Captivate by Carrie Jones

In Captivate, the sequel to Need, Zara and her friends have been capturing pixies and locking them away in the house in the woods. The longer the pixies remain in the house, the worse their need to feed on blood becomes. As Zara's father, a pixie king, becomes weaker and weaker, he loses control of the pixies and opens the door for other pixie kings to take over his territory. Zara meets Astley, a rival pixie king, who wants to gain her trust and make her his queen. Zara resists all attempts to become a pixie queen but when Nick, her boyfriend, is mortally wounded will Zara make the ultimate sacrifice to save him?

With each book in this series just keep getting better. The characterization of Zara, Nick, Devin, and Izzy are totally different from each other and just as endearing in their own way. Captivate leaves Zara and friends at turning point indicating there is definitely a sequel coming. Hang in there and don't get Tinked!

Football Champ by Tim Green

In this sequel to Football Genius, Troy White is working for the Atlanta Falcons helping to read the opposing team's defense on every down. Seth Holloway, a friend of Troy's and member of the Atlanta Falcons football team, has made an enemy of a reporter named Peele. Peele has made it his life's mission to ruin Seth's career like Seth ruined his in college. Peele becomes obsessed with Troy - who is he, what is he doing talking to the coach when he is only the ball boy, who is his mother, how is he related to Seth. Peele uses his reporter credentials to sneak into the owner's box and get an interview with Troy about his abilities. Peele uses that information to accuse the Falcons of stealing plays from their opponents. The reporter doesn't stop there - he accuses Seth of using steroids. While all of this is happening, Troy's football team is heading to the playoffs and Seth, amid all the accusations of cheating and using steroids, can no longer be their coach. What starts out as an innocent interview undermines everything in Troy's life. How can Troy and his friends help Seth clear his name in time for both the Falcon's and Troy's team's playoffs.

Once again,Tim Green writes from experience as an NFL player and creates a wonderful book about truth, loyalty, friendship, and never giving up. Mr. Green's children (characters in his books are named after his children) have a say in every book he writes, hes asks them their opinion, and uses their input to create wonderful novels about sports and life outside of sports. Every Tim Green book I have read I have thoroughly enjoyed. I hope he keeps writing books for young adults for a long time.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Set at the beginning of World War I, this story follows an alternate path. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife remain the same but their son Alek is wisked away before he too is murdered. This one act sends countries around the world into war only in this alternate universe the war is fought between the Clankers, who believe in machines, and the Darwinists, who uses technology to develop new species. Alek and his four faithful followers flee Austria in a Cyklop Stormwalker similar to a walking tank, hoping to reach Switzerland and safety. Meanwhile Deryn, a girl who wants to be an airman for the British, masks herself as Daryl, because the British Air Service only accepts boys. She is lucky enough to serve on the Leviathan, a enormous flying biological ship resembling a whale. When the Germans attack, Leviathan crash lands in Switzerland. It is here that Alek's and Deryn's lives intermingle and only by working together will both survive.

Leviathan is intriguing, creative, action-packed, and a thoroughly good read. Westerfeld mingles the two stories perfectly and the events ring true. The creativity of the Clanker machines and the Darwinist creations is amazing. This book is totally different from what is out there. The ending definitely lets the reader know there is to be a sequel.

Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Cooper awakes in the hospital after a horrible car accident to find his high school football career over and a strange girl, Samantha, next to his bed. He realizes Samantha is a ghost only he can see but there are shadows surrounding intent on destroying her. Cooper knows no one will believe him about Samantha and the shadows so he keeps it to himself. As he struggles to survive the things haunting him, he meets Brent, a telepath, and reacquaints himself with Delilah, a cheerleader with secrets of her own. As the mystery of Samantha unfolds, Cooper begins to remember the accident and what exactly Samantha is if she is not a ghost. All Cooper wants is to help Samantha on her way and find peace within himself regarding the accident but everything is not as it seems.


