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The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd

10/22/2014

Juliet is a maid in King's College. She works at night, cleaning off the blood stains in the operating theatre when the halls are as dark and silent as a grave. It would bother many ladies and many men, but she is her father's daughter and she is made of stronger stuff. She grew up falling asleep to screams from his laboratory where he performed the experiments that disgraced him and led to Juliet's dreary circumstances. After believing herself an orphan for many years, she is shocked to discover that her father is alive and well--performing his experiments on an island far from the prying eyes of society. She is warned that it's no place for a lady, but when things turn from bad to worse she is forced to flee London and travel to the island of her father, Doctor Moreau.

This book was deliciously atmospheric. I could feel the gloomy London fog and the oppressive tropical heat. The hints about the full extent of her father's experiments keep the tension high and his secretive nature casts a shadow of doubt over everything. Juliet finds herself caught in a love triangle with high stakes as who she trusts may decide whether she lives or dies. Juliet is a wonderful heroine bold enough to do what needs to be done even when the men around her quail at the task. The Madman's Daughter is a thrilling gothic romance based on a classic Victorian science fiction story.

The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Erica's Picks
7th - 8th Grade
Tags: Historical Fiction, Horror, Retellings, Romance, Science Fiction,

What Came from the Stars by Gary D. Schmidt

10/22/2014

In a final act of defiance and glory, the Valorim forge a necklace containing their art and send it off into the stars before they fall to a dark lord. It travels across light years and finally reaches a planet in a distant solar system--where it falls into Tommy Pepper's lunchbox. Tommy Pepper unknowingly absorbs the art of the Valorim and soon he starts making paintings that come to life, speaking in a strange language, and referring to events that sound like they come from a fantasy novel. At first his friends don't know what to make of it, but when the dark forces that conquered the Valorim come to Earth, they start to believe in his crazy talk.

This book is a unique mix of high fantasy, science fiction, and a realistic school story unlike anything I've read before. The parts involving the Valorim are written in a high fantasy style involving plenty of invented words and archaic language patterns (like Lord of the Rings). The parts involving Tommy and his family coping with their mother's death and getting along with his friends at school read like a regular school story. The writing is superb in both styles and full of meaty issues, complex characters, and fantastic world-building. If you like aliens, J.R.R. Tolkien, and school stories you’ll enjoy this interesting mix of the three. The difficult, stylized language in the parts with the aliens makes this most suitable for strong readers.

What Came from the Stars by Gary D. Schmidt

Erica's Picks
6th - 8th
Tags: Adventure, Contemporary Fiction, Family Life, Fantasy, School Stories, Science Fiction

Henry and the Incredibly Incorrigible, Inconveniently Intelligent Smart Human by Lynn Messina

10/22/2014

What would the world be like if robots dominated and humans were an often buggy technology? Just ask Henry. He's an average bot going through his difficult 13th upgrade. One day a human goes berserko in his mother's shop and they get an experimental replacement. This new human is unlike any he's seen before. He can complete complex tasks and he even likes to play video games and read comic books! Henry knows that humans aren't like robots, but he can't help feeling like this new human is more than just an appliance. Will Henry be willing to risk it all when his new friend needs him to break into the motherboard?

I absolutely love the humor of this novel and the way it has robots and humans switch places in society provides plenty of opportunity for funny comparisons. Henry is the robot equivalent of a teenager and has a sort of virus that can make processing information at school difficult. The way this is described will ring true with many readers. The description of their adventures as they break into the motherboard reminds me of a video game and gamers are sure to enjoy it.

Henry and the Incredibly Incorrigible, Inconveniently Intelligent Smart Human by Lynn Messina

Erica's Picks
4th - 6th Grade
Tags: Friendship, Humor, School Stories, Science Fiction

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

10/22/2014

It all started with airplanes. Astrid would send her love to every passing airplane: an outpouring without expecting anything back. Then she started doing it all the time--with every person she met. She thought that if she gave all her love away, no one could control it and she would be free. But when she falls in love with a girl from work, her relationships with everyone in her life will be tested.

If you’re looking for a character-driven story set in a modern high school then this is the book for you. The story is full of interesting, quirky characters and their changing loyalties and friendships make for a compelling story.

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

Erica's Picks
8th Grade
Character Driven, Contemporary Fiction, Family Life, Friendship, LGBTQ, Romance, School Stories

Pantomime by Laura Lam

10/8/2014

Welcome to Ellada: a society that lives on in the dregs of an advanced civilization. No one knows what happened to the Alders, and their existence might be dismissed as myth if it wasn’t for the almost magical artifacts they left behind. Alder weapons give the government power over their colonies--but they are wearing down and nobody knows how to fix them. The colonies are growing rebellious while the nobility stubbornly cling to their traditions. Nothing is what it seems--and this is true for Iphigenia Laurus more than most. At first glance Iphigenia, or Gene, looks like all the other girls stiffly sipping tea in uncomfortables dresses, but behind the fair facade is a closely kept secret: Gene is intersex. When a plot to make Gene more marriageable is discovered the distraught debutante flees and ends up in the circus. But the ringmaster’s bravado hides dark secrets while Gene’s past looms threateningly in the background.

