Twenties Girl

Twenties Girl
Sophie Kinsella

My rating: ★★★★

ISBN: 9780385342025
Publisher: The Dial Press
Date of Publication: July 21, 2009
Age: Adult
Genre: Romance

Themes: Ghosts, 1920s, London, love

Lara Lington has enough stress in her life when the spirit of her great-aunt Sadie visits with one last request: find her beloved necklace. Feisty and opinionated, the 23-year-old ghost won’t leave Lara alone, especially in matters of love. Lara is already trying to run a failing business and win back her ex-boyfriend, and a demanding ghost is not helping. As the two try to work together, however, important truths are being uncovered.

With the wit and charm that is common with Kinsella’s books, Twenties Girl was a fantastic read. While it was a basic chick-lit read, the ghost element brought in some really refreshing elements that I enjoyed. And though I’m still confused as to why the lead guy changes his mind on love (maybe he needed to be developed a little better), I really enjoyed it. It doesn’t take a lot of brain power so I definitely recommend it if you need a fluffy read.

Warning: Explicit Content 
Language

Find it at your library or on Amazon

Between Shades of Gray

Between Shades of Gray

Ruta Sepetys

My rating: ★★★★

ISBN: 9780399254123
Publisher: Philomel
Date of publication: March 22, 2011
Age: Grades 7 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction

Themes: WWII, Soviet Russia, resistance, labor camp

Awards: Golden Kite Award for Fiction, William C. Morris YA Debut Award Nominee (2012), ALA Teens' Top Ten Nominee (2012), Indies Choice Book Award for Young Adult (2012), Carnegie Medal in Literature Nominee, YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2014), Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books of the Year (2011), YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (Top Ten) (2012), Cybils Awards Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2011)

It’s 1941 and Lina, along with her mother and brother, have just been pulled from their Lithuanian home by Soviet soldiers and sent to a labor camp in Siberia. Her father’s work with the resistance has been discovered and he’s been taken away to die in a prison camp. Lina is determined to stay alive and honor her and her father’s story through art and word.

This was a rather fantastically tragic novel that reveals a partially true story about those countrymen who were targeted by Soviet Russia. Germany, after all, was not the only dictatorship to sentence their people to death camps. Lina’s story flips from present troubles at the camp, to her previous comfortable life as she makes the connections between her father’s resistance work and her current sentence. I enjoyed the author’s writing and the personal historical note at the end that just makes the whole situation so real.

Find it at your library or on Amazon

Ptolemy's Gate

Ptolemy’s Gate

Jonathan Stroud
(The Bartimaeus Trilogy #3)

My rating: ★★★★

ISBN: 9780786838684
Publisher: Hyperion
Date of publication: January 1, 2006
Age: Grade 7 and up
Genre: Fantasy

Themes: Demons, possession, magicians

Nathaniel is now 17 years old and a trusted member of the Council. However, there is growing unrest; not only in London, but also around the world as foreign wars drag and turn for the worst. Nathaniel has kept Bartimaeus in London and on Earth for too long. His strength—and patience—and quickly diminishing. Both are at their wit’s end. Kitty has not seen Nathaniel in three years and is doing her own research into the relationship between demon and human. But there is something darker and more dangerous on the horizon that will soon bring the three back together again, for the last time.

Um. This book. It’s not for little kids anymore. Stroud goes from a bratty 11-year-old Nathaniel in book 1 to a very mature, conflicted 17-year-old Nathaniel in book 3. And the depth into which Stroud examines the complexity of each the three main characters is astounding, difficult even. But let me just get to the point: the ending. I’ll not spoil it for you, but let’s just say I’m still trying to stop my jaw from dropping every time I think about it. It’s not for the faint of heart.

Check out my reviews for the other books in the series: Book 1, and Book 2.

