Grave Mercy by R.L. LaFevers

509 pgs/2012

Sired by death himself, Ismae is taken away as a young girl to a convent of St. Mortain (death's convent) where she will be trained in the art of assassination. Yes, that's right-nun assassins!! When trouble begins brewing at court and those close to the duchess can't be trusted, Ismae is selected to go undercover and figure out who is the traitor. Intrigue, court drama, and even a bit of romance hand this book over to readers who like historical fiction-and spies. I would suggest this for readers who liked Graceling as well. It's the first in the series, but the next book will feature a different character, so the main storyline is wrapped up nicely, yet leaving you wanting more from these sisters who also are spies.

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

2011/307pgs

WARNING: This is the longest review ever-sorry about that! I guess I had lots to say!:)

About the Book: In a future where Earth is being destroyed, the hopes of finding a new planet to continue life is pinned on two ships-the Empyrean and the New Horizon. Waverly is the oldest girl on the Empyrean and wants a bit more to her life other than a proposal from Kieran, the oldest Empyrean boy. When the Empyrean is met up with their sister ship, New Horizon, the ship is abuzz with what the ship could want. Soon, the Empyrean is being mounted and all the girls are whisked away to a new life on the New Horizon.

As the oldest, Waverly knows she must fight for their survival and rights. The New Horizon has never been able to successfully conceive children in deep space and they want the girls of the Empyrean to help them create a new generation. Meanwhile, on the Empyrean, the boys are looking for a way to survive and save their friends and family. Kieran tries to take leadership of the ship, but is overthrown.

With Waverly and Kieran surrounded by enemies, they must each formulate a plan to save their ship and those around them.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: Glow is one of the big buzz books of 2011. I finished it a week ago and I'm still unsure what I thought about it. To make it easier for me to formulate my thoughts, I'm going to break this review down into what I liked and what I didn't like.

What I liked: I liked that Waverly is pretty kick butt and I can see her growing during the rest of the series into a nice, strong, female lead that you really want to cheer on. I also liked that the book is straight science fiction-this is scifi in space in the future-no genre mashups. There's a bit of romance in the book, but it's not a focal point. Instead the story is more about Waverly and Kieran and their respective trials of survival in their own way. Waverly is fighting a more psychological battle where Kieran is fighting more of a physical and spiritual one. There's a small hint that there might be a love triangle, but I'm holding out hope that that doesn't happen in future books, because I think the story is strong enough without it. (Also, the character that could possibly be in the love triangle is kind of a jerk, so I would have a hard time wanting Waverly to be with him.)

Glow is fast paced and the action starts very early on-just a few pages in, which makes for a quick, page-turning read. The story alternates between what's happening with Waverly and her ship and Kieran and his ship. The New Horizon is an interesting ship that will get readers talking for sure! Anne Mather is the leader, or Pastor, of the ship and it borderlines on a cult. She's a great bad guy because you never know who to trust or not, what to believe and you want Waverly to fight back. Kieran on the other hand is dealing with a ship that has been attacked, trying to keep up morale and find a way to save his ship, it's passengers and the missing girls. Kieran begins holding meetings and preaching sermons to boost morale. One ship has religion that is bad and harmful, another has a religion that is hopeful and healing.

There's an exploration of what people do to survive in tough situations, religion, trust, relationships, power vs. absoulte power and what is right or wrong and are there blurred lines at times. With everything that is going on in the plot, this one could be ripe for book discussions and dissecting the plot.


What I didn't like: (WARNING: I'm trying to avoid spoilers and be a bit vague, but there may be some spoilers here!!) At times I found the third person narrative and the alternating stories a bit frustrating. This meant the reader knows what is happening when the characters do not, which made their actions a bit hard to deal with since I knew more about the situation then they did. I also felt Waverly was unfair to Kieran and they should have just talked out a lot of things. I felt they never showed any understanding about each other and were both stubborn in their own ways. I know not everything could be wrapped up in one book since this is a series, but Waverley frustrated me by the end with her stubbornness to see everything as good or bad and never the possibility that some things are situational. She was so unaccepting of Kieran which really annoyed me, since I as the reader had been there with him through his trials as well. I also felt that Kieran was much more willing to listen to Waverly than she was to him. I understand that Waverly's situation gave her a bad experience, especially with religion, but she's so willing to brush off Kieran because of her own explanation and experience instead of understanding his side. I hope this gets explored more in the next books, as I think Waverly is being rash. She has issues with trust, which I guess I can understand, but I still felt she was being unfair by the end.

