Variant by Robison Wells

This is a Golden Sower nominee for NEXT year (2014-2015).  What an exciting story.  Benson Fisher has been in foster care almost his entire life.  He is excited to get the opportunity to attend the "prestigious" Maxfield Academy.  But this is no ordinary school...its a trap.  There are no adults here, but the students must follow strict rules, someone is ALWAYS watching.  I liked that Benson continued to "buck" the system.  He was always questioning why the students continued doing what they were expected to do without fighting back.  He is determined to escape his new "home."  This book ends with a cliff hanger, but that is ok, because We now have the 2nd one in the series called "Feedback."  We also have both these books on for the ipod shuffles. 

As Ever, Gordy by Mary Downing Hahn

This is the second (I believe) book about Gordy.  The first one is "Stepping on the Cracks."  I haven't read the first one and I was just fine.  Gordy has been living with his grandma after his abusive dad and doormat mom have left him and his sister June there.  He is doing really well, but then tragedy strikes and he has to return to his hometown to live with his brother.  Everyone in his old town knows him as a trouble maker from a trouble making family and he is not sure he can change their mind.  It never says what year it takes place in, but they talk a lot about people serving in the war so I think it is the late 1940s early 1950s.  You can also tell by the dialogue.  I found it charming.  There is no swearing which is a nice change from some of today's realistic fiction.  If I have time, I do believe I am going to make a point to read "Stepping on the Cracks" to read about Gordy's life before he had to go live with his grandma. 

The Orpham of Awkward Falls by Keith Graves

This was a delightful book.  Well, it does have a murderer that eats his victims...but other than that it is delightful.  13 year old Josephine has just moved to this dinky little town of Awkward Falls and she is none too happy about it!  She just wants and friend, and she is hoping she discovers on in her neighbor Thaddeus.  Thaddeus' background is intriguing and there are all sorts of creepy things that have gone on in the house next door.  Pictures are interspersed throughout the book that add a nice visual to the story, but they are a little dark and some of the details get lost. 

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Power corrupts.  That essentially is the theme of this novel by the Lincoln native Brandon Sanderson.  This is the same author that gave us Alcatraz Vs. the Evil Librarians.  In David Charleston's world some humans have gained "super powers."  We never find out how they got the super powers, which kind of bothered me and I hope we find this out in future novels.  Just that one day a bunch of people could do some pretty amazing things.  Steelheart was one of these.  He is indestructable AND can turn any nonliving thing into steel.  He has taken over Chicago, now called Newcago and is it's supreme ruler.  10 years ago he killed David's father and David is the only survivor from this attack and he has seen Steelheart bleed.  David sets out to join a group of revolutionaries that are working against these "Epics." He wants revenge.  He knows Steelheart has a weakness and he is pretty sure he can figure it out and kill him if he just had help.  This is an action packed book and I really enjoyed it.  Lots of "techy" new gadgets that the group uses to try to stop the Epics.  I am looking forward to the next book and hopefully finding out why these "Epics" exist.  

The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey

Aliens have arrived.  This book starts AFTER the Aliens already parked their mothership above Earth.  The first wave killed about 1/2 million people with an electronic magnetic pulse.  The 2nd wave had coastal cities and their population falling into the seas.  The 3rd wave was a virus spread by birds that killed almost everyone.  Cassie, the main character, survives when the aliens, hiding in plain site as humans, begin killing off the remainders of humanity.  This is the story of Cassie and her plan to reunite with her brother.  It is exciting and you are never sure who to trust...who IS the alien?  Who SHOULD you be afraid of?  While this book is told in the first person, it changes from character to character.  Unlike other books who label the chapter with who is talking, this one doesn't.  You have to pay close attention to what is happening to each character so you can figure out who is "talking" during the different chapters.  I enjoyed this book and KNOW that more will be coming in this series.  The movie rights have already been sold so I think it will be a big hit like the Hunger Games.  So make sure you READ it before the movie comes out.

