Uprising

Uprising
By Margaret Peterson Haddix
Teen Fiction - Main Level - HADDIX

This is a book about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911. It is told in three voices: Bella is an immigrant teenager from Italy. She came to America in order to get a job and send money back to her starving family in Italy.  Yetta is a Jewish teenager from Russia. She and her sister Rahel fled from Russia to escape the pogroms, and hope to save enough money to bring the rest of their family to America too.  Jane is the daughter of a wealthy factory owner in New York. All three girls find themselves a part of the suffragist movement, and also striking for better working conditions. While this book is shelved in the Teen Zone, it is every bit as much a book for adult readers. One of the best books I've read all year!

Reckless

Reckless by Cornelia Funke and Lionel Wigram. Translated by Oliver Latsch. Read by Eliott Hill.
 Teen CD Books - Main Level - FUNKE

Once upon a time, a father disappeared, leaving his wife and two sons. One night, his oldest son went into his abandoned study and discovered that the dark mirror on his wall was really a portal to a parallel world, one where fairies and fairy tales were real. Years later, Jacob Reckless still divided his time between the fairy tale world and our world, but spent more and more time in the pretend world, where he kept looking for his father. He was at least able to ignore the problems in his life in the real world until the time when his little brother caught him leaving and insisted on coming with him. They had a chance encounter with some goyl, living gargoyle-like creatures of stone, and Will was infected with the stone plague, cursed to turn slowly to goyl. Now Jacob must use his skills and contacts as a hunter of legendary treasures from the old tales to find a cure for his brother before he is turned completely to stone. With Jacob and Will are Jacob’s friend Fox, a fox-girl; and Clara, Will’s doctor girlfriend.

It took a little while for me to get into this book – Jacob abandoning his little brother and their failing, grief-stricken mother isn’t at first a sympathetic character. It wasn’t until everyone started off on the mission in the fairy tale world that the story started to come together. Once it does, though the quest is nearly impossible and the obstacles enormous, the characters and the detailed world are just as important as the plot. It’s a dark fairy tale world, one where they find Sleeping Beauty, still looking young and beautiful but just as clearly dead, and where they make their way through a dark and dangerous wood to the abandoned home of a child-eating witch. (I appreciated that there were also healing witches, who’d recently formally separated themselves from their “child-eating sisters”.) The happy endings may be make-believe, but the magic of the world is still seductive and compelling. Meanwhile, our characters: Jacob is dealing with tons of guilt for having left his brother for so long and for letting something so bad happen to Will. Fox, born a human but more comfortable as a fox, is just moving from puppy-worship of Jacob to a more adult and decidedly more uncomfortable attraction. Will and Clara are watching his humanity and his memories of being human fade while stranded in a hostile world. It’s a little curious that this was billed as teen, because all of our main characters are in their 20s. Still, while there’s violence, it’s low on overt sexuality, and the struggles of slightly older than usual orphans trying to find their way is appealing to teens. The world edges a bit closer to horror than I usually like, but the characters were engrossing enough for me to overlook this. I enjoyed it quite a lot, and am moving on to the second book in the series, Fearless, out last month.

Etiquette & Espionage

Etiquette & Espionage. Finishing School Book the First. by Gail Carriger.
Teen Zone New Fiction – Main Level – CARRIGER

This book starts a new series, set in the same world as Carriger’s popular Parasol Protectorate series, but some years earlier. Sophronia Angelina Temminnick, aged 14 or 15, spends most of her time in the stables or taking household machinery apart. She’s horrified when her mother decides to send her to finishing school, packing her off within an hour of hearing of Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. In the carriage, she meets Dimity Ann Plumleigh-Teignmott, also headed to Mademoiselle Geraldine’s, and her younger brother Pillover, who is going to Bunson and Lacroix’s Boys’ Polytechnique. She soon learns that Mademoiselle Geraldine’s is no ordinary finishing school – as is obvious the moment she discovers it’s a school floating above the moors. She will indeed be taught how to curtsey and dance along with the best, but also how to include poison in her budget and discreetly do off with only some of her dinner guests. Right at the beginning, she learns of a missing prototype – an older classmate, Monique, has mislaid it, and both the teachers and some sky pirates are after it. Sophronia sets out to solve the mystery herself with assistance from Dimity, a coal shoveler named Soap with a winning smile and African dark skin under the coal dust, and Vieve, the young cross-dressing daughter of one of the teachers. Those familiar with the earlier series will recognize Sidheag and brief mentions of the Westminster Hive and Connal. There is adventure, humor, and the beginnings of a sweet cross-class interracial romance. Sophronia may be willing to bend societal expectations as far as associating with people of different classes, but Victorian propriety keeps any budding romance at a level appropriate for much younger than today’s teens, and certainly at a level where the romance doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the story. (There’s plenty here to entertain boys, despite the girly cover.) All in all, Carriger does not disappoint. Fans and those wishing to introduce teens or older middle-grade students to the pleasures of steampunk would do well to look into it, as would fans of Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls series.

