Matched by Ally Condie

Pages: 366

Intended Audience: Teens and Mature Tweens

Genre: Dystopian

Notes for Parents: Some mature scenes.

The Back Cover

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one…until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the first in the Matched trilogy.

What’s good?

The writing is fluid and the pace is even in this colorful dystopian love story. The premise is solid, the characters are likeable, and the society is interesting—even a little disturbing.

Best Part: Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas

What isn’t good?

The romance was tepid. I’m not a fan of teen romance, especially love triangles, to begin with, but this was…lackluster. While the dystopian society was intriguing, it sounded a lot like the world created in Lois Lowry’s The Giver. A deeper understanding of how the society was created and the philosophy behind some of the rules could have set it apart, but alas, there was no explanation and most of what we learned was circumstantial.

Worst part: The perspective is in the present tense. This tends to stunt character growth and plot development.

Recommendation þþþoo

This book came to me with a lot of hype. If I had found it on my own, perhaps I would have enjoyed it more, but my high expectations made this lukewarm. It was good, but not as good as I expected.

Condie, Ally. Matched. New York: Scholastic, 2010.

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

Pages: 275

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: Afterlife Science Fiction

Notes for Parents: Some mature content

The Back Cover

Dear Dr. Fujiyama,

   By now, you have probably heard that I’m dead. This means I won’t be attending this year’s regional science fair, which is a great disappointment to me as I’m sure it also is for you. At the time I died, I felt I was starting to make real progress with those earthworms.

   I really enjoyed your class and continue to follow along from the place where I’m now living I now find myself. Dissecting the pig looked pretty interesting, and I thought I might try it. Unfortunately, there aren’t any dead pigs here for me to dissect.

   I was disappointed not to see you at the funeral as you were my favorite teacher, even including middle and elementary school. Not to give you a hard time or anything, Dr. F J

   Yours,

Elizabeth Marie Hall, 5^th Period Biology

How can fifteen-year-old Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward?

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

Liz dies and goes to an afterlife place called Elsewhere where she has to come to terms with her death and her new life.

What’s good?

This is a light-hearted, fantastical look at a girl’s trip to the afterlife. The writing is beautiful and the characters are well-drawn and likeable, though Liz can sometimes be a little whiny. The whimsical setting is imaginative and unique and the plot develops at a good pace, revealing the heartbreak and the hope of Liz’s situation.

Best Part: The dogs, of course.

What isn’t good?

Some might find this story a little too sappy, and occasionally the author’s writing is a bit awkward. Those looking for a heavy-handed story about death and rebirth will be disappointed.

Worst part: The perspective is in the present tense. I hate that.

Recommendation þþþþo

I loved it! It was beautiful, funny, thought-provoking and very entertaining so long as it’s not taken too seriously.

Zevin, Gabrielle. Elsewhere. New York: Square Fish, 2005.

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Pages:  214

Intended Audience: Teens and Tweens

Genre: Graphic Novel / Real Life

Notes for parents: None

The Back Cover

Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night, after Girl Scouts, she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth. What follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached! And on top of all that, there’s still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly. Raina’s story takes us from middle school to high school, where she discovers her artistic voice, finds out what true friendship really means, and where she can finally…smile.

What the Back Cover doesn’t tell you:

This is a graphic novel portraying the author’s real life story.

What’s good?

Raina is goofy and awkward and very relatable. The social and personal horror that follows her bumbling accident is heartfelt – I cheered for her the entire way. The colour drawings are excellent. This engaging story moves quickly and covers aspects of growing up that will be familiar to readers of all ages – boys, trouble with friends, self-esteem, etc.

Best part: When she stands up to her friends!

What’s not so good?

The story is set in the eighties so some readers may be confused by the pop culture references.

Worst part: None

Recommendations þþþþo

This is not a complex story, but it’s quick, easy, and a lot of fun. Highly recommended!

Telgemeier, Raina. Smile. New York: Scholastic, 2010.

The School for Dangerous Girls by Eliot Schrefer

Pages: 341

Intended Audience: Mature Teens

Genre: Real Life / Thriller

Notes for parents: Contains violence, coarse language and mature themes.

The Back Cover

Who knows what goes on behind the doors of The School for Dangerous Girls?

The school’s mission is clear: To take girls who’ve caused trouble and to reform them into model citizens.

Its methods?

No freedom. No medication. No leniency.

No escape.

Some girls are meant to get better. And, as Angela is about to learn, some girls are meant to stay forever.

What the Back Cover doesn’t tell you:

The School for Dangerous Girls is actually called Hidden Oak, a desolate former boys’ school that gets cut off from society when it snows.

What’s good?

This story has a strong beginning, solid characters, and an interesting setting.

Best part: The history of the school.

What’s not so good?

Any hope there was of me liking Angela disappeared when she let the hamster die. In fact, I didn’t like any of the characters, except for, maybe, Carmen. The premise was unoriginal, plot development was very weak, and the story goes completely downhill after Angela is sent to the basement. I would have liked to know more about the girls’ background and about the school’s history, and less about all of the crazy evil that somehow continues. Did every girl who’s ever passed through the school have ridiculously stupid, naïve parents?

Worst part: The hair dye at the end. What was that about?

Recommendations þoooo

I read this book because there were great reviews listed on the back. Kirkus called it “Gripping, violent and terrifying.” Booklist said it was a “page-turner.” Most surprising of all, Newsweek said it was an “acutely observed, smoothly written confection.” Sorry, I don’t agree. I don’t recommend this book.

Schrefer, Eliot. The School for Dangerous Girls. New York: Point, 2009.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Pages: 479

Intended Audience: Teens and Mature Tweens

Genre: Dystopian / Science Fiction

Notes for Parents: Contains coarse language and violence

The Back Cover

Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee—whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not—stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden—a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives. But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the first book in a trilogy.

What’s good?

This is a creative, fast-paced adventure with interesting characters, simple storytelling, and lots of action. There’s an excellent dynamic between the two main characters that is interesting to watch unfold. I like how the noise had its own chaotic font, and how animal noise is comically primitive.

Best Part: Manchee! J

What isn’t good?

While I like the fast pace, there is way too much thrown at the characters. There was never time for the characters (or reader) to rest as the one-dimensional bad guys kept coming and coming and coming. I eventually found myself rolling my eyes as yet another chase began…

Worst part: Manchee! L

Recommendation þþþoo

This is an entertaining, fast-paced (have I said that enough?) adventure with a unique premise and lots of promise. There were many unanswered questions and a giant cliffhanger at the end that will hopefully be satisfied in subsequent books in the series. I enjoyed it, and I recommend it.

Ness, Patrick. The Knife of Never Letting Go. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2009.