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Saturday Breakfast (Book) Club/YA Style

June 20, 2009

It feels good to have a couple weeks of normalcy before the craziness of three straight weeks of conferences again.  July brings Thrillerfest in NY, Romance Writers of America (RWA) in DC and Comic Con in San Diego.   But until that starts, let's enjoy the latest from our YA readers.

Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow by James Rollins

Read by Christian, 12
   

Jake Ransom is your (above) average boy next door. When he fits two halves of a Mayan coin into a hole in a museum exhibit, he and his sister are transported into a mixed-up ancient world of Mayans, Chinese, Romans, Neanderthals, super-cool alchemic crystals and, of course, good and evil. Even though the place may hold clues to his archeologist parents’ mysterious disappearance, Jake needs to find a way out -- unless, that is, the T-Rexes, giant scorpions, or the Skull King don’t slaughter him first.  
  

Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow is an excellent book with strong, intriguing characters, especially Jake’s sister, Kady, who helps him get out of some extreme fixes. The awesome plot and subtle humor kept me reading it until I finished it in one sitting. The downside? We’ve got to wait a whole year till the sequel, Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx.

Razor Girl by Marianne Mancusi

Read by Alexis, 15

Molly Anderson does what anyone person that lived underground for six years and survived the apocalypse would do; go to Disney World! Although it may be hard to make it all the way to Florida when she has to worry about the man eating zombies and the ex-boyfriend that she broke the heart of six years ago. Molly has something that no one else has that may just help her, razor sharp, retractable nails and ocular implants that her conspiracy theorist father put on her to help her fight before he left. Now she has to go on an adventure to find her dad in Disney World and save the world.

I was so excited to read another marvelous book by the wonderful Marianne Mancusi. I usually don't like books with zombies in them but this book actually grabbed my attention from begining to end. It reminded a bit of the movie I am Legend but with a whole new twist.

The Reluctant Heiress by Eva Ibbotson

Read by Meghan, 17

For Princess Theresa-Maria of Pfaffenstein, a life of luxury is something which she is accustomed to, but is not always welcomed. Tess prefers working as a wardrobe mistress for the International Opera Company in Austria, her identity concealed from everyone but her aunts living at the Pfaffenstein castle. When hard times fall on her family, the aunts sell the dilapidated castle to Guy Farne, a wealthy Englishman who bought it to create the fairytale life for his fiancé, Nerine. Guy employs the opera company to perform for a long week at the castle, and he cannot help but feel drawn toward the optimistic and sincere wardrobe mistress, whose background remains unknown to him and the opera cast. As Guy and snobbish Nerine plan for their upcoming nuptials, Tess tries to remain hidden in the background, putting all her thoughts towards the opera. Nerine and Tess each hope for her fairy tale ending, but only one fairy tale will take place.

The Reluctant Heiress is yet another novel which I thoroughly enjoyed by Eva Ibbotson. Her diction and imagery are so unique that I found myself drawn towards Vienna as if I could see it right in front of me. This romance novel held all of the charm I expected it to. I thoroughly recommend it.

Leftovers by Laura Wiess

Read by Maddy, 17

Blair and Ardith are best friends who experience the life changing moments of growing up. Ardith has a  neglectful home life that allows her to do pretty much what she wants, and Blair's family is all about their image and how people see them. From being busted by the cops, teased in school and first kisses to being told to stay away from each other and planing revenge.

Written as if Blair and Ardith were talking to me, this book really got me thinking. It's tragic but possible. I know that some of the things they experienced I have too. It's all about growing up and learning to deal. Shocking and surprising I recommend this to anyone who is in high school.



Lord of Misrule By Rachel Caine
 
Read By Bekah, 17
 
Claire lives and attends school with some very interesting people, some of which happen to be vampires. In Morganville vampires and humans lived in harmony until an ancient vampire named Bishop came and began to cause some deadly trouble. After a costume party where there was the attempted murder of the towns only hope at continued peace a war begins to brew. Claire and her closest friends are immediately drawn into the chaos where they find themselves rescuing their nemeses and confronting old enemies. It isn’t long before Claire finds herself questioning where the line of good ends and bad begins. All she knows is that in a town where vampires and humans live together, trust is a precious and dangerous thing.
 
This was fantastic in such a dark and humorous way. The bravery in Claire is humbling when one imagines what she has to go through at such a young age. Her actions in the book almost remind me of the part some young people played in past wars: their roles were small but had a tremendous impact. Now, I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Bottom Line:  When kids read books...all seems right in my world.
  

Posted by Barbara Vey on June 20, 2009 | Comments (11)