Confessions: The Private School Murders by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Tandy Angel is back.  We first met Tandy when her and her brothers were accused of murdering her parents in Confessions of a Murder Suspect.  She has returned to solve a slew of other mysteries in this novel.  I love the character of Tandy.  In the last book, because her parents kept her on a cocktail of drugs, she didn't show much emotion.  Now that she is off the medication, Tandy is trying to figure out how to handle all these new emotions as well as help her brother from being convicted of his girlfriend's murder, figure out who is murdering girls that go to private schools in NYC AND find the boy she was in love with before her parents stole her memories of him.  SO much is going on in this book, but it is fantastic.  I can't wait to read more of Tandy's adventures in the future, as I am sure there will be more.

The Fallout by S.A. Bodeen

This is the much awaited sequel to S.A. Bodeen's 2011-2012 Golden Sower Nominee, The Compound.  If you haven't read The Compound, you probably should before reading The Fallout or you may be just a little confused.  I loved the first book but really wanted to know more about what happened next to this family and the author answers in The Fallout in a surprising and exciting way.  I couldn't put this book down.  I hate to give you too many details because I don't want to spoil anything from either story.

House of Hades by Rick Riordan

Another exciting adventure with the demigods.  This one starts off right where Mark of Athena left off.  Percy and Annabeth have fallen in to the underworld and their friends are trying to save them and help them shut the doors of death.  I just devour these books.  They are always so exciting with both monsters we've met in previous books as well as new ones.  I was a little disappointed because I thought this was the last one in this series and we would wrap up the story of whether or not the kids defeat Gaia who is "waking up" and threatening to take over the world, but this is the PENULTIMATE or next to last in the series.  Good news is that we have the next one to look forward to, bad news is I'm not sure when that will be released.

See You At Harry's by Jo Knowles

This book made me cry.  Not the wimpy, "sniff, sniff that was sad" cry but the "have to get off the sofa and get tissues because your face is a mess" cry.  I loved it.  This is the story of Fern and her family.  They are in the restaurant business and everything their family does revolves around this restaurant.  I got a kick out of her father because he is always doing these crazy, embarrassing things to promote the restaurant.  Tragedy strikes hard in this novel (see the above statement on crying).  But the author does a fantastic job of making you feel like everything is going to be ok at the end.  Now you have to read it to see what the tragedy is, don't you!!

The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

What an interesting concept for a book.  This takes place in 1996, when less than 1/2 of all American high school students had EVER used the internet.  Emma's father gives her a computer and her best friend Josh gives her a CD-ROM (those shiny discs we used to have to put into the computer to load stuff) to download America online.  This is where Emma discovers herself and her friends on Facebook.  WHAT?? Facebook was not invented till 2004.  What Emma realizes is that she is seeing her life 15 years in the future.  Does she like what she sees? Will she try to change what she sees?  I guess you are going to have to read the book!

Escape From Memory by Margaret Peterson Haddix

While experimenting with hypnotism at a sleepover, Kira has a memory of a harrowing escape from a war-torn country with her mother, and speaking a language she does not know.  Kira's mother is very evasive when she asks about this memory.  THEN, mom disappears and Kira goes with an unknown woman with the hopes of rescuing her mom and getting some answers to explain this hidden memory and her mom's questionable behavior.  This book had a lot of action in it also.  It brought up the questions of how important are our memories, what role do they play in who we are? 

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Oh, My what a good book you are!  This reminded me of a fractured little red riding hood.  Scarlett and Rosie March lost their grandmother to a wolf attack...a werewolf (or fenris as they say in the book).  Now they see it as their mission to go after and hunt all fenris' down before they can lure away and kill anyone else.  But Rosie is not as passionate about hunting as her sister and wonders what other things life has to offer.  Great story with action as well as a romance that develops! 

