Department 19: By Will Hill

DEPARTMENT 19

SUMMARY

Jamie Carpenter's life will never be the same. His father is dead, his mother is missing, and he was just rescued by an enormous man named Frankenstein. Jamie is brought to Department 19, where he is pulled into a secret organization responsible for policing the supernatural, founded more than a century ago by Abraham Van Helsing and the other survivors of Dracula. Aided by Frankenstein's monster, a beautiful vampire girl with her own agenda, and the members of the agency, Jamie must attempt to save his mother from a terrifyingly powerful vampire.

REVIEW

To be honest, when I read the back jacket synopsis of Department 19 I didn’t know how the author, Will Hill, was going to combine Frankenstein, vampires, a government agency into a book and make it work.

Of course I should have never doubted the writing prowess of Mr. Hill, as once I picked it up, I couldn’t put Department 19 down. Hill takes a semi-familiar cast of characters (with the legend of Dracula/Van Helsing and Frankenstein) and changes them just enough to allow enough mystery and grittiness to fill out these characters while creating an engaging back story.

Of course besides Frankenstein (who was one of my favorite characters) Hill does a good job demonstrating Jamie’s urgency and worry about getting his mother back. Hill might have gone a bit far in Jamie’s expertise in vampire hunting, but if he didn’t give him that then it wouldn’t have been a very fair fight in the story (and it certainly makes for some fantastic action.)

Of course besides the characters, I was captivated by the story itself. I know the premise sounds a little ridiculous, but Hill makes it work. It’s fast paced, engaging, and full of action. That coupled with the interesting characters, nonstop action, and engaging writing makes Department 19 a great book for boys and girls of all ages, and I personally can’t wait for the next in the series.

RATING

9 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Razorbill

Published: March 31, 2011

Price: $17.99

Pink: By Lili Wilkinson

PINK

SUMMARY

Ava has a secret. She is tired of her ultracool attitude, ultra-radical politics, and ultrablack clothing. She's ready to try something new—she's even ready to be someone new. Someone who fits in, someone with a gorgeous boyfriend, someone who wears pink.

Transferring to Billy Hughes School for Academic Excellence is the perfect chance to try on a new identity. But just in case things don't work out, Ava is hiding her new interests from her parents, and especially from her old girlfriend.

Secrets have a way of being hard to keep, though, and Ava finds that changing herself is more complicated than changing her wardrobe. Even getting involved in the school musical raises issues she never imagined. As she faces surprising choices and unforeseen consequences, Ava wonders if she will ever figure out who she really wants to be.

REVIEW

What first attracted me to Pink was the blurb by one of my favorite YA authors, John Green. He said “Fun, razor sharp, and moving“, and so I thought this must be a good book if he’s endorsing it.

I may not be so quick to trust a blurb next time.

I was very disappointed with Pink. I found many of the characters over the top and annoying (especially Ava’s parents), the plot while not bad wasn’t the most original, and while there was a strong and important message for teens I found it a tad repetitive and preachy.

Of course what I found most annoying about the book was the ending. Wilkinson tried tying up the problems of the book with too simple of a solution. I wont tell you how or what is done for fear of ruining the book, but I found the ending and the book as a whole wanting. An example of a fantastic ending that doesn’t try to over simplify the characters and the ending of the book is John Green’s Paper Towns. Things are not perfect, you wish they are, but Green has built these characters with a certain style and expectations and to have them have a happy ending would be betraying the story and characters themselves, making a fantastically written book cheap.

Of course there were good points to Pink. I did find some of the dialog interesting (with the exception of some Chloe or some of the Billy Hughes girls). The message of finding yourself and staying true to yourself is hard one to convey as it’s done poorly in so many other stories, but I found it not unbearable in Pink (just a little over repeated). And the story moved relatively quickly.

All in all I came in with high expectations and was disappointed. I think Wilkinson did well in certain areas and failed in others. Because of this read the first few chapters on a kindle or in a bookstore before putting down the money for Pink.

RATING

6 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: HarperTeen

Published: February 8, 2011

Price: $16.99

The Demon Trapper's Daughter: By Jana Oliver

THE DEMON TRAPPER'S DAUGHTER

SUMMARY

Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself – and that’s exactly what the demons are counting on…

Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper, Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father's footsteps. The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta’s local Trappers’ Guild needs all the help they can get – even from a girl. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils – Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life’s about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.

