Stolen

Title: Stolen

Author: Lucy Christopher

Year: 2010

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age: Grades 8 and up

Summary: Gemma is 16, just had a fight in an airport with her parents, and is drinking a cup of coffee with a hunk she just met. However, something about this older guy being so nice to her just doesn't feel quite right. The next thing she distinctly remembers is waking up in an unfamiliar room and realizing that she has been kidnapped. Can she ever get back home?

Review: Almost everything about this story took me by surprise. This is not an average story of a person being abducted. It explores the motivation of a captor, and the malleability of their victim. This is a fascinating cautionary tale for all young people.

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Title: The Art of Racing in the Rain

Author: Garth Stein

Year: 2008

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age: Grades 11 and 12

Summary: This is the story of a race car driver and his dog, told from the point of view of the dog. Set in Seattle, this novel can be summed up with the permeating mantra of, "that which you manifest is before you."

Review: There is a true pattern to the books that I love; they all make me cry. This is a hilarious and heartbreaking story of life told from the point of view of a dog. This is a story that will appeal to any reader because it covers everything from sports to romance to the human condition. I would highly recommend this book to older students who are looking for a novel that can truly reflect life.

Bunheads

Title: Bunheads

Author: Sophie Flack

Year: 2011

Genre: Realistic fiction

Age: 8th grade up

Summary: On-stage beauty. Backstage drama.

As a dancer with the ultra-prestigious Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward juggles intense rehearsals, dazzling performances and complicated backstage relationships. Up until now, Hannah has happily devoted her entire life to ballet.
But when she meets a handsome musician named Jacob, Hannah's universe begins to change, and she must decide if she wants to compete against the other "bunheads" in the company for a star soloist spot or strike out on her own in the real world. Does she dare give up the gilded confines of the ballet for the freedoms of everyday life?

Text from sophieflack.com


Review: The best parts of this book: descriptions of the ballet, rehearsal time, secondary characters. Annoying part: Hannah obviously being a thinly disguised version of the author. The author writes Hannah as though she’s talking to an earlier version of herself, warning her about what’s to come. The dance parts shine, but one has to wonder if Flack will be able to write anything other than a ballet book about herself.

I recommend this book to realistic fiction lovers, dancers.

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming

Title: How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming

Author: Mike Brown

Year: 2012

Genre: Nonfiction

Age: 8th grade up

Summary: The solar system most of us grew up with included nine planets, with Mercury closest to the sun and Pluto at the outer edge. Then, in 2005, astronomer Mike Brown made the discovery of a lifetime: a tenth planet, Eris, slightly bigger than Pluto. But instead of adding one more planet to our solar system, Brown’s find ignited a firestorm of controversy that culminated in the demotion of Pluto from real planet to the newly coined category of “dwarf” planet. Suddenly Brown was receiving hate mail from schoolchildren and being bombarded by TV reporters—all because of the discovery he had spent years searching for and a lifetime dreaming about.

A heartfelt and personal journey filled with both humor and drama, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming is the book for anyone, young or old, who has ever imagined exploring the universe—and who among us hasn’t?
Text from www.barnesandnoble.com/


Review: I’ve loved astronomy since I was a little girl. I even seriously wanted to be an astronomer in High School. (To be fair, this was directly after my Egyptolgist phase and only lasted until I learned exactly how much calculus is involved). Ever since, I’ve had a soft spot for stories about the astronomy and about how we see the universe around us.

In How I Killed Pluto... Brown shows himself to be the rare example of an astronomer who can also expertly craft a narrative compelling enough to read for pleasure. Brown’s explanations of astronomic phenomena in layman's terms are easy to follow. I also quite enjoyed how he wove the story of his personal life into his professional life. Sometimes, it felt a bit like filler, but it mostly served the story Brown set out to tell.

I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in astronomy, science nonfiction lovers like myself.

The Fault in Our Stars

Title: The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green

Year: 2012

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age: 9th grade up

Summary: Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.


Review: You’re going to cry while reading this book. Let’s get that out of the way. I cried. I cried a bunch. It’s about high school kids dying of cancer, for Pete's sake. But, oh the journey to get to those tears. Green’s main character Hazel Grace Lancaster is dying and she’s bitter and pissed about it. She’s also smart, funny, and a keen observer of the outside world. Her romance with Augustus, another Cancer Kid, is the main focus here, with side steps into Hazel’s family life. There could be great heaps of sap in this book (Kids! Dying! Of cancer!!), but Green avoids them. One of the plot twists at the end takes a deus ex machina turn that almost took me out of the story, but I loved the characters enough that I didn’t care.

I recommend this book to those who like realistic fiction, want a good cry.

Terrier (The Legend of Beka Cooper, Book 1)

Title: Terrier (The Legend of Beka Cooper, Book 1)

Author: Tamora Pierce

Year: 2007

Genre: Fantasy

Age: Middle School up

Summary: Tamora Pierce begins a new Tortall trilogy introducing Beka Cooper, an amazing young woman who lived 200 years before Pierce's popular Alanna character.

Beka Cooper is a rookie with the law-enforcing Provost's Guard, and she's been assigned to the Lower City. It's a tough beat that's about to get tougher, as Beka's limited ability to communicate with the dead clues her in to an underworld conspiracy. Someone close to Beka is using dark magic to profit from the Lower City's criminal enterprises--and the result is a crime wave the likes of which the Provost's Guard has never seen before.


Review: It’s been a while since a YA high fantasy book really hooked me, so I was surprised when I bought into this one. Beka is a wonderful heroine at work: smart, skilled, sure of herself. Off the beat, she’s shy and inexperienced. It makes for a delightful combination any girl can connect with. Especially great, --and from what I’ve read, very characteristic of Pierce’s work-- is how men and women are completely equal in this society. I’ve read many a fantasy where women are treated the same way they were in the Middle Ages so equality came as a delightful surprise. I also liked how Pierce trusts the reader to keep up with her world building, rather than throwing a giant info-dump at the beginning of the book.

I just loved this book all around. The fight scenes are interesting. The characters are clever and their actions flow naturally rather than as mechanization's of the plot. The central mystery unravels with just enough information to keep you guessing.

I recommend this book to girls who like fantasy but are sick of the boys getting all the main character roles.

...Then I Met My Sister

Title: ...Then I Met My Sister

Author: Christine Hurley Deriso

Year: 2011

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age: Middle school up

Summary: Summer Stetson feels overshadowed by her dead sister Shannon, but a secret birthday gift from her aunt reveals Shannon's diary and Summer uses this gift to gain a better understanding of her sister and their family.
Review: A student recommended this to me and I’m glad I took her advice. This book swept me up in Summer’s family drama so effectively I couldn’t put it down and read it in one sitting. Shannon’s diary poses questions for Summer and reveals answers slowly and organically. Shannon’s and Summer’s relationships with their controlling mother are the highlight of the book. The only real fault here is that while the female characters are dynamic and well developed, the male ones remain one- or two-dimensional.

I recommend this book to girls who like family drama.