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Ohhhhhh, this book hooked me! Even the cover draws you in.  It is one of the better ghost stories I have read in a long time.  Cas hunts what should already be dead.  Like his father before him, Cas hunts ghosts that have the annoying habit of killing people.  His father was killed by one of these ghosts and now Cas uses his athame (a ceremonial daggar) to take out these pesky paranormals.  Now he has moved to yet another new city and is hunting a ghost that is more murderous and powerful than he has ever encountered.  I liked Cas, he is cocky and very sure of himself and his ability.  (Beware, he does like to swear so if that offends you you may not want to read this).  You should also not read if gore is not your thing.  It's definitely my thing and I loved this book.  I believe the author has written another book and I have it on my "to buy" list.

Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas

This is another novel in verse.  Anke's father is abusive to her sister as well as her brother but leaves Anke alone.  She seems to be invisible to him.  She understands that this is a good thing but sometimes a small part of her just wants attention...any attention.  The author does a good job alluding to the abuse without being graphic about it.  This is Anke's story of finding her voice and finally making herself seen and heard.

Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories (Edited by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones)

This was a fantastic book.  I was bullied in grade school.  This was not a one time instance of some kid being mean.  This was an all the time "picking on" that made going to school, as well as the walk home, not very pleasant even though I loved to learn.  Even though we wore uniforms and they couldn't pick on my wardrobe they found other ways to make fun. I was "too short" or "had too many freckles" any number of other things they could find or imagine. I was never beat up by their fists but the constant barrage of nasty words was almost worse.  It led to me choosing to go to a high school as far away from them as I could get.  This book offers stories from some of your favorite authors that experienced similar situations and turned to their writing to make it through the tough times and THEN they turned that writing into a successful career.  I couldn't put this book down.  I learned many powerful lessons from my Grandma Daddario (my Dad's mom) but the two I remember the best are "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" and "being kind doesn't cost you anything."  So be kind to each other!

Slob by Ellen Potter

I really enjoyed this heartwarming, sad little story that also made me chuckle at times.  Owen Birnbaum is the "fattest kid in school."  He wasn't always this way, but something happened 2 years ago and he kind of lost control of his eating to fill a void.  Owen is also a genius, well, almost.  He is about 1 pt. away from being a genius and he invents all kinds of cool things.  One thing is a TV that will help him see something that happened 2 years ago.  While he is inventing, Owen still has to go to school and deal with bullies (both kids AND a teacher who is out to get him), his sister who now wants to be called by a "boy name" and someone is stealing his much loved OREOs out of his lunch! 

Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos

OH MY GOODNESS!  What a fascinating book.  I learned so much about how the growing and harvest of sugar cane really did shape our world.  Did you know that of the million of slaves taken from Africa only 4% were sent to North America, the rest were sent to the sugar cane fields of the Caribbean.  Being taken to work on a sugar farm was essentially a death sentence because the work was so hard. Today, we get a lot of our sugar from other sources like sugar beets, or high fructose corn syrup but we need to remember those that lost their lives to bring sugar to the world. 

The Price of Loyalty by Mike Castan

This book made me think about another book I read and blogged about last year called "Choke."  In both stories the main character KNOWS what they are doing is not a good choice but because their "friends" want them to do it they do it anyway.  I just want to shake some sense into them.  I know that standing up to your peers is tough but you should never compromise your principles just to please a friend.  So Manny gets himself in a pretty difficult situation with drugs and gang violence when he doesn't stand up for what he knows is the right thing to do.  There was a very powerful line in this book: "You are who your friends are, Manny."  Isn't that the truth.  Be aware of the choices your friends are making because you are now a young adult and the choices you make can have pretty big real world consequences. 

