Mushishi by Yuki Urushibara

Enter the world of ancient Japan, where mysterious creatures called Mushi roam about freely as they please. Some Mushi serve good purposes, such as keeping the land green and growing. Others, usually parasitic Mushi, can cause illness and other issues of health among the people in the villages. Enter Ginko, a strange, white-haired, one-eyed wanderer that disposes of the dangerous types of Mushi. Ginko, and many others that are gifted enough to actually see the invisible Mushi, are called Mushishi. The reader follows Ginko on his journeys across Japan, discovering different types of Mushi and why they do what they do, for better of for worse. Along the way, Ginko's mysterious past and his experience with Mushi slowly begins to unravel. It seems the only question that isn't answered so far in the series is why Ginko wears modern day clothing, when the rest of the dwellers of Japan wear the traditional garb of their time.

It is easy to say that Yuki Urushibara is a genius at character design and storytelling, as well as art. While the style is sketchy and uncertain at the beginning of the story, the lines become firm and the plot becomes evident. With stunning drawings and creative tales about all the different types of Mushi, Yuki Urushibara's 'Mushishi' can attract even the most disinterested of readers.

Q 5

P 4

**This title is available through InterLibrary Loan**

Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers

Robin “Birdy” Perry is from Harlem, New York. He joined the Army, against his father’s wishes. Yeah, he had other choices, mainly going to college to study finance. But after the terrorist attacks on 9-11, Robin felt a duty to his country, an obligation to stand up and defend his home, like his Uncle Richie had done in Vietnam (Fallen Angels).

It’s February 2003 and Operation Iraqi Freedom is underway. Birdy is part of the Civil Affairs Unit, which is being sent out as a mediator between the military and the civilians, hoping to stabilize and secure Iraq, by delivering medical care and supplies among other things.

But WAR is not what Birdy expected. It’s easy to identify uniformed Coalition Forces. But how do you tell who the enemy is? And with Saddam Hussein out of power, why are we still there?

Join Birdy for a close-up look at the reality of serving in Iraq, as he finds himself in the middle of sandstorms that last for days, having to leave the so-called safe zones at all hours for missions that are increasingly dangerous, and never knowing if he will make it home to patch things up with his dad.

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Boneman's Daughters by: Ted Tekker

Boneman's Dauthers written by Ted Dekker, is a story of devotion, love, and pain that a father will go through for his Daughter. Ryan Evans- the not so perfect father left his family 7 years ago to follow his dream of becoming a naval intelligence officer over in the Middle East. After surviving as a P.O.V.- and the trauma that has consumed his mind. He realizes the effects that War has on innocent families, and the lives that are taken. He heads back to Texas to win his wife back, and become the father Claire (his daughter) has always wanted. Everything changes upon Ryan's arrival- everything that he has suffered from war- all the devotion, and relation is all questioned. In an instant everything changes when Boneman- a serial killer from Texas takes Claire who he believes is "his" perfect daughter. The only problem is, when a daughter fails to reach his expectations- he breaks their bones one by one, and Claire is number 8 on his list of daughters. All the evidence points that Ryan is the Boneman. In the end the hunter will be the hunted, and only ONE father will survive. Ted Dekker's description and suspense will leave you breathless as you work your way through the novel.

Ratings:

5Q

4P

=]

As Sure As Dawn by Francine Rivers

As sure As the Dawn is written by Francine Rivers, and is the third and final book in The Mark of the Lion series.

Atretes has survived ten years as a gladiator in the roman Colosseum. Supervisors and game hosts filled his days with human rewards, beatings, and fighting to survive at all costs.

Out of the arena at last, but still unable to let go of his victims, Atretes becomes bored, and drunk. Suddenly receiving information that his son lives, Atretes begins to make preparations to travel back to his home, Germania, where he was taken years ago. With his son in his arms, Atretes begins the perilous journey. Also accompanying him, is Rizpah, a widow with a past, and a roman centurion, Theophilus. Atretes, still bitter and angry over what he lost and Rome took, trusting Theophilus, and even Rizpah is still a big challenge. With Germania becoming ever closer, Atretes must ultimately decide whether he will lead his people to faith, or to eternal darkness.

Q5

P4

Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix (The Missing #1)

Angela, a new airport employee, watches in confusion as an airplane mysteriously appears at the terminal gate. The plane was not a scheduled flight, didn't not appear on any radar, and thus officially did not land. Upon further investigation, the plane is found void of pilot and crew. But a single sound alerts Angela that the plane in not truly empty. Rather every one of the 36 seats is filled, each with a baby. Even stranger still is the fact that the plane once again vanishes into thin air after the babies are safe inside the terminal.

