August Book Club Post!

Title: The Young Elites

Author: Marie Lu

Copyright: 2014

Call Number: YA Fiction LU

Adelina Amouteru has been treated poorly most of her life. After the plague left her deformed, her father abused her but worshiped her sister. Adelina escapes her hometown, but not before a terrible accident leaves her wanted for murder. She runs into The Young Elites, a group of plague survivors who also have inexplicable powers.

As Adelina discovers strength she didn't know she had, she finds herself intertwined in the complicated lives of the people around her. The other Young Elites have varied histories and powers. Adelina and other malfettos--children scarred by the plague--are treated as subhuman in the city. As if her life wasn't complicated enough already, Adelina is approached by the leader of The Dagger Society, a group of government soldiers dedicated to destroying all malfettos. What can he offer her if she betrays the Young Elites?

The characters are complex, the stakes high, and the missions dangerous. Adelina becomes the antihero you didn't know you needed. Fans of The Orphan Queen, A Game of Thrones, and Midnight Thief will love the world Lu creates. The next book in the series, The Rose Society, is due in October. A sneak peek is available from Penguin Teen. (They also made the amazing chart below.)

via Penguin Teen

The Young Elites is one of our 2015 Teens' Top Ten books. See a full list of books here.

July Book Club Post!

Title: Vivian Apple at the End of the World

Author: Katie Coyle

Copyright: 2015

Call Number: YA Fiction COY (at North River)

When Vivian Apple goes home the morning after the supposed apocalypse, she finds two holes in the ceiling of her parents' bedroom. In fact, a lot of people turn up missing. Most of them were devout believers in the Church of America. Vivian and her best friend, Harp, never believed, and now they've been left behind.

In this first book in a series (Vivian Apple Needs a Miracle is due out Fall 2015), Vivian sets out across the country to find the truth. Where did her parents go? Was Beaton Frick, founder of the Church of America, right about the Rapture? What should she do next?
What she discovers may be more than she can handle.

Katie Coyle does an amazing job with Vivian Apple at the End of the World. It's everything you want from a book: major character progression, complex themes relevant to today's society, nice mix of comedy and action. There also ISN'T a love triangle! How rare! Coyle also offers some extras to complete your VAatEofW (that's way too long, never mind)-reading experience. She posted a road trip playlist and excerpt of the book here, and here is the official book trailer:

June Book Club!!!

One of our L.O.L. volunteers received an Advanced Reader Copy of Kindle the Flame by Tamara Shoemaker. (Kindle the Flame was just released yesterday! There is a Goodreads giveaway here, if you want to enter to win!)

Our volunteer posted her thoughts on her Goodreads account. Here is her review!

via Goodreads

Sarah Deloney's review
5 of 5 stars 

Recommended to Sarah by: Anne Tjaden
Recommended for: YA Fantasy fans
Read in May, 2015, read count: 1
This book is about two countries, of magical creatures and their trainers, on the brink of war. A power-thirsty king, named Sebastian, rules over one of the countries, building an army of unwilling people and mythical beasts. Every person is assigned to a clan and given a tattoo to signify what type of dimn (trainer) they are. The king is merciless towards uprising rebels like Ayden the dragon dimn, Kinna the pixie dimn, and Cedric the mysterious boy raised by a centaur. Ayden holds a grudge against the king for the despicable curse he first bore years ago. Kinna's tattoo will not not stay and her pixie persistently loathes her, so she rides away on horseback to unveil her murky past. Cedric seeks other humans to answer questions about his centaur mother and her crime against the others.
My favorite character is an orange haired pixie called Lincoln. He is Kinna's proclaimed protector and skilled at catching fish, normal pixie tricks, and provoking giggles when Kinna needs them. I can relate to Lincoln because he wants to help his friends and cheer them up when smiles are scarce. I also felt strong pity for Ayden when I discovered his deadly curse. Consequently, my favorite part had to be when Ayden was preparing revenge on the savage king Sebastian.
I immensely enjoyed this book because it has a twisting plot and is told by four contrasting perspectives. Little do the characters know how their destinies will intertwine. When these characters met for the first time I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for reactions, realizations, and revenge. Clashing viewpoints between the trio of rebels and the dastardly upperhand make the story exciting. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends. Anyone who searches for memorable fantasy romance has found what they need! Kindle the Flame

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May Book Club Post!