The Raven Boys

The Raven Boys. Book 1 of the Raven Cycle. Read by Will Patton. by Maggie Stiefvater
Teen Zone CD Books – Main Level – STIEFVATER
Teen Zone New Fiction – Main Level - STIEFVATER

I loved Steifvater’s Wolves of Mercy Fall series, and couldn’t wait to read this one, higher on the adventure and so far a bit lower on the romance than that series.

"There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark's Eve," Neeve said. "Either you're his true love . . . or you killed him."

Sixteen-year-old Blue Sargent has grown up the only non-psychic in a family of psychic women, but with the unique ability to strengthen other people’s psychic powers. The “family” includes an assortment of aunts by blood and friendship, including Blue’s newly-arrived half-aunt Neeve. Every psychic Blue has ever met has told Blue that if she ever kisses her true love, he will die. So Blue has made rules for herself: stay away from boys, because boys are trouble. Even more, stay away from Aglionby Academy boys, because they are even worse. But this year, things start to change. At the Death Watch in a ruined church on St. Mark’s Eve, there just to help Neeve see the spirits of the future dead as they walk by, Blue sees the shadowy spirit of a boy, whom she can tell by the raven on his sweater is an Aglionby boy, and who says his name is Gansey. Soon, they meet in person, and Blue is integrated into the small team of his friends, despite her distrust of his family money, good looks, and charisma. (Go Blue! Way to not be instantly swept off your feet by money with a handsome face!) Instead, she’s drawn to one of Gansey’s other friends, Adam, a quiet boy whose accent in unguarded moments reveals him to be a local (poor) boy, unlike the usual wealthy Raven Boys. The other two boys in the group include the angry, shaved-head Ronan (featured on the cover of the second book) and shy and “smudgy” Noah. They are all bound together by Gansey’s passionate quest to find the ley line he believes runs through Henrietta, which he believes will lead him to the sleeping Welsh king Glendower.

There are all sorts of mystical elements in this book: ley lines, magic rituals, tarot cards, trees that speak Latin, old cars (ok, those are less mystical for me), which delighted me. But there’s also a whole lot of real truth, as well, in the power of love in Blue’s family and the sturdy bonds of friendship, forged quickly in the intensity of their quest. All of the major characters – with the notable and clearly purposeful exception of Neeve – have clearly relatable back-stories and non-magical issues. I couldn’t help loving both Adam and Gansey; the brutally honest Ronan, as my love says, we respect without liking. I loved the male friendships, the late nights helping a friend in trouble as often or more as the late nights over gelato or pizza. While this is only the beginning of the story, and Blue is still very tentative about any romance, the love triangle of Blue and Adam or Gansey is clear from the very beginning, and it’s the best love triangle I’ve read in a very long time. It’s not angsty or forced, but just a group of friends with excellent potential, either one of whom could be very good with Blue.

Will Patton, the narrator, has a gravelly Southern voice which at first struck me as odd, considering that our first-introduced character is a teen girl. However, he proved himself excellently versatile, giving convincing voices to the wide array of male and female characters spanning a range of ages in the story. I’m far from an expert in Virginia accents, but people were described as having a variety of them in the book, and they were there to hear. That is one of my favorite aspects of audio books, as I’m liable to think any character in my own accent unless I concentrate on it or it’s mentioned – hearing the individual voices makes the characters come that much more alive. This audio book also includes Maggie Stiefvater’s original theme music for the book, played at the beginning and end, and performed by herself and her friends. It is haunting and atmospheric and makes me wish I could get a whole soundtrack for the book to listen to. Altogether, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am anxiously waiting for book two, the Dream Thieves, due out in September.