Thirteen years later, Jonah and Chip each receive a letter in the mail. The envelope is plain white with no return address and the letter has no signature. Only 6 words appear on the page: "You are one of the missing."

Found is the fast paced introduction to the newest series by Margaret Peterson Haddix.

View all my Goodreads reviews.

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

The summer after senior year... The end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter. For Auden, a studious girl more interested in literature than lip gloss, the summer provides an opportunity to catch up with her father, step-mother, and newborn sister, Thisbe. It also promises new adventures and the possibility of change. Upon arriving in the beach town of Colby, Auden realizes she's missed out on a lot of life while keeping her nose to grindstone. Fortunately if she's willing to go along for the ride, Auden's chance meeting of a fellow insomniac paired with his midnight adventures may help Auden find herself and finally see the world for the first time.

View all my Goodreads reviews.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Do you have a second to just listen? My name is Annabel Greene. I’m the youngest of three sisters and am currently starring as “the girl who has everything” in the fall commercial for Kopf’s department store. That’s right, I’m a model as were my two sisters, but that is where our similarities end. My sisters aren’t speaking to each other and I think the only thing that keeps my mother sane is managing my modeling “career”. I’d love to just quit but I don’t want to be the reason she relapses back into depression. My father designed our house and the front wall is made entirely of glass. But the thing about glass houses is that not everything is as it seems. Regardless of how things and people appear from the outside, everyone has their own issues and secrets. Some people, like Owen Armstrong, have learned to communicate and express their feelings. Others, like me, would rather keep their feelings bottled up inside than rock the boat. Maybe I’ll finally be ready to tell the story of my life and what really happened that night at the party that changed everything. “Don’t think, or judge. Just Listen.”

Check out our past review of Just Listen

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Dracula, Bram Stoker's blood thirsty monster who has enchanted our nightmares since 1897. Few know however that Stoker based his fictional villain on none other than real life horror Prince Vlad Ţepeş of Wallachia. Also known as Vlad the Impaler, Ţepeş by the end of his reign not only murdered thousands of his enemies but thousands of his own country men. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is narrated by a young girl who slowly unravels the truth behind her family's mysterious past. Her father is a learned historian and a very intelligent man and a doting father. however as soon as he begins to retell a haunting tale from his past relating to Vlad Ţepeş and Dracula, mysterious things happen which lead to his disappearance and the ghosts of the research he left behind. It is now up to his daughter, who has a hunger for adventure, to piece together his precarious investigation and pray that it leads to his whereabouts in a journey that will take her all across Europe and which might even lead to the lair of Drakulya. I consider this novel to be incredibly exciting, impossible to put down, and refreashingly addicting.
Q:5 P:4

Audrey, Wait! Written by: Robin Benway

Audrey, Wait! Audrey, Wait! Is the line of this novel.
Audrey is a normal teenage girl who has everything her heart could ever want- or so she's played it out to seem. Just as she gets her prioritites straight- she becomes the girl who cannot be forgotten, and the girl everyone wants to be. Her ex-boyfriend Evan decides that after the break up, to write a song. What Audrey didn't realize, is that with breaking up with her boyfriend she would become the next celebrity of her town. Constantly invaded by paparazzi, random people she has never met, getting the VIP at concerts. All because of a single song performed by Evan. Audrey, Wait! All Audrey wanted was to break up with her self-centered boyfriend, and as a result she becomes an instant celebrity. Audrey's life has been consumed by the press, and her family and friends are just eating it up too. Will Audrey ever feel normal again? Could she ever just be another person working at a local ice cream shop? Could it be possible to find a boyfriend who's less than self-centered to write a song? Reading Audrey, Wait! Will have you busting up, laughing, and help you realize what actually happens with celebrities behind the scenes.

Ratings:
4Q- couldn't imagine a better book
3P- popularity

The Dreaming by Queenie Chan

The Dreaming, by Queenie Chan, is an ultimate pleaser of eeriness in art as well as in plot. Jeanie and Amber, teenage twins with very different personalities, are sent to an all girls school that seems like the epitome of class. But once there they are forced by their aunt, who works at the school, to lie about their ages. According to the rather senile headmistress, twins are absolutely banned from the school, due to something that had happened many years before within its walls. The claim is that twins are bad luck, but the girls know it is something much more. While Jeanie is all for investigating, Amber seems in the slums and sleeps all day. As Jeanie talks to some of the girls in the dorms and learns more of the school's frightening history, it becomes apparent that something is horribly, horribly wrong. For years, girls have been vanishing from the school grounds after wandering into the thick forest that surrounds the building for miles. Jeanie knows it has something to do with the headmistress' past, as well as the haunting paintings posted all about the hallways, all depicting a picture of a women with short hair, dressed in a Victorian style gown. When girls start to go missing again and Amber begins to act like an entirely different person, Jeanie is the only one who can dig up the past. But She may also be swallowed within the mystery and darkness of the school, never to be seen again.

