Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Ashfall by Mike Mullin.  Published by Tanglewood Press, 2011. 

No one believed that there could be a global extermination of people similar to what happened to the dinosaurs.  But after a super volcano in Yellowstone Park erupts, life changed for everyone in the United States. 

Alex was home alone for the weekend.  His parents and sister left to visit his uncle after Alex had yet another argument with his mom.  He was enjoying having the house to himself.  No one to boss him around or nag at him- no one to tell him to stop playing video games. 

He ignored the weird rumbling noise.  He felt the house shake a little, but nothing major.  Then the power went out, the floor tilted and the walls started falling down.  Trapped beneath a desk and bookcase, he could smell something burning and knew he had to get out. 

Now,  Alex is trying to survive. No one has power and everyone is afraid.  Alex’s neighbors offer to help him and he goes home with them.  But everyone is terrified when the earthquakes continue along with unceasing, deafening noise.   They all know they can’t count on any help.  There are fires all over the neighborhood and the fire and police departments are overwhelmed.  

Alex realizes he has to try to get to his parents and sister on his uncle’s farm in Iowa.  With ash everywhere, he has to find inner resources and be creative and strong if he’s going to survive.   Along the way, he’ll experience terrible things but also find love.  

Visit author Mike Mullin's website.

All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin

All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin. Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2011.

New York. 2083. Crime. Food rationing. Banned foods. Power grid problems.

Anya is trying to keep her family together. Her grandmother is very ill, so Anya takes care of her. Her mother and father were killed in mob hits (making Anya the unwilling future mob boss) and her older brother suffered brain damage. He thinks he can help Anya but he doesn’t understand the ramifications of his actions and becomes involved in violent situations. She doesn’t want to be involved with the family but keeps getting pulled back into the business.

Her family has several business ventures- all illegal. Mainly, they produce, import and sell contraband- chocolate and caffeine. Her ex-boyfriend eats some of the family black market chocolate and almost dies. Anya doesn’t know if it was an accident or deliberate but she suspects a setup.

The last thing she needs or wants is romance. Anya meets the son of the district attorney and they start flirting. A crime family involved with a law and order family? Anya is determined not to fall in love. Sometimes things don’t go as planned. Now, Anya and her family are being investigated by the district attorney (yes, her boyfriend’s father). She must prove her innocence and clear her family name. She also has to keep herself and her family out of trouble. Who has the time for romance? She does!

This dystopian fiction is recommended for grades 8 and up.

Visit Gabrielle Zevin's website

 

As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott

As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott.  Published by Penguin Group, 2011.

Ava wakes up in a room where nothing is familiar. She panics, runs out into the street and faints. The next time she wakes up, she is in a hospital, surrounded by people she doesn’t know. One woman says she is Ava’s mother, but Ava remembers her mother- she was thinner and looked sad and died when Ava was young. The mysterious Clementine says she is there to help, but Ava’s mother seems to be afraid of her.

Ava is released by the hospital to go home with her mother. She has strange dreams of a different life. She grew up in a crèche. Survival was a struggle and she definitely didn’t have fancy clothes or live in a big house. When Ava wakes up, she is confused. Which world is true? Is the one she dreams about somehow real?

School is equally confusing. Ava’s recognizes her friends, but they are different. She senses that Sophy has a hard, power-hungry edge, but no one else seems to notice it. Ava remembers seeing Olivia die, but in this world, she is alive and well.

And who is Morgan? He seems to know Ava well (maybe even love her), but behaves furtively, as if he has something to hide. Ava’s mother calls the police on him and he disappears. Yet, Ava has memories of Morgan from another time or life. She remembers talking to him but he doesn’t belong in this world.

It seems that everyone has secrets. Clementine, Ava’s friends from schoool, Morgan, and even her mother. Every time Ava tries to remember things, she suffers crippling headaches. Through it all, she can’t deny the strong attraction she feels for Morgan. What does he want from her?

Some readers may initially be confused by the changes of scenes/characters, but for those who finish, this is an unusual and interesting book.  Recommended for grades 8 and up. 

Visit Elizabeth Scott's website

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth. Published by HarperCollins Publishers, 2011.

Beatrice has a huge decision to make. Everyone must decide at age 16 which of the five factions they want to join- Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, or Erudite. This decision determines where people live, how they will make a living, and even who they can have as friends. Part of the decision making process is testing. Beatrice is told her test results are atypical. Rather than being identified with a particular faction, the test identified her as divergent. Beatrice is told this is both unusual and dangerous and to keep her test results secret.

On choosing day, her family is stunned when Beatrice joins Dauntless instead of Abnegation, and changes her name to Triss. She thinks she made the right choice during a thrilling and scary ride to her new home- the entire group must jump from a fast moving train. This also forces her to contemplate the alternatives – death or (maybe even worse) life without a faction.

Triss finds her new life challenging. The physical training is grueling and the psychological mind games are often traumatic. The combination of initiation and the expectations of the Dauntless faction create a highly competitive and distrustful environment. No one wants to be thrown out of the faction. At the same time, Triss is learning about herself and takes pride in her new abilities. Along the way, she has made a few friends and has a romance with one of the Dauntless leaders.

