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Brief synopsis (no spoilers):  Being sent away from her home by an otherwise occupied father, Alanna doesn't want to go to the convent to become a lady and her brother Thom doesn't want to become a knight. So they decide to switch places and Alanna, pretending to be a boy, heads to the palace to begin her training as a page while Thom goes to study sorcery at the convent. It is a difficult world physically, mentally, and emotionally as Alanna must learn to fit in at the palace. Category: YA Why I chose this book: Read a few books from the same author when I was younger My personal opinion (the review): I was hoping for more from this book. It was good and I will continue with the series, but it just seemed to leave something to be desired. For one, there was more magic/fantasy elements than I expected. Also, we don't get to see a lot of the behind the scenes struggle. Alanna struggles with sword combat. We are told she practices her skills after everyone else goes to...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Two stories, running simultaneous. Cinder was captured by Kai's soldiers, and is scheduled to be handed off to Queen Levana's forces. But there's no way that's going to happen (fairy tale, come on). Meanwhile, in Europe, a young woman named Scarlet was living with her grandmother on their farm, when her grandmother disappeared. 3 weeks later, grandma still hasn't resurfaced, and Scarlet will need help to find her- possibly from a big, bad wolf. Category YA Fiction, Fantasy, Sci-Fi Why I chose this book Next in series My personal opinion (the review) Excellent book, but not as good as the first (sequels rarely are). I really enjoyed the Scarlet story, and how it melded beautifully with Cinder's story. And I appreciate the sci-fi feel to it. But there's MUCH more fighting in this one, and it gets pretty graphic. My wife would love the first book, but she would cringe at this one, about a dozen times. The roma...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Jaden has plans to spend the summer with her father, step-mother and new step-sister in a new StormSafe neighborhood. The entire neighborhood has a contract in place, stating that the company, StormSafe, guarantees that no storms will enter the property. And they appear to have the technology to block all storms. That's particularly important because the global environment has degraded to the point that major storms (tornadoes) are a daily occurrence. But Jaden can't help but feel there's more to the story. The storms may not be going to her neighborhood, but where are they going? Category Fiction Why I chose this book Trying to keep up with what my kids read in Middle School this year My personal opinion (the review) Very good book, interesting plot line, and a fun, quick read. Some of the explanations of the technology were a bit weak, but interesting nonetheless. I like that in several cases, I found myself guessing at what would hap...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Cinder is a cyborg, and consequently a second-class citizen, just barely higher than the androids. Her guardian treats her poorly, and her step-sisters treat her like a servant. She earns all of the money of the family, working as a mechanic in the center of town. One day she is asked to repair the personal android of the Prince, and her life is changed forever. Category YA Fiction, Fantasy, Sci-Fi Why I chose this book Cover caught my eye at the library My personal opinion (the review) Loved it. Excellent story, great use of sci-fi and fairy tale, no language or adult content. It's an all-around great book. One of the best I've read this year. Warnings Language: none Violence: some, but mild "Adult" situations: none Death: several, including major characters Movie rating equivalent PG Protagonist description Cinder feels like a nobody. She's a cyborg, an orphan, and a mechanic. Not a great recipe for popularity...

Brief Synopsis Described by others as "Vignettes of a young Latino girl" and her life in Chicago in some previous decade (20th century). She tells about what she sees, experiences, and thinks about through her young perspective. Category Fiction, contemporary classic Why I chose this book: It's on my 8th grade son's book list for school this year My personal opinion (the review) It was easy enough to understand what she was saying (or sometimes referring to in her young language), but sometimes I got lost in all the characters. It didn't have a plot exactly, more just stories or pieces of stories.  I'm glad I read it (as my child will be reading it later this year in class), but I wouldn't recommend it as a "fun" read. I originally had thought it was on my 6th grader's reading list and I was a little concerned as I read through it. Some of the things it refers to made me a little unsure about its appropriateness for her tender...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) The magical Families of the town all host a yearly competition, and this year Lila is part of it. The best fighters of each family all compete for a gold cup. And there's a party each day of the event. In the meantime, Lila and the Sinclair family still need to figure out what Victor Draconi is planning. Category YA Fiction, fantasy Why I chose this book Next in series My personal opinion (the review) The story is great, the competition is vivid, the antagonists are rotten to the core, the romantic aspect peaks at just the right moment, and there are even some surprises along the way. Warnings Language: mild Violence: more frequent and graphic than the first book, but still moderate "Adult" situations: none, just romance Death: some, including major characters Movie rating equivalent PG-13 Protagonist description Lila is a fighter, to the core. Point of view of story First, from Lila Book length Medium Story flo...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) The town of Cloudburst Falls is magical. Faeries, monsters, and trolls run around. And some people have magical abilities. Tourists flock to the town to see the sights, but they believe it's all fake. Several magical families run things in town, and much like gangs, they have territories, specialties, and constant fighting. Lila is one, insignificant part of this magical world, but her part just might get bigger when one family pulls her into their service. Category YA Fiction, fantasy Why I chose this book Kindle First, I think My personal opinion (the review) This book was excellent! I'm excited to buy the next book in the series. Yes, it had language and fighting, but nothing too graphic. The narrator was flippant, so the story seemed lighter than it could have. Despite the monsters and magic, the arc felt believable, because Lila believed it all. My wife won't like this book, because it has too much violence, but she'd approv...