Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins

Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins is about Jasmine (Jazz for short), a teen from Berkley, California who journeys to India for the summer with her family. Jazz's mother is there to create a clinic for poor women near the orphanage where she was adopted by her American parents as a four year old. Jazz is struggling with her feelings for her best friend and business partner, Steve, who is back in California running their post card picture booth. Jazz's brother finds a place teacher soccer to the orphans at the orphanage, her father begins teaching the nuns how to use their computer programs, and Jazz feels left out. Eventually, she befriends Danita, a girl from the orphanage who is helping Jazz's family cook and clean. Jazz realizes that her time in India might be more meaningful as she begins helping Danita with her own dream of creating a small business and getting out of the orphanage with her two younger sisters.

I really loved this book. It was a very nice story. I really liked the way Jazz learned so much about herself through helping the people at the orphanage. It was fun to see her relationship with Steve change throughout the book as well. I would recommend this book to any girl who likes realistic fiction!! This is one of the 2008-2009 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominees.

The Mirror's Tale by P. W. Catanese

The Mirror's Tale by P. W. Catanese is about twins Bert and Will. They live with their parents in their father's castle where he has been named baron despite the fact that he has an older brother. His older brother has been ordered to The Crags, a far off castle. Will and Bert get into trouble one time too many, and are separated - Bert must go to live with Uncle Hugh at The Crags, while Will stays with their parents. While exploring his new living quarters, Bert finds a secret room with an enormous secret all its own. Suddenly everything begins to change for both twins, their families, and the kingdom - and all for the worse.

I really enjoyed this book! It is a twist on the Snow White fairy tale, incorporating the Wicked Witch, Snow White, the dwarves... and what happened next! This is one of the 2008-2009 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominees.

In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is about a 300 year old vampire named Risika. Born as Rachel in the late 1600s, Risika was changed into a vampire as vengeance against her brother for interfering with another vampire's activities. The story takes place both in present times and during the 1700s, around the time of Rachel's demise. In the present time, Risika faces Aubrey, her foe of 300 years and her "blood brother," as they were changed by the same woman.

This book is Amelia Atwater-Rhodes's first book, written when she was 13 years old! While I find it amazing that such a young person could write something so well, I was not all that impressed with the story. Hawksong, by the same author, is one of my favorite books. For me, after having read all of the books in the Hawksong Series, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes has grown quite a bit as an author since writing In the Forests of the Night.

Prom Nights From Hell

Prom Nights From Hell is a collection of short stories by Meg Cabot, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe, Stephenie Meyer, and Lauren Myracle. Each of the stories focuses on some supernatural creature or event and is set during the night of prom. These five stories contain everything from vampire slayers to the grim reaper to a corsage that grants three wishes.

I bought this book the day I found out about it because I really like Stephenie Meyer (Twilight Series, THe Host). The short stories are all great! The only problem is that I wished each of the stories went on a little longer! It was easy to get sucked into the book!

Jackie's Wild Seattle by Will Hobbs

Jackie's Wild Seattle by Will Hobbs is about siblings, Shannon and Cody, and the summer they spend with their Uncle Neal rescuing wild animals from dangerous situations. Shannon and Cody's parents are doctors who are spending post 9/11 in Pakistan and Afghanistan helping the refugees. As a result, Shannon and Cody get to stay with their uncle near Seattle, Washington, at his friend Jackie's animal rescue and rehabilitation facility. While there, they go on daring adventures, make exciting animal rescues, find out some well-kept secrets, and make many new friends (human and animal).

I really enjoyed this book. I could identify with both Shannon and Cody, as they struggled with their own thoughts about their parents' mission, their uncle's job, and the animals they rescued. Will Hobbs's books are always fun adventures that make you want to keep reading straight through to the end! This is one of the 2008-2009 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominees.

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Beastly by Alex Flinn is a modern version of the classic beauty and the beast tale. This novel, however, is told from the beast's perspective. Kyle is a rich and handsome teenager with a nasty attitude. When he makes fun of the wrong classmate, he is turned into a beast. Kyle has just two years to find a girl to love, who loves him back enough to prove it with a kiss.

I really enjoyed this twist on a story I know very well. Despite knowing what was going to happen next, I looked forward to reading to find out how Kyle (eventually he changed his name to Adrian) would react and what his next thought would be. I also really liked the fact that this story's belle, Lindy, was intelligent, hard-working, and compassionate. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys modern fairy tales!

Black-eyed Suzie by Susan Shaw

Black-eyed Suzie by Susan Shaw is about Suzie, a twelve year old girl who has suffered something traumatic which leaves her feeling as though she is trapped inside a box, unable to talk. As a result, Suzie ends up in a mental hospital where she learns about trust and eventually finds her voice.

I read this book in a matter of hours. I just couldn't put it down for wanting to find out what happened to Suzie. Susan Shaw did a fantastic job of helping the reader see inside the mind of a hurting child. I found this novel to be compelling and an excellent read.

Three Days by Donna Jo Napoli

Three Days by Donna Jo Napoli is about Jackie, an eleven year old girl who spends three terrifying days kidnapped by strangers in Italy. The story begins as Jackie and her father are in Italy for her father's business. On their way back to their hotel one night, her father suffers a heart attack in the car, leaving Jackie stranded. A car pulls up and Jackie goes with the men, thinking they are there to help her. Unfortunately for her, they have other plans.

