A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Winner of the 2011 Caldecott Award, A Sick Day for Amos McGee is the darling story of a zookeeper and his animals. Amos  McGee takes care of his animal friends, playing chess with the elephant and letting the tortoise win all their races. When Amos doesn't show up for work one day, his sweet little friends hop a city bus to his house to check on him, and then take care of him while he recuperates from his cold.

The illustrations are darling, with very muted colors that are used sparingly. This book was such a sweet story of friendship and selflessness that everyone should have. It's the first book that the married couple Philip and Erin Stead created together, and it won the Caldecott. Tehehe. Now that's love for you.

Author: Philip C. Stead

Illustrator: Erin E. Stead

Recommended for: All ages
Cautions: None

Available in: Hardcover

Sequels: None

32 Pages

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader

Whoo! My first non-children's book review! And the honor, I'm happy to say, goes to Anne Fadiman.

(I feel that I must point out that most of these reviews are children's books because that's a) what I am most interested in and b) what I work with on a daily basis at the store. So please forgive the excessive children's book bliss.)

I adore this collection of essays. Fadiman's wit combines with her deeply rooted love of literature to create a world of words that you won't be able to help but read over and over again. Two of my favorite essays are "Marrying Libraries", in which she discusses the giant leap of faith she and her husband took in finally combining their book collections, and Never Do That To A Book, in which she discusses the different book-lover personalities. She was hysterical, and made me evaluate myself as a reader, literature lover, and book collector.

Author: Anne Fadiman
Recommended for: Adults will enjoy this, but I believe that many teenagers will, too, so I'll say 16+
Cautions: None
Available in: Paperback
Sequels: None
162 Pages

Artemis Fowl

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. When I picked it up as a kid, I didn't get into it. Who knows why—maybe I was having a bad week—but I didn't. I realize now what I was missing out on. Let me start by saying that this does not mean your kid won't like this book. My nephews ranging in age from 9-13 LOVE this series. As, now, do I. 

Artemis Fowl is a twelve-year-old genius, the youngest Fowl boy in a long line of Irish criminal masterminds. His father has gone missing and is presumed dead after a dastardly plot goes terribly wrong. After his disappearance, Artemis’s mother suffered an emotional breakdown, leaving Artemis in charge of the manor and the family business. Determined to get his family’s dwindling fortune back and to help his poor mother, Artemis learns about the secret world of the fantastic, mainly fairies and LEP-Recon (who are actually super soldiers, not little green men, thank you very much). Although his plan is reprehensible and his motives are abominable, Artemis is really just a sweet kid with a good heart (but don’t tell him I said so). The book is a quick, fun read that will change every preconception you ever had about the magical world.

Author: Eoin Colfer
Recommended for: 9+
Cautions: None
Available in: Hardcover, Paperback, Audio
Sequels: Artemis Fowl and the: Arctic Incident, Eternity Code, Opal Desception, Lost Colony, Time Paradox, Atlantis Complex, Last Guardian
277 Pages

Partials

Partials was fantastic. Excellently written, with a unique twist on an old, post-apocalyptic tale. America, in an effort to make world domination easy, has built a species of half-human, half-machine soldiers called the Partials. Of course, the Partials are physically superior to mankind in every way, so the plan backfires when the Partials betray humanity and start slaughtering everyone in an attempt to take over the world themselves. They have unleashed an incurable virus called RM on the population of humans, and those who survived are immune, but they cannot reproduce. Partials: 1, Humans: 0.

Which brings us to where the book begins. Enter Kira Walker, 16-year-old medical intern, who is hell bent on curing the virus and saving her species. Kira can’t stand seeing all of the newborns in her maternity ward dying any longer, and hatches a plan to cure RM that nobody has ever considered before: kidnap a Partial and study it. The only problem, of course, is that the government won’t let her, so in order to follow through on her plan, Kira has to commit treason and bring down everyone helping her in the process.

