More Than This by Patrick Ness

Pages: 472
Intended Audience: Teens
Genre: Dystopian
Notes for Parents: There is mild language and some sexual references.

The Back Cover

Seth drowns, desperate and alone.
But then he wakes. Naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. And where is he? The street seems familiar, but everything is abandoned, overgrown, covered in dust.
He remembers dying, his skull bashed against the rocks. Has he woken up in his own personal hell? Is there more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife?

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The author, Patrick Ness, has won the Carnegie Medal twice, the Costa Children’s Book Award, the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Red House Book Award, the Jugendliteratur Preis, the UKLA Award, and the Booktrust Teenage Prize.

What’s good?

Inventive world-building, strong writing, and an evenly-paced plot, make this an compelling adventure mystery. The main character, Seth, is well-drawn, relatable, and easily likeable. The supporting characters have depth and purpose, except The Driver, who’s just plain terrifying. All of the characters feel genuine. The writing is descriptive and emotive, but never overdone. The plot is complex without being complicated, and short chapters keep it moving at a good speed. The story has it all – action, adventure, survival, mystery, humor, suspense, science fiction, philosophical musings, and even some romance.
Best Part: The (super creepy) Driver.

What isn’t good?

The suspense and masterful rise in action almost guarantee disappointment. Seth gets so emotional, the situation becomes so dire, and the mystery builds to such an intensity that a suitable climax was impossible. Oddly, this doesn’t take away from the fact that it was clever, engaging, and an absolute page-turner. A few incidents felt significant at the time, but didn’t really amount to anything, but even those were interesting.
Worst part: What happens now?

Recommendation þþþþo

Just about every chapter ends with a cliff hanger. It’s difficult to put down. About halfway through, I was so hooked that I knew with almost certainty that I would be disappointment regardless of how it ended. I wanted a mind-blowing ending, but knew it wasn’t possible. The end was good, but everything leading up to it was way better. Regardless, it was well-done. Definitely recommended.

Ness, Patrick. More than This. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2013.

The Nazi Hunters by Neal Bascomb

Pages: 215
Intended Audience: Teens
Genre: Non-Fiction / Holocaust
Notes for Parents: There is information about the Holocaust, but nothing graphic.

The Back Cover

THE NAZI
He commanded a network that stretched across Europe, targeting and delivering millions of people to the death camps. He followed every order, and he was very good at his job. But when the war ended, he disappeared without a trace. Would Adolf Eichmann ever face justice for his crimes?
THE HUNTERS
A teenage girl. Her blind father. A secret agent. A lawyer. A man who dedicated his life to tracking Nazis. A carefully chosen team of expert spies.
Several had survived the camps. Nearly all of them lost family there. And in work spanning fifteen years, they found Eichmann on the other side of the globe.
THE MISSION
The goal was clear: Capture Eichmann and bring him to trial before the world.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The book is illustrated throughout with photographs, maps, and reproductions of documents.

What’s good?

Anticipation is intense in this exhilarating real-life spy thriller. The infamous Nazi Adolph Eichmann fled Germany to live out his days in Argentina, and it’s fascinating to discover how his whereabouts were discovered and how the plot to apprehend him unfolded. The risk is palpable as the story depicts the meticulous plan that was laid out to first confirm Eichmann’s identity, then capture and smuggle him out of the country. Several photographs give faces to the many names associated with the mission, and also include pictures of places and documents important to the cause. The adventure was well-researched and reads like a spy novel, with copious details, lots of tension, and plenty of danger.
Best Part: This is a true story!

What isn’t good?

I can understand why some might find the story boring. There are lots of facts, names, places, planning, and waiting described in the story, with only small bursts of action and sustained moments of tension that often pass without incident. There is no in-depth character development and no real exploration of the history or effects of the Holocaust.
Worst part: Even by the end, I couldn’t keep the names straight.

Recommendation þþþoo

I found it captivating that years after the end of World War II, there was still a group of people—some Holocaust survivors, some government agents—who were determined to bring the worst of the Nazis to justice. While some of the details get a little dry and I never managed to keep everyone’s names straight, I was never tempted to stop reading. Recommended for anyone who likes covert ops, spy thrillers, and seeing justice served.

Bascomb, Neal. The Nazi Hunters: How a team of spies and survivors captured the world’s most notorious Nazi. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2013. (Hardcover)

Circa Now by Amber McRee Turner

Pages: 276
Intended Audience: Tweens
Genre: Real life / Grief
Notes for Parents: The main character’s father dies. Also, there are references to child abuse.

The Back Cover

Twelve-year-old Circa Monroe has a knack for restoring old photographs. It’s a skill she learned from her dad, who loves old pictures and putting fun digital twists on them. His altered “Shopt” photos look so real that they could fool nearly anybody, and Circa treasures the clever stories he makes up to explain each creation.
One day, her father receives a strange phone call requesting an urgent delivery, and he heads out into a storm. The unimaginable happens: a tornado, then a terrible accident, and Circa never sees her dad again. Just as Circa and her mom begin to pick up the pieces, a mysterious boy shows up on their doorstep, a boy called Miles who remembers nothing about his past. The only thing he has with him is the photograph that Circa’s dad intended to deliver on the day he died.
As Circa tries to help Miles recover his identity, she begins to notice something strange about the photos she and her father retouched—the digital flourishes added to the old photos seem to exist in real life. The mysteries of the Shopt photos and Miles’s past are intertwined, and in order to solve both, Circa will have to figure out what’s real and what’s an illusion.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the author’s second book.

What’s good?

An imaginative plot, well-drawn characters, and a hint of fantasy make this an appealing story. The writing is strong and expressive, and the plot is evenly paced. The ambiguity surrounding Miles, Captain Mann, and the Shopt photos builds a good mystery and creates an enjoyable amount of tension throughout the story. The grief that Circa and her mom experience is realistic and palpable, as is Circa’s frustration and her mom’s effort to be strong. The Maple Grove project is a touching addition to what is ultimately a sweet story about grief, acceptance, and imagination.
Best Part: The stories that went with the Shopt pictures were funny.

What isn’t good?

The target audience is quite young so the plot is uncomplicated and fairly predictable. There’s not a lot of action so some parts feel slow as the story navigates through required backstory.
Worst part: The Shopt pictures. They didn’t “look so real that they could fool nearly anybody.”

Recommendation þþþoo

It was good. The premise was original, the characters were likeable, and the storytelling was well done. It was a quick read and will most likely appeal to younger readers who want something engaging but easy.

Turner, Amber McRee. Circa Now. New York: Scholastic, 2015.