This book was a quick read for me. It was exciting following Jackie and her thoughts as she tried to escape from this strange situation. I enjoyed the subtle clues Donna Jo Napoli gave as to who the kidnappers were and their reasons for abducting Jackie. I also liked the way the ending left the reader hanging, allowing me to make up my own "then what happened."

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer is the second book in the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod Series. The story takes place during Vlad's freshman year in high school. Vlad is being stalked by an unknown slayer, takes a trip to Siberia for some vampire training, and finds out about a scary vampire prophecy that might mean that he is destined to take over the world and enslave all humans. On the human side, he takes the brunt of the school's bullying, is in love with Meredith but too shy to talk to her, and makes a new friend in his best friend's (Henry) cousin (Joss).

I liked this book. I started reading it before I realized that it was the second book in the series - I haven't read the first book, Eighth Grade Bites. Fortunately, Heather Brewer does a nice job of filling in the gaps so that reading the first book isn't entirely necessary. There were a few twists and turns that I wasn't expecting, which made me want to keep reading! For a vampire story, this series is not very gory. I think it would appeal to people who like horror, but don't want all the blood!

Streams of Babel by Carol Plum-Ucci

Streams of Babel by Carol Plum-Ucci is about a terrorist attach on a small town in New Jersey, set just after the attacks on 9/11. The terrorists poison the water supply with an unknown germ of just five neighborhood streets in Trinity Falls, NJ, causing two women to die and four teens to become extremely ill. The story is told through different voices, including those of each of the teens, a teenager from Pakistan who is working as an Internet spy for the United States government, and a teen from New York who is trying to solve the bioterrorism mystery on his own. All of the characters intertwine by the end of the novel as each tells his or her own part of the story.

This book was amazing. I had a hard time classifying it into a genre - is it historical fiction, science fiction, action? I could make a case for all three! Each of the characters is dealing with his or her own struggles on top of the emerging terrorism within their community. I was able to relate to and connect with several of the characters, from Scott, the EMT who is on the scene when his neighbor's mother becomes the first victim, to Cora, a loner who just lost her mother to a mystery virus, to Rain, the daughter of the government official who is in charge of finding the virus, the terrorists, and the cure, to Shazhad, the 16 year-old prodigy who can hack any computer he is given. I highly recommend this book!

Day of Tears by Julius Lester

Day of Tears by Julius Lester is about one plantation owner and his slaves, told through character dialogue. This format gives the reader a peek into the minds of all of the characters, including the master, the daughters of the master, the slaves, and the slave seller. Pierce Butler, the master/plantation owner, decides to sell most of his slaves to pay his enormous gambling debt. As a result, he hosts the largest slave auction in American history. The story follows Emma, a slave and caretaker of Pierce's two daughters, through her journey from slavery to freedom.

This book was excellent. It was very compelling. Because of the style of writing, I found it quick and easy to read. I felt like I was privy to information about the characters that most novels do not divulge because of the dialogue format. The story also contains several "flash forward" vignettes where the characters comment on a situation as though it happened in the past. This novel really shows all sides of this time in history. This is one of the 2008-2009 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominees.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

The Host by Stephenie Meyer is about Melanie Stryder and Wanderer sharing the same body. The story takes place on Earth, but aliens have taken over all of the humans, using the human bodies as "hosts". Most of the humans inhabited by the "souls" simply fade away, but not Melanie. She refuses to leave her body to Wanderer. As a result, the "two" of them travel to the Arizona desert in search of Melanie's long lost love and younger brother. This puts Wanderer in terrible danger, as the colony of the last remaining humans finds her inhabiting Melanie's body. Eventually, most of the colony comes to terms with Wanderer's presence, some even come to like and love her. Unfortunately, there is a stubborn soul who is after Wanderer who refuses to give up looking for her. This puts the human colony in terrible danger.

I absolutely loved this book! Stephenie Meyer is quickly becoming one of my favorite young adult authors. While The Host was written for adults, the adolescent girls who love the Twilight Series will love this book as well. Stephenie Meyer does a fantastic job with showing the complexities of personal relationships - whether between boy and girl, friends, enemies, or family. This book, like her others, is one you won't want to put down. And, when you HAVE to put it down, you won't stop thinking about it until you can pick it up again!

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen is about Caitlin, a teenage girl who's older sister has just run away, leaving behind the "dream life" and her ticket to Yale. Cass's disappearance has turned the entire family upside down, to the point where no one really notices Caitlin anymore. This is the recipe for disaster for Caitlin, who goes to extremes to be the exact opposite of Cass. Caitlin finds herself in a situation she can't get out of as she struggles with alcohol, drugs and an abusive boyfriend.

I really enjoyed this book. Sarah Dessen did an excellent job of showing what an abusive relationship looks like, and the struggles the person being abused goes through as she comes to terms with her own identity. This book is definitely for more mature readers.

Safe by Susan Shaw

Safe by Susan Shaw is about Tracy, a teenager who lives alone with her father after her mother's death. On her way home from the last day of school, Tracy is abducted and abused. The majority of the novel focuses on Tracy dealing with the loss of her mother and the unspeakable hurt she's feeling after her abduction.

I really liked this book. Most novels dealing with abuse tend to be based on leading up to the abuse, which is the climax. In this book, however, Tracy's experience happens on the very first page. Susan Shaw did an excellent job of showing the reader what it must be like to deal with that kind of pain.