Rook by Sharon Cameron

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Rook

by Sharon Cameron

A rook is a crow, a black bird known for its cleverness.  A rook is also a term for a swindler or a cheat.  It is also a pawn in the strategic game of chess.  In Cameron's latest novel, it is all of the above.

It is hundreds of years after the demise of the world as we know it.  Technology killed the people of the 'Time Before' and now the world is forced to live without.  No electricity, no machines, no internet.  Paris has fallen in on itself and now people live in the bottom and up the sides of the City of Light.  Governed by a sadistic ruler, those who do not comply are sent to the guillotine.  The prison is stained with the blood of innocents, but lately, there have been secret missions to free these prisoners.  Known as the Rook, someone has been sneaking prisoners out, right under the noses of the guards leaving only a red streaked feather behind.

Sophie has seen plenty of heartache in her young life, but none so much as the prospect of marrying Rene Hasard, a dashing "daughter stealer", arranged by her father to save their family estate and their family honor.  Sophie is willing to make the sacrifice to save her family, but her fiance is not all that he seems.  How much is Sophie willing to sacrifice not just for her family, but for the lives of all the innocent people being sent to their deaths in the Sunken City?

Cameron has written a complex and faced-paced novel that will leave you breathless.  Once you think you have it all figured out, she will lead you onto a different path.  I could not put this book down, every chapter ended with a cliffhanger, and I found myself saying, "one more chapter" until I was finished!  I enjoyed the characters, the story and found it refreshing that it didn't end as a set up for a series, it was just over, although I would love to read about Sophie and Rene's further adventures!  

I would recommend this book for middle school and high school libraries and for anyone who loves a good story.  And now I'm off to bury a Diet Coke bottle in the backyard!  Enjoy!

Dangerous Jobs: Special Forces Operator by Chris Bowman

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Dangerous Jobs:  Special Forces Operator 

by Chris Bowman

Special Forces Operator is one in the series of Dangerous Jobs.  This book is perfect for a reluctant reader or an ELL student.  The book is loaded with pictures of the Special Forces Operators in all aspects of their job.  There is also a glossary, an index and a list for further reading.

Some interesting facts that I learned about this division of the Armed Forces is that all individuals who enter the Special Forces must learn another language, and that they typically don't wear a uniform, even while performing their duties.

Although this book screams "boys", I think that girls would learn something from it as well.  With women in the Marines competing for jobs that have typically been held by men, this is a timely book that will appeal to a broad range of middle school students.

Get the Scoop on Animal Puke by Dawn Cusick

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Get the Scoop on Animal Puke

by Dawn Cusick

This book is sure to get the attention of all reluctant readers in your library!  From bees to jackals to caterpillars, Cusick explains why animals puke, why some don't and everything in between.

With engaging pictures, a glossary and two indexes, lovers of nonfiction will not be able to put this book down.  Anyone who is interested in gross things will love this book!  I loved this book!

Did you know that hyenas vomit the indigestible portions of the animals that they eat?  And then they roll around in it to disguise their smell from prey!  The things you learn when you read! 

Infected by Sophie Littlefield

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Infected

by Sophie Littlefield

Carina has lost the only family that she's known, her mother and her uncle. Both were working on a secret project for the government when they died.  Finding a secret code in a ring that her mother left for her, she begins to suspect that her family's deaths might not have been accidents.  When she and her boyfriend Tanner become infected with a virus that makes them stronger, faster and smarter, she's sure their deaths were not accidents.  The only problem - the virus will kill them if they don't take the antidote within 24 hours of infection.

Trusting no one but her boyfriend Tanner, the pair must race to find how they were infected and get to the antidote before it's too late.

Hunter by Mercedes Lackey

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Hunter

by Mercedes Lackey

For those of you who can't get enough dystopian in your lives, you will love Hunter.  In Hunter, the world has been invaded by Othersiders.  The only place that you are truly safe is in Apex (think the Capital in Hunger Games).  The reason that Apex is safe is because it is being patrolled by Hunters - those who hunt the Othersiders - and because they have built a border around their city.  As you can imagine, the Othersiders aren't the only ones trying to get in, Apex also has an immigration issue.

