The Mortal Instruments Series- Clare

Titles include:

City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, and City of Fallen Angels

Clary Fray and her best friend, Simon have their lives turned upside-down when they meet Jace.  He is a boy unlike anyone Clary has ever met.  She can't stop thinking about him, but Jace's world and his powers make him an attractive but dangerous young man.  Jace introduces Clary and Simon into the realm of demon-slaying Shadowhunters.  The Shadowhunters have mad skills and are always ready for battle.  They acknowledge the Downworlders but try to avoid them as they are not particulaly fond of the Night Children (vampires), or Lycanthropes (werewolves), or even the warlocks, and faeries that make up this realm. The Shadowhunters and the Downworlders do have a common enemy throughout the series, Valentine, a power-hungry, evil man.  Jace and Clary each have past histories with Valentine but that isn't always a good thing as you will find out as you read the novels.

I love this series. If you are a Hunger Games fan, or a Maze Runner fan, or maybe an Twilight fan, you're going to love this series too! Fast-paced, lots of action, the forbidden romance, it is all in this series!




Mrs. G

Birthmarked-O'Brien

This is certainly a book for the more mature reader. 

Gaia and her parents live outside the wall.  The people inside the wall live a much easier life but that has never really bothered Gaia until now.  Now, the soldiers have made it personal.  They have taken Gaia's parents because the government suspects them of withholding information that the government wants.  Gaia tries to carry on without them.  She has been trained as a midwife by her mother and she is the only one left in their Sector to help deliver babies.  Gaia has always followed the rules of the Enclave but now she is beginning to question everything about her government.  Should she keep working along as if nothing has happened or risk her life to get inside the walls so she can save her parents?  She knows she can't do it alone, but who can she trust to help her?  Could she live with the guilt of putting others lives in danger? 

The Gardener- Bodeen

Mason finally met the girl of his dreams, Laila.  He met her at the Haven of Peace home where his mother works.  It happen quite by accident, he went there to meet up with his best friend and winds up waking Laila up from a coma.  Laila's first reaction is to run and well since Mason feels responsible for her, he follows and ends up trying to hide her from the authorities. Weird, right?  Well, it gets even creepier when you learn what is really behind Laila's coma and the Haven of Peace.  Things are not what they seem.  You see, instead of being a restful care home, Haven of Peace is really an experimental science lab.

I still have mixed feelings about this book.  It has an Unwind type of vibe, that science-fiction/contemporary fiction feel.  It definitely makes you wonder where science will take us in the future and about what would happen if the wrong person were left in charge.  Can't wait to hear your opinions.

Mrs. G
 

The Grimm Legacy- Shulman

Elizabeth has started a new job.  She works at the New York Circulating Material Repository.  Instead of lending out books, the Repository lends out objects- everything from tea sets and hockey sticks to Marie Antoinette's everyday wig.  The collection that requires special access is the Grimm Collection.  As you can imagine this collection includes some pretty powerful magic, not be to handled by just anyone.  When strange things begin happening around the Repository Elizabeth starts feeling very unsettled about the collection. Is someone stealing from the Grimm Collection?  I mean who wouldn't want to wear magical shoes or borrow a magic wand?  When it comes to fairy tales it always seems like with something good comes something evil.   Who is going to pay the price for this one?

Mrs. G  

The Dead Boys-Buckingham

Teddy Mathews is new to town. He and his mother have moved in next door to an abandon house with the most extraordinary tree in the back yard.  It seems to have an unusual power over Teddy almost as if it could talk to him.  As Teddy begins to explore his new town he meets a few boys who he feels could be potential new friends.  That is until trouble starts to come his way.  I mean how many new kids in town are already in trouble with the law within days of arriving.  What is the connection between Teddy, the tree, and the boys?

I have to tell you I found this story to be a little creepy.  I wondered, "Where in the world did this author come up with the idea for this story?"  I hope you will consider reading it because I would love to get your impression of the storyline.  Why did he write this book?

Mrs. G

DWEEB: Burgers, Beasts, and Brainwashed Bullies- Starmer

Five of the smartest boys in their school have been framed for stealing Bake Sale money.  They know they are innocent but what can they do?  The principal says he has fingerprint evidence and he says the money was found in their lockers. How can that be? 

The Principal's solution to the "crime" is to imprison the boys in a small room under the school.  The boys must work together and use their academic talents to expose the Principal for the fiend he truly is.

Cloaked in Red- Vande Velde

Ever wish you could rewrite a fairy tale and give the story a new twist?  That is exactly what Vivian Vande Velde has done with this book.  She has taken the classic story of Little Red Riding Hood and given the reader eight new views.  She is pretty insightful really, I mean, who does send their young daughter on a walk through the woods knowing that there is danger there?  Why doesn't her mother take the basket of goodies herself?  Shouldn't Red Riding Hood recognize her grandmother? (I think the hairy arms should have been a clue that something was up.) 