I didn't like that Seth was jerk-we know what happened as the reader because we're told in third person what was going on the ship. So we're told that Seth is not great. But then we're supposed to start to wonder about him and if he's really good or bad. Since we were told about what happened early on, I had a hard time buying into the fact that maybe he wasn't so bad. I think this would have been better with a different narration style.

The author is trying to set up a discussion of power and does power bring absolute power, which I think in some ways works and in others doesn't. Again, I had problems with this because of the way Waverly and Kieran's stories hang at the end of this book. Waverly refuses to trust and see Kieran's side, Kieran has a different viewpoint because of his own situation. Plus, I really hated how Seth was trying to convince everyone that Kieran was out for absolute power. The author makes note in the first two chapters that Kieran is the oldest child and oldest boy on the ship and it's known to everyone on the ship that he is in line to take over after the Captain. He's the Captain's protege. But when the attack happens and Kieran begins to lead, Seth questions him and tries to turn everyone else against him. He claims that Kieran is out for control and power and wonders why they didn't hold an election. Um, the ship was being attacked, people are dying and missing, and you want to hold an election? Plus, we've been told by this point several times how Kieran is in line to take over, so by rule of succession, Kieran taking over makes sense. This just really made me dislike Seth's character even more.

I also never really understood why they just took the girls. Why not take the boys too? If they could never have children, wouldn't having some boys on board help multiply their next generation like they wanted? The whole thing never really made sense to me-I would have wanted both genders to increase my population for sure.

The end doesn't wrap anything up, there are lots of questions unanswered and the cliffhanger is just a bit meh. It leaves you wishing the book was longer and that the whole story could wrap up if the characters would just talk to each other more!

Don't get me wrong-there were things I liked and I think the buzz that this one is generating is great. I like that science fiction, especially scifi set in space, is making a comeback. I think there will be lots of readers who are in love this book, but for me it was a middle of the road novel. I'll read the next books because I'm interested enough to keep going and I want to know what happens and I want answers to my questions, but it's not a book I'll be raving about.

Liesel & Po by Lauren Oliver

2011/320 pgs

About the Book: Liesl lives in a small attic room where she was banished by her evil stepmother. Liesl didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to her father who recently passed away. So when Liesl discovers a ghost named Po in her attic room, she hopes that Po can get a message to the other side for her father.

Outside the attic room, an alchemist's apprentice is watching Liesl from the street. Will wishes he could be friends with the girl in the attic and his daydreaming causes him to make a mistake-he switches his box of the most powerful magic in the world with the box containing the ashes of Liesl's father.

This sets off a string of events that lead Will, Liesl and Po on an extraordinary journey.


Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: If you're looking for a book to hand over to middle grade readers who want something that's a lighter fantasy with some adventure, Liesl & Po is a perfect choice. I can see readers who really like this one, loving it to pieces and clutching it to them with each re-read. I think this book will have a dedicated fanbase of tween readers who devour it.

I really like when books have varying storylines that all twist together somehow and Liesl & Po has lots of those! I almost felt the book should have been called Liesl, Po and Will, because Will does play a big part in the story and I liked his eventual friendship with Liesl. There are lots of characters which means lots of stories and action to keep track of, but it never felt like it was too muddled in keeping each story straight. In fact, I felt the stories could have been drawn out even more. There were things that were mentioned that I wished were more fleshed out. What happened to the guards sister? What will happen to the adults in the end? Where did Po come from? I still had questions at the end!

Although I had my questions, the story is a beautiful one with themes of family, friendship, magic and finding peace. The writing is touching and heartwarming with the right touch of humor. The world is a magical one that feels a bit foreign and historical-think Victorian setting-as well as having a touch of today. The characters of Liesl, Po and Will are characters that readers will like and want to see succeed. The kids are good, the bad guys are bad, and things aren't always as they seem. There are some twists that while I found predictable, I think some tween readers will find a surprise. The whole book has a feel of a classic tale with ghosts, greedy adults, and kids looking for a home.

A nice addition to libraries looking to add to their middle grade fantasy collections. It could also be a good read aloud, since I think it would have appeal to both genders-it doesn't lean too "girl read" or "guy read." I would recommend to readers who enjoy fantasy or books that have an old classic storytelling feel to them.

Drawing From Memory by Allen Say

72 pgs/2011

About the Book: Caldecott Winner Allen Say writes a graphic memoir about growing up in Japan and being an apprentice to Noro Shinpei, a notable Japanese cartoonist.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: I had received an advanced copy of this book and I thought, "hmm...this looks cool" and put it aside to read eventually. Well, then I went to ALA and heard Mr. say talk about this book and I had read it immediately!