Token of Darkness started off with a bang but ended too quickly for me. Cooper's guilt and Samantha's haunting of him is perfectly portrayed. The supporting characters seem flat at times. I felt a great ending coming but was disappointed as the story wrapped up too quickly and without a big finish.

Incarceron By Catherine Fisher

Finn, 17, a prisoner of Incarceron, whose memories of life before prison are vague dreams. Incarceron was built centuries ago to correct the evil that men do and now Incarceron rules all handing out life and death. A legend passed down over the centuries is of a man named Sapphique, who escaped Incarceron. He was the only one to do so. Now Finn, and three others are ready to follow in Sapphique's footsteps and escape the prison. Claudia, the warden's daughter, lives a sheltered life surrounded by servents but longs for escape from ther father, Incarceron's warden. Claudia has been raised to marry the heir of the kingdom where she lives, only the true heir died years ago and she now has to marry a spoiled, selfabsorbed half brother. Finn and Claudia each find a key that allows them to communicated with each other. Over time, Finn and Claudia learn to trust each other and vow to help each other obtain freedom. As with any path taken, there are twists and turn in their journey to help each other. In a startling, unexpected turn Claudia and Finn come face to face.

Detailed, savage, and dark, Incarceron takes the reader into a world of survival and deceipt. The characters are neither all good or all bad and each has his/her own agenda for their actions. Finn's guilt and loyalty tug at him each step of the way. Claudia battles what has been taught to her as duty and what she thinks is right. If you are looking for a light fluffy read, this isn't it. Be prepared to be sucked into the world of Incarceron and to stay there for awhile.

Triskellion 2: The Burning Will Peterson

After escaping the eerie village of Triskellion, Rachel and Adam are looking forward to going home in New York only the Hope Project has another agenda for the twins. Separated from their mother, Kate, Adam and Rachel are treated very well until the head of Project Hope, Van der Zee, wants more from them. Rachel and Adam are joined by a younger set of twins, Morag and Duncan, whose powers are far more developed than Rachel's and Adam's. Escape seems to be the only solution and Gabriel is there to help. On the run from the people at Project Hope and a mysterious new enemy, Gabriel leads the twins on a winding journey that only he knows where it will end. Finding help and betrayal along the way, Rachel and Adam only hope to survive, find a way to end this madness, and be reunited with their mother.

Triskellion 2: The Burning is full of adventure, betrayl, secrets, and lies. The reader never knows who to trust and to what end those they meet along the way want. I liked this book as well as the first book but I would strongly recommend to read both books close together because the stories are full of detail. It took some time for me to remember bits and pieces of the first book before I could understand a reference.

Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund

Aerin Redding has been enslaved for six years on a distant planet when the ship her father was flying crashlanded. Now Aerin has had enough of the beatings, hard labor, and too little to eat. She repairs her father's ship and barely escapes out of the planet's atmosphere before the ship starts falling apart again. Sending out an SOS she hopes will be heard, Aerin hopes to be rescued. Aerin is taken aboard a merchant ship where she begins to heal from her enslavement. The merchant ship's captain encourages her to take the entrance exam for Academy 7, an exclusive school for only the smartest students in preparation to serve as protectors of the Alliance, Aerin makes top scores and is admitted. While at Academy 7, she meets Dane Madousin, a rebellious son of a high ranking officer in the Alliance and overcritical dad. Both harbor a secret that will tear their lives apart but without each other nothing will ever be right.

I liked this book - full of adventure, mystery, and characters who seem real. The book moves quickly and is easy to read. Students stay at Academy 7 for three years so I foresee two more books in the series.

Destiny's Path by Frewin Jones

After saving her village from invading Saxons, Branwen is sent her next quest for The Shining Ones. This time it is the Man of the Forest, Govannon, who sends help in the form of an owl-girl, Blodwedd. Branwen is to stop the slaughter and defeat of the castle at The Place of the Singing Gulls. The Place of the Singing Gulls is the first line of defense for Branwen and her people. If the castle falls to the Saxons, all their lives hang in the balance. Dodging the troops of Prince Llew (who will arrest her and Rhodri on sight), Branwen and friends become witnesses to a cruel betrayal knowing no one will believe them. As she strives to save those in the castle, help comes from an unexpected source - the creatures of Govannon's realm.