Dragon Castle by Joseph Bruchac

Remember me telling you about one of my favorite authors, Joseph Bruchac??  Well, here he is again with another great book.  Prince Rashko knows his parents, the king and queen, aren't the smartest rulers, but things get really messy when they go missing.  Baron Temny parks his army at the castle and is poised to take over unless Rashko can stop them.  I enjoyed this book.  Bruchac calls upon is Slovak ancestry to introduce us to some slovak language and countryside in this story.  The chapters alternate between Rashko's story and his long gone ancestor Pavlov.  What magic has survived the times to help Rashko save his families kingdom? Anything with magic and dragons is right up my alley!!

The Paladin Prophecy by Mark Frost

Before you even ask...Yes, I have pre-ordered the next one in the series!! AND the movie rights have been sold already so look for this in theaters in another year or so.  This book is action packed.  Will West has always been taught by his parents to not to draw attention to himself.  In fact, his dad has an entire list of rules that Will lives his life by.  But Will messed up in 10th grade and got a perfect score on a standardized test and now people have come looking for him.  This is when Will's life kind of falls apart, his dad disappears after some cryptic texts and his mom is acting very strange, and Will is being recruited by a very exclusive school.  When Will decides to hide out at this school he comes up against an ages old club and the fight between good and evil is on!  Will and his group of friends begin to realize the extent of their special powers and use them to try to stop what is going on at the school. 

Wolf Mark by Joseph Bruchac

I would say that Joseph Bruchac is one of my favorite authors.  If you haven't read "Skeleton Man" or "Code Talker" than I must insist that you do!!  Anyway, this was one of the BEST books I read this summer.  (Last summer it was "Ready Player One.")  Luke has always moved around and his parents have taught him how to "handle himself."  Things like how to disarm an attacker before they can even take a breath.  But, now he is tired of moving and wants to be a regular kid.  His mom has died and his dad (former black ops infiltrator) has fallen apart.  So Luke is at a loss when is dad is kidnapped!  Suddenly Luke has to avoid kidnappers, at the same time as avoiding some strange Russian characters at school that have a bizarre secret of their own, AND try to get his dad back.  All this action comes with an AWESOME
 paranormal twist which I thought was Fantastic!  You MUST read this book!

The Mostly True Story of Jack by Kelly Barnhill

This was another of those "couldn't put it down books" that I read in a couple of days.  I just had to keep going to try to figure out what in the world was going on?  Why doesn't Jack's "real" family ever seem to notice he is there?  Jack has to go live with his Aunt and Uncle and discovers that their town has some mysterious magic in it and it revolves around Jack.  He has to figure it out and FAST!  Great story!

Crazy by Han Nolan

I could not put this book down!  It was fantastic.  Jason tells the story of his life.  His mom is dead and his father is crazy.  Not funny crazy, but hearing voices and seeing things, mentally ill crazy.  Not only do you get to "hear" Jason tell his story you get to "hear" the voices in Jason's head interject throughout the book.  I fell in love with the characters in this book.  Jason finds his first "real" friends in a group of students that meet for lunch with their school psychologist.  This band of misfits stand by each other and help each other through the "bad crap" that gets thrown at them.  This is just a fantastic story.  I finished it in a day!!

How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy by Crystal Allen

I LOVE to bowl and so does Lamar, the main character in this book.  Lamar loves bowling and can't understand why the rest of the town is not on board with that.  They love "main stream" sports like basketball, and his brother is a STAR at basketball.  Both he and his brother are resentful of each other after their mom passes away and things just keep going down hill.  Lamar starts hanging with a kid who is not quite the best choice and they start scamming others for money at the bowling alleys.  It is not until Lamar pulls a terrible prank, with prompting from his new "friend," that he starts to think about people besides himself in his attempt to make things right.  I had just a few problems with this book: first off, I have asthma like Lamar, and I kind of hate when they portray asthmatics as "tied to our inhalers" and unable to do stuff.  But maybe Lamar has a very SEVERE case of asthma that keeps him puffing away on his inhaler throughout the book.  Lamar's big prank involved pulling a fire alarm and I think the fine they made him pay was a little unrealistic, I think it would be much more than the $200, especially with the damage that was caused.  BUT even with these minor issues, I enjoyed this story.  I liked the characters and the passion they held for their sport.

