Going Bovine, by Libba Bray

Going Bovine
by Libba Bray
Delacorte Press, New York 2009


Cameron is drifting breezily through his sixteenth year with the help of pot and sarcasm. Then he loses control of his arm and throws a milkshake at a pretty and popular girl and accidentally punches her sister's large athletic boyfriend in the stomach. Meanwhile, he's seeing things that aren't really there - a feather with the word "hello" written on it, a punk girl with angel wings, fire engulfing his classroom... and then he finds out he's dying and things really get weird. 


Cameron's descent into the late stages of Mad Cow disease leads him on an adventure that may or may not be his reality. But what is reality, really? This strange and fast-paced book gave me weird dreams for days. 


Bottom Line:
Tenacious garden gnomes, fire monsters, a trip to the Big Easy and a cult of happy nit-whits. Loved it. 

Dr. Franklin's Island, by Ann Halam

Dr. Franklin’s Island

by Ann Halam

Dell Laurel-Leaf, New York 2002

Genetic engineering makes some people nervous. What really happens when you alter the DNA of plants and animals? Is that tomato, altered to be extra red and juicy, safe to eat? How about a cow injected with growth hormones so she can produce more milk – is her milk safe to drink? That’s just the beginning. What about cloning body parts or people, or combining the DNA of two different animals to create a new animal?

Of course there are rules about how far scientists can ethically go in their genetic manipulations. Unfortunately for Semi, Miranda, and Arnie, Dr. Franklin doesn’t follow those rules. The three Planet Savers contest winners are the only survivors of a horrific plane crash off the coast of Dr. Franklin’s island. No one knows where they are, no one even thinks they could still be alive. Dr. Franklin can do whatever he wants to them. And he does.

Bottom Line:

The way-out-there scientific possibilities gave me the heebie-jeebies;  be prepared to think about this one for a while after you read it.

Feed, by M.T. Anderson

Feed, by M.T. Anderson

Candlewick Press, Cambridge, MA 2002

Imagine if, just by thinking of a topic or question, you had immediate access (in your mind) to all of the information on Google, Facebook, every database, encyclopedia, and book, all movies and songs, EVERYTHING. In M.T. Anderson’s imagined future, human beings are outfitted at a young age with the Feed, which provides a constant stream of data and adapts itself to individual likes and dislikes, emotions, and demographic information. If Titus likes a shirt his friend is wearing, the Feed immediately sends him information about where to buy it and how much it costs. If he feels nervous, an advertisement for deodorant flashes through the Feed. He can chat with friends in his mind rather than having to talk out loud, and watch his favorite shows in his mind anytime, anywhere. The only thing he learns at SchoolÔ is how to use the Feed. Then Titus meets Violet, a girl who questions the things he’s always accepted.

A terrifying future, for sure, but one that is totally out of the realm of possibilities, right? Maybe not. Check out this article from Time Magazine, 2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal. M.T. Anderson’s story may be more predication than fiction.

Bottom Line:

Information overload to the extreme; disturbing; future slang takes time to get used to.

What I Saw and How I Lied, by Judy Blundell

What I Saw and How I Lied
by Judy Blundell
Scholastic Press, New York 2008

It’s just a matter of what you're willing to do. (p. 252)

World War II is over, Evie’s stepfather is back home, and her mother is still the prettiest woman in the room. Everything is back to normal. But a family vacation to Palm Beach unearths secrets that force Evie to question the people she’s trusted the most.

War, money, lies, love, hate, heat, growing up, losing faith - Reading this book felt like riding a roller coaster. Tick… tick… tick… to the tippity-top, the anticipation was killing me, and I knew that everything had to come crashing down sometime... and it certainly did.

Botton Line:
First love, first betrayal, set some time aside b/c you won't be able to put this one down.

I am Number 4, by Pittacus Lore

I am Number 4
by Pittacus Lore
Harper, New York 2010

I could go ahead and tell you what this book is about (John, an alien teenager hiding on earth waiting for his super powers to develop so he can fight against the alien race that destroyed his home planet). Instead I am just going to tell you that this book has everything (aliens, action, high school parties, haunted hayrides, thrills, first love, fire, beasts, home economics, a beagle, bullies...). Read this book. And read it soon, the movie is coming out in February, and book 2 (The Power of Six) will arrive  in June.

Bottom Line:
I am so excited to see where this series will go; read it.

Write Before Your Eyes, by Lisa Williams Kline

Write Before Your Eyes
by Lisa Williams Kline
Delacorte Press, New York 2008


Have you ever thought about what it would be like to have magic powers? To be able to change the future and make things happen just the way you want them to? Twelve-year-old Gracie learns the ups and downs of having magical powers in this cool story about a wish granting journal. When Gracie sees the quote inside a blue, suede covered journal at a garage sale she knows the book is meant for her. When Gracie's journal writing comes true, she thinks she can solve her problems, but she ends up with more than she bargained for.


I just love the idea of wish granting magical objects. But, after reading this book, I don't think I ever want one. I felt so hopeful for Gracie when she was writing in her journal, and I cringed alongside her with the results of her attempts to control the future.