The book was, as I said, incredibly well written. This is Dan Wells’ first YA novel, and it is, to put it plainly, a great success. My only problem with the book was a personal issue, because the whole “end-of-the-world-and-humanity-as-we-know-it, fate in the hands of a 16-year-old” plot makes me anxious. It’s just not a plot line I tend to read often.

Personal plot preference aside, however, it was fantastic. The book ends on a cliffhanger, as most do, but it wasn’t so bad that you’d have to wait for the series to be complete before delving in. I really enjoyed the book, and I look forward to the sequel(s?).

Author: Dan Wells

Recommended for: 15+

Cautions: Minor language, frequent references to reproduction but nothing necessarily inappropriate

Available in: Hardcover

Sequels: Fragments, to be released 2/2013, potentially more?

480 Pages

Unraveling

I feel bad writing this review because it's the first negative review I've posted. I must admit...I was very unimpressed with this book. I have never read a young adult book with so many swear words, and I don't think I've seen the F bomb dropped in a book that frequently ever. The story line was original, unless you've ever seen Veronica Mars, in which case, it wasn't. One of the reviews on the book says that it's something like Veronica Mars mixed with The X-Files. That's exactly what it is, really.

Janelle is a junior in high school whose mother is bi-polar and her FBI agent father is rarely around, so she gets to play mom to her younger brother, Jared. When she's hit by a car and killed instantly, she's brought back to life by Ben Michaels, a boy who Janelle has known from a distance for several years at school, but who has never even spoken to. After her return to the realm of the living, Janelle gets sucked into one of her dad's cases, in which people are dying by radiation poison at random. She has to figure it out before the end of the world.

The love story was sweet on his end and not believable for me on hers. I felt like I turned the page and she was suddenly declaring her undying love, when there had been no indication of it before that moment. The description of their physical attraction to each other also gets a bit steamy at one point.

Maybe it's because I really was just too turned off by all the foul words dotting the pages, but I really didn't enjoy this book very much. I was anxious to get it over with so I could move on to something else, and I closed it with great dissatisfaction.

Author: Elizabeth Norris
Recommended for: Is anyone ever old enough for a casual F-word smattering? Other than that, 16+
Cautions: Strong language (as I said), intense "love" scene, some very detailed descriptions of burned bodies.
Available in: Hardcover
Sequels: There will definitely be some. She left a big cliffhanger.
464 Pages

Shark vs. Train

THIS IS THE BEST BOOK EVER.

Who would win if a shark and a train got into a fight? Well, it would depend, of course, on circumstances. Are they underwater? At the circus? Trick-or-Treating? The story is darling, and the pictures are outstanding (I love Tom Lichtenheld. Love him).

This book is especially great for little boys who love destruction and little boy things like trains and sharks.

Author: Chris Barton and Tom Lichtenheld

Recommended for: Anyone and everyone

Cautions: ....

Available in: Hardcover

Sequels: NA

40 Pages

Wings

This book is certainly unique. I bought it on a recommendation and then it sat on my shelf while I got distracted by other books. When Aprilynne Pike came to SLC with an author tour I was already attending, I fished it out and took it along to get it signed. I started reading while I was waiting in line, and finished within a few hours. It's really not a difficult read, and, as I said, it's very unique.

Laurel is your average 15-year-old vegan hermit, who has lived with her parents being homeschooled on a huge plot of land for most of her life before moving to a less-small town to attend public school. Everything is normal, except the fact that she seems obsessed with peaches and eating only one of them a day, until she gets a lump on her back. Initially, she believes it to be a tumor, until, of course, a flower springs from it a few days later. Turns out she's a plant. But not just any plant! She is a faerie, the highest evolved species of plant. ... Right.

Despite my charmingly sarcastic tone, I really did enjoy the unique storyline of this book. It was refreshing to have a fresh take on an old myth. I wasn't thrilled with the love triangle, but both of the guys were cute and likable.

Overall, it was a cute, quick read, and I liked it without having my world set on fire.

Author: Aprilynne Pike

Recommended for: Ages 12 and up

Cautions:It's pretty harmless.

