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.

Visit Padma Venkatraman'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

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.

Visit Jay Asher's blog

Visit Carolyn Mackler's website

Jersey Tomatoes Are the Best

Jersey Tomatoes Are the Best by Maria Padian. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2011.

Eva is a ballerina. Henry is a tennis star. The two girls have been best friends for years in spite of (or maybe because of) their wildly different goals. They are supportive of one another, in ways their families and other friends can’t.

Eva has an opportunity to go to New York for the summer with a possible internship during the following year. Eva’s mother agrees to drive Eva in every day because the family can’t afford the room and board. Eventually, an anonymous donor pays for Eva’s summer program so she doesn’t have to commute every day.

Henry goes to Florida with a well-known tennis program. Henry’s father pushes her very hard and he can be pretty aggressive if he thinks she is not being treated well. Henry has a strong physical game but when she overhears a conversation between some of her competitors, she begins to question whether she is the kind of player she should be or if she plays head games to beat her opponents.

Eva is doing some similar self-analysis, but not voluntarily. She is very committed to achieving her dream. Once she is there, though, she starts worrying about her weight and becomes overly critical of herself. She is tired all the time and gets injured easily. She thinks she is making health choices, but everyone around her is obsessed with weight and body shape.

Both young women must determine their dreams for the future, figure out what matters to them and balance it with family expectations.

This realistic fiction is recommended for grades 9 and up.

Visit Maria Padian's website

The Watch That Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic

The Watch That Ends the Night: Voices From the Titanic by Allan Wolf. Published by Candlewick Press, 2011.

April 14, 1912. The day the Titanic sank. Multiple viewpoints create a vivid account of the disaster. There are many famous books and movies of the sinking with famous people such as John Astor and Molly Brown. This book has 24 narrators, including some unusual perspectives such as a rat, the coroner, and the iceberg.

The individual narrators each have unique voices. Captain E. J. Smith is full of pride that he has such a prestigious assignment as the culmination of his career. The violinist Jock Hume is annoyed that he is not allowed to improvise and share his music with everyone. Another narrator is telegraph operator Harold Bribe, whose increasingly frantic messages foretold the magnitude of the looming disaster. An unusual narrator is the iceberg. It is a cold, dispassionate presence inserted between many of the entries.

The Undertaker, who dealt with the bodies as they were retrieved from the water had a very overwhelming job- try to identify the body and determine cause of death. Each time he was brought a new body, I found myself hoping that it wouldn’t be one of the other narrators who I had grown to care about through the book. Statistically, I knew they were unlikely to survive. The plight of the refugees and the extremely high loss of life among the third class passengers were especially poignant.

This historical fiction with multiple narrators will appeal to a wide audience.  Recommended grades 8 and up.

Visit author Alan Wolf's website

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson. Published by Greenwillow Books, 2011.

Elisa is the Godstone bearer, chosen by God for a life of service. Elisa doesn’t know exactly why she has been selected by God or even what she is supposed to be doing. She is the second daughter of a King, but she has never enjoyed life at court. Elisa doesn’t know exactly why she has been selected by God or even what she is supposed to be doing. She feels inferior to her pretty, confident sister.

Elisa spends her 16^th birthday getting married to a man she has never even met. It is a practical match based on the political needs of her country. Within a few days, she and her new husband have departed for his home. Before Elisa even has time to be homesick, their group is suddenly attacked, resulting in some serious injuries and the death of one of Elisa’s closest confidantes.

Arriving at court, Elisa finds herself in a strange situation. Her engagement and marriage haven’t been announced. Her Godstone is a secret. Her new husband apparently has a girlfriend. The only good thing is she meets a scholarly priest with a wonderful collection of books. When she begins reading one of her favorite military strategy books she notices that the content is different. This inconsistency leads to a huge discovery- information has been systematically and deliberately withheld from her. Her family, tutors and friends have been lying to her for her entire life. This knowledge makes Elisa more determined to learn about the Godstone and the history of the other Godstone bearers.

Elisa’s life is about to go through another change. She is kidnapped and wakes up to find herself the center of a centuries old plot involving armies and secret wars.

This fantasy fiction is recommended for grades 9 and up. 

Visit author Rae Carson's website

Anna and the French Kiss

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Published by Penguin Group, 2011.

Anna is eagerly anticipating her senior year in Atlanta. Her father has different plans. He is enrolling her in a boarding school in France. He believes she should have new experiences in the world, with culture and and develop more fluency in French. Anna thinks he is pretentious.

Anna loses the argument and finds herself starting her new school. She is so nervous- she doesn’t know anyone at the new school and she has never lived so far away from home. But she can’t complain too much- it is Paris after all!

Once she starts settling in, she concludes that she is completely unprepared. Her French is stilted and slow. She isn’t even sure how to get around the campus or the city. She makes some new friends including Etienne the cute guy who is also super nice, friendly and seems to like Anna. The drawback is he also has a girlfriend. The other problem- lots of complications when she goes home for Christmas vacation.

This a quick, fun read for teens looking for light-hearted teen romance with a few problems thrown in. 

This realistic romance is recommended for grades 9 and up. 

Visit author Stephanie Perkins website