Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Pages: 323

Intended Audience: Teens and Mature Tweens

Genre: Dystopia

Notes for Parents: Scenes of violence.

The Back Cover

In America's Gulf Coast region, grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts by crews of young people. Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota-and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or by chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life....

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

It gives just enough information.

What’s good?

This is a well-paced, gritty adventure set in a desolate future where ecological disaster has left the world struggling to survive. The tone is wrought with sweat and desperation as Nailer ekes out a living scavenging old ships. There are tense moments when Nailer must choose between what’s advantageous and what’s ethical. Loyalty and integrity are themes that run throughout the novel.

Best Part: Tool, the half-man.

What isn’t good?

A lot of little things annoyed me right from the start. I loved the name Nailer, but then we met Sloth, Bapi, Moon Girl, Pearly, Jackson Boy, Tick-tock…and Richard Lopez. It came to feel a little contrived. A lot of his word choices seemed awkward, which is unfortunate because the world he created was very believable in its bleakness. Also, the villains were a little harsh, secreting cruelty without remorse. I prefer my bad guys to have at least a little humanity in them.

Worst part: The author’s corny word choices.

Recommendation þþþoo

This was not a bad book. It’s a fascinating look at one of our possible futures. It has tons of action and adventure, interesting characters, and unique settings. Unfortunately, the language feels juvenile, while the content itself calls for something more mature. The story felt…off balance.

Bacigalupi, Paolo. Ship Breaker. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2010.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Pages: 196

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre:  Real life / Afterlife

Notes for Parents: Some mature themes

The Inside Cover

Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones. Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind?

Then, one February morning, Mia goes for a drive with her family and, in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it’s the only one that matters.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is a story about a teenage girl stuck between life and death. As her memories of what has happened unfold in front of her, she has to decide if she wants to die or live.

What’s good?

This bittersweet, emotional story has a powerful premise, strong, relatable characters, and some beautiful, even inspiring, moments. The theme of music is woven evenly throughout the story, strengthening and balancing the straight-forward but disturbing plot.

Best Part: The end.

What isn’t good?

I cringed a few times at some of the cheesy metaphors, and I found myself drifting off occasionally because of the slow pace.

Worst part: When she played him like a cello.

Recommendation þþþoo
The thought-provoking questions, strong characters, and the fact that it’s under 200 pages makes this a solid, fast, and easy read.

Forman, Gayle. If I Stay. New York: Dutton, 2009. (hardcover)

White Crow by Marcus Sedgwick

Pages: 262

Intended Audience: Mature Teens

Genre: gothic horror

Notes for Parents: Includes murder, cruelty, suicide and lots of darkness. For mature teens only.

The Back Cover

Two lives, two centuries apart. But they walked the same paths, lived in the same house, became obsessed by the same question.

When city girl Rebecca steps into the quiet streets of Winterfold that relentlessly hot summer, her uneasy friendship with strange, elfin Ferelith sets in motion a shocking chain of events.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The present-day story of Rebecca and Ferelith is interspersed with the 18^th century diary of the town’s former priest.

What’s good?

The slow, churning pace creates an intense, almost stifling atmosphere, as it follows the unbalanced friendship of Rebecca and Ferelith. Adding to the tensile mood are the disturbing journal entries of the town’s former priest, detailing his and Dr. Barrieux’s horrific experiments.

The writing is dark and lyrical, the characters are vibrant, the shifting points of view are effective, and the ending is shocking and unexpected.

Best Part: The town, a decrepit and dying village, is itself, a stunning character.

What’s isn’t good?

Ferelith is an unsympathetic character who lacks depth. She is thoroughly creepy, which lends much to the story, but I didn’t like or care about her, especially by the end. The questions about God, angels, and life after death are thought-provoking, but the heinous experiments and Ferelith’s deluded laments skew any real philosophical debate.

Worst part: Ferelith.

Recommendation þþþoo

Normally, this is not the type of book I would choose to read, but I was attracted by the sticker that read “Shortlisted for the Cilip Carnegie Medal 2011.” It was dark, creepy, and quite gory – not my cup of tea – but will likely be devoured by those who like a well-written, gothic thriller.

Sedgwick, Marcus. White Crow. London: Orion, 2010.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Pages: 348

Intended Audience: Teens and Mature Tweens

Genre: Supernatural

Notes for Parents: Scenes of violence.

The Inside Cover

A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

And a strange collection of very peculiar photographs.
It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.
As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that Miss Peregrine’s children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

I can’t figure out exactly why, but the description on the cover feels a bit deceptive.

What’s good?

This is a quirky, mysterious, time-travel adventure interlaced with strange, vintage photographs and particularly peculiar characters. Jacob is an angst-ridden teen pulled into the bizarre past of his dead grandfather. The premise is clever, the plot ebbs and flows with unpredictability, and the overall effect is sufficiently creepy.

Best Part: The photographs.

What isn’t good?

The photographs. As much as I enjoyed looking at the photographs, I felt yanked out of the story every time I turned the page and saw a photograph. The author’s attempt to insert the pictures into the narrative was awkward and interrupted the flow of the story. I would have preferred a more in-depth development of the characters rather than the weak descriptions based, for the most part, on the photographs.

Worst part: By the end, the peculiarity felt too campy.

Recommendation þþooo

The first third or so of the book was fantastic. The author knows how to get out of the gate. However, the choppiness and lack of character development made this little more than an eccentric tale by the end. It’s a wonderful premise that, for me, fell short of expectations.

Riggs, Ransom. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Philadelphia: Quirk, 2011. (hardcover)

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Pages: 374

Intended Audience: Teens and Mature Tweens

Genre: Science Fiction

Notes for Parents: Some violence.

The Back Cover

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is empty.

But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclosed by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning, for as long as anyone can remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, for just as long, they’ve closed tight. Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift. And no one wants to be stuck in the Maze after dark.

The Gladers were expecting Thomas’s arrival. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl ever to arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. The Gladers have always been convinced that if they can solve the maze that surrounds the Glade, they might find their way home…wherever that may be. But it’s looking more and more as if the Maze is unsolvable.

And something about the girl’s arrival is starting to make Thomas feel different. Something is telling him that he just might have some answers—if he can only find a way to retrieve the dark secrets locked within his own mind.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the first book in the Maze Runner trilogy.

What’s good?

The story is driven by a train of mysteries confounded by intense action. The characters are interesting and well-drawn, and they survive their baffling world in a believable, age-appropriate way, reminiscent of Lord of the Flies. The Glade is an excellent setting, the pacing is even and suspense-filled, and the grievers are satisfyingly fear-provoking.

Best Part: Chuck.

What isn’t good?

I didn’t like the main characters, especially Teresa, whose personality irritated me. While I sympathized with Thomas and his situation, I was more interested in the other boys and cared more about their survival than Thomas’.

Worst part: The swear words – klunk, shank, shuckface.

Recommendation þþþoo

I was motivated to read the other two books in the series by the grand mystery behind all the action and adventure. I have no regrets. However, I would recommend Michael Grant’s Gone series before this one.

Dashner, James. The Maze Runner. New York: Delacorte Press, 2009.