Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Delirium

Author: Lauren Oliver

Year: 2011

Genre: Science Fiction

Age: Middle school and up

Summary: Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love. (summary from Follett Titlewave)

Review: I loved this book so much, I need a cure! Really, though, this book was wonderful. I enjoyed the concept-love as a disease- and the execution. Especially interesting (in how uninteresting they are) are the ‘cured’ characters, adults who have no real emotion. They are just kind of empty presences who shuffle through their days. Lena’s romance and friendships are wonderfully written. The love story particularly grows realistically throughout the book. The plot twists nicely in places, zigging when you think it will zag. The ending is heart-stopping and gives the sequel (out next year) a lot of room to move.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants big, starcrossed romance with a twist

Matched by Ally Condie

Title: Matched

Author: Ally Condie

Year: 2010

Genre: Science Fiction

Age: Middle school and above

Summary: Cassia has always had complete trust in the Society to make decisions for her, but when she is being paired with her ideal mate, a second face flashes on the screen, and Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility as she tries to decide which man she truly loves. (Publisher’s summary)

Review: Condie builds up her weird world subtly and skillfully. This book feels more like a beautiful work of realistic fiction that happens to take place in this Sci Fi world. Cassia is sympathetic and fully rounded. I really identified with her and her plight. Once she starts questioning Society, this book is impossible to put down.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes realistic fiction, but is told they need to read Sci Fi.

Stormbreaker

Title: Stormbreaker (Book 1 of the Alex Rider Series)

Author: Anthony Horowitz

Year: 2000

Genre: Action

Age: Grade 6-10

Summary: Meet Alex Rider, the reluctant teenage spy.

When his guardian dies in suspicious circumstances, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider finds his world turned upside down.

Within days he’s gone from schoolboy to superspy. Forcibly recruited into MI6, Alex has to take part in grueling SAS training exercises. Then, armed with his own special set of secret gadgets, he’s off on his first mission.

His destination is the depths of Cornwall, where Middle Eastern multimillionahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifire Herod Sayle is producing his state-of-the-art Stormbreaker computers. Sayle’s offered to give one free to every school in the country - but MI6 think there’s more to the gift than meets the eye.

Only Alex can find out the truth. But time is running out and he soon finds himself in mortal danger. It looks as if his first assignment may well be his last...

(Description from Official Webpage)

Review: This story is action packed, and it keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. If you are looking for a quick, easy, and fun read that involves great action sequences, this is the book for you. Also, it is the perfect book to pick up if you like to read books in a series because there are 8 more novels that follow this one!