This is a very good sequel to Warrior Princess. Branwen is a reluctant heroine, wanting only to go home and help her mother rebuild her home. The reader experiences her struggle to do what is expected of her and having no choice to follow the path someone else has selected for her. It is her struggle and her friendships that make Branwen special. Since there are four Shining Ones and her next quest is to the Woman of the Mountains, I foresee two more sequels in this series. If you like adventure, battles, court intrigue, and courage, this book has it all.

MIllion Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica

Nate Brodie's purchase of an autographed Tom Brady football allows him to enter into a drawing for the Million Dollar Throw at a New England Patriots' game Thanksgiving night. To Nate's surprise, he wins that chance and that is when things go from bad to worse. Nate's father has lost his job, his mother has gotten a second job, his best friend's eyesight is getting worse, and he is no longer the star quarterback for his school's football team. As Thanksgiving gets closer, begins to fold under the pressure. Nate isn't sure what he is going to do to make things right because the one million dollars can make a huge difference in the life of his family and his best friend.

Lupica has done it again - he has written a wonderful story of friendship and family with the backdrop of football. This is a great sports book for boys or girls. You can't help but love the characters and how friends help one another overcome obstacles.

Epitaph Road by David Patneaude

Set in 2097, Kellen lives in a world where the male population has be decimated by the Elisha's Bear plague that struck in 2067. There is about one male for every 19 females. The world is now a better place with no war, hunger, poverty, and violence and run totally by women. Men can only hold certain jobs where they can do "no damage" to society and must have "minders" to be out and about. Most of the surviving men have become "loners", living is isolated towns or up in the wilderness away from the women who run world. Kellen overhears his mom and Aunt Paige arguing over something having to do with his father, Charlie. Piecing things together, he knows Elisha's Bear isn't just a some naturally occuring plague but created to be used whenever the women feel a justification for its use. Right now the place that will be hit is Afterlight, the settlement where Kellen's dad lives. Kellen, and two girl cousins, Tia and Sunday, head out to warn Kellen's dad. Once there, they uncover a terrifying secret about Elisha's Bear - there isn't just one.

Eerie, terrifying, and all too possible. As the story unwinds and betrayal unfolds, Kellen's world is turned upside down. This story is definitely draws the reader in and grows more terrifying as the story unfolds. A great story of what human kind does to itself in the name of a better world. This is a must read!

Cherub: The Recruit by Robert Muchamore

James and his half sister, Lauren, live with their mom in a dump of an apartment and always seems to be in trouble coming home battered and bruised. When their mom dies, Lauren goes to live with her physically abusive, no-good dad and James goes to an orphanage where chances of being placed in a foster home is slim to none. One arrest too many lands James at a secret Cherub recruiting base where he will be trained to be a spy for the British government. If he survives the 100 day basic training he will become a Cherub agent. His first mission is to infiltrate a hippie commune and find out who is planning to kill Petrocon convention attendees. Just when things are going great, James uncovers the plan to be unleashed at Petrocan and now his life is on the line.

Now that the Alex Rider series has ended, Cherub is a great replacement for an adventure, spy story with a male protagonist. The action was fast paced, James' basic training was brutal but real, and the twists and turns keep the action going until the end of the book. There are a few British slang words but nothing that can't be understood from the context of the sentence. There is a sequel and I can't wait to read it.

A Coven of Witches by Joseph Delaney

A collection of short stories filling in the gaps in The Last Apprentice series. The collection includes the story of how the spook Gregory fell in love with Meg Skelton, Alice's first year with Bony Lizzie, and two others dealing with witches found in the pages of the series.

This is the second book in the series like this and I find background stories of the events and characters interesting. It also helps to understand the reasons why the characters do what they do.

