Scrivener's Moon

By Philip Reeve

Picking up where A Web of Air left off, this third and final installment in the Fever Crumb series won't disappoint Reeve's many fans. Fever returns to London, but the city is now unrecognizable. The new, moveable London is almost ready, thanks in part to Wavey, Fever's mother and chief engineer. The nomad tribes of the north are threatened by this new moving city, and plan to attack. Meanwhile, Wavey hears of a black pyramid in the northlands that might contatin useful information about the past. The two are inevitably drawn north, where tragedy strikes, leaving Fever to make some tough decisions and choose alliances she never thought possible. She also meets Cluny Morvish, a member of one of the nomadic warrior tribes, and travels with her. Fever's friendship with Cluny changes her perspective on many things. Beautifully complex language and a fully realized, highly creative future world will draw in readers, although those unfamiliar with the other books in the series will struggle with characters and concepts. Fever's journey concludes with satisfying answers to long-standing questions about the basis for her society, and her own heritage. For true fans of steampunk and science fiction, it doesn't get much better.

Epitaph Road

by David Patneaude

In a not-so-distant future, a deadly virus strikes the entire planet. Millions die...but here's the catch. No women are affected. The virus only kills males. A small percentage, around 3%, of males are immune, but they are always greeted with suspicion. The females who now run the world see them basically as a necessary evil. They've even engineered a way to make sure that the majority of babies born are female. Fourteen year old Kellen is a male navigating this strange world. When he discovers a resurgence of the virus might be on the way, he desperately tries to warn his dad, who lives in a colony outside the city. Teaming up with two girls, the trio gets in over their heads in a political and moral dilemma that could have devastating consequences.

This story had great potential. I love the idea behind it, and the exploration of a world without men. The author explores lots of interesting ways the world might change if something like this really happened. In a world without men, how many wars do you think we would have? It's thought-provoking. Unfortunately, though, I don't feel the story really ever panned out. I lost interest about half-way through, and had to struggle to finish. Remember that every book isn't for every reader, though, so if it sounds interesting to you, give it a try!

Liar & Spy

by Rebecca Stead

When Georges' dad loses his job, his family is forced to sell their home and move into an apartment in the city. Georges is devastated, because he loved that house, and now his mom has to work double shifts to help make ends meet. He doesn't do well with making friends at school, but he meets a new guy, Safer, in his apartment complex. Safer is homeschooled, and has quite a bit of time on his hands. He and Georges start a Spy Club, and decide the man on the 4th floor they call Mr. X might be killing people and carrying them out of the complex in garbage bags.

Rebecca Stead can write. Her characters are layered and real, and there is always a bit of a mystery, or a twist, to her endings. I enjoyed this book for the writing, and I liked the story, but I don't feel like it had the flair of When You Reach Me. Perhaps it's not fair to compare this book to one of her other books, instead of judging it on its own merit, but I can't help it. The twist here wasn't as shocking, or as thought-provoking.

Ghoulfriends Forever

by Gitty Daneshvari

This series of books features three teen monsters new to Monster High. Rochelle (a gargoyle), Robecca (a robot), and Venus (a Venus Flytrap), become friends as they learn their way around their new campus. They constantly encounter obstacles, from troll hall monitors who may or may not eat them, to teachers with severe emotional problems, to cute boys who aren’t their boyfriends. Every class, every location in the school, and every character’s name is a pun. The girls check out books in the Libury, shop at the Maul, and go to Physical Deaducation. The girls are adjusting well until a new teacher begins casting a spell over the whole school, and they set out to find a way to stop her.

This book was pretty silly, and all the monster puns got really old, really fast. If you like goofy, cheesy, humore, though, maybe this is the book for you!

Stolen

by Lucy Christopher

Gemma is on vacation with her parents, en route to Bangkok, Thailand. They are at the airport, and she sees a young man who seems familiar. They talk, he buys her a cup of coffee, and for Gemma, sparks fly. But the next thing she knows, she's drugged in the trunk of his car, and she has no idea where he's taking her. She ends up in the Australian Outback, so far from any civilization that he doesn't even have to tie her up. He's been stalking Gemma for years, and wants to keep her. At first she is terrified, but soon realizes he doesn't want to hurt her any more than he already has. Can Gemma find a way to escape? Does she really want to?

This was kind of a strange book, first because the protagonist is British, and the setting is Australia, so there is some terminology that may seem unfamiliar. The suspense was pretty intense, and as a reader, your wishes and hopes for Gemma shift as you move forward in the story, which is pretty unusual. She's in a complicated situtation. It's difficult to place yourself in her shoes, but I think that's sort of the point.

Freakling

by Lana Krumwiede

Taemon lives in a city where everyone can move objects with their minds. It’s a power called psi, and his people are proud and haughty about their abilities. One day, while arguing with his brother, he hears a strange voice, and is asked to make a difficult choice. His decision costs him his psi. He attempts to fake his abilities for awhile, but it’s next to impossible. Without psi, he can’t even feed himself, since using his hands would reveal his secret. It doesn’t take long before he ends up exiled to a colony of “powerless” people. The colony isn’t as backwards as Taemon was raised to believe, though, and here he learns valuable lessons about the power he lost, and the power still inside him. Meanwhile, his cruel and heartless older brother is being groomed as the True Son, a much-revered individual who, according to prophecy, will bring on the next Great Cycle. All of this leads to a gutsy conclusion which clearly leaves room for a sequel. While the concept of psi and all of its intricacies is described well, at times it feels repetitive to constantly remind the reader that every action is accomplished through psi. However, memorable characters, a smooth plotline with building suspense, and a fascinating premise make this a worthy addition to the dystopian crowd.

The One and Only Ivan

by Katherine Applegate

Ivan is a gorilla who lives in a "circus" housed in a shopping mall right off the highway. He's the main attraction, along with his friend Stella the elephant. The animals aren't treated well, but Ivan has only slight memories of being taken from his home, and the deaths of his parents and sister. When the owner purchases a new elephant, baby Ruby, Ivan sees the deep sadness in Stella, and makes an almost impossible promise to her that he will make sure Ruby doesn't spend her life at the circus.

Ivan's story is told from his point of view, so we see life through the eyes of a gorilla. He likes to throw "me-balls" (poop!) at the humans gawking at him through the glass, and he loves watching westerns on the small television in his cage. It's sad and uplifting at the same time as he slowly gains awareness of his predicament by caring for young Ruby. This book is based on a true story, which makes it even more interesting, and heartbreaking.

Another very cool thing about this book is the way Ivan uses art to communicate. It's an integral part of the story, and if you're an artist, you'll appreciate what this story says about the importance of art in our lives.