What an amazing journey to become a cartoonist! Mr. Say was 12 when he got an apartment of his own. After reading about another boy traveling to meet Noro Shinpei and become an apprentice, Allen Say decided he would do the same thing in hopes of becoming an apprentice as well. His journey is such a fantastic read and at times I couldn't believe this was his story. I think any reader who has an artistic side will relate to the Mr. Say's feeling of how he must draw and that art is a part of him.

I can't wait to share this one with tween readers!

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

2011/608 pgs

I can't say much about this one, since there's a strict laydown date for this book in September! But I will say that it's a must read for 2011-add this one to the top of your wish list!! Brian Selznick excels at creating parallel stories that work together-one in words and one in pictures-and the two come together in a beautiful, magical way.

Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge

2011/192 pgs

About the Book: Paige has just moved to New York City and she's feeling a bit lost. She's trying to make sense of her life. Is she an artist? Is she outgoing? How can she make new friends and find herself in such a book city? Paige decides to take her Grandmother's advice and following her drawing rules, she's going to keep a sketchbook. The sketchbook becomes Paige's way of expressing herself and finding who she is. She opens up to new friends, embraces her art, and learns how to be Paige.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: Page by Paige is a fantastic graphic novel! Although it's fiction, it reads like a memoir and reminded me a lot of Pedro and Me and in some ways, Blankets only with a more coming of age high school story. I would also pair it up with Plain Janes, as the characters are very pro-art and they have secret art projects they do in the city.

Reading Page by Paige is like taking a peek into someones diary, only a graphic novel version of their diary. It's a fantastic coming of age story and readers will relate to Paige and her journey of figuring out who exactly she is. I struggled with being shy in school and I could relate to Paige's journey of coming out of her shell, learning to be brave and put herself out there. This is also Paige's journey of learning to accept her artistic self and embrace that fact that she is an artist.

Many times creative teens struggle with how to be creative or don't think they really are creative and Paige deals with the same issues. I love that her group of friends call themselves "Agents of Whimsy" and have secret art projects around the city. I would love to do something similar!

A funny, charming and very touching coming of age story. I loved Paige and I hope she has more of her story to tell.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

2011/264 pgs

About the Book: Three years since the accident that took Mia's family and changed her life, Adam and Mia have gone down separate paths. Shortly after beginning her school year at Julliard Mia cut off all contact with Adam with not warning. Since then Adam has wondered what exactly happened to her-and to them.

Adam is a rising rock star and his band, Shooting Star, is a worldwide sensation. Adam is dating a beautiful actress and on the outside appears to have a fabulous life. But he's miserable. All of his songs are about his grief over loosing Mia, but he can't talk about it with anyone.

Mia is a rising star at Julliard and about to take off on her first tour. One fateful evening bring Mia and Adam together before their worlds separate again.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: When I first heard that Gayle Forman was writing a sequel to If I Stay, I was excited but I kept thinking, "huh, it didn't really need a sequel." Boy was I wrong!

Where She Went is told from Adam's point of view this time around. Much like If I Stay the book is told with flashbacks so we know more about Adam and Mia's relationship, what happened after the accident, and what sent Adam into his spiral downward. Yes, Adam is emo at times (he is an emo rock star after all!). But I found his side of the story to be very interesting. He lost Mia's family as well and then lost Mia. His grief is understandable as well as his conflicting emotions over the fact that his success is based out of his grief. Adam is also dealing with the fact that he told Mia he would let her go, but how do you truly let someone go?

I'll admit that for the first part of the book, I wasn't sure what I thought. But then something clicked about halfway through. I realized that just like Adam, I needed closure to Adam and Mia's relationship. I needed to know what happened next and what made Mia just up and leave. I needed to know how they were moving on, how they were coping. I needed them to come together again for just one evening and figure out where things went wrong. The fact that the author could connect me to the characters in this way made me love the book more.

This is an emotional story and the writing is raw and beautiful. I got sucked into Adam and Mia's story. Much like in If I Stay, I felt the pain of losing Mia's family, in Where She Went, I felt the aftermath. I connected with the characters and I felt like they were part of me, making the book even that more powerful.

A beautiful sequel that surprised me. I'm so glad Gayle Forman wasn't done with the story!

Divergent by Veronica Roth

2011/496pgs.

About the Book: In futuristic Chicago, the city has broken up into factions depending on value you hold most important. Are you selfless? Abnegation is for you. Value honesty about all else? Candor is your faction. Is bravery the most important thing? Dauntless is where you belong.

Sixteen-year-old Beatrice was born and raised in Abnegation, but she knows she can't stay. At the choosing ceremony, Beatrice decides to switch factions and become Dauntless. But becoming Dauntless won't be easy. The Dauntless will only accept ten new members into their faction and to become Dauntless, the initiates must compete and train in various skills.