Bottom Line:
Magic might not always be the answer; you'll root for Gracie; loved it!
If You Like This Book, Check Out:
Half Magic, by Edward Eager

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

Witch and Wizard (Book #1)
by James Patterson
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, New York 2009


Total. Government. Control. That's the goal of the New Order and they've identified 15-year-old Wisty and her older brother Whit as public enemies number one and two. Why? They think the siblings possess powers that threaten the new government's goals. W & W think this is absolutely ridiculous until Wisty spontaneously catches on fire and burns two of the guards trying to arrest her. Torn from their family and thrown into a prison with sadistic guards, the teens slowly realize their powers and discover that they aren't the only ones in the under-20 crowd targeted by the New Order.


I was pulled into this book from the beginning. Patterson crafts an excellent villain, I especially enjoyed the nasty Matron. I am eager to read Witch and Wizard book 2, The Gift.


Bottom Line:
The New Order is the new Big Brother; such a fast read, borrow book 2 when you check out book 1; excellent bad guys

The Unspoken

The Unspoken
by Thomas Fahy
Simon Pulse, NY 2008


Allison spent several years of her life in a cult with her father. There she formed a bond with six kids her age as they resisted the sadistic cult leader, Jacob Crawley. After Jacob tortured the pre-teens for months with their own worst fears and poisoned their families, the kids burned him to death. Or did they? Five years later, when Allison, now living with a foster family, receives an anonymous email message containing a newspaper article about the suspicious death of one of her old friends she must return to her hometown and confront the ghosts of her past – both literally and figuratively.
     I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The premise – people getting called back to the scene of a horrific event from their past so they can no longer try to block out their past – is one of my favorite plot lines. Flashbacks to the teen’s childhood in the cult slowly reveal Jacob Crawley’s mania and the chain of events that lead up to the teen’s present situation. Allison’s crush on David and cliffhanger chapter endings push the reader through the story, making him thirst for what will happen next. A horrific event in Allison’s past involving her sister and mother is hinted at throughout the book and the reader only learns how horrific it really was at the very end of the novel. Additionally, I loved the teen stock characters; Allison (the protagonist with a crush, a terrible past, and a survivor’s spirit), Jade (the sexy one), David (the All-American boy love interest), Ike (the funny one), and, my personal favorite, Emma (the quiet nerdy one, a library volunteer with mousy brown hair and shapeless clothes). This is a fantastic ghost story with plenty of supernatural twists and realistic horror. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.


Bottom Line:
Classic scary movie style story; spooky quick read; loved it.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: Volume One: The Pox Party

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: Volume One: The Pox Party
by M.T. Anderson
Candlewick Press, MA 2006


Octavian is a privileged Bostonite. The Novanglian College of Lucidity, a society of philosophers who serve as father figures as well as educators, provide him with shelter and a superb classical education. Octavian’s beautiful and charming mother, Cassiopeia, a princess in exile, is treated as such by the philosophers. She and Octavian entertain the houseful of scholars, who go by numbers rather than names, and lavish in luxury. Octavian Nothing can play the violin, read Greek, has expensive clothing and head full of knowledge. He also has his poop measured everyday by the scholars so that its weight can be measured against the food he has ingested. Those scholars? They are also his owners. The reader slowly realizes along with Octavian that he and his mother are slaves. A human science experiment, Octavian is a rat in a maze. The scholars are attempting to prove whether black people have the same mental capacity that whites do. Set in pre-Revolutionary War America, Octavian begins to question his role in the world and his plight parallels that of the rebellious English colonies just as America rebels against England’s hold over it. 
     Written primarily from Octavian’s point of view in memoir format, this National Book Award finalist unfolds its secrets slowly. Written in 18^th century language, you may spot some SAT vocabulary in Octavian’s writings. In the last several chapters we see Octavian through the eyes of a Revolutionary War solider in his letters home. The letters do not make for easy reading. In a similar 18^th century English of a literate, though at times hard to understand solider, they may make for challenging reading. However, the story is so interesting that it is absolutely worth decoding.

Bottom Line: 
Interesting historical fiction; haunting Pox Party scene; reserve Volume II now - you'll want to start it as soon as you're done with Volume I.

Peeps by Scott Westerfield

Peeps
by Scott Westerfield
Razorbill, NY 2006


Cal went to New York City to have a normal college experience. But one night after too many Bahamalamadingdongs his life changes forever. Now, if he even kisses a girl he passes on a parasite that turns his crush into a blood craving, flesh eating, rat loving, monster. Cal isn’t a monster, he’s a carrier, and he has to track down all of his ex-girlfriends before they go on murderous rampages throughout the city. The parasite gives Call super human strength and reflexes and will pretty much let him live forever, but the downside is that he can’t ever have a relationship again, or can he? The coolest part of this book is that every other chapter describes real life creepy crawly parasites and informs you that you that even when you think you're alone, you're definitely not.


Bottom Line:
Great twist on the whole vampire thing; major gross out factor; addictive; there's a sequel called The Last Days