Son

Son by Lois Lowry
Teen Zone New Fiction – Main Level – LOWRY

In this sequel to The Giver, Lois Lowry pulls together characters from the previous three books in ‘The Giver Quartet’ in a satisfying conclusion. Following Claire, a teenage girl chosen to be a ‘birthmother’, Son tells the tale of what happens when this young girl is unable to come to terms with being separated from her baby. Risking everything to be reunited with her son, Claire finds herself in new, strange places that are nothing like the community in which she was raised.

Readers young and old who loved any or all books in ‘The Giver Quartet’ will enjoy this page-turner that brings them back to the dystopia first created in The Giver. In this long-awaited conclusion, Lowry takes readers on an emotional and nostalgic journey that brings many of the quartet’s loose ends together at last.

The Convicts

The Convicts by Iain Lawrence
Teen Zone Fiction-Main Level LAWRENCE


Tom Tin’s life is about to get horribly worse. A young teen in 19th century London, Tom has already experienced the death of his sister, the ensuing madness of his mother, and finally Tom has to watch his father being thrown in debtor’s prison. Tom’s fortunes briefly appear to be turning around when he finds a diamond on the shoreline. However, Tom’s diamond is lost during a botched grave robbing attempt while soon afterwards a case of mistaken identity and false accusations will put Tom in a prison ship for boys. Here, he will have to find the strength to simply survive let alone possibly escape.

The Convicts by Iain Lawrence is the first part of a trilogy concerning Tom Tin and his friends. The novel is an excellent book for readers who are looking for a story with adventure or one that has characters overcoming adversity and changing for the better. Tom does not start out as a particularly noble young boy. He is more than a little selfish, self-serving, and sometimes even cruel. By the end however, he starts to value and look out for his friends and family more than before his ordeal. An enjoyable historical fiction read for any age.

Between

Between by Jessica Warman
Teen Zone Fiction - Main Level - Warman

Liz Valchar dies on her 18th birthday, and then spends the next several months with another dead teenager. They visit old memories and watch their family and friends, trying to figure out what happened to them. Liz and her friends are all rich, privileged teens with secrets and problems they hide from each other - and even from themselves in some cases.

Themes and subjects include: death, teens, anorexia, wealth, drowning, drug use, ghosts, afterlife, murder, and unsolved crimes. In other words, it is filled with lots of angst, fear, and worry, but ultimately peace and redemption. This haunting novel is recommended to mature teens and adults.

Marcelo in the Real World

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
Teen Zone Fiction - Main Level - Stork

Marcelo Sandoval is a seventeen year old boy. He is high-functioning on the autistic spectrum, similar to Asperger's Syndrome. He goes to a special school where they keep horses, and Marcelo plans to spend his summer working as Stable Boy. His father has other plans.

Marcelo's father, Arturo, wants Marcelo to spend the summer working in his law firm. He wants Marcelo to experience the "real world," away from other autistic kids and with other "normal" working adults. He also wants Marcelo to finish high school in the public school system. Marcelo feels comfortable at his special school, though, and the thought of attending public school puts fear into his heart. The deal is that if Marcelo successfully finishes a summer working at the law firm, Arturo will let him decide where he finishes high school.

This is a great story. Marcelo's thought process and the way he approaches problems is interesting and at times even funny. What an interesting look into the mind of a highly intelligent, unique, young man! Marcelo's understanding - and misunderstanding - of people and situations will keep you turning pages in this quick read. Highly recommended!

Bitterblue

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
Teen Zone New Fiction – Main Level – Cashore