Anyway,  I liked her idea of rewriting the fairy tale.  I'll bet you could come up with some creative versions of your favorite stories as well.

Mrs. G

Mockingbird-Erskine

This is a great book about compassion and acceptance.  Caitlin has just lost her brother due to a school shooting and she is having a hard time "Dealing With It".  She as Asperger's and her school counselor is trying to assist Caitlin with finding "Closure".  The story is beautifully told from Caitlin's perspective so the reader really gets a better understanding Asperger's and how to have empathy for others.

Scrawl- Shulman

Tod Munn is a bully.  He shakes down kids for their lunch money, breaks kids glasses because he can.  His home life is pretty messed up but no worse than his friends.  Tod and his droogs (as he calls them) have been busted for doing something bad.  Really bad.  The other two have to serve time after school each day picking up trash around the school grounds.  Tod has been assigned after-school detentions in a hot, empty room with the guidance counselor.  He has to write his story in a beat up journal. 

The book is written in a journal format which lets us view the world through Tod's eyes.  We learn a lot about him.  We learn that he is really smarter than he would ever let anyone of his peers know.  We learn that he can be compassionate, that he has his own moral compass which he tries to follow.  The author does a great job of peeling back the layers of Tod's character slowly so we as readers can truely appreciate his main character.

Boys Without Names- Sheth

Eleven-year-old Gopal and his family leave their rural Indian village to live with his uncle in Mumbai, but when they arrive his father goes missing and Gopal ends up locked in a sweatshop from which there is no escape. Gopal tries to be the voice of hope as he works to keep up the spirits of the other young boys trapped along with him. He knows the only way survive is to work together as they come up with a plan to outsmart the boss.

This realistic fiction novel is sure to grab your attention from the beginning . It is very interesting to watch Gopal’s character develop throughout the story. This novel is well written and tackles the very real problem of human trafficking.

Epitaph Road- Patneaude

Kellen Dent lives in a world ran by women. The year is 2097, thirty years ago a deadly virus, "Elisha", nearly killed off the male species. The few men that survived were saved only because they happened to be out in the middle of the ocean fishing, or high up in the mountains hiking, or engaged in some activity that required them to be away from the main population. Now that women are running things, the crime rate is down, war is never an issue, people feel pretty secure. Men are contained by very strict restrictions; Kellen is often viewed with suspicion.


When Kellen and his friends, Tia and Sunday, learn about the possibility of another outbreak of the virus, Kellen knows he must notified his outcast father. As they race to notify his father, the three friends uncover secret information that is so frightening that unless they act quickly, it just may be the end of the world.

I highly recommend this fast paced adventure story.  It certainly makes you think about the "What if"s...of science.

The Line-Hall

Rachel lives with her mother on the Property.  Her mother works for Ms. Moore, a very stern, no-nonsense sort of women who raises orchids in her greenhouse.  They live in a futuristic time, the government has installed the Line-an uncrossable section of the National Border Defense system, an invisible barrier that encloses the entire country. The day the barrier was activated there were people caught on the other side. Ms. Moore's property it located right next to The Line and now someone is trying to make contact from the other side.  Who is it?  What do they want?    

Forge-Anderson

This exciting sequel to Chains is told from Curzon's point of view.  Following their escape Isabella and Curzon have a difference of opinion and part company.  The story picks up with Curzon saving a young soldier's life.  As a scrimmage breaks out around them the young soldier encourages Curzon to join him and his company, the Sixteenth Massachusetts in their fight against the British.  Curzon's hungry stomach convinces him to join because at least food is provided to the soldiers and it's been a long time since Curzon's had a hot meal.  Cruzon is assigned to Valley Forge where his past troubles soon catch up to him.  Although the life of a soldier isn't the easiest, it sure beats going back to where he is headed.

Slathbog's Gold- Forman

Fifteen-year-old Alex Taylor answers an advertisement for an adventurer in Mr. Clutter's bookshop window and is swept away to a faraway land where he is charged with trying to find the lair of the evil dragon Slathbog the Red and retrieving a legendary treasure. Alex meets king, oracles, trolls, elves, and drawfs on his adventure and now is reluctant to have his journey come to an end.  I was sad this book came to an end as well because I really love the characters.  Happily, I have learned that the sequel is due out very soon!

If you like the Harry Potter series or the Last Olympian series you are going to love the Adventurer's Wanted series. Highly Recommended!

The Shifter—Janice Hardy

Nya, a fifteen-year-old war orphan, is a Taker. Through her touch she can heal injuries, drawing the pain into her own body. Unlike other Takers, she can’t push the pain into the


enchanted metal used to store it. All she can do is shift it from person to person, a skill she must hide or risk being set to work as a human weapon. But when her sister mysteriously disappears, Nya must decide—how far will she go to save her? Her search reveals dangerous events and a bigger political game on her island home.



