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. 

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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.

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Island's End

Island’s End by Padma Venkatraman. Published by Penguin Young Readers Group, 2011.

Living on a remote island off India, Uido has had visions several times. As a result of her abilities to enter the Otherworld, she is selected to be her tribe’s spiritual leader. This is a tremendous honor for her and she is excited but also nervous. Uido is disappointed by her older brother’s and her best friend’s reaction to the news. He is jealous and causes a rift in the family.

The visions are often intense and confusing. Strangers have visited the island and offer tempting and exotic gifts. Uido is trying to balance the needs of her tribe while keeping their values and lifestyle alive. She is even more conflicted when her younger brother becomes ill after visiting with the strangers. Uido needs the medicine of the strangers to help heal her brother. At the same time, she knows her brother will be drawn away from the tribe.

Uido must work with the strangers to heal her brother. When he awakens, he likes the technology he sees them using. Uido convinces him to return home with her. When they return to the island, she has a disturbing vision of a tsunami causing devastation of the island. She has to persuade her tribe to quickly evacuate to higher ground. At this critical time, her older brother again challenges her leadership ability.

The tribe’s safety and lifestyle all rest on Uido.  Recommended for grades 8 and up.

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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.   

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The Future of Us

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. Published by Penguin Group, 2011.

A new computer and AOL are about to change Josh and Emma’s lives and their futures. They have been neighbors and best friends since they were little. When they share a kiss, things get a little awkward between them.

It is 1996 and Josh’s new computer can go on the Internet (but it uses the same line as the telephone so he can’t go online for too long). Emma and Josh are surprised to see people with their names but it is 15 years in the future. What?? How is that possible? There are enough similarities for them to conclude that this is actually them. This is through some website called Facebook.

Josh seems to have a decent life ahead of him. He has a nice house, a good job, attractive wife, and they go on great family vacations. Emma, on the other hand, is definitely struggling. She doesn’t appear happy with her job or relationships. When Emma discovers changes she makes in her present life can produce good results on her life 15 years from now, she does it. But her changes impact Josh’s future too and he’s not happy. He doesn’t want anything to mess up his life.

Emma and Josh’s 1996 and 2010 selves will have to be reconciled so they can be happy, now and in the future.

 This (mostly) realistic fiction is recommended for all teens grades 8 and up.

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Where I Belong

Where I Belong by Gillian Cross. Published by Holiday House, 2011.

Khadija leads a difficult life in Somalia. Survival is a daily struggle- for food, water, a home, and safety in a violent part of the world with no government. Khadija’s father wants more for her and he makes the difficult decision to send her to London, telling her she needs to get a good education. This is the only way she can help her family and other people of Somalia. Khadija knows her father is right, but that doesn’t make this any less difficult. She doesn’t want to leave her family and the only life she has ever known, but she is given no choice.

After Abdi’s father sends the family to London, his father must stay behind in Somolia. Communication with his father is infrequent and eventually Abdi’s family is told that his father is dead, with no further information available. A short time later, the family is asked to take in a young Somali woman. This is how Khadija becomes part of Abdi’s family. Khadija is desperate to help her family and gets a job so she can send money home. Abdi is responsible for escorting her back and forth to work every day.

Their lives change rather dramatically after a chance encounter with the famous designer Sandy Dexter and her daughter Freya. Freya lives with her family and only sees her mother sporadically due to her busy fashion designer schedule. Every year, everything in Sandy Dexter’s life focuses on the London Fashion Week and her latest obsession is Khadija and Somali-inspired fabrics and clothes.

All of these characters and their dreams create a dangerous situation, as the opportunity for Khadija puts her family in grave danger.

This realistic fiction is recommended for grades 8 and up. 

Visit author Gillian Cross's website