Skinned
by Robin Wasserman
Young Adult Science Fiction
Available now in hardcover


Crashed
by Robin Wasserman
Young Adult Science Fiction
Due September 8th, 2009

Last week I was experiencing some anxiety--not about going back to school in two weeks or planning my wedding, but about what I would read when I'd finished CATCHING FIRE. How could anything possibly follow the sequel to THE HUNGER GAMES?

And then I received a package in the mail: Crashed, the sequel to Skinned by Robin Wasserman.


In Skinned, Lia Kahn wakes up in the hospital to find that she has been in a horrific car accident. Most of her body has been burned beyond recognition, but she is confident that modern technology will restore her to her former beauty. And it does--but instead of fixing her old body, BioMax has put her into a new one, and now she is a skinner. She looks human from a distance, but her body is mechanical, and her family and friends can't seem to decide if she is Lia Kahn or just a robot that is programmed to act like Lia. It's a fascinating book, full of moral quandaries and questions that our society has not yet had to ask.

In Crashed, the stakes are higher. Lia has been in her mech body for long enough to know that some things will never change, and others will never be the same. She is trying new things and attempting to get used to the fact that many people don't think she is a human being. She is also experiencing firsthand the politics of a biomedical ethics uproar. Where Skinned is mostly introspective, Crashed is full of action. There's also a VERY satisfying romance, and we get to know Lia a little better. This series is more than just dystopian science fiction; it feels real, like maybe Lia and her friends are living in a not-too-distant future.


Similar books: Feed by M.T. Anderson, The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.

Catching Fire

Catching Fire
by Suzanne Collins
Young Adult Science Fiction
Due September 1, 2009

There aren't enough words in my vocabulary to review this book. Just read it. Just...read it.

And if you haven't read The Hunger Games yet--what the heck are you waiting for?

An Exciting Proposal

Today I received a box full of awesome books from Sarah Wingfield, our Random House Children's Books rep. I want to try something new with them: I'll post a picture and description here, and you tell me if you want to read one. I'll mail it to you, and in exchange you have to send me a review. Then you can either send it back to me or pass it on to someone else. Sound good?

All the books are set to go on sale this fall, so you just might be the first kid to read one!

You can email your address to me at p1ratewench@hotmail.com. That second letter is actually the number one (1). Thanks guys!

Back Home by Julia Keller

When Dad comes back from Iraq, Rachel doesn't recognize the man with a prosthetic arm and leg, sitting in the living room day after day. Her mother says that because of his traumatic brain injury, their father will need some time to get better; they will need to help bring him back. But Dad doesn't seem to be making much progress. He doesn't smile, and he never talks. Rachel is starting to wonder if her dad will ever really come back home. A story of an ordinary family forced to deal with extraordinary circumstances, Back Home tells the tale of families scarred and the battle just beginning when their wounded loved ones return home.

Mirrorscape by Mike Wilks

Fulfilling the dream of a lifetime, Melkin Womper is apprenticed to a master painter. Soon, Mel and his new friends Ludo and Wren find themselves caught in a power struggle between the Mystery and the Master--a struggle that involves stepping through paintings into a world where the bizarre is commonplace and all logic is irrelevant. A world where angels, pyramid mazes, imaginary monsters, talking houses, and--most importantly--the simple paintbrush combine to form a hugely original and deeply compelling fantasy. This is the first installment of a trilogy.

Candor by Pam Bachorz--already taken!

Stealing Death by Janet Lee Carey

Kipp has lost nearly everything--his home, his parents, and his brother--in a deadly fire. He rides into the desert to confront death itself. Kipp finds the key to eternal life, but he must work with death, and tame the wild horse that accompanies Kwaja, the sack that catches souls. At the edge of reality and fantasy, will Kipp master death only to lose hold of his life? A poignant fantasy novel that pushes the boundary between life and death, Stealing Death takes readers on an unforgettable quest.

Violet Wings by Victoria Hanley

In Feyland, all fairies are born with unique magical abilities. Zaria spent her childhood yearning to be like other fairies, but at twelve, she became on of the most powerful fairies ever. Sneaking through a secret doorway to the human world, Zaria is Earth-struck; she wants to understand and experience everything about humans. But when she is seen, her exposure puts all of Feyland at risk. With only her own judgment to guide her, Zaria must try to fix the mess she's made on Earth. Will she use her new power wisely and make the right choices?

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Callie's Rules by Naomi Zucker--already taken!

Reviews

The Wet Nurse's Tale
by Erica Eisdorfer
Adult Historical Fiction
Due August 6, 2009

Susan Rose's mother is a wet nurse, whose profession is to feed and care for other women's babies until they can be weaned and returned home. Susan's father is a drunk who is always looking for ways to earn an extra shilling. When Susan gives birth to a baby and a desperate mother calls for a wet nurse, Susan finds herself sold to the highest bidder. This is the story of a smart, plucky, adventurous lower-class woman in Victorian England, and it is everything a reader wants in a historical novel. Susan is overweight and not particularly attractive--and she frequently makes poor decisions regarding men--but you will love her immediately. Her narration is pitch-perfect, blending humor and heartbreak while giving a fascinating glimpse into a mostly unknown profession. I loved it.

