Published by Hyperion Books for Children
Released May 15, 2012
343 pages
Where I got it: E-galley received from publisher via NetGalley
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Description (from Goodreads):

Oct. 11th, 1943—A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it’s barely begun.

When “Verity” is arrested by the Gestapo, she’s sure she doesn’t stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she’s living a spy’s worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.

As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage and failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?

Harrowing and beautifully written, Elizabeth Wein creates a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other. Code Name Verity is an outstanding novel that will stick with you long after the last page.

Code Name Verity is a book I probably wouldn’t have picked up on my own. Then I started seeing the hype, with people saying how the ending had them crying and what a wonderful book it was. I still didn’t intend on reading it. Then NetGalley sent out a link and I was on the hook. They made it too difficult to ignore this book. Am I glad I read it? I guess I am, just so that I won’t always be sitting around, wondering if I missed out on some incredible story. However, minus the outside forces, Code Name Verity just didn’t really do it for me.

I had a hard time getting into this story, which is weird because Nazis and World War II history are actually interests of mine. What did it was the slow pacing of the storytelling. The first half of the book is Verity, aka Queenie, writing down all of her secrets for her Nazi captors. But this meandering prose focused largely on her friend Maddie, a girl who just wants to fly. I probably would have been okay with the recap, except that Wein does something funny with the point of view. When Queenie relates the story, she tells it from Maddie’s perspective, and speaks about herself as if she’s a secondary character. The twisted POV combined with intricate details about flying and airplanes bogged me down and made this a story I had to work at. I’d hoped I’d reach the event horizon early on, at which point I’d get sucked into the narrative, but that didn’t happen until about the final fifth of the book.

On the plus side, Wein seems to have paid a lot of attention to detail in constructing the story. She talks on this a bit at the end, and her historical fidelity really came through. My biggest problem with historical fiction is that it too often comes across as a false voice, or anachronistic, but it was notable how true Wein was to the era. Points for that.

I don’t need to tell you that Code Name Verity already has a slew of fans–a quick Goodreads glance will do it for me. However, the story was a struggle for me to read, and in the end I didn’t feel the payoff was equal to the work it took to get to that point.

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Published by Twenty-First Century Book
Released October 1, 2011
120 pages
Where I got it: E-galley received from publisher via NetGalley
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Description (from Lerner Books):

At one time or another, just about everyone has talked about the end of the world. But what does this phrase really mean? Does it mean the end of the human race? The end of planet Earth? The end of our Sun and solar system?  And if the world were to actually end, how and when would it happen? People have been asking these questions for thousands of years. Many religious prophets have predicted the end of the world. Science-fiction writers have created lots of end-of-the-world stories. Scientists, too, talk about natural events that could destroy human life or planet Earth.

Some end-of-the-world events are dramatic. Imagine an asteroid slamming into Earth, creating a massive explosion. Other scenarios don’t involve a single, catastrophic event. For example, global warming is changing the planet and threatening people, plants, and animals. It might not bring about the end of the world, but it might change life as we know it. In this book, we’ll look at these scenarios and many more—everything from Mayan prophecy to nuclear disaster to the end of the universe. We’ll find out which scenarios to ignore and which ones to really worry about.

We’re here, everyone. The year 2012. I’ve been hearing for years that the Mayans prophesied the end of the world on December 21, 2012, because that’s when their long-count calendar ended. Nevermind the recent developments about archaeologists discovering Mayan calendars that go past that date. There have also been the recent predictions of the Rapture, a slew of new books about the apocalypse and post-apocalyptic scenarios, and movies about the Earth ending in a variety of ways.  It seems that the closer we get to 12/21/12, the more literature is produced about endtimes. Disasters of an epic scale have never been hotter. Ron Miller’s book takes the cue of recent American culture and goes through many of these different possibilities, testing out their plausibility.

This is exactly the kind of book I would have been all over as a kid. The subject matter is engaging, and the kind of thing that can blow your mind if you think about it too much. The book is stylish, and full of beautiful color photographs to accompany Miller’s text. This is written for younger readers, and has a full glossary and references section to help encourage kids to seek more information. Miller doesn’t cotton to the hype of 2012, and is sure to explain where the idea of the Mayan apocalypse originated in Western culture. I think this is a great choice to give to the inquisitive older kid in your life, who loves strange topics, science, and the idea of the end of the world.

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Published by St. Martin’s Griffin
Released May 8, 2012
293 pages
Where I got it: ARC received from publisher at ALA Midwinter
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Description (from Goodreads):

Don’t Sweat.  Don’t Laugh.  Don’t draw attention to yourself.  And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.
Gene is different from everyone else around him.  He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood.  Gene is a human, and he knows the rules.  Keep the truth a secret.  It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.
When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him.  He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?

The Hunt is the latest in a recent trend of young adult literature that plays off of the success of The Hunger Games. While not a dystopian, it features a main character thrown into an impossible situation–chosen by lottery to take place in a government sanctioned publicity event involving probable failure and death. Gene needs to use all of the survival skills he’s been learning his entire life to make it through, because Gene is a lone human living in a world of vampires. Really, The Hunt is like the lovechild of The Hunger Games and the 2009 film Daybreakers.

The Hunt is exciting and fast-paced. I don’t think this book will have a hard time finding an audience. The writing is easy to read, and there’s palpable tension running throughout the novel. Fukada is good at setting up scenarios where we fully expect Gene to fail, and milking those for maximum effect. There’s also a romance here, but I didn’t think it overshadowed the story or felt out of place.

