I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb

I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb is about Oliver, a dumb, 7th grader who isn't who everyone thinks he is. He's actually a genius who just so happens to be the 3rd richest person in the world. Even his parents don't know about Oliver's vast empire, all of his minions, inventions, and secrets. Oliver has never really cared for his father, who runs the local public television station. His father's big claim to fame was winning his class election for presidency of his middle school. When Oliver's class election rolls around, he gets nominated to run as a joke. At first, he declines, but then he changes his mind. Oliver decides this is the perfect opportunity to show his father that even he, a stupid, fat, idiot could win a class election. Thus, his father would feel worthless, and Oliver would have a renewed sense of power over his father. Things don't play out the way Oliver thought they would, however. He bribes, bullies, and rigs his way through the entire process, all in effort to tear his dad down. What happens in the end is both a wonder and a surprise!

This was a really interesting book. Oliver has everything he could possible want, and if he doesn't have it, he has people who can get it for him. What he doesn't have, is the respect of his father, which turns out to be more important to him than he ever could have imagined. I'd recommend this book to just about any middle schooler!

Birth of a Killer the Saga of Larten Crepsley by Darren Shan

Birth of a Killer the Saga of Larten Crepsley by Darren Shan is a prequel to the Cirque du Freak series. This book tells the story of a young Larten Crepsley and how he came to be a vampire. It begins when Larten and his cousin, Vur Horston, work for an evil boss (Traz) at a silk factory in their home town. One day, Traz snaps and attacks meek and timid Vur, drowning him in a vat of boiling water. Seeing this fills Larten with rage and he stabs Traz and kills him. Knowing his life is over is he is caught, Larten flees the city, seeking refuge in a graveyard. Here, he meeds Seba, a vampire. Seba offers to make Larten his assistant, and seeing no other options but truly believing this is his destiny, Larten accepts. Seba tests and trains Larten as a human for many years before changing him. When Seba goes to attend the summit at Vampire Mountain, he leaves Larten in the care of Mr. Tall at the Cirque du Freak. During this time, Larten meets Wester, another human boy who reminds him of his cousin, Vur. Larten takes Wester under his wing when he realizes that a strange version of vampire (vampaneze) has murdered Wester's family. Together they try to slay the vampaneze, but are unsuccessful. As a result, Larten and Wester return to Cirque du Freak. When Seba returns, he agrees to take Wester as his assistant as well. Once they are both vampires, Larten's and Wester's training continues until they are allowed to go the the next summit at Vampire Mountain. Following this, the trio goes back to traveling, but Larten begins to feel some unrest. Eventually, the two young vampires break from Seba, preferring to take part on more humanly pleasures - at least for the time being. This is when Larten Crepsley is noticed by Desmond Tiny...

This was a great prequel to the Cirque du Freak series. I've read the whole series, so I really enjoyed learning the back story of Larten Crepsley. It was interesting to learn about his family, how his hair became such a vivid shade of orange, and how he grew up. This book does have a little gore, so it may be for more mature readers. I recommend Birth of a Killer and the Cirque du Freak series to anyone who enjoys a good horror novel!

Cloaked by Alex Flinn

Cloaked by Alex Flinn is about Johnny, a seventeen year old boy who lives with his mother and runs his family's shoe business in a South Beach, Florida hotel. Things have been tough for Johnny and his mother since his father mysteriously disappeared when Johnny was only two years old. During the summer of his 17th year, Johnny spends almost all of his time working at the shoe shop - partly to earn money for his family, but partly to escape his apartment where the electricity has been shut off due to lack of payment. One summer day, Victoriana, the Princess of Aloria checks into the hotel. It is the talk of the staff and Johnny desperately wants to see her. Not only does he see her, she offers him a secret mission! Victoriana plans a secret meeting with Johnny and offers him an unbelievable quest: to find her brother, who has been turned into a frog and is somewhere in the Florida Keys. In exchange, she'll marry Johnny! Thinking about the money this marriage will bring to him and his family, Johnny accepts, convinced Victoriana has gone crazy. That is, until she gives him a magic hearing device that allows Johnny to hear the speech of animals who were once men, and a cloak which will transport him anywhere he wishes. Armed with these devices and with the help of his best friend, Meg, Johnny sets out on his journey. Along the way to saving the prince, Johnny encounters witches, giants, deadly scorpions, talking geese and rats and fox, a golden bird, and... the love of his life - who isn't who he thought it might be!

This was an amazing book! It's the kind of story you just want to hug when you shut the back cover. I loved the way the author wove many fairy tales into the story. I especially liked the author's note that summarized each of the less familiar fairy tales so I could make connections to the story itself. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fairy tales, fantasy, and/or romance novels.

