Falmouth High School Library

Derting, K. (2010). The Body Finder. NY: Harper. 329 pages.

Violet Ambrose has always had the supernatural ability to detect dead bodies, and the ones that have been murdered call to her in “echoes.” Generally these murdered bodies are victims of nature – birds, squirrels, etc. Not only do bodies emit unique echoes, but that same echo is imprinted on the killer. So when her cat kills a mouse, Violet might hear the same screeching sound, taste the same terrible flavor, or see the same strange light coming from both the dead mouse and her cat. When she was eight, she found the body of a murdered girl, and the killer was never found. Now Violet is sixteen and someone is kidnapping and murdering girls in her county. Violet is determined to help, but must keep her ability secret. The only people who know what she can do are her family and her best friend, Jay. As Violet begins her hunt, the killer realizes that she is onto him, and suddenly, she becomes his prey.

This book is the first in a series, and I cannot wait to read the next one. It reminded me a lot of Lisa McMann’s Wake series, which I also loved. The subplot of Violet & Jay’s potential romance is sweet – almost a little too perfect – but I found myself hoping they would get together. Violet’s friends are funny… a little stereotypical, but they made me laugh. If you are looking for an intriguing read about a strong girl with a really strange ability, you should check out The Body Finder.

Williams, C.L. (2009). The Chosen One. NY: St. Martin’s Griffin. 213 pages.

Kyra Carlson is not a typical thirteen-year-old, by our standards. She has three mothers, all whom are married to one father. The mothers have 20 children amongst them, with two babies on the way.  Kyra’s family is part of some sort of polygamous religious sect that answers to a man called The Prophet and his Apostles. The Prophet is guarded by a group of men called the God Squad. The Prophet, his Apostles, and the God Squad share all the wealth of the community, while the others in the sect live packed in trailers. Kyra breaks two of their biggest rules routinely – she reads books that she sneaks in from a mobile library (basically a small library contained in an RV that drives past the compound on Wednesday afternoons), and she meets Joshua, a boyfriend of sorts, late at night. When Kyra is told by the Prophet that she has been “chosen” to marry one of his Apostles, who just happens to be her sixty-year-old uncle who already has six wives, Kyra has to make a decision – be obedient and become a seventh wife to her father’s brother, or try and escape from a life that, to us seems radical and extremist, but to her is all she knows.

This book was a little unsatisfying. I was intrigued by the plot, but it fell a bit flat for me. There were lots of loose ends that never really got tied up, which is annoying. There were too many characters for there to be real character development. I think that the characters could have been fleshed out more, even if the result was a longer book. Also, Kyra talks out loud to herself quite a bit, which was strange.

Mazer, N.F. (2008). The Missing Girl. NY: HarperTeen. 284 pages.

This was a very quick read about five typical sisters who laugh, cry, fight, and, at the end of the day, love each other unconditionally. The girls range in age from 11 (Autumn) to 17 (Beauty). As they walk to school every day, they are watched by a man who surreptitiously watches them and eventually becomes obsessed with them. I don’t want to give anything away, but picks his favorite sister and manages to kidnap her. Read the book to find out what happens and how the other sisters cope with the kidnapping. This book is written in alternating points of view – mostly, Autumn, Beauty, and the man’s — which can be confusing at times, but once you can figure out who is narrating, it is impossible to put down.

Collins, S. (2010). Mockingjay. NY: Scholastic Press. 390 pages.

Mockingjay is the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy. I don’t want to give anything away to those who haven’t read the first and second books, but I will say that this book is a lot different from the first two. The first two books are both set in the arena and a season of the Hunger Games is played out. In this book, the time for games is over. Katniss is in District 13 and they are waging war against the Capitol. I would say more, but it would ruin the first two books. This is definitely worth reading if you are a fan of the first two books, but it was my least favorite in the trilogy. Also, I would recommend re-reading the first two if it’s been a while… I didn’t, and I regretted it quite a bit because I couldn’t remember a lot of details from the first two and there are not many “flashbacks” to remind the reader of what went on.

Bushnell, C. (2010). The Carrie Diaries. NY: Balzer + Bray. 389 pages.

This book is like the prequel to Bushnell’s Sex and the City; the subtitle is “Meet Carrie before Sex and the City.” We follow Carrie Bradshaw through her senior year in high school as she falls in and out of love and struggles to maintain her friendship with a less-than-loyal BFF. Not only do I highly recommend this book to fans of the original book and the series (the ending is fantastic!), but it is also a quick, fun read for those who are unfamiliar – no prior knowledge of the characters or the plotline is necessary.

Halam, A. (2003). Dr. Franklin’s Island. NY: Dell. 224 pages.

