Man Made Boy

Title: Man Made Boy
Author: Jon Skovron
Pages: 368
Language: R (10+ "F")
Level: High School
Recommendation: Okay

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Boy’s never left home. When you’re the son of Frankenstein’s monster and the Bride, it’s tough to go out in public, unless you want to draw the attention of a torch-wielding mob. And since Boy and his family live in a secret enclave of monsters hidden under Times Square, it’s important they maintain a low profile.  Boy’s only interactions with the world are through the Internet, where he’s a hacker extraordinaire who can hide his hulking body and stitched-together face behind a layer of code. When conflict erupts at home, Boy runs away and embarks on a cross-country road trip with the granddaughters of Jekyll and Hyde, who introduce him to malls and diners, love and heartbreak. But no matter how far Boy runs, he can’t escape his demons—both literal and figurative—until he faces his family once more.

Review: Man Made Boy is many things and genres. A retelling, fantasy, romance, humorous and contemporary. However behind all this, Man Made Boy is a coming of age novel. Highly entertaining and relatable, Jon Skovron weaves a story suitable for all ages. While I would say more boys would love this, I still think anyone could read this book.  Not a bad read, but this book just ins't the right book for me.   Full of mystical characters, the book keeps you guessing.

Girl Parts

Title: Girl Parts
Author: John M. Cusick
Pages: 218
Content: PG13/R
Language: PG13
Swears: Too many to count
Level: High School
Recommendation: Not In This Library

Summary: David and Charlie are opposites. David has a million friends, online and off. Charlie is a soulful outsider, off the grid completely. But neither feels close to anybody. When David’s parents present him with a hot Companion bot designed to encourage healthy bonds and treat “dissociative disorder,” he can’t get enough of luscious, redheaded Rose — and he can’t get it soon. Companions come with strict intimacy protocols, and whenever he tries anything, David gets an electric shock. Severed from the boy she was built to love, Rose turns to Charlie, who finds he can open up to her, knowing that she isn’t real. With Charlie’s help, the ideal “companion” is about to become her own best friend.

Review:  Eeeeek.  In my opinion, this book shouldn't be on the shelves.  Extremely mature content, extremely mature language, extremely dissappointing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Premise . ... lonely hormonal teen boys, extremely real robotic girls made to keep them company . . .  you can take it from there.

Cinder

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Pages: 400
Language: G
Content: G
Level: Middle/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Review: Although not a fan of "robots" or "cyborgs" or anything mechanical, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It was refreshing to read a book that I didn't worry about language or content. This book puts a real twist on the "Cinderella" we all know and love. This is a great book for boys and girls alike. There are great characters, and villians I love to hate!!! The first in the Lunar Chronicles, I can't wait for the next book.