Desert Crossing

Desert CrossingBy: Elise Broach
*Most appropriate for mature strong 7th grade readers and grades 8 +

Fourteen year old Lucy, her eighteen year old brother Jamie and his friend Kit are driving from Kansas to Phoenix to spend time with the father for Spring Break when an unexpected bump in the road takes a grisly turn for the worse.

While driving through a blinding rainstorm in the New Mexico desert the three teens hit something in the road. After turning back to investigate what they think was a coyote they are sickened to find a teen aged girl dead on the side of the road. They reach out to the nearest neighbor, Beth, a thirty-something artist that lives alone to help them contact the authorities. As the investigation progresses Jamie is riddled with guilt that he caused the girl’s death and finds comfort in the arms of Beth and the two begin a May-December romance. The three teens are eventually cleared of any wrong doing but because of Jamie’s new found feelings for Beth they decide to stay a little longer. While Jamie and Beth are occupied with their new found affair, Lucy is determined to solve the crime and find the girls murderer. As she and Kit begin a love/hate flirtation she persuades him to help her investigate the death of the girl on their own.

The encompassing mystery is full of suspense and is a real page turner. I did feel that the relationship between Jamie and Beth was a little quick moving for the feelings they claimed to have developed for one another. I was also a little irritated at the on again/off again love/hate flirtation between Lucy and Kit but I secretly hoped that he would redeem himself and they would end up together. While the two developing relationships were subplots to the mystery they were very insightful as to the things we do and the people we turn to in times of stress, grief, and fear. Overall this was a great read for young adults.

Eleven Birthdays

Eleven Birthdays
By: Wendy Mass

Since the day they were born Amanda and Leo have been best friends. After celebrating their birthday together every year for nine years the two have a falling out right before their tenth birthday party. They haven’t spoken for a year and their eleventh birthday is drawing near. What they don’t know is that they are destined to repeat their eleventh birthday over and over again until they can make things right.

Amanda and Leo’s parents meet at the birthing center the day both kids are born and think they will never see one another again. Under strange circumstances a year later they both end up at the same party place. The two babies meet and become fast friends. They spend every year celebrating their birthday together until their tenth birthday when Amanda is hurt by Leo. They stop speaking for an entire year and as their eleventh birthday approaches they begin wondering what it will be like to spend the first birthday apart from one another. When her dreaded day has finally ended Amanda is glad to go to bed only to wake up the next day to find it is her birthday all over again. She continues to wake to the same day until she realizes that the cycle won’t end unless she and Leo make things right again. This is a cute story that is reminiscent in plot to the movie Groundhogs Day but geared towards pre-teens/young adults. I especially enjoyed Amanda’s voice as she tried to rectify her wrongs only to find that what she thought she needed fixing wasn’t really what was wrong at all.

The Willoughbys

The Willoughbys

By: Lois Lowry

The Willoughbys is a hilarious parody of themes found in classic literature centering around four precocious children that are determined to become “deserving orphans” after their horrible parents (who are as equally ready to rid themselves of the children) set out for a dangerous around-the-world adventure, leaving the children in the care of a nanny.

Timothy, the twins Barnaby A and Barnaby B (because coming up with more than one name was too much work for the parents) and little Jane spend many hours reading “old fashion stories” such as The Secret Garden, Mary Poppins, and Huck Finn where they find themselves obsessed with the thought of being orphans. Tim takes charge over the children making them play silly games he invents with rules he creates. When they find a baby on their doorstep and their mother simply won’t let them keep such a “beastly” thing they leave her on the doorstep at the home of a rich, old depressed man with a note that all rewards should be sent to them. They then hatch a plan to rid themselves of their parents so that they can become orphans. At the same time the parents hatch a plan to rid themselves of the children leaving them in the care of a nanny. Once the nanny arrives and takes charge the children bond with her and they eventually find the home they always wanted just like in the “old-fashioned stories”.

While this book is very unlike any of Lois Lowry’s other books (and honestly that is part of the intrigue and appeal) this is one of the cleverest books I have read in awhile. It is very funny; quick paced, and has hilarious dialogue. It also holds a large vocabulary (complete with ‘glossary’ in the back) as well as a witty ‘bibliography’ of the classic literature (“old fashion stories”) it is constantly referring to.

The Poison Apples

The Poison ApplesBy: Lily Archer

When three teens from very different backgrounds find themselves at a boarding school they discover a common bond (hating their new stepmothers) and decide to form a club to plot revenge against the women they believe have ruined their lives.

The majority of the book is about each girl’s respective background, how they each ended up at the Massachusetts boarding school, and how they came to be friends. While each girl’s story is vastly different they are completely believable (with the exception of the penguin...read it and you will see what I am referring to) and certainly every girl will find some aspect of one of the characters to identify with. However, once they have formed their club, “The Poison Apples”, and begin to plot their revenge against their wicked step-mothers the book loses some of its momentum. As much as these girls detail their intense despise of their evil step-mothers I was expecting (and quite honestly hoping for) some hilarious escapades as they enacted revenge…but that didn’t happen. I won’t spoil the ending but it certainly wasn’t the ending I was hoping for.

While I wouldn’t give it any awards or put it on a recommended reading list, overall it is a cute read perfect for a “chick lit” list and girls will surely overlook the lack of actual revenge and focus on the girl’s relationships as they mature and come to terms with their family as it is.