Hawksmaid by Kathryn Lasky

Matty, the daughter of Nottingham's most famous falconer, lives a life of poverty in castle partially destroyed by Prince John's forces. Her mother murdered and her father never the same after her mother's death, Matty learns what it is like to go hungry and fear punishment for hunting in the surrounding forest. As things get worse and people are starving to death, Matty, Fynn, Rich, and John find ways to help those who can't help themselves. King Richard has been fighting in the Crusades and his brother, Prince John's tyranny has become unbearable. Matty becomes Maid Marian, Fynn becomes Robin Hood, John becomes Little John, and Rich remains Rich. Robbing from the rich and giving to the poor angers Prince John and now there is a price on their heads. To rescue King Richard, Robin Hood and his Merry Men set out on a dangerous mission to release King Richard and end Prince John's horrible reign.

A wonderful story of how Maid Marian, Robin Hood and his Merry Men came to be and what made them legendary. It is a story of suffering, strength, perserverence, and the determination to make things right.

Word After Word After Word by Patricia MacLachlan

As the end of the school year approaches, a new teacher steps into Lucy's classroom and the world changes for her and her four friends. Ms. Mirabel brings magical words,a new way of seeing the world and a wonderful journey into writing. As poems are written and stories unfold, the lives of Lucy, Henry, Evie, Russell, and May are exposed and changed forever.

I don't know how Patricia MacLachlan does it. She puts a complete, beautiful, inspiring story in 125 pages. I am once again moved to tears by the beauty and honesty of this story. You have to experience this wonderful,must-read novel yourself.

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Liam has always been tall for his age. He should just give up and bring his birth certificate with him every where he goes. It does have its advantages - he can test drive a car or be mistaken for a new teacher. So Liam decides to use his height as an advantage - he uses his adult appearance to go to China for the thrill ride of his life. Liam, Florida (his best friend)and three other students take a ride into outerspace. One button push out of order leaves the five lost in space.

I enjoyed this book because it was funny, different, and easy to read. It was a good break from faery/werewolf/vampire stories. It was really nice to read something funny and outrageous.

The Season by Sarah MacLean

Set in 1815 England, Lady Alexandra and her two girlfriends, Lady Vivian and Lady Eleanor, don't exactly fit into British society. They are expected to be shy, dimwitted,and thoroughly charming but Alex, Vivi, and Ella are just the opposite - smart, informed,and outspoken-things that scare aware potential suitors. All three girls are about to enter the marriage market and feel more like cattle at an auction than debutantes. Gavin, a close family friend, suddenly becomes the Earl of Blackmoor after the untimely death of his father. He doesn't believe his father's death was an accident but has no way of proving it. Alex, Vivi, and Ella get entangled in the mystery of the death of Gavin's father and the traitor who is selling military secrets to the French and now Alex's life is at stake. She may even lose her heart along the way.

In the midst of supernatural/paranormal fiction, this book is a breath of fresh air. Totally unique and engaging and a joy to read. The details of Regency England do not overshadow the characters or the plot. The subtle romance between Alex and Gavin is perfect. The three friends are portrayed realistically and are exactly what best friends should be. Supportive parents, quirky characters, and a touch of romance and mystery are in perfect balance in the debut novel for young adults.

Grey Griffins: The Brimstone Key by Derek Benz and J. S. Lewis

The Grey Griffins, Harley, Ernie, Natalia, and Max, are back in another great adventure. The Grey Griffins are enrolled in Iron Bridge, a school where recruits for the Knights Templar are trained. The Clockwork King has returned to finish what he started years ago - putting the souls of changelings into robots - creating an unstoppable mechanical army. Now one of the Grey Griffins is at risk - Ernie. To save Ernie and other changeling children, the Grey Griffins must take back the Brimstone Key from the Clockwork King, otherwise known as Von Strife, and stop his mechanical army before it is too late.

This book was easy to read and easy to follow even if you haven't read the first Grey Griffin trilogy. It was nice to come back to the world of the Grey Griffins and be plunged into another adventure. If you like adventure stories, try this one.