Macbeth The Young Reader's Shakespeare by Adam McKeown

Macbeth (The Young Reader's Shakespeare) by Adam McKeown is a retelling of Shakespeare's famous play, Macbeth, using easier language and illustrated by Lynne Cannoy. The story is about general Macbeth. Returning from a victorious battle, Macbeth and his friend (and fellow general) Banquo are visited by three witches who tell their future. Macbeth, having been an honorable, trustworthy man before, turns into a vengeful tyrant as he seeks out his future. He kills the king of Scotland so he can be named king himself. He kills the other generals who had been his friends and companions. He becomes so paranoid, he seeks out the witches again. Again, they foretell a prophecy, which Macbeth misunderstands making him beileve he in invincible. It is this belief that eventually causes his downfall.

I had never read Macbeth before, so I didn't know the story before reading this version. This was an excellent, quick read and made me want to read Shakespeare's own version! It is a bit on the mature side due to violence, however. I would recommend this version of Macbeth to anyone who is nervous about tackling Shakespeare, but wants to know the story!

The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi

The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi is about Eva, a 12 year old girl who has been raised in her underground Sanctuary by her robot Muthr since she was born. Every day, Muthr puts Eva through a variety of lessons and tests, all in preparation for the day Eva will be able to leave Sanctuary and explore the Earth above. Eva's was a peaceful life until one day someone attacked her Sanctuary, destroying it. Muthr forced Eva to leave, giving her directions to get as far away as possible and call the nearest settlement for help using her Omnipod. Terrified, Eva tried to follow Muthr's directions, but nothing on the surface was what Eva was expecting. Eventually, Eva found a strange looking alien, Rovender Kitt, who was willing to help her get back to her own Sanctuary to find Muthr. As she feared, everything was ruined, but they were able to find Muthr and repair her. Because nothing was as they thought, Rovender agreed to help Muthr and Eva on their search for other humans. The only thing guiding them was a torn piece of cardboard that Eva found in her Sanctuary. She taped it back together to show a human girl holding hands with a robot and another human adult. Most of the words were missing, except for Wond and La, thus Eva dubbed it the "WondLa". Rovender thought he'd seen some artifacts similar to those in the Sanctuary in a museum in one of the large settlements, so they set off to find it. Eva made friends with an alien animal, similar to a great water bear, who also traveled with them. Plagued along the way by the evil Besteel, the alien who destroyed Sanctuary and who is trying to capture Eva, and a whole host of other dangerous aliens, the three continue their search for WondLa until they reach a very surprising conclusion to their journey!

This was a really interesting book! I absolutely loved the illustrations and the interactive website where I could view 3-D versions of the maps of Orbona. I am excited to read the second book so I can find out what happens to Eva Nine and Rovender next!

The Unidentified by Rae Mariz

The Unidentified by Rae Mariz is about Kid, a typical high school student who goes to school at a very atypical place. It's an old shopping mall, converted to "The Game". In the game, students earn points by playing different games and competing in a variety of arenas. There are very few adults seen in the game because the students are all monitored by video cameras and through their game cards, which they swipe before entering each of the different areas. Kid's best friend Ari wants nothing more than to be "sponsored" by a commercial company so that she can earn free clothes and extra game points, and she is constantly working at being noticed. Kid, on the other hand, works hard to not be noticed. However, Kid caught the attention of two sponsors when she was the first to post a video and comment on a mysterious incident that took place in the common area of the game. Someone pushed a human-sized dummy off the balcony, causing its balloon head to splat on the cement floor. On the dummy was the phrase, "Choose your Suicide". The people behind this display were only known as the unidentified. Kid is desperate to find out more about this group and their reasons for their public displays. But, it's becoming increasingly difficult for her to investigate because of her corporate sponsors. It seems as though they know every bit of information Kid discovers and are using it against her and the unidentified. The closer Kid gets to finding the truth, the more dangerous it becomes for her, her family, and her friends.

This was a really interesting book! I loved the futuristic, but completely realistic, way the author shows how technology is so pervasive. Students at the game communicate almost constantly using their intouches and notebooks. I also liked the modern twist on schooling. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good science fiction story!

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl is about Ethan, a good basketball-playing, cheerleader-dating, southern boy who had (until recently) enjoyed a peaceful, ordinary life in Gatlin, South Carolina. That is, until Lena Duchannes showed up at school. Lena was the niece of the town shut-in, Macon Ravenwood, who lived in the oldest plantation house on the outskirts of Gatlin. The upstanding citizens of Gatlin tolerated him because he never showed his face in town. Lena, on the other hand turned into the bane of everyone's existence... except for Ethan. It turns out, the strange dreams Ethan had been having were actually about Lena - they shared a strange connection and could even read each others' thoughts from miles away! Ethan finds out that's because Lena and her family are not typical Mortals like everyone else in Gatlin. They are Casters and Lena has until her 16th birthday, only a few months from their first meeting, before she is claimed - either Light or Dark. Lena is terrified of the Claiming, certain she is going Dark. She is just as terrified of losing Ethan, whom she has grown to love over the course of their few months together. Everything comes to a head the night of Lena's 16th birthday when she has to make a life or death decision which will result in losing one or more of the people she loves. Will she repeat the mistakes from the past which cursed her family? Will she choose Mortals over Casters? Light over Dark? Mother or Uncle?

This was a great fantasy. I really liked the way the authors made it from Ethan's point of view. Most of the paranormal romance stories I've read are from the girl's perspective. I also liked the way the authors wove in information about the Civil War and southern living. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes the Twilight Series or is a fan of paranormal romance.

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan is the first book in his new Heroes of Olympus series. Jason wakes up on a school bus traveling to a field trip with his class, and holding his girlfriend's hand. The only problem is, he doesn't remember getting there, doesn't remember the school, his girlfriend Piper, his friend Leo... anything! After being attacked by storm spirits at Niagara Falls, Jason, Leo and Piper find out they are half-bloods (one of their parents is a Greek god and one is a mortal) and are whisked away to Camp Half-Blood, a safe haven for demigods. While there, they find out that one of the camp's heroes, Percy Jackson, is missing and their savior Annabeth is searching for him. The trio also learns that their entire world is threatened by the rise of Gaea (mother earth) and her titan children, having kidnapped Hera. Hera has been visiting the demigods through their dreams, trying to lead them to her in hopes they'll free her before the worst titan rises on the eve of the summer solstice. Jason, Piper, and Leo go off on their first quest, to free Hera and save the world. Unfortunately, all three have their own ulterior motives - Piper is desperate to save her father from the clutches of an evil giant even though she knows her friends will be hurt if they go with her. Jason just wants to find out who he is and where he came from. And Leo, terrified that his ability to produce fire will hurt or kill another person he loves, just wants to belong somewhere. They meet many different characters along the way, including Midas who turns anything he touches into gold, Medea one of Ancient Greece's most evil mortals, Coach Hedge a crazy satyr bent on protecting them, and even some interesting gods/goddesses. And of course, they are plagued by mystery and danger the whole way. Will the succeed in holding off another war between gods and titans? Will Gaea rise and take back the world?

This was a great adventure! It was really fun to have some of my favorite characters brought back from the Percy Jackson series - Chiron, Annabeth, Clarise, etc. The story was really engaging and I loved the new characters. I also really liked the way the author brought in the Roman side of the characters and stories. I can't wait to read the next book, The Son of Neptune, coming out in fall of 2011.