Beatrice transforms herself into Tris and tries to excel at Dauntless training and decide who to trust. But Tris is hiding a secret from them all-one that could be dangerous to her and her new faction. As she uncovers a growing unrest among the factions, Tris must decide where her allegiances belong.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: This book is getting a lot of marketing a buzz behind it and is being touted as the "next Hunger Games." As Nancee mentioned in her review, Divergent is similar to The Hunger Games without feeling like a copy. Fans of The Hunger Games series would be the first group I would give this book to.

Tris is an interesting character and her world is an interesting take on the dystopian genre. Instead of it being the entire country or world, this dystopia focuses on one city. I did wonder what was going on in the rest of the country, so hopefully we get more answers in future books (because yes, this is a series, everything is in YA these days). I found Tris to be gutsy and a bit soft and she balanced these two very well. She's never really a pushover yet she's never really a completely strong kick-butt girl either. She falls in between which gives her room to grow throughout the novel. I also liked that Tris showed a bit of a soft side, it made her more relatable to me.

Even though the book is almost 500 pages long, it really is a quick read. I finished this in two days as the story was engaging enough to keep me reading. There were a few things that were a bit predictable and I would have liked there to be more that I can create theories on for future books, but I still had a lot of fun with it. Even though there were things I saw coming, there were others that I didn't which kept the book interesting. I did think the author tried to squeeze just a bit too much in this book and there a few things that weren't as fleshed out as I would have liked. But hopefully these details will be given a chance to be fleshed out later on.

There's also a romance and I have to say I liked it. It wasn't love at first sight and the author took time to develop the characters and gave them a chance to like each other before the romance took off. Although this was one area that Tris bugged me a bit-she's a bit dense and I wanted to keep telling her that boy wasn't being mean, but liked her-it took her forever to see that!!

If you like dystopian, add Divergent to your list of books to read in 2011. With all the buzz surrounding this one and the popularity of dystopian novels, I'm sure this will end up being a book that gets talked about, especially with teens. Look for it in May (or ask your teen librarian for an ARC!)

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

2011/368 pgs.

About the Book: In the future, scientists have eliminated all disease thanks to the wonders of genetic engineering. But the downfall is that the offspring of those genetic engineered children now have a shorter lifespan-twenty years for women, twenty-five for me. Some still believe in a cure and will do anything they can to find one, including kidnapping and selling young girls into polygamist marriages.

Rhine is 16 and finds herself being taken to Housemaster Vaughn's household to be married off to his son, Linden. She refuses to accept this new role and is determined to find a way out. She begins to develop feelings for one of the household staff, Gabriel and Rhine is convinced she and Gabriel can escape Housemaster Vaughn's clutches. But world around Rhine is blurring and it's getting harder and harder to see what is real and what is a lie.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: Be prepared to hear a lot about this book-this one is going to be big! This is a fantastic debut and it will leave readers wanting more.

Although it's set in the future, life in Housemaster Vaughn's house almost has the feel of a period drama. Like Rhine, we never know what really is happening or what is real and what is a lie. Housemaster Vaughn is up to something, but we don't know what and that mystery adds to the story.

The characters are all fantastic-not only do we get to know Rhine, but we really get to know and care for her sister wives, Cecily and Jenna. The author has a fantastic balance of telling and showing. She tells us that Rhine is spending time with our cast of characters and then she also gives us a glimpse into a conversation with them. This balance made the romance as well as the friendships between the sister wives more real.

And the romance-love it! The author has this great way of making us unsure of who we like, who we trust, and if someone is good or bad. It's never sappy or over the top, but instead she keeps us guessing along with Rhine as to what really is going on and what exactly her feelings are.

This is a first in a trilogy, yet Wither wraps up nicely enough to not leave me hanging with a horrible cliffhanger. There are still questions left unanswered and I want to know more, but I also felt satisfied with the ending.

If you're a fan of dystopian novels, add this one to your reading list.

Lost and Found by Shaun Tan

2011 (out in April)/128 pgs.


About the Book: Lost & Found is a compilation of three previous Shaun Tan stories, The Red Tree, The Lost Thing, and The Rabbits, that were previously released in limited release.


Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: The three stories collected here are a perfect example of Shaun Tan's creative (and sometimes a bit odd) artwork and storytelling style. The obscure creatures and world that Shaun Tan's characters live in is like a darker Dr. Seuss. The drawings are intricit and even though the text itself is easy to breeze through, you want to spend your time taking in the details on each page.

