"School of Fear" by Gitty Daneshvari

339 pages

Madeleine is deathly afraid of insects. Theodore is terrified of dying and his loved ones getting hurt. Lulu is extremely claustrophobic. Garrison is petrified of water. Each of these preteens lives in a different part of the world, but they all have one thing in common: their fears are taking over their lives. In desperation, their parents send them to the super-secret School of Fear, run by the eccentric Mrs. Wellington. When the kids arrive, they realize that her unconventional teaching methods will either drive them crazy--or, just maybe, work. If they can survive, that is.

Although the plot is predictable, I still loved this book. The characters, despite their various neuroses, are charming and made me laugh. I like that there several different types of people represented among the kids--a shy bookworm, a jock, a popular kid, and a nerdy one--because everyone is afraid of something. I think this is a story that kids and adults alike will be able to relate to.

“Beautiful Darkness” by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

503 pages

This sequel picks up right where "Beautiful Creatures" leaves off (if you haven't read that, you probably want to stop reading this review to avoid spoilers). Ethan Wate has fallen in love with a girl named Lena who introduced him to the mystical world of the Casters, who are constantly struggling to balance Light and Dark. Each Caster has special powers and is claimed for Light or Dark on his or her 16th birthday, but at the end of "Beautiful Creatures," the forces struggling to pull Lena in different directions created a battled that killed Lena's beloved uncle Macon and left her unclaimed. Now, in "Beautiful Darkness," Lena is pulling away from Ethan. At first he gives her space because he knows she's still hurting from the loss of Macon. Soon, however, it becomes clear that there's more to Lena's behavior than he thought. A handsome young Caster named John appears and seems determined to get closer to Lena, while her Dark cousin Ridley returns and Ethan doesn't trust her. Ethan realizes that Lena is getting closer and closer to Darkness as time goes by--and that his late mother was much more involved in the Caster world than he knew.

I feel like "Beautiful Darkness" jumps around a lot, almost like the authors made things up as they went along. That said, I did enjoy the story. I think the plot is a bit weaker than that of "Beautiful Creatures," but it still kept me interested from beginning to end. I think I stayed into it because I really care about the characters, particularly Link, Amma, and of course Marian the Librarian. They're so warm and funny that I can't help loving them, but they make mistakes too so I can relate to them. The end of the story is a cliff-hanger, so I'm anxiously waiting for the next book, "Beautiful Chaos," which is supposed to come out on October 18.

The chosen one

By: Carol Lynch Williams, 213 pp.

In the mind of a 13 year old girl who lives within a compound of a cult, I felt her pain, her excitement, her fears, her sadness, and her love in this well written novel.

Kyra Carlson has been chosen to marry her 63 year old uncle. She has her eyes set on a 17 year old boy named Joshua Johnson. However, she is told to have feelings for another that is not your chosen husband is a sin and very wrong in their community, and calls for punishment.

Kyra has 22 siblings between one father and three mothers. She loves her family so very much!

Kyra's Mother Sarah is six months pregnant and very ill so Kyra helps her mother cook, clean, and raise her younger siblings (which is a duty of all the daughters anyway).

This strong young girl has to fight for what she believes is right, not what her family and community thinks is right.

Kyra is beaten, humiliated, and forced to marry her uncle Hyrum Carlson. She has to decide what she should do. She wants to escape. Can she get away without hurting her family? Can she get away without being killed by the "God Squad?" If she is able to get away, where will she go?

She has been offered a ride to town by the book mobile driver, Patrick, who comes once a week to loan her books that she is not allowed to read per her community Prophet. So to be able to read these books that she borrows, she hides them in her favorite secret tree and reads on her free time after her chores are done.

To find out more of Kyra's story, read "The Chosen One" by Carol Lynch Williams.

My Parents Were Awesome

Edited by: Eliot Glazer, 220 pp.

Stories turned in by great writers and/or stories by individuals who submitted and won in order to be honored and accepted in this book.

There are stories from (of course) Eliot Glazer, Jamie Deen Paula and Jimmy Deen's son), Laurie Notaro, and many, many more.

Stories that will make you laugh, cry, and reminisce of your own awesome parents!

Also I think a couple of the stories remind me of how I was at raising my own kids (I don't know if that is good or bad ~ lol).

Some parents are people we have all heard of and some we are just now getting introduced to in this comical and fun book.

get lucky

By: Katherine Center, 272 pp.

