Guest Review: High School Pick: When She Woke

Blogger's Note: This review was submitted by my BFF and fellow avid ya reader and reviewer Leslie Rush. Leslie has taught high school for 21 years and loves ya novels.

When She Woke
By Hillary Jordan
Algonquin Books
Oct 2011
352 pages

read an excerpt here

I had only finished the first chapter of When She Woke when I began emailing friends, family and co-workers to buy this book and read it the minute it comes out.

Hillary Jordan has created a compelling heroine navigating a ravaged world in which the line between church and state has been eliminated—a heroine convicted of murdering her unborn child.

It is the late 2020s. Disease and civil unrest have decimated the population. The Great Scourge has left many of the surviving women infertile, resulting in the passage of Sanctity Of Life laws, outlawing abortion for any reason across the most of the United States and Canada. The years of disintegrating law and order have resulted in significant changes in crime and punishment, and only the most violent offenders are imprisoned for long sentences. Most criminals are “chromed”; injected with a virus that changes their skin color to bright red, green, blue or yellow to indicate their class of crime, for the time period determined at sentencing. “Chromes” must try to survive on the streets as best they can, social pariahs that suffer discrimination, assault and even death at the hands of vigilante groups. If they miss their scheduled chroming“booster shots” they face complete mental disintegration and permanent insanity.

Hannah Paine’s journey begins “when she woke,” chromed red. The sheltered daughter of a strict religious family, she has committed the crime of murder –aborting her unborn child, the product of a passionate, illicit love affair with the charismatic pastor Aidan Dale, who is now America’s Secretary of Faith. Hannah must finish her 30 days in the Chrome Ward, under the relentless eye of a broadcast video camera, then remain a Red for the next sixteen years. She has refused to name the father of her child, dooming herself to the maximum sentence.

As Hannah’s story unfolds, her relationships within her family are changed utterly; her cold mother disowns her completely, her anguished father does everything he can think of to help her, and her once-close sister is kept from Hannah by a violent, bigoted husband. Hannah is still relentlessly, achingly in love with Aidan, and her agonizing recall of their doomed love is interwoven with her poignant optimism that somehow they will be reunited.

With her only friend(and fellow Red) Kayla, she escapes a harrowing stint at a halfway house staffed by sadistic religious fanatics, and begins a dangerous trip north to Canada, via a network of militant feminist revolutionaries . Threatened on all sides by law enforcement, vigilantes, human traffickers, and loomimg mental disintegration --her odyssey is not just one of distance and danger, but of self. As Hannah navigates her way though a world she never knew existed , she battles self-loathing and doubt, and the deepest crisis of faith possible: who she really is and what she truly believes.

Hillary Jordan’s second novel pulls no punches. No matter what your political or religious beliefs, Jordan’s cautionary tale about fanaticism and the power of the individual will make readers examine their own beliefs through this raw, disturbing, deeply satisfying story.

Recommended for adult readers and mature teens 17 and up. Sexual content, violence, mature themes

Austin Teen Book Festival Rocks!

I attended the Austin Teen Book Festival in Austin, Texas, with my seventeen-year old daughter Shelby. We met almost all the authors and interviewed Christina Mandelski, Gabrielle Zevin, Scott Westerfeld, Tera Lynn Childs, Sophie Jordan, and Heather Brewer.

Scott Westerfeld delivered the keynote address to a jam-packed house of tweens, teens, and ya book lovers. Every session we attended was packed, and the teen readers were enraptured. It was fantastic to see so many teens who are inspired by these authors and reading.

I saw a group of teen boys carrying stacks of books they just purchased from the event center. Several of them were trying to read the books as they walked. They weren't watching the sidewalk or where they were going, they were so "into" the printed word.

I hope you like these photos of our experience.

Scott Westerfeld addresses the teen/tween/reading audience:

Scott Westerfeld talks about his book Leviathan

The ya authors listen to Westerfeld's keynote speech:

A dance troupe from Austin performs as zombies to Michael Jackson's "Thriller"

Gabrielle Zevin with me. Her book All These Things I've Done in hand!