Available in: Hardcover, Paperback

Sequels: Spells, Illusions, and Destined; not sure if there are more.

294 Pages

The False Prince

It just needs to be said. I love original stories. While I love fairy tales, folklore, etc. and all their many re-tellings, there's something so refreshing about a totally unique plot line every now and then. Nielsen definitely delivers something fresh.

The kingdom is on the verge of civil war. Unbeknownst to most of the peasants or peons, the King, Queen and eldest prince are dead, murdered by an unknown poison. To prevent the inevitable bloodbath of pretenders to the throne, four orphans are secretly taken by a member of the parliament to be trained as a prince. Whichever boy succeeds in the competition will be taken and passed off as the younger prince.

The plot seemed sketchy to me when I first picked it up, I will admit. But, like so many others, as soon as I did, I couldn't make myself stop reading. Sage, the protagonist, is smart. Knowing that losing the competition means certain death and winning means living as a puppet for the rest of his life, Sage works to outsmart his captor/mentor.

Because I read so many YA novels for work, it's hard for me to be surprised by a book. Oftentimes, though I still really enjoy the book, I can guess exactly what's going to happen. But The False Prince genuinely surprised me. I was thrilled. Another candidate for the next Top Ten list.

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen 

Recommended for: Ages 13 and up

Cautions: None, really. Minor violence, I suppose

Available in: Hardcover

Sequels: There will be some (This book does NOT end on a cliffhanger, though. It leaves enough loose ends to make a sequel, but closes everything enough that you aren’t left dissatisfied)

352 Pages

Shadow and Bone

This book, you guys. THIS. BOOK. On the cover, Veronica Roth is quoted as saying that it’s unlike anything she’s ever read before. Endoresment enough for me (am I starting to sound like a Veronica Roth stalker?). Leigh Bardugo, the author, also happened to be coming to the Provo City Library that day. Bonus. So I picked it up. And I read a chapter. And I couldn’t put it down, but I did, because you have to put it down in order for the author to sign it. And then I picked it back up again.

And I didn’t put it down until it was finished. Even then, I had to go back and review.

Have I raved enough to show how much I love this book? Good. Let’s move on to synopsis. The book is all about Alina, an orphaned nobody who lives in a world inspired by Tsarist Russia. In the middle of her kingdom runs what is called The Fold—a dark, hopeless place where you can’t see your hand in front of your face and monsters will eat you should you be foolish enough to enter. Alina is drafted (like every other sixteen year old) into the army, and her platoon is sent to cross the fold to serve in the lower provinces. When their ship is inevitably attacked, Alina discovers a hidden ability to summon light, banishing the literal darkness and saving her companions.

Because of this new ability, Alina is taken by The Darkling, the leader of the magic wielding humans in the kingdom, to learn how to harness the power. The Darkling hopes that Alina’s power could be the answer to banishing The Fold forever and reuniting the kingdom.

Customers at the bookstore always ask me what this book is like, and I really have no answer for that question. Roth’s review was spot on: it’s unlike anything I have ever read before. It’s a book much like Ally Condie’s  Matched in that it leaves you thinking about it for days on end. When you first put it down you think, “Wow, that was amazing.” And then you find yourself pondering the questions it raises at random times in the following days.

I also had the fortune to meet Leigh Bardugo during the Fierce Reads tour when they stopped at the Provo City Library. She was such a funny, down-to-earth lady. I think I would have read the book even if I hadn’t already bought it just because she was so great.

Shadow and Bone, therefore has Leah’s stamp of approval for both book and author. I have nothing left to say other than READ IT!

Author: Leigh Bardugo
Recommended for: Ages 15 and up

Cautions: Minor language content, some violence

Available in: Hardcover

Sequels: There will be some (This book does NOT end on a cliffhanger, though. It leaves some loose ends, but closes everything enough that you aren’t left dissatisfied)

368 Pages

Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake

This is one of my absolute favorites. Betty Bunny is a handful, which she knows must be a good thing because her mother calls her one all the time. When she’s introduced to the wonders of chocolate cake, it’s all she can think about. She LOVES chocolate cake. She’s even going to marry chocolate cake when she grows up.