In Cashore’s first book, Graceling, our heroes defeated the sadistic King Leck, whose Grace allowed him to force people to hurt themselves or others and believe that nothing bad was happening. They rescued his ten-year-old daughter, Bitterblue, and set her on the throne with a team of advisors. Now Bitterblue is 18 and trying to repair the damage her father did to the kingdom. We’re talking kidnapping girls from every village in the kingdom just as a start, so this is no small matter. Her advisors are for the most part men who served her father, as well. They have decided that what the kingdom needs is forwardthinkingness, so that nothing from Leck’s reign will be discussed or brought up for trial. All crimes committed during the reign are forgiven, because Leck could have forced any crime. But Bitterblue feels that she needs to know what her father did and what’s going on with the kingdom now if she is to do her job. She starts sneaking out at night, finding the hidden pubs where people tell stories, often obliquely related to what happened during Leck’s reign. The very first night she is out, she befriends two young trouble-makers, Saf and Teddy, giving her name as Sparks to protect her anonymity. Thus her trying to find out the truth starts out with lies, which always complicate matters. Katsa and Po make brief visits from time to time, but they are busy trying to topple evil kings in other nearby kingdoms, and so cannot stay. The more Bitterblue learns, the more she realizes that the problems in the kingdom are deep. They did not die along with Leck, and she must find out who among her advisors she can trust and who is perpetuating the problems. Bitterblue journeys through darkness trying to understand her father, comparing remembering and forgetting as paths to healing. There’s a lot of dealing with ciphers, as Bitterblue’s mother taught her the theories of ciphers in secret, and both her parents used ciphers to keep their secrets. And while Bitterblue’s darkness is dark indeed, there’s still light to balance it, from the beauty of art and the joy of friendship, with a bit of early romance. It was very satisfying to see Bitterblue find her way towards a more open justice. It’s not for reading when one needs unicorns and rainbows (one does, sometimes), but it is a hopeful treatment of a dark subject.

Empress of the World

Empress of the World by Sara Ryan
Teen Zone Fiction Ryan

Nicola Lancaster attends a summer camp for the talented and gifted. She hopes to discover whether she can make her dream of becoming an archeologist a reality. She uncovers more than artifacts, though, when she meets Battle Davies. Battle has the grace of a dancer, the reserve of a preacher’s daughter, and the defensiveness of someone shielding an emotional wound. Battle’s older brother, Nick, ran away from home and has not been heard from since. Battle keeps the pain she feels over Nick’s absence a secret. Among their friends at camp, only Nicola knows about Nick. She wants to do something for Battle—make a sweeping gesture that will set her world right again. She also wants to sort out her own feelings regarding Battle. She’s been attracted to boys before, but now finds herself fancying another girl. Ryan expertly captures how tricky it is to negotiate a new relationship—especially when you are unsure of your own identity.

The False Prince

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Teen Zone New Fiction – Main Level - NIELSEN

High-spirited orphan Sage, always a troublemaker at his orphanage, is sold to the noble Lord Conner, who is buying up orphans the right age who resemble Prince Jaron. Prince Jaron was lost four years ago, and presumed to have been killed by the pirates who took the ship he was on. Lord Conner’s plan is to train all four boys to impersonate the prince, and thus prevent the civil war that would otherwise break out when it’s discovered that the king, queen, and crown prince have all been poisoned. There’s a lot at stake, as it’s clear from the get-go that the boys who don’t get chosen won’t have any future at all. While Sage refuses, somewhat inexplicably, to buckle down to his studies, the other boys are doing their level best, including studious and sycophantic Tobias and the less educated but tough and street-smart Roden. Sage is too smart to want to be a pretend prince, forever doing Lord Conner’s bidding, but he’s walking a tightrope between making it clear that he won’t give in to Conner’s demands while co-operating just enough not to get booted out altogether. All too often, his open defiance gets him hard knocks from Conner’s toughs. He’s got two weeks to learn enough to stay in the contest, figure out what Lord Conner’s real motives are (surely not as virtuous as he claims), and find a way to get out of the whole situation alive, preferably saving the lives of the other boys as well. Sage is cagey about his history, even with the reader, and it’s clear he’s got secrets of his own. Having read reviews of this other places, I already knew the Big Secret. (Hint: why does Sage both refuse to pretend to be the prince forever if he’s chosen and tell Conner “I am your prince.”?) Theoretically, knowing this ahead of time could have spoiled the book for me, like already known whodunit in a mystery. Not so. There are still so many gaps in Sage’s story, past and future (and present, the wily kid) that I was sucked in. Ultimately, Sage has to decide if he should go for being a prince or not – and how to get there without Conner coming with him if he does. As I get tired of books leaving me hanging waiting for the next in the series, I was somewhat surprised to see that the catalog record for this says “Ascendance Trilogy Book 1”. Nielsen has been very considerate with her series making: while I definitely want to read more of Sage’s adventures, this is a nicely rounded story in its own right, without being awkwardly chopped off at the right page count. The False Prince combines strong characters with fast and tricky plotting, similar to – dare I invoke the name? – Megan Whalen Turner’s the Queen’s Thief series. That series has similarly strong characters who hold on to their secrets to the end, combined with top-level politics with a small number of players, though the gods and magic don’t play a noticeable role in The False Prince. That means that despite it not being set in any place definitely on our earth and having a very similar feel to fantasy books, it not really fantasy. Still, highly entertaining and well worth reading.