Doll Bones

Doll Bones

Holly Black

My rating: ★★★★

ISBN: 9781416963981
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Date of publication: May 7, 2013
Age: Grades 5 - 9
Genre: Mystery

Themes: Dolls, journey, growing up

Awards: Newbery Honor (2014), Carnegie Medal Nominee for Young Adult (2014)

Zach, Poppy, and Alice are the best of friends, and they love playing make-believe with their dolls and action figures. But now they’re in middle school, and Zach’s dad wants him to grow up, leaving the make-believe behind. Poppy, however, says it can’t end: the Queen, an antique bone-china doll, is haunting her dreams. A ghost of a girl is somehow linked to the doll, and will not rest until the doll is buried in her grave. The three of them set out on one last adventure, but things keep going horribly wrong.

With just the right amount of creepy factor, this is a rather fantastic adventure book. The characters are amazing; the three main ones being so well developed, they feel real.  The story was a good one, based on just enough truth that the ghost aspect seemed plausible. Really, I think you should read it, especially if you love a good (as in clean) ghost story. 

Fallout

Fallout
Todd Strasser

My rating: ★★★★★

ISBN: 9780763655341
Publisher: Candlewick
Date of publication: September 10, 2013
Age: Grades 5 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction

Themes: Post-WWII, nuclear attack, bomb shelter, community

Awards: 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults (YALSA)

It’s the summer of 1962, and Scott’s dad has built the family a bomb shelter, stocked with the supplies necessary to keep the family alive for two weeks. One night, the siren goes off and the family rushes to protect themselves—but so do the neighbors who didn't build their own shelter. His dad must wrestle the door shut before the flash appears. Flipping between life in the shelter and Scott's summer before the bomb fell, this book gives an answer to the question, “What if?”

This. This book was fantastic. Now, I know I’m biased because my whole college life was focused on Postwar America and the culture of the bomb…but still. In fact, I think it makes me a more authoritative critic. It is well written and puts you through the emotions of what it could have been like if a bomb had actually been dropped. Partially based on the author’s own childhood, there’s strong plausibility in the story and all the characters. It was so well done! Bravo.

Now, just so you know, this is told through the eyes of a pre-pubescent boy and all that goes along with that. Especially as he faces life underground with the girl he likes. And other women. And his hormonal best friend. I probably wouldn't give it to your innocent 11-year-old girl. But that’s up to you, because you’ll read it first, right?

The Golem's Eye

The Golem’s Eye
Jonathan Stroud
(Bartimaeus Trilogy #2)

My rating: ★★★★

ISBN: 9780786818600
Publisher: Hyperion
Date of publication: August 23, 2004
Age: Grades 6 and up
Genre: Fantasy

Themes: demons, magicians, resistance

At age 14, Nathaniel is quickly going up the ranks in the government, handling most problems with ease. However, there is a growing Resistance that keeps eluding Nathaniel’s grasp. In addition, massive destruction is occurring throughout London in the wake of a seemingly invincible stone Golem. Are the two possibly related? At the end of his rope, Nathaniel once again calls on the completely irreverent and snarky Bartimaeus. With his job at stake—and quite possibly his life—the two journey from London to Prague to try and solve these problems.

Let's just get straight to the point: this book is as good as the first. I simply enjoyed it and I loved the characters. This time, the author introduces a 3rd perspective from which to tell the story (after Bartimeaus and Nathaniel) in the form of Kitty, one of the participants of the Resistance. While it is adds fantastic depth to the story, it can get confusing from time to time. But still. Totally worth it for Stroud's awesome characters.

Check out my reviews for the other books in the series: Book 1, and Book 3.

Panic

Panic
Lauren Oliver

My rating: ★★★

ISBN: 9780062014559
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date of publication: March 4, 2014
Age: Grades 9 and up
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Themes: fear, revenge, betrayal, game

Every summer, the graduating seniors participate in a dangerous game called “Panic.” The prize? A pot that can get up to $60,000. Yet, players have to face some stark fears in brutal ways. Heather never planned on joining, but this she soon discovers she has something to fight for. Dodge, on the other hand, has been planning on using the game to gain his revenge. Both are unprepared for what they face, both in the game and out, as they face the deepest fears.

