Inhuman by Kat Falls

This book is written by the author of Dark Life, one of this year's Golden Sower Nominees.  I really enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed Dark Life.  When I was little, a movie came out called The Island of Dr. Moreau (it was based on H.G. Wells' book of the same name).  I LOVED it.  An evil scientist was creating hybrid animal/people.  Inhuman also has "manimals" in it.  A biological disaster has caused everything east of the Mississippi to be "quarantined."  A virus is causing those infected to become blood thirsty savages.   Even those not infected often act like savages!  This is a very exciting read. I had trouble putting it down. I am pretty sure that this will have a sequel but don't know when it will be released.   

The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven: a True Story by Kevin & Alex Malarkey

I really liked the book Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo.  In fact, I like most books that address near death experiences.  This book is about another young boy who is in a TERRIBLE car accident and miraculously lives.  Most of the story focuses on how the family and the community rally around this young man to encourage his healing, but there are some parts where Alex tells about what HE experienced while he was in a coma. 

Tesla's Attic by Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman

I am a BIG fan of Neal Shusterman (author of the Unwind trilogy) and this latest book, co-authored by Eric Elfman, didn't disappoint.  This is going to be a great series.  Tesla's Attic is the first book in the Accelerati Trilogy.  Nick and his father and brother have moved into an old Victorian mansion after a fire destroyed old house and took his mother's life.  He discovers what he thinks is just a lot of old junk in the attic, but soon finds out that the old junk has some pretty amazing powers.  All the objects seem to have been invented by Nikola Tesla.  Now Nick and his friends (a great cast of characters) are trying to keep the objects from getting into the hands of a secret society.  I really enjoyed the creativity of this book.  I am sure the authors had a lot of fun coming up with what each object could do.  I am looking forward to the next book which is due out in February 2015.

Seeing Red by Kathryn Erskine

I thought this was just another book about a boy (Red) whose father dies and he doesn't want to move...but it is so much more than that.  This book takes place in Virginia in 1972, smack dab in the middle of the civil rights movement.  Both Red and his mother are pretty progressive in their thoughts about equal rights for all, but that hasn't always been the case with Red's ancestors.  He finds out about a wrong committed by his family and he goes about trying to set things right.  This is a great historical fiction book.  Lots of references to the events and people involved in the civil rights movement.