Shelby with Christina Mandelski (The Sweetest Thing) and guess what? Christina really is "the sweetest thing!

Scott Westerfeld poses for Shelby

Heather Brewer (Vladimir Tod books) talks to author friends

David Levithan (Will Grayson Will Grayson) and others listen to Westerfeld

Two teen readers outside the events center during lunch. No cell phone? No I-phone? No Ipad? No Kindle? No tablet? Can you dig it?

Non-fiction Book Giveaway: Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects

Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects by Amy Stewart read my review here

This is the first time I am sponsoring a non-fiction book for a book giveaway. Due to the huge number of hits on the review, I contacted the publisher who agreed to give me 5 FREE copies to give away!

Post a comment here and be sure to include email contact and city and state. I will contact winners by email.

Deadline for posts is October 15 at noon MST. Winners will be selected by Randomizer. Please no duplicate posts.

Middle School Pick: Free Thaddeus

Free Thaddeus
by John Gosselink
Amulet (Abrams)
2011
231 pages

Now out in paperback with a new cover and title, more readers may be drawn to this cute ya read. I read the original last year in hard cover with the title of In Defense of Thaddeus A. Ledbetter. Here is the original cover

I loved it when I read it, but thought the cover had little kid appeal. With its new cover and title, I think this book rocks! Read my original review here


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

Paranormal Pick: Sweet Venom

Sweet Venom
Tera Lynn Childs
Katherine Tegan Books
(Harper Collins Publishers)
2011
345 pages

Fantastic, hypnotic, captivating and uber-cool, Sweet Venom is a rollicking thrill ride. Tera Lynn Childs has done it again. She delivers a solid page-turner that is well-written with wide appeal sure to entertain teen readers who like mythology and paranormal novels. I loved this book and found it much more entertaining than Forgive My Fins.

Three sisters who have been adopted separately have no idea they are sisters, let alone triplets! Imagine their surprise when they run into each other and realize they are related. Not only that, Gretchen the wild goth sister who favors combat boots to stilettos, informs them that they are meant to fight monsters from Greek mythology.

Grace just moves to San Francisco and begins to see weird creatures. She sees a minotaur walk into a restaurant and thinks she might be going a little crazy. That's when she meets Gretchen. The two girls do a little detective work and find out they are not twins but triplets descended from the Gorgons, the three sisters of Greek myth. The two girls train together and defeat a few monsters but something strange is beginning to happen.

First, Ursula vanishes. She became Gretchen's guardian taking her in and teaching her about the monsters. Gretchen learned that only one monster can escape the seam at a time, but now the sisters are seeing monsters everywhere. How can all these monsters be running around free in San Francisco? The rules seem to have changed but the sisters have no rule book and no one to guide them.

Grace and Gretchen are able to find Greer, the third triplet. Greer has led a posh life, attending high teas and the opera, shopping in the most expensive boutiques, and being the most popular girl in the junior class. She is not happy to find out she has sisters and less delighted to hear that she is meant to fight Greek monsters. What if she breaks a nail or ruins an outfit?

Teen readers are in for a treat--Sweet Venom is only book one! Childs has more books up her sleeve, so stay tuned.

Highly, highly recommended grades 7-up. No sex; no language.
I loved the idea of the Gorgon sisters and their descendants being "good" not evil.

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

Dystopian Fairy Tale Pick: A Long Long Sleep

A Long Long Sleep
by Anna Sheehan
Candlwick Press
2011
342 pages

Part fairy tale, part romance, part science fiction, part thriller, part dystopian fiction, A Long Long Sleep will seduce readers with its eerie concept. Rose Fitzroy has slept for the past 62 years in a chemical induced sleep in her stasis chamber, long forgotten in a sub-basement under a huge corporation until she is awakened by a stranger's kiss.