Guardian

Guardian by Julius Lester
Teen Zone Fiction-Main Level - Lester

Here's a small (119 pages) book by the award-winning Julius Lester. If you have not read anything by him, I encourage you to give him a try! Fair warning, though: his books are gritty and unapologetic. This is powerful stuff. Parents are encouraged to read before or with their mature teens! There is difficult language, implied (though not graphic) sexual situations, and violence.

This is the story of two boys in a small town in Mississippi in 1946. One (Ansel) is white, the son of a general store owner. The other (Willie) is black, the son of a handyman. The town of Davis is named for the Davis family, and Zeph Davis III terrorizes everyone in it. He is mean, nasty, and as racist as they come. When Willie’s father witnesses Zeph committing a horrible crime, he is afraid that he will be blamed for it – which he is. He is lynched, even though everyone in town knows that Zeph is to blame. They are afraid to publicly blame the young, rich white teenager.

The adult nature of this story is actually appropriate for its time and place, and makes the impact that it is meant to make. It is not easy to read, but the message resonates. This is historical fiction that evokes serious emotions, and which is so important that we never forget.

Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature

Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande
Teen Zone Fiction-Main Level - Brande

Mena Reese has a rough start to high school. Her old friends hate her. Even her parents won't talk to her. The worst part, though, is that she believes she did the right thing. It's just that her church disagrees. Church is the most important thing to Mena's friends and family, and to be kicked out hurts her deeply. (You'll have to read the book to find out what she did!)

Enter Casey Connor, who has been assigned by biology teacher Ms. Shepherd to be Mena's lab partner. He is a super-smart science geek, and Mena quickly learns to trust him. His family is warm and friendly, and she loves hanging out with them. She has to lie to her parents, who won't allow her to socialize with a boy, but she thinks it's worth it. One of the lessons Mena learns throughout the story is that lying is never a good idea. As Ms. Shepherd says, "Lying is for the weak-minded. If you can’t think of a truthful way to solve your problems, you’re not thinking hard enough.”

When Ms. Shepherd starts teaching a unit on evolution, Mena's ex-church friends revolt. Mena begins to see things a little differently, influenced by the Connors. Things she never would have questioned in the past are now not so clear to her. How can she hold on to her beliefs without the support system of her church, but also accept the science that now seems so obvious to her? Can she have both?

While religion is a major theme in this book, the lessons Mena learns about respect and tolerance are universal. Anyone of any belief (or non-belief) affiliation can appreciate this story.

Fracture

Fracture by Megan Miranda
Teen Zone New Fiction - MainLevel - MIRANDA

17-year-old Delaney Maxwell was pulled from an icy lake, dead. Somehow, they revived her and she was in a coma for a week. When she awoke, her brain scans showed irreparable damage...and yet, she seemed perfectly fine. She could walk, talk, and understand everything just as she did before the accident. Repeated brain scans showed the same thing: a brain in a basically vegetative state.

Even stranger, though, is the "itching" and "pulling" that Delaney feels sometimes. She finds herself drawn to certain places: places with dying people. She begins to think she's either predicting those deaths or causing them. Then she meets Troy Varga, who emerged from a coma with the same ability. Delaney is relieved to have a kindred spirit to figure this all out with.

Is it a gift? A miracle? Or maybe it's more of a curse...

Hope Was Here

Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer
Teen Zone Fiction - Main Level - Bauer
Youth Fiction - Lower Level - Bauer

Hope Was Here is a very touching book. If you like heartfelt fiction then this is the novel for you.