The first story, The Red Tree, almost reads like an inspirational story, ala The Blue Day Book. While this might be a turn off for some readers, the artwork is what makes this story stand apart. Although there's an inspirational point to the story, it never gets too sappy or preachy and instead feels a bit more bittersweet.

The Lost Thing is my favorite entry in this collection. We hear a story about the day a young man found a lost thing and what he does with it. In some ways it reminded me of what would happen if Pixar teamed up with David Wiesner. Again, this one has a moral to the story, but it's subtle and it leaves the reader with lots to think about.

The Rabbits (written with John Marsden) is a history lesson on imperialisim with rabbits. This is one I can see being used in classrooms and I think it would work with a 5th grade and up audience, where I think the other two stories might be a bit lost on readers that young.

A great collection of three fantastic tales. I would recommend Lost and Found to those who might be a little shy to pick up a graphic novel as the format and stories are a introduction into the genre.

Level Up by Gene Luen Yang

June 2011/160pgs.

About the Book: Dennis Ouyang is trying to live up to his parents expectations. He'd rather stay at home and play video games, but after his father's death, he decides to fulfill his father's wishes and go to med school. With the help of four angels, Dennis is about to discover his destiny.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: I love Gene Luen Yang's Printz winning graphic novel, American Born Chinese and I expected Level Up to be another witty and heartfelt coming of age story. In some ways it is, but I was let down by this one.

I think with the cover and the title and the character obsessed with video games, I expected this one to have more of a video game feel to it, ala Scott Pilgrim. But instead, the video game aspect is pushed to the side and instead we get a story about Dennis dealing with his grief over his father and his drive to make his father happy.

I wanted more about the angels but instead they seemed to come and go and never really connect with the story. I also wanted a bit more humor-while there are moments of humor, the tone of Level Up is much more serious.

It's still a good graphic novel and I'm continualy impressed with Gene Luen Yang's work, but I had hoped for a bit more.

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Feb. 2011/240 pgs.

About the Book: Cryer's Cross is a small town in Montana (population 212). So when a freshman girl goes missing at the beginning of the summer, the town is thrown into a tailspin. The news especially upsets Kendall, who can't handle the worry with her OCD. When a second student goes missing and this time it's someone close to Kendall, Kendall isn't sure how she can handle it all. When she starts to hear the voices of the missing calling to her and notices messages scratched into a desk, she wonders if there's something dark at work in Cryer's Cross.

Sarah Teenlibrarian: As I've mentioned before, I don't do horror. Scary stories and Sarah do not mix. But I felt like I needed to give this book a shot for a couple of reasons: 1) I wasn't a fan of Ms. McMann's previous works (Wake, Fade and Gone) but really wanted to find something good this time around, and 2) I was attending a event she was speaking at during ALA and I felt like I should read this book before I went. (Those publishers know how to guilt librarians into reading!)

This one's described as a horror, but I never found it. Me, who can't handle the smallest scare, didn't think this book was scary or creepy at all. I think that's because the horror aspect isn't ever really there and when it's thrown in at the end, it happens too soon to have any real effect at all.

There was too much going on in this short book. Kendall has OCD, which seems to come and go at times as the author's way of explaning Kendall's quirks, but I never really got why it was important for us to know she had OCD. After hearing Ms. McMann speak, I understand that she put it in for her daughter, who also has OCD, and she wanted to feature a character where it wasn't the main focus but another aspect of the character. A good idea, but it never really seems to work the way it's intended and for reader's without this knowledge of the author's intent it might seem odd and out of place.

There's romance, but it seemed somewhat forced. I also had some issues with the way the romance was handled (spoilery issues, so I won't post too much here). There was almost a love triangle but the author writes an easy way out which really bugged me.

The mystery feels like it's second string to the main story and I'm not even sure what the main story was supposed to be. Sometimes we have a story about Kendall and her OCD, sometimes it's a story about Kendall, a girl who wants to study dance at Julliard, other times it's about Kendall the soccer player or Kendall the girl worried about the missing teens or Kendall who isn't sure what to think about new boy Jacian. The book as a whole never felt like it all worked together-it was choppy mini stories trying to make it together and it never quite pulls it off.

As for the horror, I just never thought it was there. Maybe some teens will find it gripping and compelling, but it wasn't any creepier than R.L. Stine. And the way everything is wrapped up in the end is rushed, never explained fully and comes out of the blue. The premise is good, but the execution isn't what I had hoped.

On the plus side, I thought the writing was better this time around and I do have hope for Ms. McMann's future works-this one just wasn't for me. I do think it'll fly off the shelves like her previous books, especially with teens looking for a fast, short read.