Rose slept through the Dark Times when the planet was besieged by plague and death that claimed her parents and her boyfriend's lives. Now she is awake in a new world and destined to take the reins of power of her parents' inter-planetary corporation. Some people see her as a threat to their own power; others see her as a freak or a liar. Rose just wants to find her way, and find a way of living without anyone. She barely gets through the days until she finds a friendship with Brendon (Bren) the boy who kissed her awake.

Someone has sent a Plastine, an engineered super-soldier, to kill her, and it will stop at nothing short of success. Rose realizes her father's reign of terror is far-reaching, even after his death.

Compelling and shocking, Rose's parents' actions are beyond abusive. They are power-hungry and selfish, bent on showing the world a "picture perfect" family while they steal their daughter's childhood one week, one year, two years, 62 years at a time. Rose remembers her early years and realizes that her parents sent her into stasis when it was convenient for them--when they needed to get away, to travel Europe, to take a second honeymoon, to throw a grown-ups only party. Her stasis tube became her womb-like babysitter--sometimes for years at a time. While the world changed and her friends grew older, Rose remained in stasis.

The shocking, yet satisfying ending came all-too-fast. The Long Long Sleep is a serious page-turner that mixes sci-fi with dystopian romance. Readers will practically weep for Rose with her child-like naivete and will later cheer her inner strength of character.

Highly, highly recommended grades 8 and up. No sex, no language. Some creepiness factor when Rose realizes Bren is the grandson of Xavier, her boyfriend of 62 years ago, and creepier still because Grandfather is still alive and Rose recognizes her childhood love. Remember she is sixteen and he is now in his eighties.

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

Dystopian Pick: All These Things I've Done

All These Things I've Done
by Gabrielle Zevin
Farrar Straus Giroux
2011
354 pages

Blogger's Note: Author Gabrielle Zevin will be at the Austin Teen Book Festival along with 29 other ya authors on October 1 in Austin, Texas. The festival is FREE and held at Palmer Events Center. Ya'll come join us there! More information is available at Teen Book Festival.
follow the Twitter feed @AustinTBF@APLFF
Teens will report using cellphones and Flip video cameras. event hashtag: #ATBF11

watch the book trailer here

Fascinating, riveting, and brutally taut, this dynamic new ya dystopian thriller by Gabrielle Zevin is sure to be a teen hit!

The year is 2083 and governments have toppled. Crime is rampant, laws are in place but there are more criminals than law-abiding citizens, curfews are set up to protect the populace, chocolate is contraband, coffee and sodas are illegal, food and candles are rationed, parks and sidewalks are overgrown and filthy, and museums and libraries are forgotten artifacts.

Anya Balanchine is the middle daughter of a murdered crime boss. Her mother was killed years earlier in a hit gone wrong that was supposed to be on her father. Her older brother Leo took a bullet to the head in the same incident. Although he seems "normal," Leo now suffers seizures and has the abilities of a nine-year old. Anya's younger sister Natty is only nine. Nana, the matriarch, is bed-ridden and sometimes forgetful. This leaves Anya in charge of the entire family. That is a lot of pressure on a high school student--not to mention the fact that everyone knows her family's sordid crime past.

Anya's family makes and distributes chocolate. When chocolate was legal, it was a productive business. Now that it's contraband, the family fortune grows but it's an increasingly dangerous business. Gable, Anya's ex-boyfriend, ends up in the hospital, and police suspect that Anya poisoned the chocolate bars she gave to Gable. Anya is thown into Liberty--an island off the coast of New York City--punishment for young girls. Anya notices the feet of a giant statue that stand over her prison. She remembers Nana telling her that the statue was once of a lady and tourists could climb all the way up the statue using staircases inside. Now all that's left is rubble and the statue's feet. I found it ironic that the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island--icons for peace and freedom to Americans today--are now a prison in this novel that stifles all freedom and liberty of the citizens.

