An unusual and important book for teens

None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio

Kristin is a senior in high school and a track star (she runs the hurdles) with scholarship offers from colleges, a cute boyfriend, a great relationship with her widowed father and 2 very close friends.  She is happy and secure until everything changes after her first sexual encounter with her boyfriend causes her excruciating pain.  Upon visiting a gynecologist she is diagnosed with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, or AIS, a form of intersex.  Her world and relationships are turned upside down as she begins the journey toward accepting and living with her diagnosis.  This is a sensitive highly readable book that also serves to educate about different types of intersex conditions.  Read the author's note at the end too, as in it she explains the inspiration for writing this book and includes information on various support groups throughout the country.  Books like this serve to remove the stigma and increase understanding and acceptance of those with differences of all kinds.  HIGHLY recommended!

A scifi fairy tale series

 Begin your adventure into this futuristic take on popular fairy tales with Cinder, the story of a cyborg (part human, part machine) with a not-so-nice stepmother who keeps her locked in the basement when she is not doing chores or earning money. Cinder is a mechanic who finds herself caught up in court intrigue between handsome Prince Kai and evil Queen Levana of Luna.  Earth is in the throes of a massive plague that threatens to wipe out the Earthen species altogether, and on the brink of violent takeover by the Lunars led by their queen.  Cinder is the futuristic version of, well, guess who? 

Continue the saga with Scarlet, a young farm girl from Earth who is searching for her grandmother who has been kidnapped by a weird Lunar race of part wolf part Lunar.  Her grandmother harbors important secrets about the identity of the missing Princess Celine, who is the rightful heir to the throne of Luna and therefore a threat to Queen Levana.  Scarlet's path (along with possible ally Wolf) crosses with that of Cinder and Thorn from book one.  Can you guess the fairy tale counterpart to Scarlet?

 On to part three in Cress, who is a hacker for Queen Levana's army and who has been trapped since birth in a satellite orbiting Earth. Cinder, Thorne, Scarlet and Wolf attempt to rescue her from her prison to convince her to help them in their plot to overthrow queen Levana.  This unlikely band of heroes may be Earth's only chance. Look at the cover, it's pretty obvious who Cress's fairy tale identity is!

Fairest is a prequel that tells the story of how Queen Levana came to power over Luna.  A good story to read while you're waiting for the final installment of the Lunar Chronicles to come out!







Be patient! Winter, the final installment, isn't coming out until November!  Winter is the step-daughter of Queen Levana, and has been trying to undermine her for years. Can she join Cinder, Scarlet and Cress to bring about the revolution that will end the queen's reign for good? 

See author Marissa Meyer's descriptions of the main characters from the first three books here:  http://www.marissameyer.com/blogtype/a-guide-to-lunar-chronicles-character-traits/

Want Cinder to be made into a  movie?  Vote for who you would want to play each part here: http://www.iflist.com/stories/cinderthelunarchronicles

What if you knew what day you would die?

Denton Little's Death Date by Lance Rubin
 Denton lives in the very near future (everything will be familiar except one crucial detail).  A group of scientists have figured out how to determine everyone's exact date of death and the government has made it mandatory that that date be determined at birth. Therefore, Denton and his family have always known that he would die in his senior year of high school, at the age of 17.  This book opens the day before Denton's death date, on the day of his funeral. (you get to plan your own funeral and speak at it too! ) Denton's best friend Paolo has a death date 26 days later.  Despite the morose topic, this is a funny and entertaining book, very fast paced and easy to get into. Denton sees more action in the last 48 hours of his life than in the past 17 years, with Paolo right beside him all the way.  The fact that he is turning purple with animated red dots all over him is just the beginning.  Prepare for a wild ride with this book!  (there's a sequel planned for next year too that I eagerly await!) 

Roland Smith's new thriller! Beneath.

Pat's older brother Coop disappeared after a huge fight with their parents. Coop has always been a little different, interested in underground tunnels, both those existing and digging his own dangerous ones.  One year after his disappearance Pat receives a cryptic message from Coop and travels to New York City in an attempt to find his brother. But his brother has joined a secret society that lives under the city and finding him proves to be terrifying and very dangerous.  A thrilling read, set aside a few hours to read this one in one sitting! 

Trapped in the mall!! No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz

Sounds like heaven, right?  If you have to be trapped somewhere, wouldn't you want it to be at the mall?  Well, when there's an unknown kind of biological weapon found at the mall and everyone is quarantined things can get pretty ugly very fast!  Take all three of this trilogy out at once, because they are all fast reads and you will not be able to put them down. This thriller is told from 4 different points of view over a period of 7 days in the first book.  The story continues in No Easy Way Out and concludes with No Dawn Before Darkness.  Put a hold on them now!!