Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Over Christmas Break I have spent time rereading Scythe and Thunderhead in preparation for reading The Toll.  I also realized I had not blogged about either of them so....

In Scythe, Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch have been approached by Honorable Scythe Michael Faraday to become an apprentice to him.  Scythes are to help keep the population in check.  They have a quota to "glean" each year and should be compassionate about their gleaning.  Faraday will train them in the the art of killcraft and ethics to prove which should become a scythe.  Only one will be able to be one.  The council pits them against each other and then Faraday self-gleans. They are then assigned to new scythes for apprentices. Rowan's is pretty much a pyschopath and Citra is assigned to a more compassionate scythe.  I could go into way more, but just read it.  You won't be sorry.

Thunderhead....

spoilers ahead

Citra is now Scythe Anastasia and Rowan has gone off grid as Scythe Lucifer.  The cloud of conscience the Thunderhead is not allowed in scythe business, but he finds loopholes to help Citra and Scythe Curie to survive.  There are a lot of moving pieces in this one.  We are introduced to Greyson Tolliver, who the Thunderhead is trying to work though and find things out about the scythedom without breaking his laws/ vows.  He makes him unsavory so that he can communicate with him through a Nimbus agent, but be "removed" from his unsavory persona of Slayd.  Scythe Rand and Scythe Goddard show back up and topple the MidMerica conclave by vying for the High Blade position.  As Citra cries for an inquest, she puts herself and Scythe Curie in a predicament they may not recover from....

The Toll....

Spoilers ahead

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I will say this last book, although intense, and a good closure, seemed to kind of wander around.  It tries to cover three years since we last saw Rowan and Citra, but it bounces around so much I sometimes had trouble keeping up with where the time was.  Was it right after Endura?  Was it before Endura?  Was it three years later?  It took a lot of thinking....and inferring.  In The Toll, Greyson is back and now the only one the Thunderhead is talking to.  He is living with the Tonists that he previously stayed with and has become like a god.  People come to get advice from him, which of course is coming from the Thunderhead.  Goddard has taken over pretty much all of North Merica's scythedoms, except for Texas :)  Ayn realizes she misses Tyger and wonders if she made a mistake bringing Goddard back (duh).  Citra and Rowan are found at the bottom of the ocean and brought to Amazonia in secret, of course secrets don't last forever and soon Citra is on the run and Rowan is captured to be gleaned by Goddard.  Lots of twists and turns and parts that are not revealed until near the end.  Maybe you'll catch on quicker than I did though. LOVE THE SERIES.  HIGHLY recommend.  Last book I would definitely say is 8th and up for a few inferences in the physical way and a few strong language use.  

Halfway Normal by Barbara Dee

Norah Levy is starting 7th grade.  She's been out of school for two years...she had leukemia. Her best friend Harper had visited her in the hospital for two years, but her other best friend Silas had not.  He had texted her, but not visited.  As Norah starts school, her tutor had worked with her enough that she goes into 8th grade math and science.  She loves "doodling", her parents have put "rules" on her about how to adjust back to "normal" life and she is trying to find her way back into a normal routine with school, her parents divorced and mom living across the country and even possibly a new boyfriend.  Norah realizes things will probably never be the same, but is that always bad?

Loved this book!

 

Everything I Know About You by Barbara Dee

Tally is in 7th grade along with her friend Spider and Sonnet.  They are going on a class trip to Washington DC.  She is super excited, except for the fact that they are being assigned roommates instead of getting to choose their own.  All three have been paired with their nemesis...what follows is Tally learning about herself and others to her surprise.  She is a strong female character who does not follow the crowd, nurtures others (almost to the point of smothering), and is adopted.  Lots of good discussion about character, choosing the right thing to do, and letting go and the struggle of change in middle school.  Deals with eating disorders as well. Awesome book!