Science and technology is expanding and developing all the time. Scientists have cloned sheep and dogs, and have genetically engineered tomatoes to spoil less quickly. But what happens if a scientist takes his work too far? What if he goes beyond working on vegetables and plants and starts to experiment on human beings? Dr. Franklin is a so-called mad scientist who dreams of changing people into animals and back again. He needs some subjects to perform experiments on – and conveniently, Semi and two other survivors of a plane crash have just landed on the shore of his island. Semirah Garson (Semi) is an average high school student with an affinity for science. When she wins the opportunity to travel to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands for a chance to study the environment, she takes it. Along with 49 other students, she finds herself catapulted into a nightmare as their plane crashes into the ocean. It is apparent that Semi and two other students are the only survivors. They swim to a seemingly deserted island, but soon learn they are not alone. They stumble upon Dr. Franklin’s obscene zoo, where they are quickly taken prisoners. Semi and her companions are forced to undergo Franklin’s genetic engineering experiments and must fight for their human lives. I like this book for both boys and girls – there is a great mixture of human emotion and life contemplation along with action and adventure. There are great, grimy details like “the girl who waved” and the animals with various human parts.

Updale, E. (2003). Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman? NY: Scholastic. 233 pages.
After being released from jail, prisoner 493 takes on two identities: Montmorency – by day – an upper-class gentleman who stays in a hotel and attends the opera, and Scarper – by night – a cunning thief who uses the newly installed sewer system under London to disappear quickly after he commits lucrative robberies. The story, the first in a series, is brilliantly written with a double characterization of the same physical person. Scarper is a static character who is sheisty throughout the novel, while Montmorency transforms by giving back some of the things that he took from people – not so much material things, as those have been sold, but sentimental items. Although this is the only book I have read of the series, the rest are definitely in my TBR pile. The thing I really like about this book is that it is appealing to both boys and girls. The cover art is really cool/scary looking.

Prose, F. (2008). Goldengrove: A Novel. [Electronic Resource]. Prince Frederick, MD: Recorded Books, LLC. Narrated by Mamie Gummer.
This novel, technically considered an adult novel, might hold some appeal for YA readers. The author, Francine Prose, has written YA novels in the past, and the main character is thirteen-year-old Nico. The setting is a lake house in Vermont (maybe New Hampshire? I listened to this on a Playaway, so I missed some of the details), and the story really gets going when Nico’s older sister (and role model) Margaret drowns in the lake. Nico, confused and upset by Margaret’s death, secretly befriends Aaron, who was Margaret’s boyfriend at the time of her death. They spend the summer together, as Nico comes to terms with what has happened to her sister, and how her life is directly affected. There are a few sexual situations, but I think the book missed the YA boat because of the complex relationships that Nico has with Aaron, her parents, and the family friend Elaine.

McNish, C. (2008). Angel. Minneapolis: CarolRhoda Books, Inc. 311 pages.
I knew when I picked up this book that it is a fantasy, but I definitely underestimated its degree of the fantastical. The main character, Freya, is a fourteen-year-old girl who, at the age of eight, had a conversation with an angel. Subsequently, Freya becomes obsessed with angels, to the point where she is hospitalized in a mental institution. Upon her release, she enrolls in the local high school, and things are going seemingly well (note: her new “friends” have no idea about her history). One day, a new girl arrives at school. Stephanie has been previously homeschooled, and is quickly branded “weird” because she waxes on about her love of angels. Recognizing a familiar soul, Freya takes an interest in Stephanie, much to the disapproval of her frenemies. There is a subplotline about Freya’s brother Luke that has absolutely nothing to do with the main story until the very end of the book, and even then, the intentions of the subplotline are questionable. The book also contains many religious references. I was a bit disappointed with this one. I think I was expecting a Twilight-type read, and it wasn’t delivered. That said, the writing style wasn’t half bad, and would be appreciated by someone already comfortable with the fantasy genre.

Ryan, C. (2009). The Forest of Hands and Teeth. NY: Delacorte. 310 pages.

Wow, I could not put this book down. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where an infection has turned hordes of people into “Unconsecrated,” the main character Mary is struggling to figure out where she fits in. Her village is surrounded by a high-reaching chain-link fence, which is designed to keep the Unconsecrated out – because the Unconsecrated hunger for human blood. Both of Mary’s parents have been infected, and her brother does not allow her to live with his family; instead, she must join the Sisterhood (basically like a convent). When Mary’s childhood friend suffers from an infected broken leg, he is moved into the cathedral that the Sisterhood occupies because it is like the village’s hospital. Mary falls in love with Travis as he spends months there recovering, even though Travis has been pledged to be married to Mary’s best friend Cassie, and Mary herself is pledged to Travis’s older brother Harry. Mary dreams every day of traveling to the ocean that her mother told her about; she dreams of breaking free from the village and basically an arranged marriage, but there is no way past the fence and the Unconsecrated – until, one day, a mysterious young girl appears from beyond the fence. This gives Mary hope that the ocean really does exist and that she might travel there one day. When a horrible breach happens and the Unconsecrated take over the village, Mary, Harry, Travis, Cassie, and Mary’s brother manage to survive and leave the village, only to find themselves in a maze of fences. This is a story of adventure, love, desolation, and what to do when all hope seems to be gone. I really enjoyed the plot twists and unexpected storylines. Ryan’s writing is beautiful and detailed. Highly recommended.