Ah, grasshopper

GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE by Andrew Smith. Dutton, 2014.

From the glowing neon green cover with fluorescent yellow accent, this book demands attention. Attention must be paid. Just ask Austin and Robby, two teens who skate the Grasshopper Jungle, who are the target of some bullies, whose parents have checked out for various reasons, and who look to each other for friendship and comfort. Their nemeses, the town bullies, accidentally unleash a virus of Unstoppable Soldiers, giant praying mantises that want only to devour and reproduce. End of the world scenario? Let Austin, the self-appointed historian, tell you in his own inimitable style. Smith has created a science fiction world firmly grounded in the lives of teen boys, one populated by horrendous creatures not all of which are insects. Suspenseful, hilarious, dark, and most of all unique in its approach to telling the story.

Flights of Fancy

CAN'T SCARE ME by Ashley Bryan. Atheneum, 2013.

He's ever afraid
Until three headed giant
Threatens to eat him.

WHEN EDGAR MET CECIL by Kevin Luthardt. Peachtree, 2013.

Edgar's in a new school.
He makes a new friend, Cecil.
They become buddies.

PIRATES LOVE UNDERPANTS by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort. Aladdin, 2013.

Golden underpants
Are the treasure pirates seek
Beautiful bounty.

The Twilight of Humanity?

THE 5TH WAVE by Rick Yancey. Putnam, 2013.

Printz Honor Medalist (for THE MNSTRUMOLOGIST), Yancey turns his eyes from the past to the future and to the skies. An alien culture has attacked Earth. The first four waves of the attack have left few of the population alive. Those unfortunate few have learned one important lesson: trust no one. Cassie has lost her parents, and now her little brother has been taken away by the military for his protection. She is unsure how safe he will be and vows to get him back. As she journeys toward the place she believes the children to be held, she encounters a sniper and later a savior. Evan rescues her, but Cassie cannot fully trust Evan. He could very well be the same sniper who tried to take her life. Meanwhile, back at the Army base, some of the children are learning new skills, skills that are intended to help them battle against the "others." But can even their leaders be trusted? Yancey has penned a chilling account of what war and suspicion can do to the survivors. Detailed, engrossing, surprising: Yancey will draw readers and take them on a wild ride.

When We Wake

WHEN WE WAKE by Karen Healey. Little Brown, March 2013.

Teegan has been in love for exactly one day before she dies. Teeg and her friends headed off to a political rally never believing that violence might erupt. The last thing Teeg recalls is the sniper shot. Then darkness. Now, she is slowly regaining consciousness. Her eyes are not quite focusing yet, but she knows someone is in her room; it must b a hospital room. As Teeg slowly regains her sight, she knows things have changed. However, she is ill-prepared for the truth of her situation. Teeg has been cryogenically frozen for 100 years. Healey has crafted a wonderfully suspenseful look at science and the future, a future where the environment has paid the price for our excess use of fossil fuels, a future where water is in short supply, where meat is generally unavailable. But the focus of this novel is not the future in which Teeg finds herself, it is about the things that remain nearly constant: the need for friends, for love, for acceptance, for privacy.

not your average airplane book

ADAPTATION by Malinda Lo. Little Brown, 2012.

Reese and David are returning from a debate tournament, one that did not go well, when they are stranded along with their coach in the airport. Reports of flocks of birds bringing down airplanes in a couple of locations have brought things to a grinding ground stop. However, Reese and David think there is more to the story. Along with their coach, they rent a car and attempt to drive back to San Francisco. When their teacher is murdered during an attempted car jacking, Reese and David are on their own. A car crash in the deserted desert will change their lives in ways they could never have predicted. Mystery, conspiracy, government collusion, and more are effortlessly woven into this novel that explores humanity from all angles. Creepy and frightening, this is classic science fiction. <455>

Feedback: Be Very Afraid

FEEDBACK by Robison Wells. HarperTeen, October 2012.