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

This book was right up my alley!  The journal of Will Henry has been found after his death.  It tells the story of his time with Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, a leader in his field of study: monstrumology, the study of monsters.  Young Will lived with the doctor from the time of his parents death and instead of being reassured that monsters aren't real, was taught how to study and fight them.  This book had a great mystery.  How did the man eating anthropophagi (scary headless monsters) make their way from their native Africa to New England and stay undiscovered for so long.  I loved all the gory details of the monsters and their lair!  I bought this on audio too, if you want to listen while you read go check out an ipod!!

Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead

This was a quick little read.  I loved this author's other award winning book: "When You Reach Me."  Georges (the s is silent) is in 7th grade and because his father has lost his job they have to sell their house and move to an apartment in Brooklyn.  While there he meets his new friend Safer and gets recruited by Safer to help him spy on the mysterious Mr. X who also lives in their apartment building.  There are some twists at the end that leave you questioning, who really is the Liar. 

Conspiracy 365: January by Gabrielle Lord

What a great concept for a book!  This series starts with January and there are 11 more books (months) to tell the story.  Cal's father has just passed away from some mysterious virus.  Now Cal is getting messages that he is also in danger.  While in Ireland, his father has found out some information about his family, and this is information that others want and will stop at nothing to get it.  Cal has been warned that he has to just survive for the next 365 days and all will be ok.  Therefore, 12 books- 12 months!  The books aren't really long and they are very fast reads because they are just so darn exciting! 

Ghosts in the Fog: THe Untold Story of Alaska's WWII Invasion by Samantha Seiple

I had no idea that the Japanese invaded the Aleutian Islands in Alaska just months after the attack on Pearl Harbor that brought the US into WWII.  Apparently, LOTS, of people didn't know about this.  The US government kept this secret for decades.  Initially it was because they didn't want to cause a panic that Japanese forces were so close and possibly gaining a foothold in the US, later it was because the government did not want to talk about how the native Alaskan people were treated by their own government when they evacuated and placed in camps.  This was one of the bloodiest and deadliest hand to hand combat battles and few people know about it.  I found this narrative nonfiction book fascinating!  Just think, if you read this, you may surprise your parents with something that they don't know about their own countries history!!

Kids of Kabul: Living Bravely through a Never-Ending War by Deborah Ellis

Wow, what a powerful book.  While the Taliban is no longer in power in Afghanistan, the afghan people are still living in a country torn apart by war, and poverty.  It has a long standing tradition of women and children having no rights.  This is at times a difficult book to read. Deborah Ellis has interviewed two dozen or so children for this book about their lives in Afghanistan.  Before each interview is a bit of information about the country.  The hope that these children carry for their country is inspiring.  We so often in the US complain about such minor things: "the computer is too slow," "I wish I had cooler shoes." This book really puts things in perspective.  It is such a privilege to be able to attend school and the children in this book want nothing more than to attend school so that they can better their lives for their families as well as their entire country.  This is truly and inspiring book.

Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

Steampunk is a type of science fiction that has new age technology but is set in an alternative history. I have not read a lot of steampunk but I thought this book looked so intriguing, I just had to try it.  Lena has turned 18 and she decides to go in search of her father who left when she was little.  She wants to know if her long hands and feet are truly a sign of "goblinism".  She fears her grandmother is right and her father is a goblin, which would make them both "Peculiars" in a society that believes peculiars should have no rights and have no souls.  It has adventure, and excitement and just a little romance.  I really enjoyed this book. I really liked the author's addition of historical references about some of the things in the book.    

