Sky on Fire (Monument 14 #2)

by Emmy Laybourne
Hennepin County Library hardcover 215 pages
genre: YA dystopian future

Most of the kids load up into the bus to try to make it to the Denver International Airport. Astrid wants to stay for two big reasons. Dean decides to stay with her. The events that happen to both groups of kids make this a real page-turner!

One funny (to me) aspect of this story is the near-future predictions and situations. When the catastrophic storms hit, the network is down and everyone stresses because their "mini-tabs" (cell phone / entertainment devices) don't work. (I can completely picture that world.) On page 214, "Printed papers have made a comeback with the interruption of the Network." :-) Some of us still like printed papers, but the demise of traditional newspapers certainly does seem imminent.

One thing I wish - that somewhere in the story the author included information on what is happening on the rest of the planet. This is a fantastic series, though, and I need to finish book three!

Monument 14

by Emmy Laybourne
Hennepin County Library audiobook 6? CDs
read by Todd Haberkorn
genre: YA dystopian future

Tomi and I listened to this on the way to and from school. She took it home to finish over the weekend (with her mom) and had to get the second book Monday morning! She finished it in a few days and book three as well . . .

I finished the audiobook and lent it to Tom C. He enjoyed M.T. Anderson's Feed so much, I thought he might like this one, too.

It's 2024 and en route to school, a tremendous hailstorm hits. The bus carrying the high school kids ends up on its side with the hail pelting through the windows and injuring the kids. Mrs. Wooly, the driver of the elementary school bus, delivers the little kids to safety and returns to get the "big kids." The action and danger are intense. An earthquake and the release of biological weapons from NORAD make this group of Colorado kids a fascinating experiment as they hide away in a Greenway store! This book had me - I've already read book two (after Tomi) and I'm on book three now.

Haberkorn is a great reader! Dean is a bit too much of a wuss for me (for a protagonist), but the characters are interesting and varied.

Something, Maybe

by Elizabeth Scott
Hennepin County Library audiobook 5 CDs
genre: YA romance
read by Ellen Grafton

I couldn't finish even one CD. At first, I wasn't sure if it was the story or the narrator that was troublesome. Then I knew that whether the story was worth the time or not, I simply could not listen to the voice anymore! It was nasal? Whiny? Just plain irritating!

The story is about Hannah, whose father is an elderly playboy-type. Her mother is a has-been actress who tries to capitalize on her looks. Hannah just wants to disappear. Hannah has a crush on co-worker Josh, who is attractive, smart, and civic-minded. Her co-worker Finn is just irritating. What will it take for her to get Josh to really notice her?

I'll probably never know unless I am holding a print copy of this book in my hands.

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3)

by Sarah J. Maas
YAC hardcover 569 pages
genre: fantasy adventure

I read this because none of my Young Adult Choices readers wanted to read book three in a series that they hadn't read books one and two of . . . and since I had read book one, I "got" the characters and storyline to enough of a degree to tackle this one. I read it a little at a time each day over lunch, then finally brought it home last weekend to finish it.

Liked:
- characters, especially Rowan
- mystery / what will happen next
- Celaena's growth as an individual and her ability to handle her powers
- the writing is much better than in book one. She has developed as an author!

Disliked:
- three different story lines, especially with the witches. Since I didn't read book two, I may have missed some major plot developments
- after 569 pages, I want to know the outcome! There will be at least one more book . . .

Legend

by Marie Lu
Carver County Library paperback 304 pages
genre: YA dystopian fiction, romance, adventure

Set in a future world where the USA is now the Republic (west), the Colonies (east), and the Patriots (mercenaries), Day is a criminal and June is a soldier prodigy. The author gives a nod to Les Miserables in this story of law and order (June, the Republic) against the criminal element (Day).

Engaging story! I can see why my students want book two right away. I got this book club kit for my sixth grade book club (discussion today) and although it's a bit mature for them, I think they'll like it.

Hold Still

by Nina LaCour
Hennepin County Library audiobook 6 discs
read by Emma Galvin
genre: YA coming-of-age

Caitlin's best friend Ingrid committed suicide at the end of their sophomore year in high school. Caitlin's parents have done everything they can to help their daughter deal with her pain. Most of the book deals with Caitlin's thoughts, memories, and struggles. Photography, Ingrid's last journal, building a tree house, a new friend (Dylan - a lesbian who is new to school) and a potential boyfriend - Taylor - all help her work toward healing.

Liked it okay, but it was pretty depressing. At times, I wanted to shake her and tell her to get a grip! The reader had a wonderful voice and made the story come alive, but it wasn't what I was in the mood to read. Just too sad.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky
PRMS paperback 213 pages
genre: YA coming of age

I finally read this! It is almost always checked out from my media center. The movie looks pretty interesting.

