Rot & Ruin

I usually don't read horror novels, but Jonathan Maberry's Rot & Ruin is on the Texas Lone Star Reading List 2012 and the students at my school who have read it absolutely love it. This is labeled as YA (Young Adult) and portrays the violence that exists in an apocalyptic world where the dead rise again as human hungry zombies unless killed in a specific manner. Although that may be the initial draw to the story for readers, it is the emotional storyline, well-developed characters, and representation of our human need for meaningful relationships that makes me want to read the next book. Fourteen years have passed since First Night – the night that dying people rose from the dead as zombies…the night Benny Imura, just a toddler, was saved by his older brother, Tommy. Benny remembers seeing his mother scream and their zombie father attacking her while Tommy was running away with him. Benny has never understood how Tommy, now a respected Zombie Hunter, could have acted so cowardly that fateful night. Although he has very little respect for Tommy, he agrees to learn his brother’s business – ending zoms’ lives once and for all. Tommy teaches Benny to remember that the zoms were once someone’s loved ones and deserve to be at peace. Despite Tommy’s lessons, Benny idolizes Charlie Matthias and his sidekick, Marion Hammer – two tough guys who control the area – they are the real heroes to Benny. When Benny and his friends collect the most recent Zombie Cards (one of the limited forms of entertainment for the teens) to add to their collection, Benny stumbles upon the card of The Lost Girl. Things begin to spiral out of control, people who matter to the brothers are killed and Benny’s good friend, Nix, is kidnapped and will be forced to compete in Gameland – a place where young kids are forced to fight zombies for others’ entertainment. This book had me cringing, cheering, and at times crying – I loved the characters and their determination to survive. Book 2 is Dust and Decay. Recommended for 8th grade and up. Click on the video below to hear Jonathan Maberry tell you more about his amazing book.

Pie

My students love Sarah Weeks' novels - I can't wait to share her book, Pie, with them. This endearing novel is about doing the right thing, building community, helping others,and leaving your mark in this world. Alice's Aunt Polly was known for baking her delicious pies for others in the town without charging them a dime. When Aunt Polly dies suddenly, Alice's world is torn apart - not only because she misses her Aunt so much, but because the whole town is acting strange and some people want to fill her Aunt Polly's shoes and win the prestigious Blueberry Award. Aunt Polly had won the last 13 annual Blueberry Awards for her tasty pies. Even Alice's mother is bitter about Aunt Polly's giving ways and is determined to become an even better pie baker than her sister. When Aunt Polly's will is read, the town discovers that the secret pie crust recipe has been willed to Lardo (Aunt Polly's fat white cat) and Lardo has been willed to Alice. It is up to Alice and her cute classmate, Charlie, to find out who has broken into Aunt Polly's bake shop, stolen and drugged Lardo, and will stop at nothing to obtain the secret recipe. Alice learns something about herself in solving this mystery. I love that Weeks included a pie recipe at the beginning of each chapter - yum! Other wonderful reads by Weeks include As Simple as It Seems, Jumping the Scratch, Regular Guy, and So B. It.

This Dark Endeavor

Ever wonder how Frankenstein came to be? Talented author, Kenneth Oppel, creatively gives his readers a prelude to the monster Frankenstein in This Dark Endeavor. Victor Frankenstein and his high-achieving twin brother, Konrad, love to fence and play make believe with their distant cousin, Elizabeth, who lives with their family at Chateau Frankenstein. Although the twins are identical, Konrad has always been better than Victor at everything they do. When Elizabeth accidentally opens the secret doorway to the Dark Library in the estate, Victor becomes enchanted with the books about apothecary and alchemy. His interest peaks when his father catches them and forbids them from entering the library again. When Konrad becomes bedridden with a mysterious illness that no doctor can find a cure for, Victor decides to find the answer in the forbidden Library. When he finds a mysterious burned book that holds the secret Elixir of Life, he recruits Elizabeth and his friend, Henry, to help him find the one man in the village who can help them read it. Will they end up sacrificing everything to obtain the cure for Konrad? Will the jealousy Victor feels over Konrad's and Elizabeth's relationship affect their journey to find the one thing that may be able to help Konrad? This dark, chilling tale will keep readers turning the page for more. Other great books by Oppel include Airborn,Darkwing, Firewing, Silverwing, Skybreaker, and Starclimber.