Anya spends time in solitary--treated worse that any animal and survives only due to her inner strength. She is freed by Charles Delacroix, the city's prosecuter and father of her "friend" Win. Delacroix is a sly politician and asks that Anya back off from her friendship with his son. He doesn't want his career tarnished by a relationship with a crime family. He makes himself crystal clear that he will cause trouble for Anya and her family if Anya doesn't break it off with his son.

The Balanchine chocolate empire is about to fall if Anya doesn't take some action. Her uncle offers Leo a job at the "Pool," the base of the family's operations. Anya worries that Leo will be asked to do something illegal and knowing that he is so trusting and naive, she fears he will face prison, or worse. Anya can't cause any trouble in the family because maybe her uncle will retaliate, sending the authorities to take her and Natty into Child Protective Services since Nana is too old to care for them and Leo is not mentally fit to be their guardian.

Anya is a stunning character--passionate, fierce, full of strength, analyzing all her options before acting, methodical, practical, quick-witted, and sharp of tongue, this girl's got real moxie! Sparks fly in the relationship between Anya and Win; readers will feel the heat.

This page-turner will leave readers wanting more of Anya and her crime family drama. This ya novel is a novel take on dystopian fiction--I appreciated this book as a crime noir, murder mystery--who killed Anya's father? Who is responsible for Nana's death? Who poisoned the chocolate?--dystopian fiction, and romance--just enough to keep girls interested and not enough to bore boys. There is bound to be a lot of teen interest in this book.

Highly, highly recommended grades 9-up. No language, almost "sex."

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

New Book Giveaway: High School Pick: And Then Things Fall Apart

I have five copies of And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky up for grabs. This is a must-have for high school collections! Girls who love Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar will like this read. See the review I gave the book here


Post a comment here and be sure to include your email contact and city and state. Many people who have posted on earlier giveaways couldn't be considered since they did not leave an email contact.

Deadline for posting is Friday, September 30 at noon MST. Winners will be notified by email. Winners will have 48 hours to respond to my email. Copies will be mailed to winners by the publisher in New York City. Good luck and start posting! Pamela

Cool Booklists for Teens

I have lists of Top Ten Young Adult Reads
100 Books for the College Bound Teen
Books for Girls
Books for Boys
Books for Teens
click here for lists of suggested books

Tween/Teen Pick: The Summer Before Boys

The Summer Before Boys
by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Simon & Schuster
2011
208 pages

Moving, poignant, and simple, yet satisfying and sublime, The Summer Before Boys is a novel about relationships--childhood friendship, mother/daughter relationships, strained relationships, and adolescent relationships.

Two girls are ready to leave childhood behind but worry that boys will ruin their long childhood friendhip--a true friendship where they promised to be "friends forever." Eliza and Julia spend long summers on the mountain, swimming and hiking, playing with dolls, slipping into the Mohawk Hotel, and gossiping with Pam, the gift shop lady who secretly slips them ice cream, telling them it's her treat "just this once." The summers seen to last forever, and the girls are inseparable.

Julia's mother signed up for the National Guard thinking that the extra money would be great and that a few week-ends away was just like going to summer camp. This all changes when she's called up for a tour in Afghanistan, and Julia is terrified her mother may never come home. When people tell her what a hero her mother is and how brave and patriotic she is and how proud she should be of her mom, she doesn't feel any of that. She just wants her mother home...safe and alive. Julia's father works long hours and never seems to be around for her.


The summer she is twelve, Julia has her first crush; she spends hours daydreaming and writing Micheal's name in her diary, and Eliza feels left behind. The two "friends forever" have a major falling out that may be unfixable.

Sometimes wars take more than human lives. Simply because the soldier comes home "unharmed" doesn't mean she is the same person. On the last day of being twelve, Julia and her mother play make believe in the attic with her mother's old Cabbage Patch dolls, and life seems good.

Recommended for tweens and teens grades 5-9. This novel will resonate with those readers who have a parent who is deployed.