Young Hope Yancey is moving from New York City to Mulhoney, Wisconsin because an unscrupulous boss has cheated her and her Aunt Addie out of their jobs as a waitress and a cook. Now they are scheduled to work at a new restaurant named the Welcome Stairways in "dairy land" Wisconsin. Of course this is a frightening prospect for a 16-year-old. However, Hope is used to change and facing obstacles. She was born premature and abandoned by her mother to her aunt as an infant. Further, she has faced many moves in her life because of her aunt's job changes. Still this move is especially tough for Hope because she was happy in New York with good friends and a fun job. How will she deal with small town living?

When Hope arrives in Wisconsin, everything is so different. The town is small, there are dairy trucks everywhere, and she feels lost. Soon however, Hope becomes mired in a political campaign between the shady town mayor, Eli Millstone, and her new boss, caring G.T. Stoop. G.T. is the owner of the Welcome Stairways and is very ill with cancer. He decides that he must help his town overcome the underhanded dealings of the current mayor by running for office. The whole idea of a sick man running for office tests the town's beliefs in what is or isn't possible. Along the way, Hope learns that all things are possible if you have "hope" and "faith." She also reaffirms what she already knew about life, that it is messy and joyful all at the same time.

Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer won a Newbery Honor in 2001. While the novel definitely offers hope, it does not sugarcoat the highs and lows that come with living. It is a good read for those that enjoy facing life with a positive attitude.

The Ruins of Gorlan

Ranger’s Apprentice. Book 1: The Ruins of Gorlan. By John Flanagan.
Print : Teen Zone Fiction – Main Level – FLANAGAN
CD book: Teen Zone CD Books – Main Level – FLANAGAN
EBook: Visit our Download Page

Will has grown up an orphan, raised in a group of foundlings sponsored by the Baron at Castle Redmont. Now all five of them are 15, and it is Choosing Day, time for them to be chosen as apprentices. Will is small and mischievous, but, believing that his father was a hero knight who died in the battle against the evil Morgarath, his dearest wish is to go to Battleschool and train to be a knight himself. All the other four foundlings are given their wishes, but Will is apprenticed to the Ranger Halt. Rangers are mysterious and much distrusted, even suspected of using black magic. Will is less than thrilled about this assignment, but as the alternative is field labor, he takes it. Of course the apprenticeship itself is lots of hard work, taking care of the menial tasks around the Ranger’s cabin as well as learning volumes of new things. He is learning things like tracking, how to stay hidden moving or holding still, how to use range weapons and to stay out of the line of battle if possible. The Rangers, it turns out, are spies of sort, spending their time in the wilds and small villages in and around the kingdom, keeping track both of political tides and the lay of the physical land. They are, in short, very cool, in a subtle way completely opposed to the flashy, bashy knights. Early on, Will’s story alternates with that of his rival from the castle, the big boy who made it to Battleschool. This boy is bullied very badly, and then takes it out on Will whenever they meet. In a plot turn that seemed inevitable from the beginning, events conspire to make these two the best of friends. Eventually he will proceed to help Halt and a former apprentice defeat some new monsters that Morgarath has sent forth in his latest bid for power.

The intense bullying subplot makes this book in my view inappropriate for younger readers, but it isn’t really any more violent than many other books for older elementary kids and teens, and there are a lot of very good points to this book. It’s got constant action paired with a strong and likeable main character. Even though Will and his friends are all Above Average and it’s a fantasy, the skills are all ones that exist and could be useful in our world – no simple wand-waving here. This series is aimed squarely at teen and perhaps pre-teen boys. Although most of the characters are boys, two of the five foundlings are girls, and they are given real, important careers as well, making it less gender-imbalanced than, say, Lord of the Rings. So far, there’s only the smallest hint of romance. There are ten books in this very popular series, making it perfect for teens who want to be able to immerse themselves in a series before picking a new one. This book is available in print, audio and ebook formats.

Ruby Red

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier. Translated from German by Anthea Bell.
Teen Zone New Fiction – Main Level – GIER