Benson Fisher has escaped from Maxfield Academy along with a severely injured Becky. They are the fortunate ones; many others have died in their attempt to escape from the school where their lives were threatened by the staff. It seems Maxfield Academy is not a school but a front for an android "factory," a place where android clones of the students are created to be unleashed on an unsuspecting population at some point in time. Benson has a plan to get help, but first he must find medical assistance for Becks. He stumbles upon an old fort in the woods that surround Maxfield. There he discovers some familiar faces. Are they real or the android counterparts of his former acquaintances?

This follow up to VARIANT reveals a bit more of the puzzle that is Maxfield Academy and their rather sinister work. There are surprises in store, of course, and some betrayals that will shock. The book stands alone for those who have not read VARIANT. <358>

The story lives on

At a TLA many moons ago, I scored an ARC of THE GIVER by Lois Lowry. My colleagues and I read it aloud as we traveled back from TLA to Houston. We managed to finish all but the last 3 or 4 chapters. All of us were mesmerized. We new then that this was one of those touchstone books, a book that would not only garner accolades, but a book that would change the landscape of literature for kids. Of course, we were dead on (such smartypants we were back then). And now, Lowry gives us one last gift: the final book in THE GIVER saga. I read this one from cover to cover in one day. So will millions of others, I suspect.




SON (Houghton Mifflin, October 2012) brings the story first told in THE GIVER and then in GATHERING BLUE and MESSENGER full circle. Here is the back story of Gabriel, the child Jonas brought along with him as he fled his controlled society. Three sections: BEFORE, BETWEEN, BEYOND remind readers of the society found in The Giver and in Gathering Blue now through the eyes of Claire, the birthmother of Gabriel. One last thing remains to be done in order to assure that the society Jonas and Kira have fashioned continues to thrive: evil must be defeated. How Lowry reveals the hidden evil and how that evil might be vanquished makes for an absorbing read, one more than worthy of following in the footsteps of THE GIVER. <326>

Bringing a Classic Back

Jack Vance wrote the short story "The Moon Moth" many years ago. It has been hailed as one of the most perfect science fiction stories ever penned. Now it is brought back to a new generation of readers in a GN adaptation. THE MOON MOTH (First Second Books 2012) is murder mystery meets sci-fi in a world in which all citizens wear masks. Thissel is the new consul from Earth to the planet Sirene. He is having more than a little difficulty adjusting tot he culture and customs of Sirene. Residents communicate through music; the masks they don tell something of who they perceive themselves to be. There are many other aspects of this new world that cause discomfort for Thissel. When a murderer arrives on Sirene, Thiseel must track him down, a task made excessively more troublesome because of the masks people wear. Readers who appreciate this adaptation might find Garth Hind's re-envisioning of classics such as the works of Shakespeare an interesting next step on the reading ladder. <316>

Graphically Great

EARTHLING by Mark Fearing (Chronicle 2012) takes a common circumstance: being worried about about being the new kid in school-and takes it to new heights, literally. When Bud boards the wrong bus that fateful first day in a new school, he is transported to the Cosmos Academy, a place where many different aliens attend classes. Earthlings are feared here, and Bud must pretend to be something else as he struggles to find a way back to his own home and planet. <183>

Carking Good Read: Order it Now!

One way to guarantee that you will get the flight attendant's attention on a long plane trip is to be reading a book like INVISIBLE SUN by David Macinnis Gill (Greenwillow, April 2012). No one that saw me reading the ARC passed by without a comment on the hunky guy and gal who glare from the cover. However, we all know better than to judge a book by its cover, right? This companion to BLACK HOLE SUN delivers on the promise of the cover beautifully. Jacob, aka Durango, is back. So are Mimi and Vienne. Durango's father has died; Durango is determined to discover secrets his father kept even from him. So, the dauntless duo plan to tap into some of the files kept hidden. It seems a rather simple plan, but it sets into motion something that neither could have anticipated fully. Non-stop action and some seriously funny moments amid the explosions, gunfire, and narrow escapes are certainly emblematic of Gill's novel (and its predecessors including SOUL ENCHILADA). However, this is not simply an romp on Mars. Carefully crafted characters and a well designed universe are also present. This is sci-fi (not Syfy) with bite. Be sure to look for the homages to other works as Durango pursues Vienne and his own (sometimes uncertain) future. <205>