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

Coming soon: Hunted by Cheryl Rainfield

My review of Hunted by Cheryl Rainfield coming soon...see the book trailer here
Looking forward to reading this one!

Non-Fiction Pick: Wicked Bugs: the Louse That Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects

Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects
by Amy Stewart
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
2011
272 pages with index and bibliography

Sinisterly intriguing, wildly interesting, dangerously entertaining, Wicked Bugs will bother you after you turn off the lights at night. You may wonder, is that just a harmless itch? or do we have bed bugs? Or, you may not want to travel to other countries after reading about their strange and dangerous bugs.

Wickedly entertaining, this plethora of entomological information will delight fans of non-fiction who love a quick read rife with interesting facts and historical anecdotes.

Stewart warns us that she is neither a scientist nor an entomologist; that this little book is not a field guide or a reference book for the medical field. She informs the reader that she is "a writer who is fascinated with the natural world." In my opinion, she's much more than that; she is an entertainer, a creative writer, and a great storyteller.

The book is divided into categories: horrible bugs, painful bugs, deadly bugs, dangerous bugs, and destructive bugs. Stewart writes, "It is estimated that there are ten quintillion insects alive on the planet right now, which means that for each one of us, there are two hundred million of them." That fact alone should make readers want to read more about these fantastic creatures that are taking over our world.

Did you know that the black widow only bites when it feels trapped? In the golden, olden days of outdoor plumbling (outhouses) many a person found out about their painful bite in a rather sensitive place. As a person would sit down to "do his business," he would inadvertently block the seat off and any spider hiding under it would feel trapped. The spider would bite the human where it hurts the most!

For those non-fiction readers, those reluctant readers, those teen readers who hate novels, Amy Stewart continues to deliver fantastic compendiums that appeal to their tastes. Her earlier book, Wicked Plants is reviewed here.


Highly, highly recommended for readers grades 6 and up. Recommended for all non-fiction collections. Grade 4 and 5 advanced readers should have no trouble reading and comprehending the content.

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

Paranormal Pick: Vanish

Vanish (book two, Firelight)
by Sophie Jordan
Harper
2011
294 pages

see the book trailer here

Captivating, mesmerizing, romantic, and steamy, girls who loved the Twilight and Shiver series have something new to devour.

Paranormal fans who have craved a satisfying and scorching new romantic read need not search further. This is not just another vampire book, nor is it about a pack of hungry wolves. Instead, the draki live in a misty world hidden from humans. There they are able to live in peace and hide their secrets from prying eyes. The draki are special--half dragon and half human, they live mostly in their human form but can "manifest" and fly. Several draki have special powers. Jacinda is the only one in many generations who can actually breathe fire.

Jacinda and her mother and sister flee the comfort and safety of their home to live in the human world. While living as humans, Jacinda does the unthinkable--she falls in love with a human, Will. Will is not just a normal human; his family are hunters--they hunt and kill Jacinda's kind. Nothing good can come of this steamy relationship, and Jacinda reveals her true self to Will's family in order to save his life. They are now on the run. They flee back to the safety of the draki, leaving poor Jacinda heartbroken and pining for the human boy she loves.

Tamra, Jacinda's sister, finally grows into her power. She is a shader, a draki who can make people forget what they saw, erase their memories. Cassian, the male draki who loves Jacinda, welcomes her home with open arms. He knows she loves another, but he is willing to wait for her to come around.

When Will shows up in their midst, Jacinda knows she has to tell him to go away, for his own good and the safety of her people. But she just can't. They agree to meet in two weeks and run away together. Cassian saves Jacinda from a horrible fate, the clipping of her wings, and she owes him. They are "bonded" in a dragon ceremony. Still, starry-eyed Jacinda carries the torch for Will.

