I just read. . .

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris.

When I started reading the book, I was expecting a cliche version of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight. Female protagonist goes to school with seemingly-normal guy, doesn't pay him much attention, until *BAM* he saves her life in a supernatural way. Suddenly female protagonist sees supernatural (now hunky) dude as an attractive suitor, and finds herself falling for him even though she hardly knows him. At first, the comparisons were quickly stacking up between the two books (i.e., getting hit by a truck but surviving thanks to supernatural cute guy; dad in law enforcement; supernatural dude first insisting the female is crazy about what she saw, then revealing the truth to her and professing his love for her, etc. etc.). But fortunately, this book managed to take a 180 degree turn and became a fantastic creation all on its own. (Don't get me wrong, I tore through each book in the Twilight series as they came out, but the vampire theme is a little overdone and I'm ready to try some new plot lines.)

Beyond the initial comparisons, this book has a really great concept and pulls the reader in. It's a new take on science fiction, end of the world plots, and concepts that are out of this world. Janelle Tenner is a strong female lead character, full of persistence, determination, and strong will. Those qualities end up getting her into trouble occasionally, but she doesn't require a guy to defend her. Even when facing the possible end of the world, she can hold her own against FBI agents, catty ex-friends, and the supernatural.

The main character, Janelle Tenner, gets hit by a truck and killed, but she is brought back to life by Ben Michaels, a guy she barely knows from school. Mystery surrounds the incident--the truck has no identification information, not even a VIN, and the driver died from radiation burns, not from the crash. Meaning he was dead when he ran into Janelle. How is that possible? Speaking of the impossible, why was Ben Michaels at the accident scene, and how did he bring Janelle back to life? Who exactly is Ben Michaels? With secret access to her FBI agent dad's case files, Janelle and her friend Alex try to put the pieces together to the case. But the deeper they dig into the case, the stranger the case gets.

Each chapter is titled with a countdown, which speeds up the closer it gets to the end. Three days into the book, or 13 mini-chapters later, the reader finds out the countdown is for a UIED (Unidentified Improvised Explosive Device) that seems to be connected to a string of unidentified dead bodies that have been melted from radiation--just like the truck driver. As the clock ticks, Janelle and Alex realize it's not just a countdown to a bomb, but a countdown to the end of the world. Will they be able to work with Ben to stop the clock and save the world? You'll have to read to find out!!

Teen Review

Who Are You? by Joan Lowery Nixon

The book isn't the best of her dozens of mysteries, and it also isn't the worst. The intrigue and heartbreaking climax are up to her usual standards, but there is something about the book that gives this book a different feeling than others. However, not counting that difference, the plot is good, and the character development and turns are quite suspenseful. As the main character, Kristi Evans continues to learn more and more secrets about the mystery surrounding her and even more about her personal life, she learns about trust and appreciation for her family. Nixon also includes her usual sideline of romance, blending it in to the plot nicely. So, if you're looking for a great mystery overall, check out Who Are You and other books by Joan Lowery Nixon.

--Emma (Teen Reviewer)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

In We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, eighteen year-old Mary Katherine "Merricat" Blackwood lives in New England with her older sister, Constance, their sickly Uncle Julian, and a very loyal black cat named Jonas. Surrounded by a large piece of land and secured inside of a locked gate, their house appears to be more of a fortress than a home. Once a week Merricat warily slips off her family's property to enter the village for groceries. There is she is taunted by children and treated with suspicion by other adults. What was it that happened in their home to make the town so fearful of the Blackwood family -- and just who was responsible for this crime? Even after the big reveal, Merricat's unusual and unique perspective on her world will have you wondering what's reality and what's fantasy in this classic tale of gothic horror.

You say you want a Revolution?

Andi's little brother has died. Her mother is lost in despair. And, her father has left the family for a younger, pregnant girlfriend. She feels alone, abandoned, and suicidal. Andi's genius IQ can't help her figure a way to fix her family or herself. At the brink of failing her senior year of high school, she comes home one night to find her father has committed her mother to a mental hospital and expects Andi to accompany him to Paris on a business trip.
Having little choice in the matter, Andi glumly goes. Once there she finds the journal of a young girl, hidden since the French Revolution. Recovered from the catacombs beneath Paris, the journal tells of tragedy and speaks of hope. Andi finds comfort in reading the story of another young girl who was forced to play along as a Revolution tears her family, her country and her life apart. But as Andi reads, she grows so engrossed that she becomes unable to tell the past from the present and finds herself in a revolution of a whole different kind.

In her book, Revolution, Jennifer Donnelly deftly weaves together a story that transcends time. Citing popular musical lyrics throughout, she brings the past alive connecting it to the present through descriptive images, parallel story lines, and the realization that as history repeats itself, so does music. The suspense is all engrossing, and I found myself up until the wee hours of the morning, just wanting to read one more chapter, to find out one more detail, to pick up one more clue. Like Andi, the main character, I got carried away in a story that wasn't my own finding it difficult to tear myself away to face my reality.

I highly recommend Revoltion if you want a book that will provide you an escape to another time, another world, another life. Just don't forget to come back.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

At eleven years old, Taylor Markham's mother abandoned her near a convenience store on Jellicoe Road. Taylor is now seventeen and in charge of her boarding school's dorm. As leader, she finds herself in secret negotiations with other teens from other schools in the area for bits and pieces of the Australian countryside surrounding the school, a game with a deadly serious overtone. When Hannah, the one adult she trusts, disappears from school grounds one day, Taylor's mind whirls with questions. Where did Hannah go? How did the territory wars between Jellicoe School students, Townies, and Cadets--a tradition several decades in the making--begin? What does the handsome and infuriating Jonah Griggs, leader of the Cadets, know about her past? And who were those five kids Hannah wrote about in an unfinished manuscript she left behind at Jellicoe?

Find out by reading Jellicoe Road, a mysterious and poetic tale of recurring dreams, connections between past and present, trust between friends, and family secrets. You can place a hold request for the book in print. Those who enjoy eBooks can also check out the title in Adobe ePUB format on compatible computers or eReaders.

The Danger Box

"It is like confessing a murder." - Charles Darwin

"His hand holding the purple crayon shook." - Crockett Johnson from Harold and the Purple Crayon

How are these quotes related? Read The Danger Box by Blue Balliett and find out.

Meet Zoomy, a 12 year old boy who lives with his grandparents in the small town of Three Oaks, Michigan. He sees the world in a different way than most because he can hardly see the world at all. He is legally blind and his "thick as oatmeal cookie glasses" give him only a limited view barely beyond the end of his nose. When he finds a treasure that is "fragile, easily recognized around the world, too valuable to put a price on, and could fit in your pocket," he knows he has to figure out a way to make others around him see its importance as clearly as he can.

If you like mysteries, enjoy learning new things, and are brave enough to see the world around you in a whole new way, pick up Blue Balliett's new book The Danger Box. You may be already familiar with her twisty plots, artful coincidences, and her unique style that embraces the reader and forces a true interaction with the story from her earlier works: Chasing Vermeer, The Wright 3, and The Caldar Game. However, The Danger Box allows Balliett to continue communicating with the reader and encourages them to not only think in a new way but also to act in a new way. A way that could change how one reads books - forever. A way that could change how one tries to survive - forever.

Hint: How is a book like a danger box?
Hint: How did Darwin and Harold get others to believe that the world they saw was real?
Hint: How is survival of the fittest like a game?