Beautiful Creatures
by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Young Adult Fantasy
Due January 2010

Did you finish The Summoning and The Awakening (by Kelley Armstrong) and wonder what you should read next? Or are you perhaps a parent who is looking for the longest possible book to buy for an avid reader? Then this is the book for you. Not only is it dark, creepy, mysterious, and awesome, it's also long enough to take a good week to read. Quality and quantity together in one volume. The narrator is Ethan Wate, a Southern boy whose secret reading habits have set him apart from his small-minded neighbors. As a result, he is the only one in Gatlin who is willing to give the new girl a chance. Lena is dark and beautiful, but the town can't see past the fact that she is Macon Ravenwood's niece--and that strange things started happening as soon as she arrived. Ethan must get past Lena's defenses and figure out the truth behind the occurences before it's too late. The fantasy aspect is great, but what I really loved was the picture that Garcia and Stohl painted of Gatlin: the Daughters of the American Revolution, three old Confederate sisters, the Civil War. Watch for this in January.

The Slippery Year
by Melanie Gideon
Memoir
Due August 4, 2009

I'm not real big on memoirs. My reading tastes tend more toward escapism, which you may have already noted. This memoir, however, I could not put down. Melanie Gideon did not get lost on a mountain climbing expedition (she DID fall off her bike though) or get breast cancer (she scratched her cornea) or leave her marriage and move to Europe (she camped in the driveway, almost). This book is about being a mom and a wife and yourself all at the same time, and keeping your sense of humor, and laughing at yourself, and loving the little things. It doesn't feel indulgent the way some memoirs do, and Melanie is a master at making fun of her own fears and neuroses. You don't have to be a mother or a wife to identify with Melanie--her experiences are ones that everyone will recognize, or wish they did. Bravo. : )

Reviews by Christian and Emily

The Oracles of Delphi Keep
By Victoria Laurie
Middle grade adventure
Due May 26, 2009 in hardcover
Reviewed by Christian Ehrnrooth

I recommend this book because I thought that it was a really exciting book. Readers who like fantasy adventures like; Christopher Paolini’s Eragon and Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising Series, will like this book too.

In the story, Ian and his sister Theo (short for Theodosia) are having a splendid life, at least for a pair of orphans living in an English castle on a cliff. But this is about to change. While searching the caves in the cliffs below the castle, they come across a silver box, and from the moment this happens they are put into danger. They narrowly escape the jaws of a Hell Hound while trying to exit the cave. When the silver box is later opened, the kids find a prophecy written on an ancient scroll. Three thousand years ago a great Greek oracle, Laomida wrote of a great quest, a quest on which the fate of the world depends. Suddenly Ian and Theo are thrust on a journey to solve the mysteries of the scroll and to save the world from enormous danger.

The Demon King: A Seven Realms Novel
by Cinda Williams Chima
Young Adult Fantasy
Due October 2009
Review by Emily

This is a story of two teenagers living in a fantasy world with themes of the real world. Han struggles to get food for his family and stay out of trouble while Raisa, the princess heir of Fellsmarch tries to keep her independence instead of marry whoever her mother wants her to at 16 years old. The two of them meet up in the middle of the book and are also connected through other people they both know. I really liked this book because it had all sorts of themes in it: wizards, romance, social status. There's always a lot happening, even though it is a long book. It is the kind of book anyone can enjoy.

Secret Society
by Tom Dolby
Young Adult fiction
Due October 2009

This is the first of Tom Dolby's books that I'd read, and I liked it. I imagine it's a little like Gossip Girl in its theme, which is upper class Manhattan prep school drama, but there's an added element of mystery that I really enjoyed. Three students are conscripted into a secret society that promises to make all their dreams come true. Something isn't right, however, and when one member of their class of Initiates disappears, the three begin to wonder what price they will have to pay for their dreams. I was prepared to dislike the characters in this book simply because I expected them to be your usual entitled rich kids, but I was surprised to find myself rooting for them from the beginning. The only complaint I have is that the end is set up for a sequel which won't come quickly enough for my liking.

California Book Award!

Congratulations, Ellen Klages!

White Sands, Red Menace has won the California Book Award Gold Medal for Young Adult Fiction. You can meet Ellen at our Young Adult author night on July 22nd!

Due to some confusion evidenced by the general populace, here I will provide the difference between an independent bookstore, Borders Books, and Amazon.com:

If you want to buy a cheap book on hearsay, or because you need it for something and don't want to pay full price, buy it from Amazon.

If you need an obscure heaving-bosoms-and-Fabio-on-the-cover romance novel that no one has ever heard of RIGHT NOW, look for it at Border's.

If you're not sure what you want to read and want a recommendation tailored to your mood and reading tastes, get it from an indie bookstore.

If you want an honest opinion of a book, given by well-read real people, ask someone at an indie bookstore.

If you need a gift for someone but you have no idea what they like, go to an indie bookstore.

If you're curious about what's going on in the neighborhood, including the sordid details of various peoples' love lives, sit in a quiet spot in your local bookstore and pretend like you're not paying attention.

In short, Amazon has:

• low prices
• direct-to-home shipping
• the advantage of never having to leave your cave

Borders has:

• occasional low prices
• a vast inventory
• Seattle's Best coffee
• a frequent buyer program

Independents have:

• knowledgeable staff who can (and do) read
• community programs like author readings and activities
• direct-to-home shipping (usually)
• a frequent buyer program
• inventory that is personally selected to include the best books from each genre
• the ability to special order a book and have it within 2-4 days
• cards, gift items, and novelties that are much classier than what you will find at Borders
• charm
• knowledge about the place you live and the services offered there
• general awesomeness

Also, guess what: Powell's Books, the largest independent bookstore in the country, offers pretty much the same benefits that Amazon does.