Is Money Everything?

All You Never Wanted 

By Adele Griffin

http://www.adelegriffin.com/

Alex and Thea have been thrown into wealth by the marriage of their mother to a multimillionaire after years of living on the edge of poverty with their mother as a single parent raising them. Overnight they've gone from mac and cheese to sushi.  But it's not necessarily all that one would think it might be.  This YA novel is written in the alternating voices of the two teens as they grapple with the new world they’ve been thrust into and the host of issues both from their past and their present situation that they are dealing with as individuals and as a family.  While the story as a whole is a little far-fetched since most teens don’t have parents marrying multimillionaires (although many may secretly wish for it...), the issues the girls themselves are dealing with are very real to today’s teens.  Jealousy, eating disorders, reaching out for attention, and teen choices are strong prevalent themes.  In addition, Griffin packs everything into an enjoyable teen read that will hold many teens attention, especially reluctant readers.  It gets a thumbs up from me for that!

Prequel to the Maze Runner Series...

The Kill Order 

By James Dashner

 http://www.jamesdashner.com/

The Kill Order is the prequel to James Dashner’s popular Maze Runner Trilogy. The basic storyline follows from sun flares scorching the earth and making it uninhabitable and the lives of Mark, Trina, Alec and others as they fight to survive in the aftermath.   It follows through as a devious plan to kill off a portion of the remaining population is revealed.  There is some possible thought-provoking discussion with the population control plot, however on the whole I didn’t find this book nearly is good as the rest of the series.  But while it was not my favorite YA read of the year, I do think it may be popular with fans of the series, boys and reluctant readers.  Readers who enjoy video games may also enjoy this book because of the storyline and the fact that it reads almost like an action-packed video game. 

Capturing the True Concept of Personhood

Every Day 

By David Levithan

http://www.davidlevithan.com/ 

“There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.” From the Book Jacket

I have been a fan of David Levithan’s writing for some time now.  He has a beautiful style of writing for teens that captures their voice.  There has also always been a realness to his characters that transcends stereotypes of gender, race, and sexual orientation.  His characters are just people.  Aren’t we all?  With Every Day, he has truly captured that sentiment.  This novel is one of the finest novels I have read in a very long time.  If I could give it 6 stars, I would. I think that in writing this novel David Levithan has given us something to mull over that is essential to some of the biggest debates of our time period.  He has written a book not just for young adults, but for everyone.  It is beautiful.  The concept of capturing personhood by creating a character who changes bodies every day is amazing.  Could you love such a soul?  What is it that we truly love about a person?   It is a challenge for each of us to consider.  

A Futuristic Short Story on an Old Theme

Pale 

By Chris Wooding

“Dead kids shouldn’t be allowed to go to school.”  Chris Wooding has come up with a fictional twist to a solid reality for much of the world’s population – prejudice.  In this short story, a group known as the Returned, or Pales, face hatred at every turn.  They are alive because they have the right blood type to gain a second chance at life shortly after dying due to a miraculous invention called the Lazarus Serum.  When they come back to life they are able to live indefinitely, have pale skin, eyes, and hair, but are otherwise fairly normal.

I highly recommend Wooding’s tale as a non-traditional way to lead discussions on the topic of bullying in the high school setting or as a companion to books like To Kill A Mockingbird. 

A New Irish Selkie Tale From Award Winning Author Margo Lanagan

The Brides of Rollrock Island 

By Margo Lanagan

Margo Lanagan has spun a fresh tale of the Irish folktale of the selkies, women who come from the sea and shed their seal skins to live on land.  These women are somewhat like an Irish mermaid tale, although legend is different in that they remain on land as humans only so long as their seal skins are hidden.  Once the skins are found, the women return to the sea.  There have been other books written of the tale and a 1994 movie, The Secret of Roan Inish. 

On Rollrock Island young Misskaella finds she has a gift with the seals; she is able to call them to her.  As she grows older, she learns to use this gift and becomes known as the town witch for her ability to find “brides” for young men.  As her wealth increases, suspicion grows among the women.

Lanagan’s selkie tale is richly written and will please older teens who enjoy reading as well as adults.  It isn’t a book for the average teen as it is a challenging read that can be a bit slow and melancholy at times.  For those willing to stick with it, however, the rewards are rich.

A Reading Adventure for the Avid Teen Gamer

Erebos 

By Ursula Pozanski

Reading Erebos was like entering into the mind of a teens on a wild fantasy gaming trip.  As the teacher of teens and mother of an avid pre-teen gamer, I was immediately attracted to the idea of a book with this description …

“When 16-year-old Nick receives a package containing the mysterious computer game Erebos, he wonders if it will explain the behavior of his classmates, who have been secretive lately. Players of the game must obey strict rules: always play alone, never talk about the game, and never tell anyone your nickname.

Curious, Nick joins the game and quickly becomes addicted. But Erebos knows a lot about the players and begins to manipulate their lives. When it sends Nick on a deadly assignment, he refuses and is banished from the game.”

I was not disappointed.  Erebos is a book filled with mystery, realistic teen characters, and a fantastical plot.  While the plot may be a little far-fetched, I believe we read books in order to enjoy a little fantasy.  The teen characters are challenged with one of my favorite themes: choices.  It is a theme I talk about with teens often and Pozanski presents the theme in an enjoyable format.  Teens are at an age where discussing with them the impact of the choices they make upon their lives and the lives of others is critical and any resource we can find to help get the message through to them is of value in my book.  Erebos is a fun, fantastical, sometimes frightening, way to appeal to teens that their choices do have an impact.

Melissa Singleton Josef, MLIS

www.suburbanbarnyard.blogspot.com