16-year-old Gwyneth grown up living life as a normal kid, especially compared to her cousin Charlotte. Charlotte, glamorous and sophisticated, has been trained all her life to prepare her to be a time traveler. Except that Gwyneth turns out to be the one with the time travel gene, something she never wanted. Time travel is dangerous unless controlled – Gwyneth ends up in the same place but a different unknown period in the past for an unpredictable length of time, with only a few minutes of nausea and dizziness for preparation. To counteract them, the secret organization known as the Guardians trains time travelers and owns the Chronograph, a clockwork machine that can send time travelers to a planned place for a planned length of time. Gwyneth is the Ruby, the last of twelve known time travelers, each represented by a jewel. The other time traveler in her generation is handsome 18-year-old Gideon de Villiers. The previous two time travelers, close friends with Gwyneth’s mother, fell in love and are hiding in the past with the only other existing Chronograph. The Guardians want to send Gideon and Gwyneth on missions to meet with all of the previous time travelers and complete the Chronograph – but what will that mean? Should Gwyneth trust the Guardians, or Lucy and Paul, the couple she’s never met but whom her mother trusted? Though the prologue makes it seem that Lucy and Paul are Good Guys, Gwyneth and her best pal and research buddy Lesley have yet to figure out why Lucy and Paul distrusted the Guardians enough to give up their lives in the present. There’s a slowly percolating romance between Gwyneth and Gideon, which helps nicely to make Gwyneth’s choices harder, as Gideon has no reason to distrust the Guardians.

Despite the dangers of time travel and the potential evil nature of the Guardians, the book never gets bogged down in seriousness. There’s the romance, more fun than fraught; Lesley and Gwyneth’s friendship, and – I really loved this part – costumes. The Guardians hire a full-time French costume designer, whose sole job is to make historically accurate clothing for each of the trips back in time, which are all described in detail. I really like the original German cover, right, which I think shows the light-hearted nature of the story a little better. This is the first of a trilogy, all of which are now published in Germany but which English speakers still have to wait on. The translation is done by the inestimable Anthea Bell, who also translated the Inkheart books as well as many others. The time travel, romance and history combined to make this a quite lovely book, and I’m now anxiously waiting for the next installment to arrive.

Fallen Grace

Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper
Teen Zone New Fiction Main Level - HOOPER

This story takes place in 1860s London. Grace and her sister Lily are very poor, living in a boarding house in the slums. They sell watercress to make enough to pay their rent and buy something to eat. They are orphans, just trying to stay out of the workhouse and survive on their own. Grace is 15 and her sister is 17. Grace takes care of Lily, though, who is mentally challenged. Lily is constantly taken advantage of by swindlers on the streets.

Grace has her own challenges - having been taken advantage of by a man when they lived in an orphanage, she has given birth to a stillborn baby. It is indirectly through that horrible experience that Grace and Lily find employment with the Unwins, who own a funeral business. It must be the answer to their prayers! Food, lodging, steady work, and a (small) salary each and every week! What they don’t know is that Mr. Unwin saw an ad in the newspaper looking for Lily, who stands to inherit a lot of money from their deceased father (who left for the Americas before he even knew Grace was expected by their mother). He thinks that if he can adopt Lily as his own, he can claim the inheritance on her behalf.

This is a fantastic book! I love historical fiction, and this is top-notch. The characters are interesting and their plight is emotional. It has the perfect balance of description and dialogue, so it is a fast read. Highly recommended!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Teen Zone New Fiction - Main Level - RIGGS

Here is a creepy book for anyone who likes stories about orphans, asylums, and supernatural powers. Jacob and his father visit a remote island off Wales, once the home of Jacob's grandfather in an orphanage there. When Jacob goes to the orphanage, he finds some peculiar children, and begins to question everything he knew to be true about his grandfather's life...and his own. The book includes vintage photos collected by the author, which fit into the storyline perfectly and make it even more disturbing and eerie.

Knife of Never Letting Go

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Teen Zone Fiction - Main Level - NESS

Prentisstown was invaded by the Spackles, an alien race that spread a germ causing "Noise" among the men of the town. Suddenly, all the men could hear each other's thoughts. The women, it was said, all died from the spread of the germ.

Todd Hewitt finds himself forced out of Prentisstown, on the run from evil Prentisstown men. While on the run through the swamp, he meets Viola. Her family has died in their spaceship: a scouting expedition for their people who had hoped to settle on New World (the planet on which Prentisstown is located). Todd and Viola team up and flee together, meeting people and various settlements along the way - and learning more and more about the dreaded Prentisstown's real history. They are headed to Haven, the most technologically advanced settlement on New World, hoping to find a cure for the Noise and a way to contact Viola's people.

This is an action-packed, unique story of coming of age, friendship, adventure, and loyalty. It is recommended for older teens and adults interested in dystopia and science fiction.