Review: Wonder by R J Palacio

Wonder by R. J. PalacioWonder
R J Palacio
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published February 14, 2012

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Fifth grade student August Pullman faces his first day at school. After being homeschooled for his entire previous education, his parents have decided it’s time for him to be around other kids his age. He’s prepared academically. He’s even met a couple of students already who’ve been very kind. But no one has prepared the rest of the school for August and his unusual appearance. When some students turn cruel, Auggie and his few friends band together, determined to outlast the hazing.

The story is first narrated … Continue reading

Review: Marked (House of Night #1) by PC Cast and Kristin Cast

Marked by PC CastMarked (House of Night Series #1)
PC Cast and Kristin Cast
St. Martin’s Griffin
Published May 1, 2007

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Zoe’s friends and family totally flip out when she’s marked as a vampire. An instant outcast, she retreats to her grandmother’s house for some much-needed advice and then turns herself over to the House of Night, a sort of boarding school for fledgling vampires. There she’ll be educated and wait to see if her body is strong enough to undergo the transformation into an adult vampire.
Even among other fledglings, Zoe is far from normal. Her vampirism seems to be developing at an … Continue reading

Review: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

The Hero and the Crown (Damar #2)
Robin McKinley
Open Road Integrated Media
Published November 18, 2014 (Orig. 1984)

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About The Hero and the Crown

Surrounded by royalty blessed with magical ability and rumors of her mother’s despised foreign ancestry, Aerin never felt at ease as the king’s daughter. Desperate to escape her loneliness, she befriends a retired war horse with a weak leg and stumbles onto an ancient recipe for a fireproof lotion. When rumor of a small dragon terrorizing pasture animals and children in a nearby village reaches Aerin’s ears, she decides to ride out from the castle alone and attack the … Continue reading

Review: Everblue by Brenda Pandos

Everblue by Brenda PandosEverblue (Mer Tales #1)
Brenda Pandos
Obsidian Mountain Publishing
Published March 22, 2012

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When Ashlynn’s best friend disappears with her family, she worries that it has something to do with a family secret. And it does. Only, Ash thinks the family secret is that Tatchi’s dad is an alcoholic… the real secret is: she’s a mermaid, one of the Mer people. So is her hot twin brother, Fin, whom Ash can’t help drooling over.

Just when he has a chance to connect with the beautiful and forbidden Ashlynn, Fin is forced to return to Natatoria, the home of the Mer people, with … Continue reading

Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet by Marissa MeyerScarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2)
Marissa Meyer
Feiwel & Friends
Published February 5, 2013

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When Scarlet’s grandmother goes missing, the police quickly dismiss her absence as a crazy old lady who has run away of her own free will. Scarlet knows different. Grandma would never just disappear like this. Following a trail of clues leads her to a mysterious street fighter called Wolf who claims to be a former member of an elite, deadly gang who may be responsible for Grandma’s disappearance. With Wolf’s reluctant help, Scarlet sets out to rescue her Grandma.

Cinder’s newly awakened Lunar powers enable her to escape from … Continue reading

Review: The Map to Everywhere by Carrie Ryan and John Park Davis

Map to Everywhere by Ryan and DavisThe Map to Everywhere
Carrie Ryan and John Parke Davis
Little, Brown Books For Young Readers
Published November 4, 2014

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Master Thief Fin is used to being forgettable. Moments after meeting him, no one remembers who he is. Until he meets Marrill, that is. Danger lurks around every turn when the two are swept up in a daring quest to find the missing pieces to assemble the Map to Everywhere. Fin hopes the key will lead him to his mother. Marrill simply wants to escape the fickle Pirate Stream and get back to her blessedly normal Arizona home. In … Continue reading