Q4
P3

An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers

An Echo in the Darkness is best selling author Francine Rivers second book in the Mark of the Lion series. Marcus, drawn to the young slave girl, Hadassah, turns away from the distractions of Rome in order to seek out the Living God. Believing Hadassah dead, he searches for answers about her faith in the vacant, deteriorating Jerusalem, and beyond. What he finds is unimaginable, and it may be the answer to his inner darkness that has lasted so long, and is threatening to overtake his spirit.
Francine Rivers has created a beautiful story about what love accurately represents, and how far one can and will go in order to gain it. Once started, an echo in the darkness is fairly impossible to put down.

My rating for this novel:
5Q-hard to imagine a better book
4Q-broad teen appeal

Kitty Kitty by Michele Jaffe

If you came with a warning label, what would it be?

Jasmine’s would definitely be: KEEP AWAY FROM TROUBLE or MAY CONTAIN NUTS or WEARING OF THIS GARMENT DOES NOT ENABLE YOU TO FLY or MISUSE MAY CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH.

Jasmine Callihan has a knack, a superpower per se, for discovering trouble in addition to her bad fashion sense. She should be enjoying the start of senior year with her partners in solving crime: Polly, Roxy, and Tom. Instead Dadzilla has whisked her away to Venice so he can research his book on the history of soap. And though Venice isn’t Vegas, Jasmine may find a way to turn this peaceful working vacation into a crime-fighting fashion fiasco.

Warning: This book may unfortunately contain the Evil Hench cousin and her Best Fiend, currently known as Sapphyre and Tiger’s*Eye (the star is silent!).

Danger: This book includes Little Life Lessons, footnote conversations, and a few of its own warning labels.

One final warning: Reading this book may cause laughter, eye rolling, and use of CSI skills. What Would Mr. T Do (WWMrTD)? He’d say: I pity the fool who doesn’t try Kitty Kitty?

Sequel: Bad Kitty and the manga series: Bad Kitty: Catnipped volume 1 & 2

Check out our review of Bad Kitty, the first Jasmine Callihan mystery.

Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle

Carly has just returned to her Atlanta life of wealth and privilege, after a summer volunteering in the mountains of Tennessee. Besides her new muscled and toned body, Carly has a new outlook on life. She’d rather embrace being different (think 60’s music and hippie clothing) than conform to the cookie-cutter rich girl mold of their prestigious, private school. But Carly isn’t the only one who has changed over the summer. Her younger sister Anna has developed a hot body and undesired attention from everyone around her. And while Carly loves Anna and has been excited about Anna starting her freshman year, sisterly love isn’t always perfect and flawless. Relationships require a lot of work, especially when all you want is Peace, Love, & Baby Ducks.

Shade's Children by Garth Nix

In a not-so-distant future, the world is ruled by Overlords with the help of their minions, including Myrmidons, Wingers, and Ferrets. All the adults have disappeared and children are forced to live in dormitories, where they are often experimented upon. Once they reach their “Sad Birthday” #14, they are taken to the “Meat Factory” where their bodies are dismembered or harvested to create more of the Overlords’ creatures. A few teens have managed to escape. These teens have developed “Change Talents”, a type of psychic gift that assists in their survival. Ella, Drum, Ninde, and Gold-Eye have been able to stay alive thus far based on the help of Shade, the only “adult” to have survived. He has trained these and other escapees, sending them out on missions to acquire information and supplies. But will being one of Shade’s Children really keep you alive?

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Kaylee's Review: A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers

A Voice in the Wind is a historical fiction novel, which is effortless to enjoy. Hadassah, a young woman of deep faith, is battling starvation and disease with her two siblings day-by-day in 117 A.D. Jerusalem. They know that it is only a matter of time before the Roman army destroys their entire race. Several months into these hardships, Jerusalem falls, and with their beloved city, the children's mother breathes her last. Days later, Soldiers shove down the family's door, and kills the girls brother, and takes the remaining two hostage. The next night, Leah, Hadassah's sister, dies. Even when she lost everything that mattered, Hadassah deepened her faith even more, and began to find joy in the small things of life, even though her situation was unbearable. After a long a tiresome journey to Rome, Hadassah is chosen to become a slave in a very wealthy home. There, she is exposed to the fullness, corruption, and passion, her new family, Rome, and anyone else, can offer her.

