Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow

by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

These are the stories of the young men and women who were a part of Hitler's youth army. There is some background information about the group as a whole, but for the most part, the book focuses on the stories of a particular few. While I didn't feel I learned a lot of new information, I'm not the book's intended audience, so I think there are a lot of kids who would find this fascinating. It held my attention, but Bartoletti's The Boy Who Dared, her fictionalized account of Helmuth Hubner's Nazi opposition, was much more engaging.

Lost in the Sun

by Lisa Graff

Trent Zimmerman hit a kid in the chest with a hockey puck, and he died. The boy had a heart condition that no one knew about, and it was a total accident. So why does Trent feel so guilty? Well, he's kind of going through a lot. His parents are recently divorced, his new stepmom is pregnant, his older brother seems to be more interested in girls than him, and his little brother is now best friends with the sister of the kid Trent killed. He can't play sports anymore, because he's too traumatized by what happened. He acts out in school, he fights with his dad, and is basically a mess. This is a story about Trent's road to recovery from a tragic event that changes him.

This was a sweet, sometimes funny, well-written novel. I really liked the portrayal of Trent's parents--they were so real and flawed that it was almost painful to read. I'm a big Lisa Graff fan, but I do have to say this was my least favorite of all of her books. Fallon was a little annoying and hard to buy as a real girl, and their relationship seemed kind of unbelievable. Still, a great read by an even better author.

Nightmares!

by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller

Charlie Laird's mom has recently passed away, and his dad remarried a woman named Charlotte. They all move into Charlotte's creepy purple mansion, and that's where Charlie begins having nightmares. His nightmares get scarier and scarier, and all involve an evil witch that suspiciously resembles his "Stepmonster." Soon his nightmares become more than just scary dreams. The witch can enter the waking world. When she kidnaps his little brother, Charlie discovers that he can also enter the Netherworld. It's up to him to save his brother, and the entire waking world.

Not the most original story in the world, but it's kind of cute, and the audio book is read by the author. (He's a pretty famous funny actor.)

NEED

by Joelle Charbonneau

Kaylee's brother needs a kidney, and suddenly, she's provided with a huge temptation. A new social media site has popped up among the kids at Kaylee's high school, which promises to grant requests as long as you do whatever the site requests of you. But there's a price for each NEED granted, and the game is soon out of their control.

I had such high hopes for this book. I'm a big fan of The Testing series, but this one isn't even in the same ballpark. The characters are completely unbelievable. Seriously, these are some dumb kids. The premise sounded fascinating, but it was just poorly executed. And the resolution was a real eye roller. I stuck with it, hoping it would all wrap up in the end, but ultimately, just not for me.

The Shade of the Moon

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This is definitely the weakest of the four books, but it's great to see what happens to everyone. Pfeffer doesn't pull any punches--this one is a real heartbreaker.

This World We Live In

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

In this third installment, Julie and Alex have hooked up with Miranda's dad and stepmom. They've been traveling together, and Hal brings them all home to stay with Miranda and her mother and brothers. The Evans kids grow up fast in this book, and a lot of loose ends are tied up. I don't want to be a spoiler, so I'll leave it at that!

The Dead and the Gone

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

I'm not sure what it is about these books that I find so appealing. It's not like they're great works of literature. It's not like I don't see the flaws in the stories, because I do. It's just that I enjoy them way too much to not give them great reviews.

This is the same time frame as Miranda's story in Life As We Knew It, told from the perspective of a Puerto Rican boy living in New York City. Alex Morales has everything going for him--a great family, a scholarship to a Catholic private school, and good odds of getting into Georgetown for college. When an asteroid hits the moon, and his parents don't come home, he's left to care for his two sisters alone. Many of his struggles are the same as Miranda's were, but just because you know the volcanic ash is coming for Alex, you don't feel for him any less. Fascinating, terrifying, gut-wrenching, and heart-breaking, these books are like a train wreck--you just have to keep looking.