Gene is a fascinating character full of vibrant life and ingenuity. The book is populated with an eccentric cast that ranges from endearing to rakish to haunting but each one is memorable. The world of Ellada holds just as many secrets as its characters and the more is revealed about it, the more I want to know. If you like fantasy worlds and ensemble casts you will love Pantomime.

Pantomime by Laura Lam

Erica's Picks
6th - 8th Grade
Tags: Character Driven, Fantasy, LGBTQ

Go! A Kidd's Guide to Graphic Design by Chip Kidd

10/8/2014

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but admit it: you've picked up a book just because its cover looked cool. We all have. People put a lot of work into making a book's cover tempt readers to pick it up. Those people are called graphic designers. Have you ever wondered how those people decide what to put on a cover? Would you like to learn some of their tricks to capture people's attention? Then this is the book for you!

This book takes the basic concepts of graphic design and breaks them down into easy to understand and clearly illustrated chunks. The book is playful throughout and it's fun to read or flip through. Kidd's expertise and the clear way he has of explaining concepts make it incredibly informative as well.

Go! A Kidd's Guide to Graphic Design by Chip Kidd

Erica's Picks
4th - 8th Grade
tags: Art, Nonfiction

The Twelve-Fingered Boy by John Hornor Jacobs

10/8/2014

If you understand the basics of supply and demand, you can make a good life for yourself anywhere. Even in juvenile detention. In prison, supplies of everything are limited and demand is high. But there's one thing in particular the inmates crave: candy. Some like it sweet and some like it sour but everyone likes something. Shreve has the candy market cornered and is set to serve the rest of his sentence in comfort--until he gets a new cellmate. Right away, Shreve can tell there's something off about Jack. Then he finds out that he has twelve fingers and twelve toes. That's only the tip of the bizarre iceberg. Soon Shreve and Jack are on the run and caught in a plot straight from an X-Men comic. The people chasing them want much more than to just throw them back in prison. But how can they hide from someone who can invade people's minds?

The plot is absolutely relentless and Shreve's voice adds humor to the story even in its darker corners. The villains are delightfully sinister and the heroes brave and resourceful. The story isn't entirely black and white though. The plot keeps twisting leaving the motives of even the villains in question. In addition to these acts of mutant violence the story sheds light on some harsh realities of the non-supernatural variety. Jacobs does a great job balancing a fast-paced plot with thought-provoking elements.

The Twelve-Fingered Boy by John Hornor Jacobs

Erica's Picks
8th Grade
Tags: Adventure, Fast-Paced, Friendship, Horror, Humor, Issues Fiction, Supernatural

Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel

10/8/2014

Callie's father left before she was born. Now her mother refuses to leave until he comes back. Even though the town is deserted and they have no money left. Even though Callie has the dust in her lungs and the doctor is worried. She thinks she'll die there waiting for him. Until the worst duster she's ever seen buries the town and she loses her mother in the storm. With her mother gone Callie finally finds out why she refused to leave. Fairies are real, and her father is one of them. But they're not tiny, winged creatures and they're far from friendly. Now that they've found her, Callie has to run for her life in search of the mother she lost and the father she never met.

This book takes elements you would normally never see together and combines them wonderfully. It's historical fiction and an intriguing twist on fairy stories. It explores identity--Callie's mother is a mortal white woman and her father a black fairy which leaves Callie struggling to find where she belongs. Most of all it's a great adventure tale as Callie flees forces natural and supernatural.

Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel

Erica's Picks
6th - 8th Grade
Tags: Adventure, Family Life, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Issues Fiction, People of Color

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff

10/8/2014

The daughter of a diplomat and an artist, Delilah grew up traveling the world. She studied archery in France, acrobatics in Indonesia, survival in the jungles of India, and fighting in Japan. She's a member of several royal courts, owns a flying machine, and is a skilled escape artist. She is not someone you want to mess with. So when she winds up in a Turkish prison, she is not concerned. The question on her mind isn't how she will escape or even when she will escape. It's where did the Lieutenant in charge of her interrogation learn how to make such a fine cup of tea?

This comic has everything that I look for in an adventure: a strong lead, witty banter, gorgeous visuals, and tea! Okay, so maybe I don't usually look for the last one in adventure tales, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. Delilah is a classic action hero with an improbable laundry list of skills, moral ambiguity, and foolhardy confidence but Cliff twists these elements into something unique.

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff

Erica's Picks
5th - 8th Grade
Tags: Adventure, Comics, Historical Fiction, Humor

Rotten by Michael Northrop

10/8/2014

JD comes back from Juvie with only a week left before school starts. He has a lot to do before then: make up with his girlfriend, avoid revealing where he spent the summer, and above all else make sure that no one ever finds out why he was arrested. He's had a lot of time to plan what he's going to do, but there was one thing he wasn't expecting. While he was gone his mom adopted a dog. Not just any dog either, but a big Rottweiler with a past as shady as JD's. His mom called the dog Jon-Jon, but JD knows the perfect name for him: Johnny Rotten.

I love dog stories and I enjoyed watching JD and Johnny learn to trust each other and struggle to make things right after their past mistakes. Still, this isn’t your typical heart-warming dog story. JD and his friends aren't exactly model citizens and the tone of the story is true to Johnny's punk rock name.

Rotten by Michael Northrop

Erica's Picks
7th & 8th
Tags: Animals, Contemporary Fiction, Friendship, Issues Fiction, School Stories, Summer Vacation