Young Reader Pick: Jenny (A Tiny Twisted Tale)

Jenny
by Calvin Innes
My Little Big Town Publishing
2012
82 pages

Jenny is a quirky, smart, and strong female protagonist--and she's only eight! Jenny is not much like the other little girls at school. "She doesn't wear dresses, or have long flowing curls...You see Jenny is made from a different mold...She's a werewolf hunting eight year-old!" Jenny isn't afraid of werewolves. She knows they're big and strong and scary, but she also knows that they aren't very bright and certainly no match for her.

When a big, scary monster threatens her, Jenny taunts him. He roars and runs after her. She tricks him into running so fast, that when she steps to one side, he runs right into the cat door. Now, Wolfie has his head stuck in the cat flap where he's become a loving family pet! "Only one that you wouldn't want to take to the vet."

Jenny is a witty, clever book which will delight readers. Illustrations by the author steal the show! I loved this whimsical keeper, and children will, too.

Highly, highly recommended grade 1-up (unless a child is terrified of werewolves, but Jenny isn't afraid and the wolves are not brilliant, but the story is!)

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Series Pick: Clockwork Princess

Clockwork Princess
(The Infernal Devices, book 3)
by Cassandra Clare
Margaret K. McElderry Books
2013
568 pages

Hauntingly beautiful,  fiercely passionate, steampunk inspired, Clockwork Princess delivers a knockout punch of non-stop action, troubled romance and intriguing mystery. Questions are finally answered: What are Mortmain's evil plans for Tessa? Can the Shadowhunters save Jem's life? Why does Magnus agree to help Will, a Shadowhunter? Who will Tessa choose--smoldering hot Will or good natured Jem? What will happen to Charlotte and the Institute if the Consul poisons the Clave against her? What secrets will be uncovered in Tessa's past? Can the automaton army be defeated by a handful of Shadowhunters?

New alliances and interesting romances develop and old friendships are tested. Gabriel  Lightwood arrives at the Institute in a state of panic asking for the Shadowhunters' help. His father has turned into a demon worm and is attacking servants and family. A battle ensues at Lightwood House and his father is defeated. Both Gabriel and Gideon are welcomed to the Shadowhunters' Institute. Jem's disease progresses and the drug that keeps him alive is nowhere to be found. Will enlists Magnus's help to find more of the healing (and addictive)  powder.

Charlotte continues to fight the Consul who insists that she is "just a woman" and as such, too frail to handle such a powerful position as head of the Shadowhunters. Henry is working on a new invention--a portal that the Shadowhunters can use to magically transport themselves anywhere in the world. Charlotte pores over Lightwood's papers and journals hoping to discover some clue as to Mortmain's whereabouts.

When Tessa is kidnapped, the plot races along  at a feverish pace...Will leaves Jem's deathbed in order to save Tessa. Charlotte begs the Consul to allow the Shadowhunters to go after Tessa and Will. The Consul refuses to let the Shadowhunters travel to Wales, but Charlotte ignores his orders and using the portal, the Shadowhunters, along with Magnus and the Silent Brothers,  prepare for a battle with Mortmain's automatons--the Infernal Devices.

Will finds Tessa and they both  mourn Jem's passing. Their true feelings are finally spoken aloud and their passion ignites. Clare is a master storyteller--she lets the reader see just a few kisses, then "fade to black." Magnus discovers the couple the next morning in a compromising situation  and warns them that the other Shadowhunters are on the way.

The Shadowhunters battle Mortmain's automaton army and Tessa finds her inner power and the secret to her strength.

The ending is poignant and promising.--true love can never be broken and endures no matter what happens.
I was sorry when the story ended but thrilled to have the experience of living in Cassandra Clare's world. The Infernal Devices is as satisfying a series as any reader could hope for. The relationship between Charlotte and her husband Henry develops into real love, and Charlotte realizes how much she loves him when he is injured.  Clockwork Princess is an exciting and brilliantly conceived ending to a remarkable YA series! Will is the steamiest, sexiest male protagonist in YA lit to date--Edward who? (wink, Twilight, remember)?