I learned about Katherine Center from reading another book titled My Parents Were Awesome editing by Eliot Glazer. In Glazer's book, Center has entered her story of how her parents were awesome and I really liked her writing so I looked for books written by her. I am glad I did, too. She has an expertise on writing. She gives you a "feel good" feeling when you read her work.

In get lucky, Sarah Harper lives in New York, but has been fired from her job and decides to go home for Thanksgiving and hang out with her sister for awhile. Before Sarah can tell her sister, Mackie, about her getting fired from her job, Mackie tells Sarah her bad news - that she is still (after trying for six years) unable to get pregnant. So after contemplating this, Sarah decides to do something nice for her sister for once instead of her sister always taking care of her. Sarah becomes the surrogate mother for Mackie and Clive, Mackie's husband by using Mackie's eggs and Clive's sperm.

How this all turns out is absolutely different than I had thought it would from in the beginning of my reading. get lucky is cute, funny, sad at times, and a terrific hilarious read! Even Library Journal says, "[A] thoroughly enjoyable girlish romp."

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

2011/397 pgs

About the Book: Emerson Cole sees things. People that just appear that no one else around her seem to see or hear. She's tried everything to make them disappear and be normal, but the people keep appearing. When Michael Weaver, a member of an organization called the Hourglass arrives, he tells Emerson that she isn't the only one who sees these visions of people and that she belongs to a special group of people with special powers and abilities. Michael also claims that Emerson has a power that he needs to save his mentor and without her, the Hourglass and their future is in trouble.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: It's hard to write a good synopsis for Hourglass because it's a book that has several twists that are better left uncovered while reading. Hourglass is a book I think most people would categorize as Science Fiction, but I'd give it to readers who say they shy away from science fiction because there's so much more. There's mystery, romance, humor, adventure-I think it's a book you could book talk to a wide range of readers and find something to hook them on.

Emerson is a great main character. She's snarky, funny, and she says what's on her mind. She's the type of character that I would want to be friends with and hang out with in real life. She has a steamy connection with Michael and the romance between the two a nice subplot to the story. I do think that the romance between Michael and Emerson was a bit too lust at first sight, but part of me could also brush that off because of the electric connection shared between them thanks to their powers and abilities. Or maybe I just thought Michael was crushworthy enough I didn't care! At times the book is a bit romance heavy, which might be a turn off for some readers, but readers who stick with it will be rewarded with a great mystery storyline as well.

The story is engaging and kept me interested and reading. There's a lot about the Hourglass that reminds me of X-Men, so I hope we get more books that feature the other members of the Hourglass because I want more of their stories. Emerson and Michael are great leads and the supporting characters are interesting, I just wanted them more fleshed out.

This is a book that is leading up to a sequel. While it's not a cliffhanger ending and some things are resolved, there are still many things left unanswered. I'm eager to read more about the Hourglass!

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

2011/320 pgs

About the Book: Amber's life is spinning out of control. All she wants is one day to herself. So Amber takes off to the beach is search of her one perfect day-the day before her world comes crashing day. There she meets Cade, another teen in search of a perfect day. Amber is instantly drawn to Cade and they decide to spend their perfect days together-no talking about the past or the future-just now. But Amber and Cade have secrets-and Amber is noticing that Cade's secrets seem dark and that he's living this day as if it's his last.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: I will try not to say anything about the plot for this book, because I think not knowing anything makes the book that much better. I went into this book not really knowing what it was about-just that it was by Lisa Schroeder, who I think is fantastic. I really think part of the wonderfulness of this book is going in blind and discovering Amber and Cade's secrets along the way. So give yourself that treat when you read it!

Lisa Schroeder again writes an emotional novel in verse. Amber and Cade's journeys are heartbreaking and honest. I kept finding myself what I would do in their situations. Honestly, I hate sequels (for the most part anyway) but this is a book that I would eagerly gobble up a second helping for! I want to know what happens next, how they handle each journey and path, what was the outcome of their decisions? I didn't want this book to end.

I will admit that it took me awhile to get into this book-I think partly because I didn't know what to expect. But not knowing ended up making this book that much sweeter, so stick with it and discover the gem that awaits.

I'm a bit annoyed that every time I would think-"hey, this book reminds me of this book or movie" it would be mentioned on the next page! It was a bit fun though-Ms. Schroeder knew the comparisons and acknowledged them in the story in a creative way.

If only perfect days like this really happened! But instead we can read about them and get lost in Amber and Cade's story. A sweet, memorable story about hard choices, confusing paths, and perfect days. Another winner from Lisa Schroeder!