Charlie seems to be so incredibly naive to the point of being stupid. His identity is formed based on his relationships to other people. In fact, his young English teacher encourages him to think for himself - to be a filter and not a sponge.

Liked:
- Character development, especially siblings Patrick and Samantha
- True-to-life scenarios from high school
- Vivid descriptions

Didn't like:
- OLD technology! Published in 1999, it's hard to believe that Chbosky included mix tapes and darkroom developing . . . have things really changed so much in 16 years? I wonder if kids even know what mix tapes are.
- casual drug use

I was surprised by Charlie's revelation toward the end of the book. It completely changed the story for me.

Dear Mr. Knightley

by Katherine Reay
Hennepin County Library paperback 317 pages
genre: Christian romance

Now I have to see the movie Daddy Longlegs . . . or read the book. This story was inspired by that 1912 book by Jean Webster (but I had never heard of it before). Delightful little story about a girl named Samantha Moore who moved through the foster care system and ended up at Grace House, a group home. A benefactor offers her a scholarship to attend journalism school and she initially turns it down, wanting instead to work and live in an apartment (and to be away from Grace House).

page 26 - Sam's introspection and different perspective than Kyle, the boy she goes running with. I like the Sam / Kyle scenes. They are dynamic and interesting. (as on page 56 when Coach Ridley intervenes during one of their runs and she thinks  - "I don't like losing. And I don't like criticism.")

page 69 - "Consider it grace - a gift unwarranted and undeserved." / also I have a post-it that says "Katie!" because the narrator writes "Then I'm coming after you if this turns weird."

page 123 - Again, with Kyle, she says, "I finally stopped my inane chatter and told him the truth about school and all my other struggles. It helped us both - shared failure is always a comfort." Truth is powerful, indeed!

page 141 - I love when she writes about The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and Aslan. "There's no Aslan in the real world, so there's no hope. Mrs. Muir would say I'm wrong. She says there is hope in God and hope in Christ." I love how this sweet couple, the Muirs, share their faith, their lives, their home . . . I want to be like that!

page 147 - "Maybe that's what love is - sacrificing yourself to save another . . . " Again she was talking with and about Kyle. That kid was my favorite character in this book! I love how he encouraged Sam to share their stories.

page 149 - "As we headed to bed, Mrs. Muir prayed for me. No one has ever done that before." Love love love this!

page 216 - "Love spills out of these people. That's what I want. Settling for anything less is a lie." It's ironic that she's writing about love to Mr. Knightley . . .

page 267 - The Ridleys' prayer when they have dinner after adopting Kyle. Awesome!

page 280 - "How can I not believe that there is a God who exists and loves, when the people before me are infused with that love and pour it out daily?"

page 301 - The story was so captivating until this point. The rest was pretty much a let-down. Her big revelation about Ebenezer Scrooge realizing that others were more important than he was . . . just lame.

I loved the romance, the Kyle/Sam growth dynamic, the literary allusions (though there were some I had to look up!), and the overall tone of the story. I liked many of the characters.

 

I wrote the above after reading this book for the first time in 2015. Now that our book club has read four other Reay titles, I was curious about her very first being my favorite. I re-read it yesterday (08.30.2020) and can affirm that it IS my favorite Reay book. I love it!

Living Dead Girl

by Elizabeth Scott
Hennepin County Library audiobook 3 CDs
genre: YA realistic fiction (horror!)
read by: Kate Reinders

Oh my word. This story was awful, but well-written. It opens with a fifteen-year-old girl "Alice" who has been with Ray for five years, ever since he took her from a school trip. He has beaten her, threatened her, and brutally raped her. This story was absolutely gripping. I am both sad and glad about how it ended. The reader was very effective.

After Visiting Friends: A Son's Story

by Michael Hainey
Hennepin County Library audiobook 7 CDs
genre: non-fiction memoir
read by Dan John Miller

This was not as captivating as I expected it to be. His father died when he was only six years old. He grew up to be a reporter; his dad had been a "slot man" - a lead night editor at a Chicago paper. His dad's death impacted his childhood and his adulthood . . . in an almost obsessive way. I had some compassion for his struggles and his desire to find out what actually happened the night his dad died, but it all seemed overwrought and overblown. The father / son connection was important, and I can't relate to that. Plus, this wasn't my life story. It is definitely thoroughly researched but includes his introspection and wonderings along with the facts.

I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: Hidden Enemy

by Pittacus Lore
PRMS paperback 403 pages
genre: YA fantasy adventure

The three stories - Five's Legacy, Return to Paradise, and Five's Betrayal - are just enough to tide me over until the next installment comes out. This is a very addictive series. Action, relationships, a few surprises. Since this book focuses on Five and Mark James, it is one of my least favorite in the series.