Loot by Jude Watson

Pages: 266
Intended Audience: Mature Tweens
Genre: Adventure/Thriller
Notes for Parents: The pre-teen characters are thieves and steal with little consequence and no remorse.

The Back Cover

On a foggy night in Amsterdam, a man falls from a rooftop to the wet pavement below. It’s Alfie McQuin, the notorious cat burglar, and he’s dying. As sirens wail in the distance, Alfie manages to get out two last words to his young son, March: “Find jewels.”
But March learns that his father is not talking about a stash of loot. He’s talking about Jules, the twin sister March never knew he had. No sooner than the two find each other, they’re picked up by the police and sent to the world’s worst orphanage. It’s not prison, but it feels like it.
March and Jules have no intention of staying put. They know their father’s business inside and out, and they’re tired of being pushed around. Just one good heist, and they’ll live the life of riches and freedom most kids only dream about.
Watch out! There are wild kids on the loose and a crime spree coming…

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The back cover description is a little off. The 12-year-old twins meet two other kids in a group home, and together they set out to recover a series of moonstones that their father stole and sold many years earlier. They think it may hold the key to breaking a prophecy that a few, including Alfie, believe foresees the twins’ deaths. As added incentive, the original owner of the moonstones is offering the kids millions for the return of her property.

What’s good?

Short chapters and a simple plot make this a quick and easy read. The prologue is exciting and easily pulls the reader in by promising adventure and mystery. The plot stays pretty simple—the kids are on a quest. The characters are well-drawn, especially March, the main character, although none are very deeply developed which is okay because the story stays pretty light despite the death, thievery, and betrayal. There’s good dialogue, great action scenes, and plenty of humor.
Best Part: Izzy.

What isn’t good?

The pacing uneven. The great action scenes are often followed by periods that drag. The story makes being a thief sound easy, glamorous, and without consequence though the adage of “no honor among thieves” is well represented. The kids appear to have no guilt as the steal from and con perfectly innocent people. Suspension of disbelief is required to accept the many improbable situations that they characters find themselves in.
Worst part: A 12-year-old cable guy?

Recommendation þþþoo

While the scenarios were all highly unlikely and the age of the kids (12!) made it all the more hard to believe, the story itself, with the help of a little suspension of disbelief, was very entertaining. Recommended.

Watson, Jude. Loot. New York: Scholastic, 2014.

Tomboy: a Graphic Memoir by Liz Prince

Pages: 255
Intended Audience: Teens
Genre: Graphic novel / Memoir
Notes for Parents: Has coarse language, smoking, and some mature scenes.

The Inside Cover

Growing up, Liz Prince wasn’t a girly girl, dressing in pink tutus or playing pretty princess like the other girls in her neighborhood. And she wasn’t one of the guys, either. She was somewhere in between. But with the forces of middle school, high school, parents, friendship, and romance pulling her this way and that, “the middle” wasn’t exactly an easy place to be.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

Tomboy follows award-winning author and artist Liz Prince through her early years and explores what it means to “be a girl.”

What’s good?

Liz Prince is awesome! This is an amazing book that challenges social norms and forces the reader to question gender stereotypes. Readers will be able to relate to the awkwardness that is puberty and the ease in which most of us buy into society’s definition of what it means to be a boy or a girl. The nonchalant black and white drawings are clear, characterization is good, and it’s a fairly quick read. The story is intelligent, with wry humor and a knack for confronting gender issues without turning it into a sermon.
Best Part: “I don’t need to look like a super model to be a girl, and yet I’ve been told so through societal osmosis that I do. I want to celebrate being a woman, but I’m shown all the ways that I fall short on a never ending basis.” Page 239.

What isn’t good?

Some of the language, although realistic, is a little harsh which is too bad because this could be a great story for younger readers as well. The font isn’t always easy to read, but the casualness of both the font and drawings adds comfort to this already very relatable story.
Worst part: There’s nothing so bad that it deserves mention here.

Recommendation þþþþo

It’s easy to forget about the heavy expectations that society puts on both boys and girls to act in a way that’s appropriate for their gender. If they don’t, then they must be gay or transgender or abiding by some other label. This graphic novel is the memoir of a girl who just wanted to be a girl on her own terms. It was thought-provoking, succinct, humorous, courageous, and not at all preachy. Definitely recommended.