Some of the threats Triss and the others face come from the initiation challenges. But then Triss discovers secrets involving people from Dauntless and other factions and even some of the societal leaders. These secrets hide more dangers than Triss could ever imagine. 

This dystopian novel is recommended for grades 9 and up. 

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A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan. Published by Candlewick Press, 2011.

Rose goes to sleep in a stasis tube, expecting her parents to wake her a short time later. Instead, she wakes to a kiss from a boy she’s never seen before. She feels weak and nauseous and disoriented. She is shocked to find out that she’s been asleep more than 60 years! She realizes that her parents and best friend/boyfriend Xavier have been dead for many years.

It’s difficult for Rose to know whom she can trust. People think she is strange. Reporters follow her everywhere. She begins a new school connected to a very wealthy and powerful company- one she now owns. She doesn’t like school. She is behind on the academics and the other students stare at her and make fun of her. Her only friend is Bren, whose family is connected to the corporation. Her parents have been telling Rose that she is not very smart and she now knows it is true.

As difficult as things are at school, life outside of school is even worse. She tries to hang out with Bren and his friends, but most of them aren’t very receptive . She begins communicating with Otto through messages on the computer (he can’t talk because alien DNA was incorporated into him). She and Otto are both outsiders in this society. Otto can communicate with his mind, but he doesn’t like doing this with Rose as he says he can see an abyss inside her and it scares him.

The situation is pretty bad for Rose and it gets even worse when an assassin comes after her. She even considers going back into her hibernation chamber because she can’t cope with everything. She desperately needs friends and help.

This dystopian novel is recommended for ages 14 and up.

Visit Anna Sheehan's website

The Pledge

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting. Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2011.

Charlaina (Charlie) and her sister Angelina have secrets. Angelina can heal people. Charlie can understand any language, even if she has never heard it before. The two sisters are unique and have to hide their abilities. Life in Ludania is complicated because there are rigid societal class distinctions. Class determines everything- clothes worn, jobs, behavior and even language spoken. Charlie must hide her lingual abilities because it is against the law to speak anything other than the language of her class. Infractions are punishable by death.

Ludania is under attack. Rebels are determined to overthrow the queen and put an end to her brutal laws. She is getting old and won’t live much longer unless she can find a suitable (female) heir. Then she may be able to take over another body and continue ruling. But there aren’t any female heirs because earlier conflicts resulted in the death of the ruling class family.

Charlie goes to a club with her friend Brooklyn. They meet some interesting men at the club. Xander is associated with the club and he seems to be willing to help Charlie but he may be involved in illegal activities. Another new acquaintance named Max is speaking a language Charlie has never heard spoken before. Max seems to have a lot of freedom and he keeps turning up in unexpected places.

When Charlie’s city is attacked, her parents tell her she and her sister must flee the city and avoid any soldiers. Charlie can tell by their behavior they are hiding something from her but she has to protect herself and Angelina.

The stakes are too high for Charlie to get involved with whatever Alex and Xander are doing. But some things may be out of her control.

This dystopian novel has lots of interesting themes and action and will be popular with teens in grades 8 and up.   

Visit Kimberly Derting's website

A Web of Air

A Web of Air by Philip Reeve. Published by Scholastic Press, 2011.

Fever Crumb returns as her usual rational self. She is working as an engineer with a traveling theater company and caring for two orphans. The company arrives in the town of Mayda and as they settle in for the new performances, Fever begins to hear unusual rumors about a man who is building a flying machine. She doesn’t really believe the rumors- where would plans for a flying machine have come from and why would anyone be working on such a thing?

After meeting Arlo, Fever begins to believe that there may be something to the rumors. Arlo is secretive and distrustful of Fever. He seems to think she may be planning to steal his machine or be a spy. They definitely don’t trust one another.

Other people are interested in Arlo’s flying machine, including a scientist, a former love interest named Thirza and an evil cartel. Arlo even communicates with a bird. Fever doesn't know why her Scriven mother is suddenly involved either.

Fever realizes that she can’t trust anyone when Arlo disappears. She wants to keep their dream of flying alive, but she is conflicted about her growing irrational feelings for Arlo.

This dystopian literature is recommended for grades 8 and up. 

Visit author Philip Reeve's website.

The Space Between

The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff. Published by Penguin Group, 2011.

Daphne lives in Hell- literally. The daughter of a demon and a fallen angel, she is unsure of her place in the world. She is lonely and bored, doesn’t have much of a relationship with her mother or sisters, but can’t really leave. Her brother Obie is someone she can count on, so she doesn’t know what to do when he says he’s leaving. Daphne knows it’s dangerous, so asks Beelzebub for help but Obie is gone.

Daphne is drawn to Truman, a young man who has been suicidal since the death of his mother. Obie helped him after a hospitalization the previous year. Daphne hopes that Truman can provide some clues as to Obie’s whereabouts. Daphne is warned about new dangers and her sister is murdered. Daphne has special powers but she doesn’t know what they are or even how to use them.

Truman and Daphne find Obie’s baby Raymie (not a typical baby by any means) and they know she is the reason Obie left. Can they save Obie, protect Raymie and still have a chance at love?



Visit author Brenna Yovanoff's website