Gritty, dark, and gripping, this novel pulls you in in a powerful way. Growing up in a small town in the middle of nowhere, these kids are a bitter bunch with little to call their own. See? The setting and characters are so richly developed, I got invested in it pretty quick. Crazy. It’s a suspenseful book with plenty of twists and turns. Read at your own risk.

Warning: Explicit Content
Language

The Amulet of Samarkand

The Amulet of Samarkand

• by Jonathan Stroud
• (Bartimaeus Trilogy #1)

My rating: ★★★★

•  
• ISBN: 9780786818594
• Publisher: Hyperion
• Date of publication: September 30, 2003
• Age: Grades 5 and up 
• Genre: Fantasy
•  
• Themes: demons, magicians, London
•  
• Sold to the government at the age of 5, Nathaniel is an apprentice magician. Since powerful magicians are who rule Britain and its empire, it's an honor. But with a condescending master and cruel tormentor, Nathaniel speeds up his education and summons the all-powerful djinni, Bartimaeus. But summoning and controlling are two very different things. While trying to gain revenge over another particular cruel magician by stealing the Amulet of Samarkand, Nathaniel finds himself in deeper trouble. Power struggles, espionage, betrayals, and other such mayhem are only the beginning. Can Nathaniel find a way to be the hero? Even with a snarky djinni trying to break his every command?
•  
• I must admit, the concept behind the story is a little weird. See, magicians aren't really magicians: all they can do is summon demons to do the magic for them. Which makes the whole book seem rather devilish... However, Bartimaeus is one the best-written characters I've ever read. The story on a whole was definitely fantastic.

Check out my reviews for the other books in the series: Book 2, and Book 3.

Wildwood

Wildwood
Colin Meloy
(Wildwood Chronicles #1)

My rating: ★★

ISBN: 9780062024688
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Date of publication: August 30, 2011
Age: Grades 4 - 8
Genre: Fantasy

Prue thought she was living a normal life in Portland, until one day, her baby brother is flown away by a murder of crows. They just grab him and go. And even worse, they take him to the Impassable Wilderness: a deep, dark forest on the edge of town that from which no one has ever returned. She is determined to save him before her parents realize he’s gone. With her friend, Curtis, they enter the Wilderness to discover a secret world. An entire civilization of humans, animals, and mystics are in upheaval and dark forces are at work. The two outsiders soon find themselves entangled in the struggle for the freedom of Wildwood.

Overall, I would say that the book was fine. It was very Chronicles of Narnia-ish. But, I don’t think I’ll be picking up the rest of the series any time soon. I just didn't get invested enough into the characters or story. Like, at all. And it was really long, so it really wasn't worth it. Plus, it ended in a satisfactory way, so I feel no need to read further. In the least, you should pick it up and check out the cool illustrations.

The Screaming Staircase

The Screaming Staircase
(Lockwood & Co. #1)
Jonathan Stroud

My rating: ★★★★★

ISBN: 9781423164913
Publisher: Hyperion
Date of publication: September 17, 2013
Age: Grades 5 and up
Genre: Horror

Themes: Ghosts, haunting, mystery,

A Problem has popped up in London: a plague of violent ghosts have overrun the city. However, only kids have the ability to see them--and deal with them. They work for Psychic Detective Agencies to handle the ghosts. Lockwood & Co. is one such agency, though rather ramshackle and tiny. Plus, they are not even supervised by adults. Fifteen-year-old Lucy has just been hired on, but the first job the company tackles goes horribly wrong. The only way to save the business is to work on Combe Carey Hall, the most haunted building in England. Will they be able to survive, let alone eradicate the ghosts?

From page 1, this book was AMAZING. And I don’t go all caps for just any book. This was so well written that I was jumping in fear every time someone interrupted me. I don’t even know what else to say about it, you just have to go read it for yourself! Unless you don’t like ghost stories. Because that would kind of ruin it for you.