Princess Academy: Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale

Princess Academy: Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale is the sequel to Princess Academy.  In this book, Miri Peder, and the girls who attended the Princess Academy have the opportunity to travel to Asland (the capital city of Danland).  While the girls are officially there to help Britta prepare for her wedding to Prince Steffan, they are taking advantage of the many learning opportunities available.  For instance, Gerti is work in a forge, Peder is learning about carving, Liana is taking full advantage of her noble title, and Miri is attending school at the Queen's Castle.  As a result of her studies and the people she meets, Miri is thrown into the middle of what looks like a revolution!  Due to the demands of the king, the "shoeless" are nearly starving and working to death just to stay alive while the royalty and nobles have everything they want and more.  Miri is torn between helping a cause she knows is right and remaining faithful to herself, Mount Eskel, her family and friends.  Does she really have to choose?

I LOVED this book.  Shannon Hale is one of my favorite authors.  She gave me a signed ARC of Palace of Stone at the IRA Convention last May.  When I finally got the chance to read it, I finished in a day!!  I really liked the way Miri grew through her experience with the scholars, the "rebels" and her wish to understand ethics.  I also liked the message that everything is not always black and white.  If one is clever and persistent a new, and sometimes better, answer is just around the corner.  Look for Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale on August 21, 2012.

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman is about twins, Bronte and Tennyson.  Things haven't been great in their family since their father's affair and now their mother's retaliation affair.  Things get even worse between the twins when Bronte begins dating Brewster.  Brewster, known as the Bruiser by everyone at school, is a big, menacing boy who has made it a priority to steer clear of everyone else.  He lives with his alcoholic uncle and younger brother in a dilapidated old house, with a giant bull as a pet.  He is the brunt of much bullying at the hands of his schoolmates, but he bears it and shrugs it off.  Once Bronte enters his life, things change.  After his initial resentment, Tennyson gets to know Brew and they all become friends.  That's when things get hard for Brewster.  He has a strange gift... he has the ability to take pain and injury away from those he cares about and transfer the damage to himself.  That's why Brew has always made it a point to never get to know anyone but his family very well.  Once he begins dating Bronte, Brew is thrown into her world of friends, parties, and even her family.  Despite the consequences, he begins caring about many different people and his body suffers greatly.  When he and his brother become foster children and move in with Bronte and Tennyson's family, things get worse for Brew, but much better for the twins.  They learn that Brew's ability extends to emotional injury as well as physical - taking its toll on Brew when he's thrown into the dysfunctional life at the twins' home.

This was an awesome book.  In fact, I've never read one by Neal Shusterman that I haven't loved!  I really liked thinking about the personal consequences of Brew's ability and how I might deal with a friend or family member with such a power.  It's really an ethical dilemma, as the twins discovered in the story.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson is about a 17 year old girl who just awoke from a year long coma and doesn't remember anything about her former life. Jenna Fox knows she was in an accident, knows she's supposed to call Claire 'mother' and knows that there are big secrets being kept from her. She's living with her mother and grandmother in a new house on the west coast while her father takes care of his business out east. For some reason, Jenna suspects her grandmother hates her, but doesn't know why. She's not allowed out of the house, not allowed to attend school... she's not even allowed to eat food - he has to take dietary supplements instead! Little by little, memories start coming back to Jenna, especially when she begins watching old home movies of herself. She also notices some small changes in her own appearance - different from what she sees on the videos. Jenna tries to investigate, and through a series of accidental discoveries comes to the realization that she is definitely not who she thought she was - what her parents did to save her after the accident was highly illegal and dangerous.

This was a great science fiction story! It really made me think about how far I would go to save my child. I loved the way the author unfolded the events. She kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, wanting to know what happened. I felt a little like Jenna - in the dark about what was happening in a strange world, finding out bits and pieces as we went along.