The Great Trouble

From Publisher's Weekly…

Set amid the 1854 London cholera outbreak, Hopkinson’s attention-grabbing story of Eel, an orphan who survives by combing the filthy banks of the Thames for anything he might sell, is a delightful combination of race-against-the-clock medical mystery and outwit-the-bad-guys adventure. Eel, a hardworking and bighearted kid with no shortage of crummy luck, is being hunted by a notoriously mean crook, who happens to be his stepfather. When the first cholera case hits, the town blames the polluted air, but Eel and his mentor, Dr. Snow, have a different theory—that it’s being spread through a local water pump—which they set out to prove before the death toll escalates further. Hopkinson (Titanic: Voices from the Disaster) adeptly recreates the crowded, infested streets of London, but it’s her distinct, layered characters and turbulent, yet believable plot that make this a captivating read. As the deadly disease worsens, Dr. Snow and Eel’s deadline looms, and Eel’s past closes in on him, readers will feel the same sense of urgency—and excitement—as the characters themselves. Ages 10–up. 

Excellent!  Very interesting story.  

Michael Vey

From Publisher's Weekly…

Evans (The Christmas Box) enters the YA market with this fast-paced, if predictable tale of a teenager with superpowers and the conspiracy that created him. Years ago, a medical equipment accident killed dozens of newborns and left 17of them with assorted "electrical powers." In present-day Idaho, 14-year-old misfit Michael Vey, who can create electricity and has Tourette's syndrome, is one of the last two living outside of Pasadena. Coincidentally, the other "electric child" is Michael's crush, cute cheerleader, Taylor who is able to mentally "reset" people's brains. When a mysterious organization called Elgen kidnaps Taylor as well as Michael's mother, Michael, his best friend Ostin, and a pair of school bullies venture on a cross-country trip to rescue them. Taylor, meanwhile, learns that Elgen is just as dastardly an organization as she'd feared. Evans delivers a pair of believable lead characters—Taylor has wits and personal integrity, while Michael's Tourette's syndrome, coupled with an emotional jolt from his past, adds dimension—but generic dialogue and lackluster villains result in a by-the-numbers thriller. Ages 12–up. (Aug.)

I enjoyed this!  Looking forward to reading the next in the series.  

So B. It

From Publisher's Weekly…

Heidi It has gotten to be 12 years old without knowing any but the sketchiest information about her background: her mentally disabled mother, who insists her name is So Be It, showed up with the week-old Heidi on their neighbor Bernadette's doorstep seemingly out of the clear blue sky, and Bernadette, who is severely agoraphobic but also bookish and generous, has been looking out for Heidi and Mama ever since. Somehow Heidi and Mama never get billed for rent or utilities, and besides, Heidi has an almost magical ability to play slot machines, which, in their native Reno, can be found even in the local Sudsy Duds laundromat. But as the novel opens, Heidi has begun to chafe—she is no longer willing to live with Bernadette's complacency about the mysterious past ("What happened before [I met you] doesn't matter," Bernadette tells Heidi. "It's just something to be grateful for") and Heidi is determined to find out what Mama means by the strange word "soof." When Heidi uncovers an old camera with a roll of undeveloped film, a host of clues to her identity send her on a solo cross-country bus trip to confront people who not only do not expect her but have taken pains to insulate themselves from her existence. Suspension of belief is beside the point: readers will probably respond to Heidi's voice and determination, get caught up in the mystery and feel wiser for the mild tear-jerker ending. Ages 10-up.

Very good and appropriate for middle school.  

The Grievers

From Publisher's Weekly...

Years later, the class of '91 of Saint Leonard's Academy is reunited by the suicide of fellow alum Billy Chinn in Schuster's second novel (after the 2011's The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom and Party Girl). Charley Schwartz, one Billy's friends from school, isn't doing much better than his late buddy—he's working as a giant dollar sign mascot for a bank and wallowing in a "steep and irredeemable slump" of his own until Billy's death provides a wake-up call. Eyes wide open, Charley sets out to bulwark his life against the flood of disappointments and dead-ends while trying to raise money and write a fitting eulogy for Billy's memorial service. While the story line has little to offer (Billy's suicide feels like an unearned plot device whose sole purposes are to set Charley in motion and lend some gravitas to the book) the dialogue throughout is pitch-perfect, there's a laugh on nearly every page, and Schuster's crystal-clear prose shimmers. 

I ordered this book for the LBJ library because the Follett website said the interest level is gr 5-8 and reading level is gr 8.  But, it is not at all for middle school, in fact, it's really an adult book.  It is good and funny, though. 

Notes from the Dog

From Publisher's Weekly...

Paulsen (Mudshark ) writes another touching story about human kindness and humanity. Reclusive and insecure, Finn lives with his father, his dog and his friend Matthew, whose parents are divorcing. Being 14 isn't easy for Finn (“I feel like an alien dropped onto a strange planet and that I always have to be on the lookout for clues and cues on how to act and what to say,” he muses), and his plan for summer is to talk to “fewer than a dozen people” and read as many books as possible. However, his intentions are thwarted when 24-year-old Johanna shows up to house-sit for his neighbors. She is lighthearted, imaginative, optimistic and has breast cancer. While Finn is usually overwhelmed by human contact, Johanna's sensitivity is disarming, and she hires him to plant a garden for her as a distraction from her illness. The plot is straightforward, but Paulsen's thoughtful characters are compelling and their interactions realistic. This emotional, coming-of-age journey about taking responsibility for one's own happiness and making personal connections will not disappoint. Ages 12–up. (July)

A cute and touching book, although a little too sappy at the end.  And, the fight between the two boys did not seem real...there was no tension between them to indicate an upcoming argument.  

 

Article 5

From Publisher's Weekly…

In her debut novel, Simmons portrays a right-wing dystopian America still reeling from a vaguely described war. Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller lives quietly with her free-spirited mother, trying to avoid the puritanical Federal Bureau of Reformation and their increasingly stringent Moral Statutes. When Ember’s mother is arrested as morally suspect (she’s an unwed mother), Ember is carted off to a repressive reform school that is essentially a concentration camp. Worse, one of the soldiers involved in the arrest is Ember’s former boyfriend, Chase, now barely recognizable in military uniform. The novel details naïve Ember’s experiences first as a prisoner, then as a fugitive, with the emotionally scarred and secretive Chase as her companion. Heavy-handed in its delivery, the tale is well-written, though there are occasional clunkers (“I answered as assertively as I could. I was so mad my organs vibrated”). Simmons’s story includes a fair amount of believable action, a few mildly horrific events, and some not quite R-rated romance on its way to a conclusion that sets up the next installment in this planned trilogy. Ages 14–up

I did not like Ember's character…too sappy…disappointing book.