Ice Shock

Ice Shock
M. G. Harris

This second novel in the series starts off with the theft of a priceless artifact in Kabul by a mysterious ninja-like thief and then quickly switches back to Oxford, England, where 14-year-old Josh Garcia continues on an adventure involving his father's death in Mexico, a hidden Mayan civilization called Ek Naab in which the citizens are brilliant and highly advanced, a lost codex, and danger at every turn.

The plot twists and turns as Josh runs for his life, unsure who he can trust. Cryptic clues, a secret city, an ancient prophecy of a catastrophic end to the world keep the reader engaged to the very end!

Submitted by: JL

Library Wars – Love & War Vol. 1

Library Wars- Love & War Vol 1.
Kiiro Yumi

In a world where the government dictates what people should and should not read, libraries have had to resort to creating an army, called the Library Defense Force to protect the collections they have from being confiscated by the dreaded military Media Betterment Act army.

Iku Kasahara has fulfilled her dream of being recruited by the LDF but the training is difficult. Not only does she physically have to be in shape, but she has to memorize the entire layout of the library and know where every book is located (this in itself is boring enough to make any student fall asleep).

There are many humourous side comments about her training and trainers, especially good-looking Sergeant Atsushi Dojo. Despite his being particularly hard on her, Dojo can be surprisingly gentle at times.

Reviewed by BZ

POD

POD
Stephen Wellenfeld

Surviving a massive alien siege is one thing – surviving humanity is another. POD is a page turner of a book that combines a Life as We Knew It style scenario with an alien invasion. When the aliens arrive, filling the sky with black pods, instantaneous death from above strikes any person who ventures outside. And yet, the aliens don’t seem to be attacking directly—just picking off humans, one by one…

For 16-year old Josh, trapped with his dad in their home in Washington with all lines of communication to the outside world cut off, every day is a slow torture of isolation and annoyances. For 12-year old Megs, life is a scramble as she tries to stay alive on the run inside a hotel parking lot – left there by her mother.

Tension mounts as the situation becomes progressively more grim. Will Megs survive long enough to find her mother? Will Josh and his father survive each other?

Reviewed by CD

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Michelle Hodkin

Get out your fire extinguishers friends because this book is HOT. If you don’t believe me, just watch the trailer.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, by debut author Michelle Hodkin, is the first book in a series. Seventeen year old Mara is the sole survivor of an accident which killed three of her friends. Mara has no memory of the accident and is haunted by its trauma. Trying to escape the memories, Mara and her family move. But starting a new school and falling for the irresistible, gorgeous and yes school womanizer Noah Shaw do not help Mara put her past behind. Instead, death begins to follow Mara wherever she goes and Mara begins to realize that the death of her friends was no accident.

Hodkin’s leaves you clamoring for more at the end! Sequel due out Fall 2012.

Between Sisters

Between Sisters
Adwoa Badoe

Living in a poor area of Accra, 16 year old Gloria has dreams of becoming a dressmaker, but after failing most of final exams it seems unlikely to happen. Then a distant relative, Christine, offers to move Gloria to Kumasi to look after her son. In exchange, Christine will pay for Gloria to go to dressmaking school. In Kumasi Gloria learns that city life is much different than from her home village. She quickly has to learn who she can trust and that temptations be it material or human must be addressed. When everything starts to go wrong Gloria misses her sister and must decide how she will move forward with her future and her family.

Reviewed by MH

A Map of the Known World

A Map of the Known World
Lisa Ann Sandell

Cora Bradley feels trapped starting ninth grade in a small town after her older brother Nate died six month earlier in a car crash. Her parents are lost in their grief and offer nothing but severe restrictions on her life outside the school. Cora seeks comfort in art, drawing beautiful maps and imagines herself in exotic places.

Soon she meets Damian, the handsome boy who was in the car with her brother the night of the accident. Their friendship is developing after Damian shows Cora a secret place of art that he and Nate were creating. Cora begins to understand her complicated and troubled brother through his artwork. Both Damian and Cora are damaged after Nate’s death and try to use their artwork to deal with their emotions.

The book is an enjoyable read , a great book to give to younger teens ( 12 and up) without worrying about inappropriate material.

Reviewed by SG

Conspiracy 365

Conspiracy 365
Gabrielle Lord

On New Year’s Eve, Callum Ormond’s life was about the change. Just months earlier Cal’s father had passed away leaving a mysterious and history changing secret. It was because of this secret both police and ruthless criminals were after Cal, thus leaving Cal on the run like a fugitive, since everyone seems to want him dead. Cal has been warned that he must survive 365 days. The countdown begins with a book full of action and adventures.

Conspiracy 365 is a Series of 12 books (12 months)

The author keeps you guessing at the end of each chapter so you want to keep reading.

Reviewed by LR