NO PARKING AT THE END TIMES by Bryan Bliss. Greenwillow, 2015.

Is the end that near?
Abby's parents think ti's true
But Abby has doubts.

Passover

THE STORY OF PASSOVER by David A. Adler with illustrations by Jill Weber. Holiday House, 2014.

Passover's story
Of Moses and Israel
Shared here for children.

hard truths

THE TRUE TALE OF THE MONSTER BILLY DEAN TELT BY HISSELF by David Almond. Candlewick Press, January 2014.

From the opening sentence: "This tail is told by 1 that died at birth by 1 that came into the world in days of endless war & at the moment of disaster." to the last shattering chapter, this novel will capture readers and hold them hostage. Meet Billy Dean, a young boy who has lived in isolation never venturing beyond the confines of his house. His mother is the only constant in his life. Billy's father, a vaguely sinister figure, visits sporadically. From him, Billy begins to learn how to read and write somewhat. The crude writing, Billy's naïve yet worldly voice, and the mysteries at the center of this novel combine to create a singular effect (Poe would be envious) of horror committed on the innocent. Here is a story that must be experienced, swallowed in small bites, chewed thoroughly, and then read again from the beginning.

Opposite of Hallelujah

THE OPPOSITE OF HALLELUJAH by Anna Jarzab. Delacorte, 2012.

Carolina (call her Caro) is facing changes. Her older sister, Hannah, is returning from the convent she entered when Caro was only 8. Carol is breaking up with her boyfriend, and she wants to be sure she is the one in the relationship to bring it to an inevitable end. Things do not go according to plan. Derek dumps her first. Hannah arrives home, and to Caro, a stranger. And so begin the lies. tells friends her sister is back from a stint in the Peace Corps. Jarzab tackles some familiar territory but the terrain is a bit more foreign with the complications of faith and religion, friendship and enmity. Add in science, Escher, a priest who turns confidante, and the possibility of new romance, and you have a book bound to pull readers in. Complex and complicated: just like life. <610>

Woman of Steel

Elisa has been promised in marriage to a man she has not met. Her father is trying to form alliances that will save his kingdom from the threat of invasion from a neighboring region. Elisa is nervous about meeting Alejandro. Her discomfort is made deeper by the fact that he intends not to tell his subjects about the marriage. After a perilous journey from her home to Alejandro's kingdom, Elisa is ensconced in a room. She is treated with some deference due to her status as a princess. Should others at the court learn she is also the bearer of a Godstone, attitudes could change quickly. As a bearer, Elisa is destined for something. But what? As she searches for an answer to her purpose, Elisa suddenly finds herself kidnapped and placed square in the middle of a raging war that will affect not only her own country but her new kingdom as well. Can a pampered princess perform the heroics expected of her? <528>

THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS by Rae Carson (Greenwillow 2011) has echoes of GRACELING, FIRE, and FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK and yet it is not in the least derivative of these excellent books. Instead, Elisa and her world, subtly but completely built by Carson, are unique and unforgettable. Romance, mystery, intrigue and espionage: there is much here for readers who enjoy action and adventure with a soupcon of religion and myth.