Marco Impossible by Hannah Moskowitz

247 pgs.
Target audience: Middle Reader
Rating: Griffin

Middle school children Marco, Stephen and Sasha have been investigating minor transgressions since they were five – lost dogs, missing socks, stolen lunch money and the like. But ever since Marco came out, the new exchange student from England, Benji, has been the sole focus of the group’s attention. When Marco hears that Benji’s band will be playing the high school prom, he drags Stephen into an impossible scheme to crash the prom and confess his undying love for Benji on stage. The Prom Heist as Marco calls it, becomes so complex that it requires the involvement of four of Stephen’s five siblings, faked permission slips, fixing broken down buses and much more. While the kids are planning and organizing, hate crimes are popping up at schools in the area. For some reason, the hate crimes at their school are focused on gay bashing one person, Marco, who has been receiving threatening notes and found his locker smashed in. Nothing is resolved with this theme other than the school bully getting caught in the end by the kids and nothing definitive done by the school administration. The story is told from Stephen’s perspective revealing him to be a sweet boy and a bit of a pushover. The friendship between Marco and Stephen seems insincere because Stephen will stop at nothing to help his lovesick friend who in turn consistently treats him like his personal doormat. Marco does redeem himself barely, but not until the very end of the story. Looking at this book from a purely adventure and mystery stance, it will appeal to those who love crazy hijinks. Stephen and his siblings are wonderful characters who will touch your heart and make you laugh. (This book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com)

 

Darwen  Arkwright and the Insidious Bleck by A. J. Hartley

441 pgs.

Target Audience: Middle Reader

Rating: Griffin

 

To Darwen Arkwright it seems like forever since he and his friends, Rich and Alexandra, formed the Peregrine Pact to protect their school from monsters. Darwen is a mirroculist, someone who can travel through mirrors into the strange world of Silbrica. Mr. Peregrine, a local shopkeeper, introduced Darwen to his powers and is one of the gatekeepers of Silbrica. When Mr. Peregrine shows up at their school as the new world studies teacher, the children know something’s up. Darwen ventures alone into Silbrica one night and sees a young boy pulled through a mysterious portal by an enormous tentacled beast. The next thing he knows their world studies class is taking a field trip to Costa Rica. Of course this is just a ruse to cover up their new mission to find and close the breaches in the barrier between Earth and Silbrica which the octopus-like Insidious Bleck is using to take children. Once in Costa Rica the kids uncover a much more sinister plot to destroy the rainforest and the world. Although the constant bickering between the three friends does become tiresome, it is still a great adventure story told in a fast pace narrative. There is enough backstory provided for those who haven’t read the first book, “Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact.” The author touches on many subjects including environment, land development, archaeology, history, Costa Rican life, betrayal, loyalty, and friendship. Each chapter is headed by clever black and white illustrations. Recommend to fans of “The Mysterious Benedict Society” by Trenton Lee Stewart. (Book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com).

 

 

 

 

Crewel by Gennifer Albin

357 pgs.
Target audience: Young Adult
Rating: Griffin

Imagine living in a world where every aspect of your life from where you live, what you eat, where you work and when you die is controlled. Then imagine being chosen to join the Spinsterhood, an elite group of women who have the power to manipulate the weave of time and control the world of Arras. The Spinsterhood brings one brings power, eternal beauty and privilege. One night Adelice is torn from her home and family to train at the Guild as a Spinster. She soon discovers that the Guild is full of secrets and the real power belongs to the men who run it. Adelice has the  ability to weave time without a loom attracting both positive and negative attention. Her constant questions and need to uncover the truth behind all the secrets put her life at risk. However she does gain the help of two handsome guards with questionable motives. Her special skill singles her out as the best replacement for the current Creweler, the most powerful Spinster who extracts the raw materials from the ruined Earth to form reality keeping the world of Arras running smoothly.The Guild cannot function without the Creweler, but fear giving this power to a girl with such a rebellious nature. Adelice’s character is bold and naturally curious. Her snarky comments add humor to the serious storyline. The plot clips along at a nice pace, but the concept of weaving becomes a bit muddled as the romantic element takes over. Although the author deals deftly with the theme of gender roles, the discrimination against same sex relationships is barely touched on. This is an intriguing new take on dystopian romance and will do well where this genre is popular. The cliffhanger ending will have readers hungry for the next installment.

(This book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com).

 

Crystal Bones by c. Aubrey Hall

313 pgs.
Target audience: Young adult
Rating: Griffin

Half Fae twins Dielho and Cynthe, born of a Fae mother and human father, are painfully aware of the prejudice against half breeds and know it’s better just to blend in. They eagerly await their thirteenth birthday when their mother will bestow upon them their magical gifts. But when the day arrives, nothing goes as they planned. Instead of celebrating at the village fair, they’re given chores and sent on a boring errand. After delivering cloth to the castle, the temptation is too great to check out the fair, but this detour proves deadly. They are spotted and pursued by a goblin. They escape and return home only to find it burned to the ground, their mother dead. Their father’s last words plunge them into a world of family secrets, enemy goblin hordes, powerful swords and magic. Along with a talking wolf pup, and a half goblin creature named Scree, they set off to find their only relative, a Fae uncle they’ve never met. This fantasy has many traditional elements – magic, mysterious swords, sorcery, quest. Although the plot moves along at a good pace, the characters develop slowly at first giving the book a sluggish appeal at the beginning. The magical gifts of both children seem to be injected into the storyline making it seem like they just knew stuff without learning it. The author cleverly uses language to alter words for this world like “walner” for walnut tree, giving the descriptions a multi-textured, magical feel. The heavy issues of grief and prejudice are addressed realistically keeping the story from becoming too depressing. The end is left open for the next in the “Faelin Chronicles” series.

XVI by Julia Karr

325 pgs.
Target audience:
Rating: Griffin

In this futuristic totalitarian world  each girl upon reaching the age of sixteen gets a government issued tattoo making them available for sex. All girls are primped and primed for years from a barrage of advertisements in preparation for this moment, so much so that they can hardly think of anything as that day approaches. It’s supposed to be for their protection, but instead it turns them into targets for every sex craved individual. Nina doesn’t want to become the typical sex-teen like her best friend Sandy. Nina’s mother is attacked and reveals the shocking truth with her dying breath. Now Nina and her younger sister, Dee move in with their grandparents. As Nina searches for the truth about her father’s disappearance, she is plunged into a world of secrets. If that’s not enough she has to keep one step ahead of her mom’s killer who may be someone she knows. This book starts really slowly and includes many acronyms which are not explained. But stick with it, once it picks up you won’t be able to put it down. Clearly there is strong cautionary message about teen sex, predatory marketing, media-obsessed public and social climbing and can get a bit heavy handed. However it is well written and will provoke some good discussions. Besides you’ll want to read the sequel - see my review.