But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers’ Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined. As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart – and her life?

REVIEW

The Demon Trapper’s Daughter felt much more like a prequel setting the stage for the real story than a first novel in a series. The characters Den and Riley spent so much of the time dancing around issues and building the stage for the real action that I can’t wait for the next in the series but was a little disappointed with the level of action in this installment.

That said, I greatly enjoyed The Demon Trapper’s Daughter, and fully expect to read the next book in the series when it comes out. I found the story engaging (even though there could have been more action), the dialog well written, and the amount of mystery in the story act itself very exciting.

Of course besides those things, the characters and story line were great. I really liked the way Oliver switched back and forth between Riley and Den’s view. I also found the entire demon trapping world quite interesting. I think Oliver has more than a few surprises left up her sleeves and I personally can’t wait to see what she has in store.

RATING

8.5 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Published: February 1, 2011

Price: $9.99

Jersey Tomatoes are the Best: By Maria Padian

JERSEY TOMATOES ARE THE BEST

SUMMARY

This is a hilarious and heartbreaking story of two teen girls and the summer when everything changes for them. Both Henry and Eva are New Jersey natives and excellent athletes: Henry's a master on the tennis court and Eva is a graceful ballerina. When opportunity knocks for both of them the summer before their junior year in high school they throw open the door: Henry sees freedom from her overbearing father and a chance to build her talents on the court. Eva sees the chance to be the best as well as even more pressure to be graceful, lighter, more perfect on the dancefloor.

Soon, Eva's obsession with physical perfection leads her down the path to anorexia, and her health issues overwhelm everything else. But through it all these two best friends know that Jersey Tomatoes are the Best, and nothing will come between them no matter the distance.

REVIEW

There’s a reason Maria Padian’s first novel Brett McCarthy: Work in Progress was chosen by the ALA and YALSA as one of the Best Books for Young Adults in 2009. Because she’s an amazing author. Now with her next book, Jersey Tomatoes are the Best, Padian takes on the issues of stage parenting, anorexia, and friendship. These may sound like huge issues, and they are, but Padian masterfully maneuvers through them, using each of these issues to spur on the growth of her characters and the story itself.

Of course while Padian does a fantastic job bringing up hard hitting issues, what was even more impressive to me were the characters. Henry and Eva are sensational protagonists. Padian has each of them grow and develop in such a way that it feels organic and natural. As if you’re just watching your own friends grow up and change. Not only that but the dialog and writing in general were fantastic. In my opinion, on par with some of the best in the business (John Green, Jordan Sonnenblick, Pete Hautman, ect.)

All in all the writing was fantastic, the characters well developed, and the story engaging and entertaining. I personally don’t think there’s much more that you can ask of a book/author. Therefore I would recommend this book to anyone (…well maybe not kids in elementary school). But it will certainly connect with audiences of all ages as readers come to love Henry and Eva just as much as I did.

RATING

10 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Published: March 8, 2011

Price: $16.99

Recovery Road: By Blake Nelson

RECOVERY ROAD

SUMMARY

Madeline is sent away to Spring Meadows to help with a drinking and rage problem she has. It's a pretty intense place, but there is the weekly movie night in town--where Madeline meets Stewart, who's at another rehab place nearby. They fall for each other during a really crazy time in their lives. Madeline gets out and tries to get back on her feet, waiting for Stewart to join her. When he does, though, it's not the ideal recovery world Madeline dreamed of. Both of them still have serious problems. And Stewart's are only getting worse....

REVIEW

In case you didn’t get it from the title, Recovery Road is not a light book. It is dark, sad, and realistic. That said it is well written and riveting.

Recovery Road tells the story Madeline, a 16 year old (almost 17), who is recovering from drugs and alcohol at a rehab facility. The story spans three years and really focuses on the long and hard road to sobriety after returning to the real world. On the more traditional YA storyline, Madeline also becomes involved with a fellow recovering addict. The story followers their ups and downs, their adjustments, and the very different roads life can take us.

Nelson does a great job creating a brutal and realistic sight into the life of a recovering drug addict. Each of the chapters are relatively short allowing for the change in events and letting the book span 3 years. While Madeline’s situation might not be relatable to readers her frustration and sense of lack of control will strike home with many a reader.