Birth Marked by Caragh M. O'Brien

Great new series for dystopian fans.  While the story starts a bit slow, it continues to pick up speed throughout.  This society seems to be one that has been affected by climate change.  Some people live inside the wall (the Enclave) and others live outside it and serve the Enclave.  Gaia is a midwife just like her mother.  It is her job to deliver babies and give the first 3 born each month to the enclave to raise as their own.  When Gaia's parents are arrested she tries to find out why and begins to question her society and how it runs.  We have book 2 and 3 of this series in the library and I am hoping to get those read also.

Game Changer by Margaret Peterson Haddix

KT Sutton's life revolves around softball.  In fact she is pitching in a big championship game when something goes wrong.  When KT wakes up she doesn't know who won the game, she can't even remember what happened after the last pitch she threw.  She has somehow been transported to an alternate world where the focus is not on sports but the academics are the stars.  All the classes at her school focus on fitness and the after school activities and competitions focus on academics.  This is an interesting look at how sports have taken a prominent role in education.  The students start to dislike what is taught (sports and their heroes are those that excel in the academic challenges).  The books message changes  toward the end towards anti-bullying and anti-stereotyping of kids.  All in all it was an interesting read by one of my favorite authors.

Freaky Fast Frankie Joe by Lutricia Clifton

I judged this Golden Sower by the cover and truthfully didn't want to read it.  But I did read it and I really liked it.  We moved around several times when I was little and I often felt like the "oddball."  This story is about another oddball.  Frankie Joe's mom has made some poor decisions and now Frankie Joe has to leave his home in Laredo, TX and go live with his father in Illinois.  Frankie Joe doesn't know much about his dad seeing as he they never spent time together.  He doesn't even know that he has 4 half brothers, the oldest of which is not thrilled to have Frankie Joe moving in.  I loved how Frankie Joe finds his "niche" in this book and that "home" can mean different things at different parts of your life if you let it.  I finished this cute little book in about a day and really enjoyed it.

Payback Time by Carl Deuker

Carl Deuker is one of my favorite authors of sports literature.  He wrote on of my favorite books: Gym Candy.  This book focuses on Dan "Mitch" True (there is a story behind that nickname).  He is a reporter for the school paper and is always looking for the "big story."  He thinks he has found it this year when there are some unanswered questions about a new football player named Angel Marichal.  This story is action packed with both the mystery that is afoot as well as the football that is being played.  I LOVE football so I didn't mind all the "technical talk" about plays and such.  This "football talk" does happen alot in the book...Mitch is a sports writer and its written from his point of view.  I hope this doesn't keep nonfootball lovers from reading this book, because the mystery Mitch and his photographer buddy Kimi uncover is a great one.

Between Shades of Gray by Rut Sepetys

Another fantastic Golden Sower Nominee.  This work of historical fiction is amazing.  This tells the story of 15 year old Lina and her mother and brother who are taken from their home in Lithuania and by the Soviet secret police.  They are taken to Soviet work camps and made to live in horrible conditions and do back breaking work.  I think this is a wonderful addition to the other works of WWII historical fiction.  So much is written about the atrocities (awful things) that Hitler was doing, sometimes what the Soviets, under Stalin's rule, were doing during this same time period is overlooked.  This was a wonderful, powerful book about courage and strength of spirit.  I loved it.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Wow, what a difference from the last book I blogged about. While Pie was a light and pretty carefree read, Stolen is rather dark and stressful.  Gemma should have listened to the warning that parents have been telling their kids for years: Don't Talk To Strangers!  Gemma does talk to a stranger and it gets her stolen.  Away from an airport where she is on a trip with her parents to the desert of Australia.  The book is written like Gemma is talking to her captor. The weird thing is it is hard to hate the captor.  He seems to genuinely want Gemma as a companion.  I found it to be a tense read because I would imagine what I would do out there in the middle of nowhere knowing no one I loved knew where I was.  There is some language in this book, so I would recommend it to older readers.  I believe its because it was written by an English woman, who grew up in Australia and they are not as bothered by swearing. This was an Honor Book for the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in Young Adult Literature.  

