A Crooked Kind of Perfect

Title: A Crooked Kind of Perfect
Author: Linda Urban
Pages: 224
Langage: G
Content: G
Level: Upper Elem, Middle School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  Ten-year-old Zoe Elias has perfect piano dreams. She can practically feel the keys under her flying fingers; she can hear the audience's applause. All she needs is a baby grand so she can start her lessons, and then she'll be well on her way to Carnegie Hall.  But when Dad ventures to the music store and ends up with a wheezy organ instead of a piano, Zoe's dreams hit a sour note. Learning the organ versions of old TV theme songs just isn't the same as mastering Beethoven on the piano. And the organ isn't the only part of Zoe's life that's off-kilter, what with Mom constantly at work, Dad afraid to leave the house, and that odd boy, Wheeler Diggs, following her home from school every day. 

Yet when Zoe enters the annual Perform-O-Rama organ competition, she finds that life is full of surprises--and that perfection may be even better when it's just a little off center.

Review:  I stole this from my 12 year old daughter while we were on a road trip because I ran of books to read.  Loved it!  Quick and easy to read, the characters are adorable!  I loved ZOE and even her quirky parents!  Life isn't always what we want it to be, but what we have can be okay, or maybe even great.

Hummingbird Heart

Title: Hummingbird Heart
Author: Robin Stevenson
Pages: 272
Content: PG13
Language: PG
Level: High School
Recommendation: Optional

Summary:  Sixteen-year-old Dylan has never met her father. She knows that her parents were just teenagers themselves when she was born, but her mother doesn't like to talk about the past, and her father, Mark, has never responded to Dylan's attempts to contact him. As far as Dylan is concerned, her family is made up of her mother, Amanda; her recently adopted younger sister, Karma; and maybe even her best friend, Toni.

And then, out of the blue, a phone call: Mark will be in town for a few days and he wants to meet her. Amanda is clearly upset, but Dylan can't help being excited at the possibility of finally getting to know her father. But when she finds out why he has come—and what he wants from her—the answers fill her with still more questions. What makes someone family? And why has her mother been lying to her all these years?

Review: Although the book is fast paced and interesting, the adult role models in this book are lacking—smoking pot, getting drunk, and lying on a regular basis. Dylan's personal life is a shambles, and she makes some pretty bad decisions with her friends, family, and first boyfriend.  With many prevalent teen topics, this is a perfect book for discussion with teens.

Between Shades of Gray

Title: Between Shades of Gray
(Not to be confused with Fifty Shades of Gray)
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Pages: 338
Content: PG
Language: PG
Level: Middle/High School
Recommendation: Must Read

Summary: Fifteen-year-old Lina is a Lithuanian girl living an ordinary life--until Soviet officers invade her home and tear her family apart. Separated from her father and forced onto a crowded train, Lina, her mother, and her young brother make their way to a Siberian work camp, where they are forced to fight for their lives. Lina finds solace in her art, documenting these events by drawing. Risking everything, she imbeds clues in her drawings of their location and secretly passes them along, hoping her drawings will make their way to her father's prison camp. But will strength, love, and hope be enough for Lina and her family to survive?

Review:  One of the most heartbreaking, educational books I have read in some time.  I had NO idea what happened to these Lithuanians.  What an insight!  The story is told beautifully as it follows Lina along her journey of survival. 

Never Fall Down

Title: Never Fall Down
Author: Patricia McCormick
Pages: 224
Language: PG (sh** a lot)
Content: PG13
Level: High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: The only way to truly survive is to "never fall down." Arn learns this lesson at the age of eleven when his village in Cambodia is invaded by Khmer Rouge troops. The entire population is marched into the countryside and forced to live in labor camps. Arn finds ways to use his "smarts" and some luck to escape the worst problems. He manages to make friends, learns to play an instrument, protects others and survives against all odds. But he has plenty of struggles after the regime is conquered as he deals with his horrific memories, the guilt of many of his actions, and adjusting to a new life in America. Despite being teased and having difficulty learning English he again rises above his circumstances to become an advocate for his homeland and his people.

Review:  Tough but important subject matter, this book is a great way to learn about the Khmer Rouge.  Though there are still plenty of instances of violence, rape, and murder the worst takes place off-page or is handled deftly conveying the horrors without dwelling on them. Well-written but heartbreaking, and not for the faint of heart.

The Agency (series)

Title: The Agency (series) - Body at the Tower, A Spy in the House, Traitor in the Tunnel
Author: Y.S. Lee
Pages: Varies
Language: PG
Content: PG
Level: Middle/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction in fine manners — and an unusual vocation. Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust — or is there? Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets — including those of her own past.
Introducing an exciting new series! Steeped in Victorian atmosphere and intrigue, this diverting mystery trails a feisty heroine as she takes on a precarious secret assignment.


Summary:  I have enjoyed this series.  The Victorian era only adds to the intrigue of the cases that Mary Quinn become invovled in!  Great books!

Foul

Title: Foul
Author: Paul Hoblin
Pages: 112
Language: PG
Content: PG
Level: High School
Recommendation: Easy Read

Summary: Rhino is one of Bridgewater's best basketball players—except when it comes to making free throws. It's not a big deal, until he begins receiving strange threats. If Rhino can't make his shots at the free throw line, someone will start hurting the people around him. Everyone's a suspect: a college recruiter, Rhino's jealous best friend, and the father Rhino never knew—who recently escaped from prison.

Review: I have been looking for some small, easy to read books for teen.  This one fits the bill.  Interesting enough to hold the reader's attention, yet small enough to tell the full story.

Masque of the Read Death

Title: Masque of the Red Death
Author: Bethany Griffin
Pages: 319
Language: PG
Content: PG/PG13ish
Level: High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: Everything is in ruins. A devastating plague has decimated the population, and those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles around them. So what does Araby Worth have to live for? Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery makeup . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club, and Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does. And Araby may find not just something to live for, but something to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

Review: Although I found myself confused several times in the book, I enjoyed this book.  I think the author expected us to know more about the characters than he gave us, I found myself wishing for some kind of prologue to explain some of the characters and their relationships.  That said, the book was intriguing, a new twist on the dystopian genre.