Found

FoundBook One in the series The Missing
By Margaret Peterson Haddix

Thirteen years ago a plane mysteriously appeared out of nowhere at an airport. The plane while completely unattended was filled with babies. Just as mysteriously as it appeared it disappeared. There were no news crews, no reporters, and only one person willing to admit what she saw. Thirteen years later, after finding out that they were both adopted as infants, Jonah and his friend Chip begin receiving mysterious letters with cryptic messages such as “You are one of the missing.” Along with Jonah’s sister, the three teens set off to find out about their mysterious past unraveling a series of events they could have never imagined.

This book is a real page turner! I read it in just over a 24 hour period because I could not put it down. It is the first in a new series by Haddix that is sure to be as popular as her The Shadow Children series. It has mystery, twist & turns you don’t expect and a cliff hanger ending that will leave you anxious for the next book in the series, Sent, coming to book shelves everywhere 2009.

Visit the author’s official page to learn more about her books. http://www.haddixbooks.com/home.html

Marley & Me

This review actually covers two versions of the book:

Marley & MeBy John Grogan

(ages 13+)
*Contains some mild objectionable material. Some mild language and discussion of topics related to family planning/sex (nothing graphic or detailed) and neighborhood crime including indecent behavior. Overall, the little objectionable material is nothing to be overly concerned about for 7th grade and up.

And

Marley: A Dog Like No OtherBy John Grogan
An adaptation of Marley & Me for all ages; mostly geared toward ages 8-12

Written as a personal memoir, John and Jenny, a newlywed couple living in the tropics of Florida, decide to extend their family by getting a pet. With very little research and planning they come home with their new bundle of joy, a yellow lab, they affectionately name Marley after the reggae musician Bob Marley. After getting kicked out of obedience school and eating virtually anything he can fit in his mouth, Marley is dubbed “the world’s worst dog”. His owners continue to look past Marley’s bad habits and incorrigible ways to see his loving demeanor, gentle nature, and loyalty. They love him unconditionally as a member of the family and look back on the life lessons learned during the thirteen years Marley was their cherished family pet.

As an avid animal lover, I just finished reading this book in anticipation of the upcoming Christmas Day release of the major motion picture. I laughed whole-heartedly throughout the entire book and cried my eyes out throughout the last chapters. In fact, I still get a little teary eyed thinking about it or speaking about it. Much like the couple in the book, my husband and I extended our family soon after marriage by purchasing a few little fur balls of dachshunds affectionately known and Chloe and Norman. They have been with us 16 years now and with the exception of a few additions along the way they are the only pets my children have ever known. While they certainly didn’t get into as much mischief as Marley in their younger days they certainly have been every bit as loving and loyal. Reading this book made me reflect on their lives and ours and how we have both changed so much over the last sixteen years. I have spent many days believing I was prepared to let my dogs go when the time came and the book served as a good reminder to our family that while our dachshunds are no longer able to run, fetch, and wrestle we should take every measure to continue to pamper them and make their last days filled with the same love and devotion that they have given us for so many years.

Anyone that is an animal lover and dog owner will enjoy this book. It is an openly candid look at the evolution of a couple’s life as earmarked by the major events in a marriage and mostly by the crazy antics of their loyal family fur ball, Marley. Marley, in his own rambunctious way, teaches the family about patience, living without inhibitions, and unconditional love.

Twilight

Twilight

by: Stephenie Meyer

In case you have been hiding under a rock and haven’t heard the buzz about Twilight let me bring you up to speed. First off, the movie version debuts at midnight tonight and the hard core fans will surely be lined up well before the midnight hour; myself included. The soundtrack debuted at the top of Billboard this week which is unheard of for a soundtrack of a movie that hasn’t even been released yet! I have a feeling the cast of the movie, especially that of Rob Pattinson (Edward) is about to be thrust into mega-stardom. A brooding actor and musician, he was the perfect pick (in my opinion) to play Edward Cullen. In fact, a little trivia on Mr. Pattinson…he wrote and sang two of the songs on the soundtrack. He wrote his own version of “Bella’s lullaby” and while the original composition was selected for the movie, he does play the lullaby himself in the film. You can also watch (fairly bad quality) videos of him singing his own tunes in several LA bars on www.youtube.com. He has a sound much like a mixture between Joe Cocker/Bob Segar/Bob Dylan. It is a very strange combination coming from such a pretty British lad.
Secondly, if you haven’t read this book don’t even bother trying to check it out at your local library…the current hold queue is over 300 and counting. Do yourself a favor and just go buy a paperback copy, sit back, and give this saga a read. It is well worth the money in entertainment value as well as the “cool” points you will surely earn by being able to discuss this with anyone over the age of 11. I have been book talking this book for well over two years now and slowly but surely I am seeing a following that I haven’t seen since the likes of Harry Potter. And yes, if the movie does the book any justice at all…it will be that big, I have no doubt.
Lastly, the great thing about this book is that is has so many components combined: romance, action, vampires, and even some witty humor. While there are some characters that are introduced and not very well developed, you will spend more than half the book screaming, “JUST BITE HER ALREADY!”, and the ending leaves you wanting more, in truth, it is simply setting the stage for the future books in the saga. It is a very easy read, will capture your attention from the prologue, and has left young girls everywhere saying, “To heck with Prince Charming…I am waiting on my Edward Cullen!”