I did have some issues with The Hunt, though. The biggest for me was that the mechanics of vampirism was never really explained. We see that vampires sleep upside down, can’t go in the sun, eat bloody meat and drink blood, and don’t have any facial ticks or emotions. I’m on board with all of that. Less compelling were the wrist-scratching in lieu of laughter and elbow to armpit sexitimes of the vampires. I could go along with this if it weren’t so out of left field, and if some kind of explanation was given. Furthermore, I got the feeling that vampires aged and were very close to actual people. I wanted to know if vampires could be born, or if they had to be turned. And since humans were pretty much extinct, wouldn’t that mean that there were a set number of vampires on Earth, which would gradually decline as they were exposed to the sun, etc.? See what I mean? Too many questions.

Those weren’t the only questions I had, either. I also wanted to know what led up to this point. Why do they use horse-drawn carriages instead of cars? It seemed that the vampires had been in charge for a while. Why? Also, were we really expected to believe that Gene had never accidentally cut himself, or cracked a smile, or broke a sweat? It was a bit far-fetched.

Even so, I did have a good time reading The Hunt. Fukuda is quite cruel with the ending and leaves things hanging from a steep cliff. Readers who bought into the story will need to read the next book in the series. I just hope that Fukuda invests some real time in better world-building so that there is depth to the setting.

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Published by Sourcebooks Fire
Released June 1, 2011
311 pages
Where I got it: Public library
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Description (from Goodreads):

I AM NOT STUPID FUNNY.
I AM STUPID FAST.
My name is Felton Reinstein, which is not a fast name. But last November, my voice finally dropped and I grew all this hair and then I got stupid fast. Fast like a donkey. Zing
Now they want me, the guy they used to call Squirrel Nut, to try out for the football team. With the jocks. But will that fix my mom? Make my brother stop dressing like a pirate? Most important, will it get me girls -especially Aleah?
So I train. And I run. And I sneak off to Aleah’s house in the night. But deep down I know I can’t run forever. And I wonder what will happen when I finally have to stop.

I first heard about Stupid Fast at BEA last year. I attended a book signing at Books of Wonder, and Herbach stole the show with his reading. It took me forever to actually pick up the book, but I’m glad I did. I’m also glad I heard Herbach set the tone and cadence of the narrator, because I read Felton’s voice in that same super quick manner, livening up my experience.

At first, all I could think was how much of a spazz Felton was. Seriously. He kept referring to himself as a donkey, and was just kind of all over the place. Zing. I wasn’t sure if I’d still enjoy the book with such a weirdo as the narrator. The funny thing about good writing, though, is that Felton grew on me. The more I read, the more I understood and wanted him to succeed. Because Felton has a lot of pain in his life, as well as new insane hormones and athletic abilities. Felton found his dad hanging in their garage when he was just a kid, and that has quietly affected him for the rest of his life. Felton’s mom is a hippy who doesn’t do much disciplining, and Felton’s little brother is a piano prodigy.

The thing is, now that Felton’s grown all big and become stupid fast, his mom is freaking out. She stops cleaning, cooking, taking care of the boys. She’s rude, and all she does is watch television and cry. Felton tries to ignore things at home, even as his brother is crying out for help, but Felton’s having a really hard time dealing. I think we can all relate to the feeling of having somebody who has always been there for us suddenly not fulfilling that role. Plus, there are the pressures of football, and everybody’s expectations. Felton became very compelling and human very fast.

In the end, Stupid Fast was a book with a lot of heart. Don’t let the cover throw you off, you don’t have to be a fan of football to appreciate this book. Anybody who has ever been a part of a family, or has felt like an outsider will be able to relate. You’ll likely find yourself cheering for Felton in the end, too.

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Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Released April 10, 2012
240 pages
Where I got it: E-galley received from publisher via NetGalley
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Description (from Goodreads):

Chuck Taylor’s OCD has rendered him a high school outcast. His endless routines and habitual hand washing threaten to scare away both his closest friend and the amazing new girl in town. Sure he happens to share the name of the icon behind the coolest sneakers in the world, but even Chuck knows his bizarre system of wearing different color “Cons” depending on his mood is completely crazy.

In this hilariously candid debut novel from comedian Aaron Karo—who grew up with a few obsessions and compulsions of his own—very bad things are going to happen to Chuck. But maybe that’s a good thing. Because with graduation looming, Chuck finds himself with one last chance to face his inner demons, defend his best friend, and win over the girl of his dreams. No matter what happens, though, he’ll have to get his hands dirty.

Every once in a while, I want a book that is light, makes me laugh, and has a happy ending. Something that brings some chuckles and smiles, then is easy to move on from when you’re finished. That’s what Aaron Karo’s Lexapros and Cons was for me.

Lexapros and Cons is a story about a teen boy overcoming his mental disorder. More than that, though, it’s a coming of age story. Chuck grows up and learns about how to deal with himself and the people around him, which prepares him to be able to move forward with his life and to break from his cycle of OCD habits. This is a narrator driven book, so it was important for us to be on board with Chuck from the beginning. Even though he makes some poor choices along the way, I think Karo succeeds at fleshing out a protagonist that readers root for.

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for some, the ending of the book seemed to wrap up too easily, and with too much “and the all lived happily ever after.” It seemed unrealistic, but if you’re just in it for the ride and don’t mind overly happy endings, you’ll probably love this. While it wasn’t a life-changing story, I definitely got a kick out of Lexapros and Cons.

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