Ratings: 5Q, 4p

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

A Thousand Splendid Suns is Hosseini's second moving portrayal of the social and political turmoils of Afghanistan. This novel follows two women who are swept up and form a unique and life saving relationship with one another. Hosseini is a master story teller who weaves poetic fiction with historical fact. The novel not only provides readers with a strong and spellbinding plot, but with a rich taste of Afghanistan's beautiful culture. A must read for those looking for a book that they won't be able to put down. Also fans of The Kite Runner will not be disappointed.
P:5 Q:5

Petshop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino

Enter China town, where weirdo's run rampant and men look like women. Count D, a mysterious Pet-shop owner, has recently moved into China town, and his merchandise is all too questionable. To many, the animals in his shop simply look like animals, to others, they look very human. Count D's rules are simple. A person may buy a pet, but he will no longer be held accountable for it after the purchase. More often than not, the people that buy the pets meet strange and sometimes gruesome deaths, some find their dreams. Officer Leon Orcott, a hot-headed, typical American in the eyes of the Japanese, is determined to expose Count D's business for what it is. Which he isn't really sure of. Running on nothing but instinct and gut feeling, Leon visits Count D's pet-shop. There, he embarks on the wondrous and sometimes horrifying world of the pet-shop. With usual animals as well as unusual ones, Count D sells a variety of pets, including the ones that aren't supposed to exist. Yet as officer Orcott is dragged along by the feminine, sweet-toothed Count, he may find that he is far in over his head. China town is a magical place, and Count D's shop proves the fact all too well.

5Q

3P

The Kite Runner By: Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini is a touching story of devotion, friendship, betrayel, and redemption. Amir and Hassan two boys that are close enough to be brothers have been raised in Afghanistan culture, and life together; although they couldn't be more different from each other. Amir is an educated Pashtun and Sunni Muslim with a father that has provided him with an education, as well as almost anything he could ever imagine. On the other hand Hassan is a Hazara and Sh'ia muslim whos father is Amir's fathers servent. Although both boys have things that in their life that make them different both boys bond in an inseperable friendship or so it would seem; however, at the age of twelve an event changes the boys' friendship forever, and sets the story in motion. Amir becomes tested on the things that matter most in his life, how far he will go to have redemption for the past events that haunt him. Amir's decision will lead him to the place he's tried all his life to forget. Travel with Amir from the culture of Afghanistan- and be shocked by the events in Afghanistan's history, as well as how different it is from the United States.

I would rate this novel:
5Q-hard to imagine a better book.
4P-broad teen appeal

Hidden Talents by David Lubar

Talent, noun: a special often athletic, creative, or artistic aptitude OR a general intelligence or mental power: ability.

When you think of talents, your mind probably jumps to someone who is a gifted poet, artist, musician, chef, or carpenter; maybe someone who plays a school sport or an extreme sport (skateboarding, motocross, etc.); or perhaps someone who has the ability to work with children or animals.

What if your talent wasn’t so widely accepted or recognized? What if your talent was construed as misbehavior, a problem so big that you were sent away to a last resort for the most dangerous and rebellious teenagers?

Martin Anderson has been assigned to Edgeview Alternative School, after being expelled from every junior high he’s attended. I guess you could say he’s been expelled from his family as well, all due to his lack of respect for authority mixed with his inability to restrain himself from speaking his mind. Call him a smart-aleck or worse, but it’s like a disease he can’t control. He finds your weakness and uses it to verbally insult you.

When Martin gets off the bus at Edgeview, he walks into a world full of students deemed out of control. A world with a bully named Bloodbath, who lives up to his name, and teachers who either try too hard or scream too loud and a principal with a taste for electric shock therapy.

Not everyone at Edgeview is bad. There are a select group of students that Martin becomes friends with. Students, like Martin, who seem to misbehave but really have Hidden Talents. Torchie has a flair for fire, starting them; Cheater can hear other’s thoughts; Lucky has a gift for finding lost objects; Flinch possesses the ability to see what’s coming; and Trash has the capacity to move objects with his mind. Once Martin discovers they all have psychic abilities, he realizes that what once was bad can be used for good. But will it really be so easy? What would you do with your Hidden Talents?