Hidden

Wren Abbott was hiding in the back seat of her mother's minivan the day it was stolen from a gas station parking lot.

Darra Monson's father is the man who stole that minivan.

As eight year old girls, these two met without meeting in an experience that would change both of them forever.

Now it is six years later, and each girl has her own memory and interpretation of that time together.  Wren is headed off to summer camp like she does every year, but as she is reconnecting with old friends, she hears a voice, sees a face from the past that paralyzes her with an old long buried anxiety.

Darra doesn't want to go to some summer camp for rich kids with perfect lives.  She feels there stares and hears their whispers as she and her mom pull up in their rusted out car.  Then she sees someone she never thought she'd see again.  Wren looks the same, older, but the same.

Now these two girls are caught up in a web of emotions and secrets that may not allow them to see the truth about who they are now or about what happened all those year's ago.

Helen Frost's new novel is written in verse, so it is a quick but intense read.  Be sure to read the author's note at the end, so you can go back into the story for something extra!

Wish

Fifteen-year-old Bee is a perfectionist.  She makes perfect grades and is president of her class at school.  She is even perfect in her devotion to her younger brother, Tommy, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, a disease that causes his lungs to fill with mucus and makes his breathing difficult, but Bee doesn't resent Tommy.  The siblings have a deep and loving relationship, and they understand and respect each other better than anyone else.

Tommy's interest in sharks has won a trip to dive with them from a foundation that grants wishes for children with terminal diseases, so Tommy, Bee, and their mother are headed from New Hampshire to California.  His cystic fibrosis will make everything about the trip a little more dangerous, but Bee is always by his side to make sure he has everything he needs from medication to breathing treatments to a special vest that vibrates the mucus in his lungs.

Before the plane even lands, things are not perfect.  Bee is frustrated by her mother's constant need to for male attention, and even this trip for Tommy is no different.  Her mother begins a flirtation on the plane that irritates perfectionist Bee.  The dive trip itself is not what Tommy had hoped, but he tries to keep a positive attitude.

It isn't until Bee and Tommy set off on an unscheduled adventure of their own that Tommy can really enjoy the trip.  Not only will he have a once in a lifetime experience, but they will both meet real friends who give them the kind of understanding and support they have been craving.

For Bee, this trip started as an experience for Tommy, something to make his wish come true, but she will discover some truths about herself including some wishes of her own.

I love this book!  It is a beautiful story about the sea and love.  You should read it!

Link to the author's website here.

2012-2013 Lone Star List

Belly Up

Teddy Fitzroy spent his childhood in Africa with his mother, the gorilla expert, and his father, the wildlife photographer.  It was a life filled with adventure and animals, but now his parents have decided that he might need something a little more stable for teen years.

That's where FunJungle comes in.  FunJungle is the most amazing zoo in America with the best animal habitats and some of the best zoologists and zookeepers in the world.  It's not Africa, but Teddy does enjoy his days of freedom in zoological theme park.

Then, disaster strikes.  Henry the Hippo dies unexpectedly, and Teddy is suspicious.  Maybe someone took out Henry on purpose; maybe it was murder.

At first no one believes Teddy, so he investigates on his own, but this leaves him in some disgusting and dangerous situations.  By the time his mother starts to believe him, he is in danger of becoming the hippo killer's next victim!

This was a great mystery with humor and plenty of plot twists.  I also liked the relationship Teddy has with his parents.  It's great to see a kid in a YA book who has reliable, trustworthy, and trusting parents!

Click here to link to the author's website.

2012-2013 Lone Star List

This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

This is a reimagining of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein which just means the author took the basic ideas of the original story and looked at them in a different way or in this case, fleshed out part of the story.  Oppel looks at Victor Frankenstein as a teenager.  Victor and his twin brother, Konrad, are best friends, but that doesn't mean there isn't a touch or jealousy and competition in their relationship.  This competitiveness only increases for Victor when he thinks of the lovely Elizabeth. 

Life is relatively peaceful until Konrad becomes unexpectedly ill, and all medical efforts fail.  Victor remembers a dark library hidden in the house with alchemy books and papers.  He struggles to create an Elixir of Life to save his brother and to glorify himself.  Victor and Elizabeth must battle vicious creatures and cunning enemies to meet their goal, but Victor finds the danger exhilarating. 

This book was a heart pounding thrill ride that manages to be character driven at the same time.  Oppell looks further into Victor's motivations than the original story does, and he creates a character who is believable and disturbing.

The best compliment I can give This Dark Endeavor is it inspired me to read the original Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.  I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I'd never read it, but I thought I knew the story based on a jumble of movie clips and cultural references.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was wrong and that Shelley's novel provokes questions about loneliness and personal responsibility.  We also have Shelley's book here in the library.  Both are challenging reads, so I would recommend them for 8th graders and 7th graders who are strong readers.

This Dark Endeavor was also named as part of the 2012-2013 Lone Star List!