Unwind by Neal Shusterman

“THE BILL OF LIFE
The Second Civil War, also known as “The Heartland War,” was a long and bloody conflict fought over a single issue. To end the war, a set of constitutional amendments known as “The Bill of Life” was passed. It satisfied both the Pro-life and Pro-choice armies. The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. However, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent may choose to retroactively “abort” a child……on the condition that the child’s life doesn’t “technically” end. The process by which a child is both terminated and yet kept alive is called “unwinding.” Unwinding is now a common, and accepted practice in society.” (intro)

Imagine living in the not so distant future, never knowing whether or not you will make it to adulthood. Never knowing if your parents will decide they have had enough of your attitude or whether you have reached your potential and you are no longer needed. In this future, you can become an Unwind and once your parents sign the Unwind order, there is no turning back. As an Unwind you aren’t “killed” but rather taken to a harvest camp whether your parts are divided up and used by others. Against your own will, you have become an organ donor. The plus side of this whole revolution –you and those you love will never have to wait on a donor list for a new organ, as they are in high supply. You could live forever… as a part of someone else.

Carrie's Review: Chain mail: Addicted to You by Hiroshi Ishizaki

Chain Mail: An escape from reality, a dive into the exciting world of fiction. Four Tokyo teenage girls who have never met all encounter loneliness, unhappiness, and the feeling of not fitting in. All in different situations, They are drawn together by one thing: Chain Mail. After a mysterious chain message is passed forward, each of these girls find an escape from reality by accepting the message's offer. Online they will each play a role in a story and take turns writing their parts to move the story forward. These four parts include: the innocent school girl being stalked, the creepy male stalker, the school girl's boyfriend, and the female detective. The story starts off innocent enough but after unsuspecting twists in the teenagers individual lives begin to occur, they begin to wonder if Chain Mail is real or fiction? This suspenseful novel is a light read and a fast one. Once started, it can be guaranteed that it will be hard to put down. Each chapter takes turns transitioning between three of the four teenage girls, and female readers will be sure to identify with at least one of the characters. It also provides a glance into the teenage life of Japan and will be sure to give you goosebumps. Hiroshi Ishizaki's novel is an excellent read.

P: 4 Q: 5

Immortal Rain by Kaori Ozaki

Looking for a manga series that has a bit of everything? Then you should look into "Immortal Rain". Within this exciting comicbook there is action, horror, romance, and comedy all rolled into one. You follow the main heroine, Machika, as she comes upon a man said to be Methuselah, a human being that cannot die. But there is far more to Methuselah than meets the eye. With a random and oddball personality, he informs Machika that his real name is Rain, and that he despises being immortal. From there, Machika decides to help him get revenge on the real Methuselah that lives under the name of Yuca Collabell, who was the one that killed Rain's past love and gave him the curse of immortality. Throw in a bunch of intersting and colorful characters that the two meet along the way, and you have a very entertaining read. If you are a manga fan, you shouldn't be able to resist picking up a copy of "Immortal Rain".

*Quality- 4Q (Better than most)

*Popularity- 4P (Broad general teen appeal)

Goddess Games Niki Burnham

Can you imagine taking your whole summer vacation to work at a spa? How about throwing in that you have to room with two other girls that you can't get along with. Claire, Seneca, and Drew must encounter this when they are put in a roller coaster with no way out. They must get over their differences, and accept each other for who they are. Each of the girls has different types of morals in this story, and are easily relatable to girls now days. If your looking for a book that can make you laugh and cry then I would suggest you to read Goddess Games, where Claire, Seneca, and Drew let go of the things they cannot change and persue a friendship that will change their lives forever. =]

If I were to give this book a rating I would give it a 4Q that it is better than most, and a 4P that can appeal to a broad general of teens now days.

Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata

Do you have a pet? If so, you know how much a pet can become a part of your family. Imagine if you had to move and could no longer keep your pet. What would happen to it? Would you be able to find it a safe home with friends, family or someone else or would you be forced to take it to the pound or shelter, not knowing whether it would be adopted or have to be euthanized?

Willie loves his German shepherd, Cracker, who is his best friend. But when his family moves into an apartment that doesn’t allow dogs or pets of any kind, Willie has a month to find Cracker a new home. He has begged people, his parents placed an ad in the newspaper, but no one wants a big dog. Willie even took Cracker to the pound, but in the end he couldn’t leave her there. Willie noticed an ad in the paper not far down the column from his, placed by the US Army, looking for German shepherds to go to Vietnam. While it breaks his heart to lose Cracker, Willie decides that the Army might be the best place for her, especially since Cracker will be the best dog in Vietnam.

During basic training, Cracker is teamed up with Rick, a young dog handler. While he isn’t Willie, Cracker and Rick soon become an inseparable team. Will Rick and Cracker be able to make it through the war and return safely home to the USA?

Lifting the Sky by Mackie D'Arge

Twelve year old Blue Gaspard has grown up with little in terms of a stable place to call home. Since her father left the family when she was only four, saying he was headed out for more mustard, Blue's mother has moved from ranch to ranch around the state of Wyoming. The jobs have never lasted long and all their worldly possessions fit in the bed of their old pickup truck. Blue has become accustomed to stealing cans of food and tucking them away in her just-in-case box well, just-in-case the day comes when she is forced to leave school in the middle of the afternoon and head out with her mom for greener pastures. Blue wishes for just one year, even six months, in one place but as her mother always says, "Just bloom where you are planted."

As luck would have it the next stop in the Gaspard girl's journey is a quiet secluded ranch nestled near the Indian reservation in Fremont County. Mom is hired on as the ranch manager and Blue soon finds herself in charge of feeding and caring for two premature bum calves. Blue also fully discovers her gift of seeing the lights, or auras, around people, animals, and places and is able to use these lights to heal.

Will this place be able to heal the holes in the Gaspard family? Have Blue and her mother finally found a home to call their own? What happens when all your dreams seem to finally be coming true?

This debut novel is sure to be a winner among those middle readers and teens looking for a wholesome, descriptive novel that celebrates the bonds of friendship, faith in oneself, and the healing power of love.

This book will be published in March 2009. The author, Mackie D'Arge, lives on the Wind River Reservation in Fremont County, Wyoming.