The Gardener by S. A. Bodeen

The Gardener by S. A. Bodeen is about Mason, a teen who lives with his single mom. In Mason's town, just about everything is run by TroDyn, a company that does biological research. Mason has been offered a chance for an internship with TroDyn, which would pay for his schooling in return for his promise to work for them after college. His mother is opposed to anything that has to do with TroDyn, but Mason doesn't know why. One evening when Mason's mom is at work, he looks through her drawers and finds a secret she's been keeping about his father and her own involvement with TroDyn in the past. Mason goes to the nursing home where she works to confront her, but finds something unexpected - she cares for teens who are in a catatonic state. While waiting for his mother, Mason pops in a video tape of his father reading a story. This causes one of the teens to awaken, terrified! Not knowing what else to do, Mason helps her escape to his friend's cabin in the woods. This starts a search that Mason could never have predicted. They are on the run, seeking help from the most unlikely places, including an author who used to work for TroDyn! It turns out that his new friend is actually an experiment! The biological engineers at TroDyn have altered her DNA so that she can produce her own food from the sun! The only problem is, she needs to be returned to TroDyn because she has a symbiotic relationship with the rest of the kids who were experimented on. Mason is reluctant to do this, but with help, is able to save her. In the process, Mason learns more about TroDyn's experiments, and his absent father, who is more involved in the TroDyn experiments than he could have imagined!

This was an AWESOME book! I couldn't put it down. I knew I'd like it after reading The Compound by S. A. Bodeen. This book made me really think about the hunger crisis in the world and the ethical implications of testing "good" ideas on humans. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure novels and/or science fiction.

The World We Live In By Susan Beth Pfeffer

The World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer is the third book after Life As We Knew It and The Dead and the Gone. Just as in the previous two, the story takes place after a meteor has hit the moon, knocking it closer to the Earth. This causes a change in the moon's gravitational pull, which causes natural disasters of all types on Earth. There is a constant haze hanging in the air and little sunlight. Miranda's family (her mother and two brothers) has made it through the winter. Miranda's mother gives her two brothers permission to go to a nearby river to catch fish for several days - it is the first time any of them has been away from the isolation of their home in months. When they return, they bring along Syl, Matt's new wife! Their mother is not pleased, but allows Matt and Syl to remain as husband and wife. When they begin to settle into a new routine with their new family member, a knock sounds at the front door. It's Miranda's father, step-mother, their new baby, Alex and Julie (from The Dead and the Gone), and a new friend, Charlie. Knowing they do not have enough food stored up to allow them to stay long, they hatch a plan. Miranda's father will pretend to be their dead neighbor's son and family so that they can begin receiving food rations from city hall. Their plan works, and soon the new extended family moves into Mrs. Nesbitt's neighboring and abandoned farmhouse. Everything seems to be running smoothly, but not for long... to find out what happens to these families as they try to survive in this strange new world, read The World We Live In by Sysan Beth Pfeffer.

This was a really good story. I liked the way the two families from the first two books come together. It's fun to reconnect with characters from other novels. I also liked the way the author didn't "solve" the problem of the Earth/moon. It doesn't end with a neat and tidy "happily ever after". The ending was sad and unexpected.

Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn

Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn is a love story about two people who meet over and over through multiple lives from prehistory through the present time. Amazingly they are able to find one another in each life, their story growing with each lifetime. Through every lifetime, both characters bring something of their former selves and are easily able to recognize one another, even though they don't exactly know why. Each part of the story ends tragically, with their love never quite working out, with the exception of the final story, in which they find one another and are together even now!

This was a really cool way to tell a story. It was almost like a compilation of short stories that all had a common thread. It was fun to read about the same couple through different times and places in history. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good love story that ends happily ever after!

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass is the story of Amanda's and Leo's 11th birthday. Ever since they were born, Amanda and Leo celebrated their birthdays together with one big, fantastic party. That is, until their 11th birthday. During their 10th birthday party, Amanda overheard Leo saying some very hurtful things about her to some of the popular boys at their school. Ever since, Amanda has refused to even speak to Leo. On the morning of their 11th birthday, Amanda awoke to her alarm like usual, startled to find a giant SpongeBob balloon floating near her bed. From that moment on, Amanda's day got worse and worse - beginning with having to ride the bus to school because her father was sick, and ending with a costume party that everyone left early (or didn't even show up) to go to Leo's party instead. Thankful the day was finally over, Amanda went to bed. Surprised, she woke up to her alarm the next morning, even though it was Saturday. When she saw the SpongeBob balloon, Amanda realized something wasn't quite right. Everyone was acting as if it was Friday again! Amanda was being forced to live her 11th birthday over and over again!! After several days of this, Amanda realized that Leo was the only other person who knew what was happening. Together, they had to figure out what to do so that Saturday would finally come!

This was a really cute story. It was fun to see how both Amanda and Leo grew as people through their experiences living that same day over and over. It was also fun to see the changes they both made each time the day began again. This is a great read for anyone who ever wanted a do-over and for anyone who ever had a misunderstanding with a good friend.