Joyeaux Charmond has grown up as an orphan and trained at a secret Monastery in the mountains far from Apex.  She just happens to be the niece of the Prefect of Police in Apex.  When she is chosen to come to Apex to train there, she knows that it has something to do with being the niece of the Prefect.

It doesn't take long for Joy to figure out that not everyone can be trusted and that everything she does is being recorded for the public to watch.  This "vid" watching makes Hunters heroes and reassures that Apex is safe from Othersiders; or is it?

There is so much going on in this story that I could write a novel just reviewing it!  Despite all the themes and action in Hunter, the book flows nicely.  I had a hard time putting it down as every chapter ends with a cliffhanger.  I think Lackey put a lot of information into the first book of what proves to be a series; I'm assuming forthcoming books will be less dense.  Lackey does a great job of setting up a post apocalyptic political system, tension between Hunters, religious undertones and immigration issues.  As in Undertow by Michael Buckley with integration, Hunter could be used to talk about immigration; who do we let in and who do we keep out; and who decides?

Joyeaux is a very likeable character who is completely altruistic without seeming naive.  Despite the violence describing fights with Othersiders, I think this book will appeal to upper elementary school students up to adults who really like a good story!  I for one, can't wait to read the next installment in the Hunter saga!

Breakaway by Kat Spears

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Breakaway

by Kat Spears

Kat Spears has done it again, written another story about love, friendship and family in the authentic voice of the American teenager.  

In this story, soccer is the center of these friends' life.  Chick, Mario, Jordan, and our narrator Jason all play on the school soccer team.  Jason, Mario and Jordan have earned their positions, their friend Chick got his spot because his friends won't play without him.

The story opens at the funeral of Jason's sister, Sylvia.  Jason is having a hard time coming to grips with his sister's death.  His sister's death has left him feeling like it should have been him, he doesn't have any real family now and yearning for a real family like Mario's.

Mario is dealing with his own issues, making some bad decisions.  As Mario drifts further away from his family and friends, his parents come to rely more heavily on Jason.

Jordan is different from his friends in that he comes from money.  He drives a nice car and belongs to a country club.  When he gets a new girlfriend, he starts to drift away from his friends.

Chick got his nickname from when he had chicken pox as a child.  He is not rich, does not have a girlfriend, and if it wasn't for Jason, he wouldn't have any friends at all.  He struggles with wanting to belong, to be included.  When his friends become so wrapped up in their own issues, it leaves Chick utterly helpless.

Spears has done an excellent job in creating characters that stay with you long after you've read the last words.  What teenager hasn't wrangled with finding their place in the world?  To connect to someone in a way that makes you feel loved?  People of all ages will be taken with Breakaway, and left with new friends in these boys.  Go ahead and pre-order today, you won't be sorry!

Se7en Second Delay by Tom Easton

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Se7en Second Delay

by Tom Easton

In this post-apocalyptic story, the country lives in sections of the haves and the have-nots.  Everyone wants to go to the First, to have a job, to live in comfort, but the First doesn't take just anyone.

Mila and Julian were headed to the first when an accident leaves her on her own.  She becomes an "Applicant" and is interrogated about what she knows, where she was going and what her motives are.  Trusting only what Julian has told her, she escapes from her captors.  On the run, the only advantage she has from high-tech monitoring is a seven second delay on her feed.

As the world watches, Mila must convince the world that she is not a terrorist, figure out what Julian was trying to tell her and manage to stay alive.  Se7en Second Delay is a faced paced read that will have you racing to the last page.  This story is a nice balance between a frightening future and the capacity to fight for what is right in the world.  

This book is suitable for middle school students to adults and would be a great asset to the school library collection.