Prince, Liz. Tomboy: a Graphic Memoir. San Francisco: Zest Books, 2014.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

Pages: 390
Intended Audience: Tweens and up
Genre: Dystopian/Fantasy
Notes for Parents: Some of the traditions in Quill are cruel and there is quite a bit of violence near the end

The Back Cover

Every year in Quill, thirteen-year-olds are sorted into categories: the strong, intelligent Wanteds go to university, and the artistic Unwanteds are sent to their graves.
On the day of the Purge, identical twins Alex and Aaron Stowe await their fate. While Aaron is hopeful of becoming a Wanted, Alex knows his chances are slim. He’s been caught drawing with a stick in the dirt—and in the stark gray land of Quill, being creative is a death sentence.
But when Alex and the other Unwanteds face the Eliminators, they discover an eccentric magician named Mr. Today and his hidden world that exists to save the condemned children. Artimé is a colorful place of talking statues, uncommon creatures, and artistic magic, where creativity is considered a gift…and a weapon.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the first in a series.

What’s good?

Creative world-building is the shining star of this dystopian fantasy. Quill is a dull, broken down community that values intelligence and brawn over creativity, while Artimé is a hidden world full of magical marvels and wondrous creatures. The chapters are short and the plot is simple, making this a quick and easy read. The main character, Alex, is well-drawn, with palpable emotions that fuel the story. There is plenty of action and suspense, as well as explosive slam poetry, defensive painting, stinging soliloquies, itch glue, and the dreaded Shakespearean theatre curse!
Best Part: Simber the stone cheetah and Rufus the squirrelicorn

What isn’t good?

The pace is uneven. There are parts that are fast-moving and draw you in, and others that drag on way too long. Some parts are weighed down by too much dialogue, and much of that dialogue is very juvenile (e.g. “Great cats!” pg. 287). We don’t get to know the secondary characters very well, but as this is the first in the series, I assume there’s more to be revealed.
Worst part: Meghan’s brother, Sean. What was the point of him?

Recommendation þþþoo

Overall, this was a pretty good start for a series. It was a bit slow and felt a little too juvenile for my taste so I’m not likely to read more, but it was good. The premise is engaging, the lands of Artimé and Quill are wonderfully inventive, and the characters are likeable. Recommended.

McMann, Lisa. The Unwanteds. New York: Aladdin, 2011.

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

Pages: 360
Intended Audience: Teens and Mature Tweens
Genre: Science Fiction Thriller
Notes for Parents: There is some coarse language and violence, and a few mature scenes.

The Back Cover

Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.
Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.
Marina has lover her best friend, James, since they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it…at least, not as the girl she once was. Em and Marina are in a race against time that only one of them can win.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The author abandoned her attempt at writing a sequel because she didn’t feel she could do it justice.

What’s good?

Political intrigue, moral ambiguity, and the time travel paradox are just a few things that make this fast-paced thriller exciting. Using alternating viewpoints (sort of – you’ll see), this is an intense story that keeps the reader guessing. The tightly-woven plot wends around a vague threat that is skillfully revealed with plenty of exhilarating action and just the right amounts of mystery and romance. As the story unfolds, the reader witnesses exactly how and why the characters change and grow and how their relationships are altered by circumstances. The ending is satisfying and bittersweet.
Best Part: Finn.

What isn’t good?

The plot is ambitious and the ideas are quite complex so it may lose some readers. The science behind the theory of time travel isn’t very solid, but a little suspension of disbelief is required for most science fiction stories anyway. A few parts get a little teenage angst-ish, especially at the beginning, but luckily it never overpowers the story.
Worst part: There are still a few parts that I didn’t really understand.

Recommendation þþþþo

This is an excellent example of a “page turner.” It was well-written with a good balance of action, mystery, romance and humor. I especially like how time travel is used as a vehicle rather than a gimmick, creating a strong sense of urgency as the characters try to figure out what they have to do to alter the future. I’m definitely interested in reading more by this author. Recommended!

Terrill, Cristin. All Our Yesterdays. Los Angeles: Hyperion, 2013.