Before I Disappear by Danielle Stinson

Rose Montgomery, her brother Charlie, and their mother are on the run from something.  We don't find out what until the end of the book, but what we do know is they are moving in an old RV to a town called Fort Glory in Oregon because Charlie asked Rose to.  Rose and her mother find jobs in a diner and and Rose and Charlie start school and Rose is hopeful to get a house here from a group that helps you build your own house.  As they are new in town Rose meets Ian, a kid accused of murdering his parents, Blaine, a kid who is bullied at school and she also has to take care of Charlie, who seems to get bullied and picked on everywhere they go because he is different.  He is sweet, kind, and takes care of others, but also seems to sense things in the universe.  As Rose goes to the neighboring town to apply for the house, the whole town of Fort Glory disappears with Charlie and her mom.  Rose, Ian, Blaine and some others are trying to find their way back to find their family and friends and save themselves.  

I loved the story (even though I'm not a sci-fi person) up until the end....I won't spoil it, but ugh.  I wish it had ended differently, even though it is a nice closure and hopeful.

For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama J. Lockington

HOLY SMOKE!  This book is AMAZING!  I could not put it down.  Makeda, AKA Keda, is an 11 year old black girl who has been adopted by white parents.  She also has an older sister, Eve, who is white.  As Keda's family move to Arizona for her father's job (he's a cellist in a symphony), Keda struggles to fit in at school, because they don't understand "Where are you from?" (Georgia), "Why do you talk so "white"?"  and "Is this your real hair?"  She also feels isolated from her sister, who is in high school and trying to find her own way.  Her mother, who was a prodigy violinist, is also struggling and seeming to go off the deep end.  

Based partly on the author's own life this fiction book is a great addition to any library or classroom!

Secret Soldiers by Keely Hutton

I am not one who normally reads or enjoys historical fiction, especially about war, but this book was pretty good.  Thomas is determined to join the army to get to the western front lines to find his brother who has been reported missing in action.  However, he is not old enough to join, but a homeless boy, George, watches him get turned away and ends up getting him "enlisted" through another means.  George decides to enlist as well and the two of them head off on a train to the front lines.  Along the way Charlie and Fredrick become part of their unit and they are assigned to dig tunnels under enemy lines/ trenches to eventually set explosives.  Every day Thomas goes out into the trenches looking for his brother James, but has no luck locating him. The boys have struggles they go through, but eventually they are able to work together and get along.  As the story goes along it gets pretty intense in a few spots and you wonder who will survive.  

James' story is told on black pages with white print and the main story is told on regular pages, which is pretty neat, because it definitely lets you know which POV you are in.  

Three Things I Know are True by Betty Culley

Liv is 15. Her brother, Jonah, is 18 and is a daredevil.  This time though he almost didn't survive his stunt.  He shot himself in the head thinking it a game and the gun wouldn't be loaded.  Now Liv and her mother's life is forever changed by having to care for Jonah, who can't speak, can't eat, can't move, or anything.  Liv thinks he is still inside there, but his mother doesn't.  Clay is their across-the-street neighbor.  It was in his house that Jonah shot himself.  Clay has a lot of guilt as does the rest of his family.  Liv and Jonah's mother is suing Clay's dad for a million dollars for wrongful storage of a firearm.   

This story is written in free verse, so it reads really fast.  It is a tale with a great lesson of gun safety, stupid choices, and forgiveness.  

Like Sisters on the Homefront by Rita Williams-Garcia

Gayle is 14 years old, has a baby, and is now pregnant again by a different man.  Her mom takes her to get an abortion and soon after decides to send her down south to live with her uncle and his family.  Her cousin Cookie (Constance) tries to befriend her, but Gayle is not interested.  Gayle stays home and helps take care of her Great Grandmother, Great, and does whatever her Miss Auntie tells her to do along with taking care of her son, Jose. Gayle starts leading Cookie down the wrong path with a boy and Cookie fights against it to a point and then seems to give in.  Great shares with Gayle some of their history and Gayle ends up softening up and becoming a part of the family.

Great story and character development.  Would recommend for high school and up because of the abortion at the beginning and talk of sex throughout the book. 

 

The Unbreakable Code by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman (Book Scavenger 2)

Emily and James are back with a mystery surrounding a ship buried under San Francisco.  The book starts with a book birthday for the Poe book that they found.  They've been asked to be on the youth advisory committee for Mr. Griswold, who is still not back to his former self.  As they find out about the Unbreakable code and piece together Griswold, knew about it, Quisling (their teacher), searched for it, they realize they can't trust anyone.  AND someone keeps starting fires around town.  Lots of history, twists and turns, and of course codes.  LOVE!

