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.