This is the first book in the Healing Wars Series. The second book, Blue Fire is available now with a third book due out this year.

If the Witness Lied—Caroline B. Cooney

Four orphaned children, having lost both of their parents in less than two years, are in for the fight of their lives. Nobody is going to turn the youngest family member, a mere two year old boy into a "freak show" and that is just what their "Aunt" Cheryl wants to do. Tris has had enough to bear in his short life…you see he has been blamed for the death of both of their parents. As a result this family has been shattered. The anniversary of their father’s death and "Aunt" Cheryl’s latest scheme brings the children back together and leads them to consider the possibility that the witness lied about the accident that led to their father’s untimely death.

Heist Society- Carter

Katarina (Kat) Bishop wants to leave the family business.  She is ready to start living the life of a "normal" teenager.  Just when she thinks she's made a clean break, she gets dragged back in and the stakes are higher than ever.  You see, Kat's family business is crime and her father has been accused of stealing several famous and very expensive paintings from an evil man.  If the paintings are not returned within two weeks her father's life is going to be in danger.  The problem is Kat's father claims he didn't do it.  How will Kat find the paintings, get them returned, and keep her father safe?  It is time to call for reinforcements.

This books is full of unexpected twists and turns.  It reminds me a little of the movies, "Ocean's Eleven" and "Casino Royale" because the characters don't fit our usual stereotypical criminals.  Oh and guys....don't let the cover fool you.  Just because there is a girl on the cover it doesn't mean it is a "girl" book.  Think Julia Roberts in "Ocean's Eleven" and who could forget all the fabulous Bond" girls. 

Double Eagle by Sneed B. Collard III

April 24, 1862


The Skink (a confederate ship) is asked to carry a very important cargo. Things are dangerous though because the Union has just taken over New Orleans. Under a new moon, the Skink sets out, delivers the box with unknown contents and then heads toward Havana where it encounters a Union warship and is sunk.

Summer 1973

Mike, 13, reluctantly boards a plane from California to Florida to spend the summer with his divorced father, who is a marine biologist. He is told after he lands that they will not be in Pensacola but on Shipwreck Island off the coast of Alabama while his father teaches an invertebrate zoology course. He feels stranded and neglected, thinking that the weeks will drag with little to keep him occupied. After a slow beginning, Mike's summer of 1973 becomes more and more exciting when he and a new friend begin to explore an old fort on the island. A salvage boat with a scary crew is lurking off shore looking for the Skink and her cargo. When the boys begin gathering information and asking questions, the crew becomes pushy, demanding and start making threats. Then the boys make an unexpected discovery, a Civil War gold coin, at the old Civil War fort. The boys are just beginning to unravel the mystery surrounding their find when a hurricane threatens and they discover that thieves are after their treasure. As the hurricane approaches and they strive to put all the clues in place, will they make it out alive and before the hurricane hits?

Invisible Lines-Amato

Trevor is of three children growing up in a poor, single-parent family.  Trevor and his younger brother just want to fit in among the students at their new school but their mother is currently unemployed and there is no money for anything new.  Trevor must rely on his intelligence, artistic ability, quick wit, and soccer skills to win friends.  Unfortunately, rich and popular Xander seems determined to cause him trouble.  When Trevor’s life starts to spiral out-of –control he manages to make things right with the support of a teacher, a couple of unexpected friends, and Charlie.  

This story is great for all of you interested in art.  Lots of Trevor's art is featured throughout the book.  It is also a great book for building tolerance and helping us to learn to judge the person not their situation.

Linger-Stiefvater

I posted Linger, the sequel to Shiver, here because once you start reading this series you'll want to know what happens between Sam and Grace. Grace, whose parents have pretty much allowed her to raise herself, now has to start answering to her parents. She resents this a lot because for whatever reason her parents no longer seem to approve of Sam. Well too bad. Nothing is going to come between them ......nothing!

There is a new wolf introduced in this book. The back story on Cole is that he was an out-of-control musician who was very self-destructive. He is running away from live in general but especially from a couple of personal relationships. Wait until you see how his story weaves in between Sam and Grace’s love story. It is pretty wild and gruesome at times.

Shiver- Stiefvater

For years Grace has watched the wolves that lurk behind her house each winter. She is inexplicably drawn to the yellow-eyed wolf. He feels like he somehow belongs to her.


Sam has lived two lives. During the winter, as a wolf, he watches over the girl he loves. In the summer, as a young man, he works at a small bookstore and thinks about Grace. What if they could actually be together? He doesn’t dare let his heart consider the possibility…..until now.

This unconventional love story demonstrates how through love all things are possible. People are willing to accept things they would have never considered before.