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (Folk of the Air 3)

Whoa!  What a conclusion.  Jude is living in the mortal world and her sister Taryn comes back to ask her to impersonate her because Locke is dead and Taryn has been accused of murdering her.  Since Jude cannot be glamoured, Taryn asks her to go to her "trial".  As Jude returns to Faerie she realizes how much things have changed.  Madoc has left the kingdom and joined forces with another group to go against King Cardan.  No one still knows or believes Jude is Queen.  As Jude goes on trial as Taryn , Cardan realizes it is her and not her sister, the castle is attacked, and Jude is kidnapped by Madoc.  No one but Cardan realize she is really Taryn  and Jude keeps up the ruse for quite a while and discovers what the plans are.  Just when you think things are going to go one way, Holly Black throws another wrinkle in the mix.  Lots of twists and turns, but I was pleased with how it ended. 

Definitely need to be high school and up.  There was a sex scene between Jude and Cardan, not too graphic, but it was there.  

The Wicked King by Holly Black (Folk of the Air 2)

The Cruel Prince, Cardan, has become The Wicked King in this sequel.  After discovering Oak, Jude's brother, is a heir to the throne, Jude installed Cardan to the throne to hold Oak's place.  As she serves as his advisor,  she influences him to make decisions that will favor the best for the kingdom and for her.  She reconciles with Tayrn and Taryn prepares for her marriage to Locke wanting to have Jude there, but Locke is still playing games between the sisters for his own enjoyment.  Through all the deception she comes to find out someone she trusts has betrayed her and she ends up Undersea in prison.  As Cardan and Madoc make a bargain to release her she ends up making a deal with Cardan that ultimately ruins her plans for it all. 

Jude fights her feelings for Cardan throughout this entire book and he fights his for her as well.  Hopefully the next book will resolve that conflict. :) 

Still has violence and a little stronger suggested scene.  I probably would suggest for HS. 

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (Folk of the Air 1)

Wow! What a ride. The book starts out pretty bloody... Madoc (a faerie) has come to the mortal world to collect his daughter, Vivienne. His wife, a mortal, stole her away 9 years ago and has created a new life that includes twin daughters, Jude and Taryn. Madoc ends up murdering her and her husband and taking all 3 girls to Faerie to live. He raises Taryn and Jude as his own. As Jude tells the story we see the difficulty of growing up mortal in a faerie world. Jude tries to please Madoc and becomes good with a sword and strategy, but he still won't let her fight to become a knight. When Prince Dain approaches her to become a spy for him, she accepts if he will grant her protection from anyone glamouring her to do what they want. As she spies for him she begins to notice he is not the just Prince she thought he was and at the coronation for him, almost the whole royal family is murdered, she begins to devise a way to make sure she has a place in the faerie world as well as make sure a proper king will sit on the throne.

8th and up for violence and some suggested scenes.

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Books, ciphers, prizes, what's not to love?  Emily's family is on the move, literally.  They are trying to live in all 50 states.  This time they are headed to San Francisco, CA.  She is trying to stay positive because the creator of Book Scavenger lives there.  As they are driving into town, however they see a huge crime scene and she later finds out that Garrison Griswold, the creator of Book Scavenger, was mugged!  As they move into their apartment, she meets James, a kid who LOVES puzzles.  As Emily shares Book Scavenger with him, they begin to puzzle together Griswold's new game.  But the stakes are high because she is not the only one looking for the prize.

Very similar to Mr. Lemoncello's Library.

Greenglass House by Kate Milford

Milo lives in Greenglass House, which is an inn used mainly by smugglers. He is on his Christmas/Holiday Break when they start getting a lot of visitors to the Inn.  It is very unusual for this time of year.  Some come up together, and some alone, but he starts to realize most of them have something in common with each other.  As the mystery deepens, things are stolen, sabotaged, and becoming dangerous.  Milo keeps trying to figure out the answers with his friend Meddy, but will they solve it in time?