Deadly Flowers

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Deadly Flowers is a historical fiction adventure. Sako has trained since she was three years old to be a ninja.  She receives her first mission and she will no longer be in training when finished. If successful, she will be a useful tool for hire.  If she fails, she will be nothing, have no home, and have no one to rely on for help. Her first mission is to make a kill in the sleeping hour. For this first mission, Sako is assigned a compatriot, a mysterious puzzle of a girl who recently arrived at the ninja school and clearly has never trained in her life. The mission goes sideways, and Sako must devise a plan to save her life and is fruitful for Madame else suffer the consequences of a failed mission. Sako takes the only course open to her, she kidnaps the intended young victim and compatriot. Together, this trio embark on an adventure that requires intellect and skill to outwit a warlord’s samurai as well as unexpected bakemono.

Thomson’s skill with descriptive language propels the plot and paints a vivid picture that changes with characters, events and mystical beings.  

This story that is part action, part adventure, part fantasy, and all intrigue will satisfy readers and leave them wanting more.  A must purchase to round a library collection and bring a female protagonist to ninja readers.

Drag Teen

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In this realistic fictional novel, JT, a teen who is not able to afford college, wants to get out of his dead-end town in Florida. His boyfriend Seth suggests driving to New York to participate in the Miss Drag Teen Pageant. The two guys and their friend Heather encounter various characters along the drive that help JT discover his drag persona and, in doing so, himself.

JT and Seth are very relatable characters in the book. Some of the drag queens portrayed in the novel are interesting people that one would like to meet in person. The writing flowed and the text was easy to read. This book will definitely hit the mark with LGBTQ readers and those who enjoy reading coming-of-age books. This a fun and poignant read.

— Faith E.

Tattoo Atlas

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The Boreal Five – five friends how grew up on the same street, each quirky in their own teenage way but bonded through life’s events.   Suddenly they are cut to four as a classmate, also from Boreal street, guns down one of them during a presentation in English class.  Each of them has bullied the at one point or another over the years.  Though stopped and now locked up, they wonder if it could have been them.  Rem — our narrator– is even more tied into the mess as his scientist mother is now doing experiments on the gunman via probes inserted into his brain.  Rem is asked to come converse with the gunman so they can watch his brain react.  So begins Tattoo Atlas.

This story is very multi-layered.  School shootings make way for ethics in scientific research, which take a side seat at times to examples of outed and closeted gay students as well as the death of an enlisted brother, not to mention the betrayal in a mother/son relationship.   A psycho thriller at heart, Tim Floreen’s characterizations are what make this book so interesting even as it is soooo far fetched.  But where it falls miserably short is in the point of the title of the book.  Rem keeps a sketchbook that he calls his Tatoo Atlas but it never really ties dramatically into the story.  This reader kept waiting for an ingenious weaving of the plot to the atlas but it never came to a fruition that would make it worthy of the naming of the book.  And the tooth — the tooth swap at the end was too much!   Any editor should have axed that one line.

In as much as this could be a recommended read for high school students, the flaws weigh heavily on this reviewer.

The Way Back From Broken

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In this realistic fiction novel, teenager Rakmen’s little sister died. His anger led him to nearly flunk out of high school. His parents are on the verge of divorce. The only place Rakmen feels kind of feels supported is in a grief support group meeting. He meets one of his teachers and her daughter at one of the group sessions. This leads to Rakmen’s parents sending him on a trip to the Canadian wilderness with his teacher and her daughter. In these surroundings, he is able to canoe, camp and find himself.

The author’s writing is such that the reader is able to feel the emotions of the characters which made the novel exceptionally captivating. Although it is a sad book, the journey of Rakmen’s self-discovery made the book a very moving novel. I give this book a 3.5 – 4 (out of 5) boxes of Kleenex rating. For those who enjoy reading realistic touching fiction, this is a good one!

— Natalie S.

Cowpoke Clyde Rides the Range

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Cowpoke Clyde sees an ad for a bike and decides that he should order one. He doesn’t know how to ride a bike and his first time on it turns into an out of control adventure. When Clyde finally ends that ride, he walks away from his bike never wanting to ride it again. Clyde soon decides that cowboys cannot give up, so he gets back on his bike again.

The illustrations are colorful and the expressions on the characters add to the story. The text is written in rhyme and with a cowboy twang.

Mischief at Midnight

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This is a story of mystery and friendship, old and new. Loyalties are tested when Edie Wilson returns to the boarding school, Knight’s Haddon, and has to bunk with new girl, Janet. Edie’s best friend, Anastasia Stolonov, is moved to a different room. Anastasia is jealous of Janet’s burgeoning friendship with Edie and the time Edie spends with Janet. Meanwhile, tension erupts at Knight’s Haddon and in the local town due to the sale of a piece of property that is adjacent to the school grounds. Locals are leading a political activism campaign to save the trees from being bulldozed. As Janet secretly becomes involved in the campaign, Edie and Anastasia spy on her to try and figure out why she is behaving so mysteriously.  Anastasia has a secret of her own and hopes to keep her family’s role in the sale of the land under wraps for fear of being treated badly  by the other students at Knight’s Hadden. Schoolgirl antics, jealousy, and mysterious behavior fill the pages as the girls’ lives intersect.