Pie by Sarah Weeks

This was a nice change of pace after reading the emotional "Jefferson's Sons."  This is an intermediate Golden Sower for 2013.  It is a nice read that includes a mystery...who is searching for Aunt Polly's secret pie crust recipe. People in this town are "pie-crazy." (as am I)  Included in the book are lots of pie recipes which really made me hungry as I read it.  I really liked Alice, the main character.  Her mother does not understand her at all but Alice doesn't let that stop her.  She gets to know Charlie during this mystery and there were some chuckle out loud moments in this little book.

Jefferson's Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Another YA Golden Sower checked off for me.  Boy did I like this book.  Jefferson's Sons is historical fiction about the children that Thomas Jefferson had with one of his slaves Sally Hemings.  I always found it disturbing that the man who wrote "all men are created equal" owned slaves.  I don't understand how anyone could ever be ok with owning another human being. This story took turns telling the story of several of Jefferson's children and their lives as they grew up as slaves.  Knowing who their father was but having to keep it a secret.  Reading this made me want to know more, so I went to some of the sites that the author suggests.  I wanted to know what happened to Sally's children and their children.

Dark Life by Kat Falls

Another great Golden Sower Nominee for this year.  Ty has lived on the ocean floor his entire life and now his world is being threatened by both outlaws and the "commonwealth" (the ruling body for this new world).  I loved the descriptions of Ty's underworld life.  There is talk of how kids raised "subsea" all have "dark gifts" that normal "topsiders" don't have.  There is talk of secret experiments on kids as well as exciting hunts for the outlaws.  I really enjoyed this book.  We have had it in the library for a couple of years and I just now got around to reading it.  We have book #2 in the series also.  It is called Rip Tide.

Epitaph Road by David Patneaude

Another YA Golden Sower for this year and an interesting take on the Dystopian world.  When I was a growing up in the 70s, there were no soccer leagues for girls.  My mom had to fight to get the boys soccer league to allow my sister and me to play on an all boys team.  Because of this, I know what it is like to be the "odd man out."  That is how Kellan feels only its not just in a single activity, it is within the entire world.  It is 2097 and because of a virus that hit 30 years ago 1/2 of the population has been wiped out...it just happens to be almost all of the male population.  Kellan lives in a world where women rule.  Would wars, poverty, violence and crime really disappear if only women were in charge?  I don't know about that, but I do know that I enjoyed this action packed book.  I liked how each chapter started with an epitaph (a statement about someone written in their memory, usually on a tombstone) of someone who died because of the virus.

Jessica'a Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

What a great book!  Jessica lives with her vegan parents on a "no kill" farm and has always known she was adopted.  When a gorgeous foreign exchange student shows up and tells her she is actually a vampire princess and his fiance through an age old pact, she is understandably skeptical.  This is one of those books where my feelings kept changing about the characters.  I liked how Jessica didn't immediately go all ga-ga over the supposed vampire prince.  I wasn't sure how to feel about Lucius, except his letters home to his uncle continually made me chuckle.  As the story progressed I started to like him more as you realize his upbringing didn't leave a lot of time for him to be a kid, even a vampire kid and how he was working more and more on just fitting in to this new teenage world.  I don't want to give anything away about how this story ends, you will just have to trust me and read it!

The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby

This is an intermediate Golden Sower for this year.  A couple of years ago this was at a book fair that I was running at the elementary school I taught at and a student raved about it.  It looked interesting but I just never got around to reading it and too bad for me, because it is a great book.  Guiseppe, Frederick and Hannah all live in a large city at a time when life was very hard for children.  Their lives become intertwined through a series of coincidences. This was one of those books I wished I could have read faster just so I could see how everything turned out!  I loved it!  If you like this, Matthew J. Kirby has written another book called IceFall that has gotten rave reviews by students, but I haven't had a chance to read.  I would trust them and go read it!