The Book of Wonders

The Book of Wonders is an exciting debut novel from author Jasmine Richards. The author transports the reader to an Arabian nights world packed with adventure. When thirteen-year-old Zardi and her friend, Rhidan, meet Sinbad the pirate they learn that Sinbad's mother, Sula, may know where Rhidan's family is. Rhidan with his unique silver hair, violet eyes, and magical silver amulet was found as a baby - never knowing why his parents abandoned him or where they came from. Zardi is devastated when her older sister is selected as the praisemaker - an unwed young girl kept for a season locked in a tower only to be released like an animal to be hunted down by the Sultan as part of his warped game. Zardi and Rhidan must go on a dangerous journey filled with deadly snakes, a hungry cyclops, and a metal warrior in order to release the magic djinni who may be able to save Zardi's sister before it is too late. All I can say is - "Wow" - couldn't put this one down! It is going on my 8th grade list in the fall.

Unchained

L.B. Tillit's Unchained, part of the Gravel Road series, is simplistically written to appeal to reluctant readers and is filled with raw emotion. I know I won't have any problem getting my 8th graders to check this out. "I wasn't born mean." is the first sentence of the book. The story is narrated by TJ – a broken boy who is a product of his hopeless circumstances and neglectful upbringing. TJ explains why he is who he is and describes how he has slowly gotten involved with the wrong crowd on the north side of town. When his father dies suddenly, TJ is taken away from his mother and sent to live with a caring foster mom in the south side of the city. His mother cannot have him back until she is clean from drugs. Although TJ is at first resentful of his new situation with his new brothers and sisters, he quickly thrives and learns how being loved is supposed to feel. Two years pass and his mother is supposedly ready to get him back. TJ has to leave the only safe environment he has ever known. Once back in his old neighborhood, he is forced to go back to the gang who took care of him before his father’s death. Everything falls apart and TJ finds himself in the crossfire of gang activity . This book really made me think about kids who are sent back to biological parents, hopeless situations, and dangerous neighborhoods – things are beyond their control. How do they survive it? I couldn’t put this book down and the kids won’t be able to either. It is a mature book – 8th grade and up.

Chronal Engine

Greg Leitich Smith’s Chronal Engine is a must read for anyone interested in dinosaurs and time travel. Three siblings (Twins Emma & Kyle, Max – narrator of the story) are sent to live with their eccentric grandfather for the summer in Texas while their single mother travels to Mongolia for work. Their grandfather's grandfather, the man who built their grandfather's ranch house years ago, built a time machine named the Chronal Engine. Max is the only one a little excited about being there, because he loves everything about dinosaurs and the ranch is located on land known for its dinosaur history. The trio quickly become friends with a girl named Petra who lives there. Their strange grandfather gives them odd instructions one night right before having a heart attack that he knew he would have. When Emma is kidnapped, the foursome our quickly swept up in a time travel adventure through the Chronal Engine into a world of killer dinosaurs. This action-packed adventure is going on my 7th grade reading list in the fall. Another great book by Leitich Smith is Ninjas, Piranhas, and Galileo.

The Adventures of Beanboy

My middle school students love books that combine text and comics/illustrations together to tell a story. Lisa Harkrader’s newest chapter book, The Adventures of Beanboy, is in that format. Seventh grader Tucker MacBean is a huge comic book fan which doesn’t make him high on the popular list at school. He and his best friend, Noah, frequently visit Caveman Comics for the latest H2O comic. Things have not been so great at home for Tucker – his father lives in another city, his mother is working during the day and taking college night classes, and he is responsible for taking care of his special needs little brother, Beecher, after school. Tucker decides the answer to his family’s burdens would be to win the H2O comic contest (the prize is a college scholarship – just what his mom needs), but he needs to attend Art Club after school to be successful. Tucker is relieved when his mother tells him that she has found someone to take care of Beecher after school. Tucker is surprised to find Sam Zawicki, a girl at his school who acts like his arch enemy, is Beecher’s new babysitter. Why is Sam always so angry with everyone? Did Sam’s brother steal from their middle school cooking class like everyone believes? When Tucker stands up for what is right, he becomes even more powerful than his favorite superhero. The comic part of the story portrays Tucker’s creative imagination and how his newly created character evolves. Another good book by Harkrader is Airball: My Life in Briefs.