more different. She's dark, he's light. But they love one another fiercely. Their mother died in childbirth, but little sister Emmi survived, so for years it has been the three kids and their Papa, barely making ends meet. One day some bad men come, and take Lugh away. Saba swears to find him. The journey is grueling, and along the way Saba is captured and forced to cage fight to the death with other young women. During this time she meets a group of girl warriors, who vow to help her find Lugh.

I'm kind of on a streak of books I don't like right now. The quote on the cover says this is "better than Hunger Games," but I have to disagree. It's written in an odd sort of dialect that I found very distracting. To be fair, it was a good adventure, and Saba's cage fighting days were emotionally charged. The romance felt forced, though, and if I read one more book where the girl pushes the guy away meanly even though she's dying to have him, I might scream! If you're a fan of dystopian literature, you might like this, but I found it pretty painful.

They Boy in the Striped Pajamas

by John Boyne

Nine year old Bruno's father is one of Hitler's top officials. As the Holocaust heats up, they move from their lovely home in Germany to Auschwitz. We, the readers, know what that means, but Bruno, sheltered and naive, has no idea. He sees people on the other side of the fence, and can't figure out what they're doing there. One day, while out exploring, he meets a young boy exactly his age sitting by the fence. We know he's a Jew, with an awful fate awaiting him. Bruno is jealous of him because there are other boys his age there. We know that's ridiculous, but somehow Bruno doesn't. He hides this "friendship" from his family, and walks out to the fence daily, sometimes bringing food, which he mostly eats along the way.

Bruno's ignorance is appalling, but I think this was the author's point. The world during this time was blind, like Bruno, to the horrors of the Holocaust, sometimes by choice. I can't say I loved this novel--it was too uncomfortable-- but I certainly will never forget it. Be warned--the ending will haunt you.

Taken

by Edward Bloor

It's 2035, and in this world, kidnapping has become an everyday occurrence. It's a pretty simple business, really, and no one even gets all that worked up about it. If someone kidnaps your kid, you do what they say, and the kid gets returned. But when Charity Meyers gets taken, things don't go exactly as planned.

I've had several people recommend this book to me, so I had high hopes, but it just didn't do much for me. None of the characters, except for Charity, seemed to really have much depth. While there were quite a few twists and turns to the plot, I thought some of them were kind of silly and unbelievable. I didn't like Tangerine, either, so maybe this writer just isn't for me.