Ruined

Morris, Paula. (2009). Ruined. New York: Point/Scholastic. Rebecca Brown loves living in New York City, and when her father insists that she live in New Orleans with an acquaintance of his while he's working in China, she is understandably upset. Still, she figures it will only be for a few months. She is enrolled in a private school with a social pecking order that leaves newcomers and outsiders to the New Orleans power scene at the botton. Hardly anyone is willing to be friendly to her, and she is alone.

Favorite Lines:

“Her aunt was bedraggled as a patchwork rag doll by the time they found cover in the garage” (p. 10).

“Anton and the others were approaching, swarming up the steps and around the tomb like invading cockroaches” (p. 73).

Dark Parties

Grant, Sara. (2011). Dark parties. New York: Little, Brown. Sixteen-year-old Neva Adams has lived all her life inside a dome that has been created to keep its citizens safe from whatever is outside.

Favorite Line:

“My life has been shaken like a snow dome, but instead of the happy figures and houses being covered with glitter, they have come undone and are floating free, crashing into one another and landing helter-skelter” (p. 61).

Out of Shadows

Wallace, Jason. (2011). Out of shadows. New York: Holiday House. Zimbabwe in the early 1980s is a country in the midst of change. After a war, there is a new president, Robert Mugabe, who seems to offer hope for the nation's black citizens while respecting the claims of its whites. For Robert Jacklin, the family's move from England to this new place means attending a boarding school where many of us classmates are among the most privileged in the country. Robert is desperate to go home to England and begs his mother to help him leave the school, but despite her best intentions, she has troubles of her own. Robert's father experiences white guilt for the country's riches, due in part to white's oppression of blacks in the past as well as theft of their lands and natural resources. On the first day at school, he introduces Robert to Nelson, one of the few black boys at the school, and urges them to befriend one another. The school contains older bullies who take advantage of the younger boys and make their lives difficult. At first, Robert and Nelson stick closely to one another until Robert makes the choice to side with Ivan, the son of a wealthy farmer who hates the blacks and the changes occurring in their country. All the notions of fairness his father has taught him seem to evaporate, and he is increasingly drawn into Ivan's circle and increasingly violent activities. Once Ivan comes under the tutelage of a charismatic teacher who seems to be still fighting the war, Robert watches as his friend grows angrier and angrier. Since the story spans 1983 to 1987, the years of Robert's schooling, it is possible to observe the changes within him as he finally faces the truth about Ivan and about some of his own unsavory choices. As the story builds to its climax, readers will be astonished at how long thoughts of revenge can be allowed to incubate.

One of the most appealing aspects of this book is the narrator's honesty. Robert recognizes his own weakness and the fact that many of his own actions are rooted in fear and a desperate need to survive, and once he realizes that he has reached as far as he is willing to go and takes a stand, his actions seem authentic. My enjoyment of the book was marred by some aspects of the ending, though, which seem all too convenient to be true.

Favorite Lines:

“The cold air tugged sharply that afternoon, but there was something about the day that made us believe summer could return” (p. 175).

Dark Souls

Morris, Paula. (2011). Dark souls. New York: Point/Scholastic. Intent on distracting their teenagers while combining a working vacation, the Tennants embark on a trip to York, England. Sixteen-year-old Miranda sees ghosts, the first one being her best friend Jenna who was killed in a car wreck while her older brother Rob was driving. Rob, too, has been scarred by the experience and becomes claustrophobic in tight places. As the two walk the streets of the historical place, Rob finds a possible romance with a local woman, and Miranda is attracted to a ghostly figure she sees across the alley from her bedroom. She also finds a kindred spirit in the form of Nick whose brother committed suicide years ago. Nick also is able to see ghosts, and Miranda feels as though she can share her feelings and experiences with him in a way that she is no longer able to do with anyone else. But when she realizes that Nick has a connection to their landlord, Lord Poole, she isn't sure how much she can trust her new confidant. As Miranda tries to figure out exactly who Nick is and solve other mysteries that may or may not be related, she gains confidence and takes some ill-advised risks. This is an engaging page-turner that will keep readers guessing right up until the conclusion.

Favorite Line:

“Miranda half expected someone in a long velvet gown to come sweeping out to greet them, and maybe the Brothers Grimm to drop by later for tea” (p. 151).

Flood and Fire

Diamand, Emily. (2011). Flood and fire. New York: Holiday House. The further adventures of Lilly, her friends Lexy and Zeph, and her seacat, Cat take the friends out of the marshes to Cambridge, then to London, and on their way to Scotland.

Raiders' Ransom

Generation Dead