Betty Bunny has to learn about patience, because her mom won’t let her eat the chocolate cake until after dinner. But the cake looks so lonely by itself in the fridge that Betty decides to take it to school with her in her pocket. You can imagine how that turns out.


The illustrations are cute and unique, and the story is absolutely darling. It’s a very fun read aloud.

Author: Michael B. Kaplan

Recommended for: Everyone!

Cautions: None

Available in: Hardcover

Sequels: Betty Bunny Wants Everything

32 Pages

Ruby Red

Since the second one comes out in October, I decided to give Kerstin Gier's debut novel another read to refresh my memory. So. Good. As is usually the case with re-readings, I caught a lot of stuff the second time around that I’d been going to quickly to catch originally.

I fell in love with Gwyneth all over again. She’s just…awkward. I love it. She doesn’t have everything figured out, and she often says things that make me want to smack my hand to my head in sympathetic embarrassment for her. She’s an incredibly endearing character.

The book is a time travel book, which is a genre that I freely admit to disliking the majority of the time. Authors just leave out way too many factors and rules of physics in order to make the story work and I get caught up in the “But that would never happen”s. This book was masterfully done, though. I could sit back and enjoy the story because she didn’t get caught up in ignoring the laws of nature.

There’s also an underlying mystery of the book that Gier took off with. While you’re reading it you don’t realize that there’s all of this history factoring in to the plot until the very end when it all comes together and suddenly makes sense.

I loved every second of this book. It’s definitely one to keep for future re-reads.

Author: Kerstin Gier
Recommended for: Ages 14 and up

Cautions: Some language content

Available in: Hardcover, Paperback

Sequels: Sapphire Blue (Release date October 30, 2012), Emerald Green (Tentative release date Fall 2013)

330 Pages

Divergent

If Veronica Roth and I were to meet, I’m convinced we’d be instant besties. You can check out her blog at veronicaroth.blogspot.com to see why. Or, better yet, read her books. Divergent is great for fans of books like The Hunger Games (by Suzanne Collins) and Matched (by Ally Condie). Contributing to the intense, page-turning plot line are the characters, who are so believable and real that I felt instantly bonded to them. They became instant friends, and I was personally invested in their lives and decisions.

In this dystopian world, you’re born into one of five Factions: Candor, who value honesty above all else; Abnegation, who strive to be completely selfless; Dauntless, who push the limits of bravery to the breaking point; Amity, who are the peace keepers; or Erudite, who strive for knowledge of all kinds. When you turn sixteen, you choose which Faction you’ll stay in throughout your life. Tris, born into Abnegation, has always felt too selfish for her Faction. Though she’s small and petite, she dreams of joining the Dauntless, flinging themselves off of moving trains and living with as much heart as they can muster. But to leave her Faction is to leave behind everything she knows, because Faction is Family. Still, she chooses to follow her instincts, and is thrust into the Dauntless initiation, armed with nothing against the bigger initiates who are out for blood, the leaders who cross the line into cruelty and the stranger who threatens to break through her defenses and steal her heart.

While there is a romance (squee!), it’s not your typical YA drama fest. They care for each other, look out for one another, but they also push each other to be better. They’re not afraid to speak up when they don’t agree with one another. For those of you who are, like me, getting tired of the Damsel-In-Distress who is always being saved and doing nothing else, Tris is a breath of fresh air.

I recommend this book on a daily basis to anyone who will listen, and it’s definitely in my Top Ten YA Picks. Even people who usually shy away from Young Adult books will love this epic read.

Author: Veronica Roth

Recommended for: Ages 15 and up

Cautions: Some violence (not as bad as Hunger Games)

Available in: Hardcover, Paperback

Sequels: Insurgent, Untitled (Tentative release date Spring 2013)
487 Pages