Highly, highly recommended grade 7-up but with caution. In the scene where Will and Tessa "hook up," Will's shirt comes off, kissing, fade to black, and the next morning Tessa wakes with her head on Will's shoulder. Magnus warns them to get dressed quickly.  Teens probably see steamier scenes on network television. If you have the third and fourth  book in the Twilight trilogy,  this novel is right for you.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Paranormal Thriller: Wolf Mark

Wolf Mark
by Joseph Bruchac
Lee & Low
2011
392 pages
Available September 2011

Finally...a paranormal book with bite that boys will like! No sappy romantic vampires or longing for unrequited love here just a rollicking thrill ride that will have both boys and girls turning pages long into the dark and stormy night.

The novel starts off in a typical paranormal fashion--a teenager who is a little different finds out what he truly is, what his destiny is, and how he can never be a normal teen...but then... just when the reader thinks the book will continue in paranormal fashion, it takes a sharp left turn into an action/adventure/espionage thriller.

Lucas King is tired of moving around. He and his father have moved countless times in the past couple of years and Lucas has had it. Why can't they just stay in one place? Why can't they put down roots? He is starting to get comfortable at RHS and has a good friend Renzo and an "almost" girlfriend Meena, but something is just not right. There's the sunglass mafia that seem to be following him around, spying on him. They are Russian-born kids in town since their fathers work at one of the multi-national firms. There's something weird about them; Lucas can sense it.

Then Lucas's father disappears. Before he does, he calls Lucas and tells him through code words--not to go home, EVER, and that he has been taken by someone--an enemy, and to go to their secret message site for more insturctions. Lucas knows the code, he knows how to track, how to hide, how to live off the land, hand-to-hand combat, some martial arts and covert techniques. You see, Lucas has been trained to become what he must: a shadow-walker or werewolf.

The sunglass mafia grabs his friend Renzo to convince Luke to work with them. They are after the people who kidnapped Luke's father, too. Their must destroy the factory that is attempting to use "special" people like themselves to develop a super-soldier. Vampires and wolves will have to work together in order to survive.

Lucas is a cool wolf--way cooler than the typical howl-at-the-moon werewolf. Author Joseph Bruchac developed the wolves in Wolf Mark to be more human than wolf. They are capable of speech and can use their paws--which look and function like human hands. They are not full of bloodlust but capable of human thought and planning.

I loved this paranormal turned action-packed adventure novel. This one is sure to please fans of paranormal and adventure novels. Wolf Mark will have wide appeal among both male and female readers. Bruchac drew on his Abenaki culture and Slavic roots to develop his characters. This novel is unique enough that I think Hollywood may soon be knocking on Bruchac's door!

Highly, highly recommended grades 7-up. No sex, no language. Some violence.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Paranormal Pick: Blessed

Blessed
by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Candlewick Press
2011
454 pages

Fans of Smith's earlier books Tantalize and Eternal will leap at the chance to read this exciting new ya paranormal novel. It melds vampires, werewolves, mythology and angels together. Doesn't every new vampire deserve a guardian angel?

Quincie runs her family's restaurant in downtown Austin. Its campy vampire theme and menu attract the city's foodies, musicians and local weirdos. Austin, Texas, with its real-life bat colony near the river is the perfect setting for Sanguini's and a vampire uprising.

Newly almost-turned Quincie is in the fight for her eternal soul when she hires a new chef and unbelievably handsome waiter Zachery. Zachery has other talents, too; he wields a mighty angelic sword and is the only one who can help save Quincie's eternal soul.

Brad, the evil vampire, desires to rule the entire world: human and vampire, and he's about to take over. Quincie, Zachery, and her wolf friends are the only ones able to stop him.

Get ready for a showdown! This novel is a real page-turner. Paranormal fans will devour it.

Recommended for high school collections. Some mature material.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.

Click here for Blessed book trailer

Shiver

Shiver

by Maggie Stiefvater
Scholastic, 2009
400 pages

In a fresh coming-of-age, girl meets wolf love story, Grace watches a wolf pack from the swing in her back yard each winter. She is fascinated by a yellow-eyed wolf who seems to watch her, too. Grace begins to think of this wolf as her wolf. He disappears every summer, but is back again when the weather turns cold. The attack and murder of a high school classmate brings girl and wolf/boy together, and Grace accepts Sam as a human/wolf, and tries to make him stay "human" to be with her always. To solve this problem, author Stiefvater turns to medical science. Part Twilight, part Beauty and the Beast, Shiver is sure to be the next great teen love story. The movie rights are probably already in the works, and this should make a great teen love story movie. Recommended for YA collections.