This book is a companion to The Girl with the Glass Bird.  It can stand alone, but reading the books in order would help frame the setting and provide background information on characters and relationships.  Additional purchase, especially if the library already contains the first book.

Thornghost

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This fantasy transports Niklas Summerhill to Nightmare territory where animals walk and talk and are where there is battle waged between good and evil. Niklas is accompanied by a talking lynx who fulfils the role of companion and protector.  This is a dark story between good and evil. It does not stand alone easily.  It should be read as a sequel to The Twistrose Key to provide the backstory of Niklas’ mother’s adventures with the petlings and wildlings of nightmare territory.  

Purchase if you have strong fantasy readers who are looking for a new animal adventure or if you have a strong readership for The Twistrose Key.

Out of Tune Gail Nall

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Maya Mae is a typical pre-teen.  She is obsessed with her friends, her phone, and her hobby.  In Maya’s case, her hobby doubles as her dream – she wants to be a famous country singer.  She is well on her way when the reality TV show, “Dueling Duets” announces an audition in Nashville, Maya’s hometown. Maya is doubly delighted when she has a plan to audition and her crush, the cute and talented, Jack, asks her to be his partner. Then, without warning, her life changes as her parents announce that they are selling the family home and moving into an RV to travel the country.  In an instant, Maya’s life is turned upside down.  The book focuses on Maya’s repeated attempts to get home to Nashville in time for her tryout. Along the road, new friends are made and her resolve is tested. Will Maya make it back in time for her audition or will she embrace a new life of adventure and memory making with her family? Will Maya’s parents realize the importance of Maya’s dream?

Each chapter starts with a countdown to audition day.  Maya tells the story and paints an accurate picture of the emotional pain of leaving friends and dreams behind. In the end, Maya demonstrates a love for her family and capacity for compassion when she realizes that she has a lifetime to pursue her dream and she puts the needs and desires of others before her own. Meanwhile the parents’ ability to understand the immensity of the impact such a decision would have on their children is downplayed. This story is told through Maya’s eyes – a girl without a choice in her family’s decision to pick up roots, a girl who tries to be obedient but doesn’t know how to confront her parents about such a drastic move, a girl who is desperately holding on to a dream of her own and trying to balance her wants and desires with those of her family. At times funny, sad, and frustrating, Maya takes the reader on a journey of growing up.

Lucky Few

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Stevie Hart describes herself as a normal-type.  This is one of four categories she has created to describe students who are homeschooled.  Her best friend, Sanger, is a normal-type also.  Enter Max, the new neighbor kid who is obsessed with cheating death.  Together this trio embark on a challenge to defy death 23 times. On her own, Stevie is involved with the political action efforts to save her favorite place, Barton Springs. What starts out as a way to pass time with friends – old and new – turns into a journey of self-discovery.

The story moves from one death cheat to another, yet in the background our characters are learning how to cope with change – sometimes with grace and other time with the elegance of a toddler tantruming. In the periphery, the cast of characters deal with pressures of academic success, discrimination, Christian values, political activism, and abandonment to name a few.

Note that Stevie and Sanger are homeschooled, yet they go to classes taught by teaching staff at  non-home school locations and the homeschool co-op has a sports team. Part of the controversy in a side plot has to do with the homeschool co-op board requesting that Sanger leave the co-op because her parents are lesbians. This friction propels the plot and is an undercurrent of the development of the main character, Stevie, who questions these decisions by adults in authority and determines her own moral compass.

Tru & Nelle

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 The book “Tru & Nelle” written by G. Neri is interesting and great book.  This fiction book combines couple genres.  It’s mix of true story, mystery, adventure and historical facts.  That makes this book interesting for readers.

When you read this book you fall into real friendship that starts from the childhood, and ends in adulthood. The main characters of this story are Tru (Truman Capote) and Nelle (Harper Lee).  Tru is a seven year old boy, who came from New Orleans.  His unreliable parents sent him to live for a couple years in “tiny town” of Monroeville, Alabama with his more caring relatives.   Nelle is six, and she‘s always allowed to run by herself.  She was born and lived in this small town Monroeville.  In this story we can see how the friendship began between the city boy, Tru, who was out of place in this town, and a village girl, Nelle, who acts and looks like a tomboy.  It shows  us, that anyone could look and act very different, but also share a lot of interests, which bring them closer and results in real friendship.  The same happens with the book’s main characters, Tru and Nelle, or as author called them “the prince and the pauper.”  Even though they look different, they both share the same problems in their extraordinary families.  They both love to read, especially the book “Sherlock Holmes,” which inspired these friends to have fun by creating their own investigations in a simple and boring town.  When you are reading this book, you become a part of their mystery investigation team, trying to solve the robbery at the town’s drugstore.  Although it takes you, as a reader, on many different adventures throughout this mystery, leading to a lot of fun and dangers along the way, like the threatening encounter with the Ku Klux Klan, or planing a high tension Halloween party.  During this adventure, the children were daring and very funny the whole way through.

The author was very successful in demonstrating overall purpose of this book.  He did a great job in describing the details of the town, families and their relationships, as well, as the people’s life.  Especially in the short stories at the end of the book, that expend the overall story.  They give us additional information about the main characters’ life in future with some picture.

I would recommend this book  for children in elementary and middle school.   Although, it’s also a great book for everyone, who enjoys intriguing adventure which is easy to read.  I really enjoyed reading this book.  

-Marianna