The star-crossed lovers angle never gets old, and Sophie Jordan presents three very likeable characters as the main players. Head-strong Jacinda, romantic Will, and noble Cassian will have female readers turning pages late into the night. I couldn't put this book down until I turned the last page, and now I can't wait for book three! Firelight (book one) has been optioned for a movie, and will begin production soon.

Highly, highly recommended grades 7-up. no sex, no language. Some steamy kissing and Cassian and Jacinda are "married" but sleep separately.

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

High School Pick: Famous

Famous
by Todd Strasser
Simon & Schuster
2011
259 pages

Timely, poignant, brutally honest and rife with in-your-face social commentary about America's need for celebrity gossip, Famous will resonate with teen readers.

Jamie Gordon always wanted to take pictures; she is really good with her camera and her boyfriend Nasim thinks she is truly talented. In a chance encounter, Jamie just happens to be at the right place at the right time with her camera ready. She gets candid shots of a famous super-model slapping her son in a coffee shop and sells them to a tabloid for more money than most teens will ever see--"just for taking some pictures."

When the chance of a lifetime occurs, Jamie finds herself in L.A. shadowing America's hottest Hollywood sweetheart Willow Twine--who has been in a bit of trouble lately. Willow is dating a rock star of questionable background and morals, she's been in trouble with the law, and now movie studios are seeing her as more of a financial risk than box office gold (sound familiar?) When Jamie discovers some shots in her camera that she didn't take--photos that will ruin Willow's career but make Jamie famous--she is torn. Does she ruin a teen dream or take the money and run?

Avy is Jamie's friend in New York. He has dreams of becoming a super-hot mega star model/actor in Hollywood. He sells everything he owns and gets a cheap apartment in L.A. Avy soon finds out that shedding a few pounds is not the answer to fame in a town known for devouring thousands of young hopefuls each year. Avy makes crucial mistakes and falls in with the wrong crowd scene. Readers will like Avy--his naivete, his vulnerability, and his ulitmate defeat will have readers' empathy.

Strasser has captured the illusory celebrity lifestyle and pampered existence of young Hollywood. The novel's ominous tone is apparent from the opening pages and savvy readers will guess what will happen to Jamie, Willow, and Avy, but they may just be surprised!

Highly, highly recommended grades 9-up. Typical Hollywood behavior that you might read about in tabloids: drug use, partying, underage drinking, sex.

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

Paranormal Pick: Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25
by Richard Paul Evans
Simon Pulse
2011
336 pages

Visit the official website


Amazing, amusing, and fun, Michael Vey will appeal to teens--male and female.

Thrilling and electric (yes, pun intended, you'll see) Michael Vey is a great read! And what a character! Michael is an ordinary high school boy with extraordinary powers--he's electric! Somehow, he is able to direct electricity and shock others with enough power to knock them unconscious or even kill them!

His best friend Ostin (pronounced Austin, like the town in Texas but Ostin's mother didn't choose to spell it right) and Taylor, a pretty and popular cheerleader are the only ones who know about Michael's special abilities. Taylor is rather special, too. She can "reboot" people, making them forget whatever it was they were just doing or thinking. She can also read minds. Ostin is a total nerd; a scientific and research genius but has no special physical powers.

Together the three teens from a club called the Electroclan and are investigating how Michael and Taylor got these special "gifts." Ostin is onto something when he figures out how Taylor and Michael were born in the same hospital in California and a strange outbreak of newborn deaths occurred around the same time. Only seventeen newborns survived--Michael and Taylor are two.

What if the other fifteen kids all had special powers, too? And what if someone was looking for them? And what if that someone has bad--really, really bad-- intentions?

When Michael's mother is kidnapped, he knows he has to go save her. He will use his powers and call upon his friends and a couple of frenemies for help.

Action-packed adventure, well-paced, and thoroughly enjoyable, this novel is going to be huge! Books two and three are likely to enjoy a large following--maybe even an upcoming movie, perhaps?

Highly recommended for lovers of paranormal and action. Grade 7-up. No language, no sex.

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