After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick

This is one of the Young Adult Golden Sowers for this year.  It is the sequel to "Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie."  Don't let this put you off the book, however, I didn't read the first one either and I had no trouble reading or understanding what was going on in this book. Jeffrey and Tad are best friends, they are also "the kids that had cancer."  They both have to deal with regular teen stuff as well as dealing with the after effects of the cancer treatment as well as the worry of it coming back.  This is a great story that I found very easy to read.

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Not just another vampire book.  Oh, I really liked this one!  I believe the next one in the "Blood of Eden" series is coming out this summer and I will definitely be getting it for the library as soon as I can.  A disease has killed off most of human kind, vampires have always been around but hiding on the fringe of society, but now they are in charge.  Using humans as "blood cows."  At least those humans who are registered.  Allison Sekemoto, our wonderfully strong main character, is NOT one of those registered, because she refuses to be at the beck and call of monsters.  After a night of scavenging for food, Allison is attacked by "rabids" and she has to make a choice, die a forever death, or die and become one of the monsters she loathes.  And that is just the beginning of the novel.  Allison is so strong throughout this novel, trying to retain her humanity even when her need to hunt is almost unbearable.  There is a little bit of romance, but not a lot.  This is a very good read.

Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy

Wow, what a book.  Lucy was nine when she was diagnosed with cancer.  As she tells the story, you realize how unaware she was at the severity of her disease.  Like we all like special attention when a minor illness keeps us home from school, Lucy recounts how even through her surgeries and chemo. and radiation she enjoyed that "specialness."  Other parts of the book are heart wrenching.  Lucy had about 1/3 of her jaw removed because of her cancer and her classmates taunts and teasing caused her so much pain.  This is an incredibly moving story about how so much of our self worth can be caught up in trying to be "beautiful" to others.  Lucy grew up to be a successful author and poet, but died in 2002 from an accidental overdose.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

This was my first Golden Sower Nominee of the season and I liked it.  Dystopian and magic in one book.  Quill is a society where the motto is "Quill prevails when the strong survive."  Every year "the Purge takes place and 13 year olds are sorted into 3 categories: the Wanteds, (who will go on to University) the Necessaries (who do the menial tasks to keep the society running, and the Unwanteds (who are sent to die in the Great Lake of boiling oil).  Our main character does not die and discovers a wonderful world where his creative talents lead to magic.  I did like that the character's magical talents were tied to their creative pursuits.  It did bother me a little bit that those sent to the university to study math and science were not thought of as creative, but I didn't let that spoil my enjoyment of this story.

Numbers by Rachel Ward

Another Trilogy...and this one grabs you from the start...I now have to immediately start number 2!  This story focuses on Jem.  She tells her story in 1st person.  Jem has the ability to see the date that people will die and it is a huge burden for her to know this information.  Her and her one friend get thrown into a bizarre situation when they are seen running away from the bombing of the London Eye Ferris wheel.  Now Jem and her friend are on the run!  This is a great story.

13 Secrets by Michelle Harrison

As good as the other two!  This final story in the trilogy is great.  Like the Harry Potter series this trilogy seems to get darker with each book.  This one is full of revenge and death.  A great finish to a great trilogy.

Bad Hair Day by Carrie Harris

Now that Kate solved the zombie crisis in her town in Bad Taste in Boys, she is faced with another mystery.  This time someone is killing kids and it looks like whatever is doing it has LOTS of hair and claws!!  Kate continues to entertain in this book and we get to see more of her "dorktastic" brother Jonah.  I love both of these books and am looking forward to more from this author.

Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris

Oh, this is a great book.  What an interesting twist to the zombie story.  Told in the 1st person by the main character, Kate Grable.  Kate is a stitch!  She is a self proclaimed science geek who is desperate to go to medical school.  Kate is the trainer of her high school's football team and something fishy is going on with the team.  There are some gory details (black vomit and loss of body parts) so beware.  Such and enjoyable read!  I finished the first one at home and was so sad that I had left Kate's next adventure at school!