All in all the story is gloomy, the chapters curt, and the characters well written. Because of this, Recovery Road is not for everyone. I would say those that are looking for a mature YA book, with developed characters and an interesting plot you’ll enjoy Recovery Road. If not, or if you're in elementary or early middle school then I wouldn't recommend this book for you.

RATING

8 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Published: March 1, 2011

Price: $17.99

Beyonders: A World Without Heroes: By Brandon Mull

BEYONDERS: A WORLD WITHOUT HEROES

SUMMARY

Jason Walker has often wished his life could be a bit less predictable--until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank to a place unlike anything he's ever seen. In the past, the people of Lyrian welcmoed visitors from the Beyond, but attitudes have changed since the wizard emperor Maldor rose to power. The brave resistors who opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail.

In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor, and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes.

REVIEW

I hadn’t read any of Brandon Mull’s previous books when I picked this up. Someone recommended it to me and asked if I would review it, and so I said sure I’d be happy to take a look at it. From the first page I was riveted by the dark and powerful opening that propels the reader into the world of the Lyrian.

Of course the book seemed to change from the type of storytelling seen in the introduction to the first few chapters. Characters are given quests, they must overtake a sitting evil ruler, and they are the only hope as this is a land ruled by fear and corruption. This whole setup seemed a little simplistic and the quest reminded me very much of an old math adventure computer game from JumpStart that you travel around and solve riddles and math puzzles to help beat the game.

Of course there is a reason that those games were as popular as they were, and everyone my age played them at some point in time. Because they were incredibly well targeted for that age group. This is exactly what Mull has done with the Beyonders series, by targeting a specific age group that will be sure to respond to his writing.

What Mull really adds to the story is his ability to create inventive and interesting magics and creatures. My personal favorites were the characters/creatures Jasher, a seed person, and Ferrin, a displacer. I found both of these wizardborn (I assume the seed people of Amar Kabal were wizardborn because of there rebirth through seeds but I don’t believe it was actually stated that they were so I might be wrong) characters fascinating. The ability to detach one’s body and survive is a fascinating (and useful) ability that I felt was both unique and interesting to read about. These characters were also complex and really helped bring a higher level of action and adventure to the story.

Yet, while the quest seemed simplistic the twists that Mull introduces and especially at the end of the book make for an exhilarating spin on the story. Because of this shocking revelation at the end which promises to bring an excellent sequel in Seeds of Rebellion, the interesting wizardborn characters, and the quest, this book is perfect for it’s recommended age group. It will engross both boys and girls between 3^rd to 8^th grade, and after the revelations at the end, even a much older reader such as myself can’t wait for the next book in this exciting series.

RATING

9 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Aladdin

Published: March 15, 2011

Price: $19.99

Trapped: By Michael Northrop

TRAPPED

SUMMARY

The day the blizzard started, no one knew that it was going to keep snowing for a week. That for those in its path, it would become not just a matter of keeping warm, but of staying alive....

Scotty and his friends Pete and Jason are among the last seven kids at their high school waiting to get picked up that day, and they soon realize that no one is coming for them. Still, it doesn't seem so bad to spend the night at school, especially when distractingly hot Krista and Julie are sleeping just down the hall. But then the power goes out, then the heat. The pipes freeze, and the roof shudders. As the days add up, the snow piles higher, and the empty halls grow colder and darker, the mounting pressure forces a devastating decision....

REVIEW

With an almost prophetic premise about a snow storm like the one that hit the US this year, Trapped, had me hooked from the back page summery. It had near death situations, a rag tag bunch of kids, and what seemed like survival plot line that really reels you in. That coupled with the fact that the author Michael Northrop won an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a Publishers Weekly Flying Start with his last book Gentlemen it seemed like Trapped was going to be an amazing start to a great publishing year.

Unfortunately then I started the book, and it went absolutely no where. Yes you hear me right, no where. The characters were bland and unoriginal, there was no action, and the story just moved in place, with the reader wondering if there ever was going to be anything happen in the book.

Now only that but what action did happen in the book, was gruesome and overly unnecessary. I never loved any of the characters, and the dialog seemed weak and unrealistic.

All in all while the end of the book started pick up the pace and began to create a somewhat redeeming story, it was too little too late. Making this book a disappointing dud.

RATING

5 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Published: February 1, 2011

Price: $17.99