Title: The Ghosts of Heaven

Author: Marcus Sedgwick

Copyright: 2015

Call Number: YA Fiction SED (at North River)

You'll notice the patterns appear in Marcus Sedgwick's The Ghosts of Heaven. The story is told in four parts, the characters strewn throughout Earth's history, but the stories are strikingly similar. 

First there is the Girl, who dreams of drawing on the cave walls like the Storyteller. Next there is Anna, whose village believes she is a witch. Then we meet Charles Dexter, a once-successful poet who now resides in a mental institution in the 1920's. Finally, we experience the life of Keir Bowman, an astronaut who wakes every 10 years to maintain the massive spaceship on which he resides, travelling to form a new habitat for the 510 Earthlings on board.

There are mixed reactions about this book. Many readers appreciate the beautiful way in which it is written. Each story is unique in its own way. They are all told from different perspectives, with different narration styles. The characters are dynamic but lonely. There is an appealing mix of introspection, madness, and danger in each of them. But the stories can be a lot to get through. This article (SPOILER ALERT!!!) defines the book as "ambitious, intriguing and frustrating." If you don't think the stories sound interesting, at least read The Ghosts of Heaven to be a part of the discussion.

April Book Club Post!

Title: The Boy in the Black Suit

Author: Jason Reynolds

Copyright: 2015

Call Number: YA Fiction REYNO

It's the beginning of senior year, and Matt has already missed the first few weeks. His mom was sick--cancer--and passed away. And now Matt has to go back to school. Classes aren't bothering him--he's done well in high school, so he only has to go half a day--it's the other kids. They're looking at him like he's broken or different. And he is different; he's had to grow up fast, and now he's changed, probably for forever. His boy Chris is still trying to treat him normal, but his dad is getting lost in a bottle. Matt doesn't even want to cook anymore, since that was something his mom did with him.

To fill his time, Matt decides to get a part-time job. He expected to walk out of the Cluck Bucket with a job on the fryer, but he ends up leaving with an offer to work at Mr. Ray's funeral home. He's always known Mr. Ray as the guy who survived cancer twice and is now trying to inform others of the disease. Now Mr. Ray is looking out for him: paying him to help set up for funerals, picking him up from school, and helping when Matt's dad goes off the deep end. 

The one thing Matt loves about his new job is going to funerals. He wants to see someone go through what he went through with his mom. It makes him feel better, as strange as it sounds. One of those people is Lovey. She'll be the first one to roll her eyes at any joke you have about her name. She just lost her grandma--Matt was at her funeral--and as they help each other through that pain, they realize they have more in common than they thought.

February Book Club Post!

Title: This Song Will Save Your Life

Author: Leila Sales

Copyright: 2013

Call Number: YA Fiction SALES

Everyone hates Elise Dembowski. After her failed suicide attempt, she's a complete loner in school. Her dad doesn't know what to do with her. Her mom and step-dad are afraid of her. The only person she feels comfortable with is her younger sister. So Elise relaxes the best way she knows how--through music. At night, she sneaks out of her dad's house and wanders the streets with her trusty iPod. One night, two girls wave her down and tell her she's going the wrong way. How can she be going the wrong way when she has nowhere to go? Like Alice, she tumbles into a hidden, underground world and ends up in the middle of a warehouse party. There she falls in love with the idea of becoming a DJ. 

In This Song Will Save Your Life, follow Elise through the ups and downs of becoming a DJ. She meets an interesting group of people from the club: Char, the mysterious DJ who teaches her the ropes; Pippa, the Char-obsessed British drama magnet; Mel, the bouncer who looks out for Elise; and Vicky, the confident band member who takes Elise under her wing. While her social life gets undoubtedly more active, her family life starts to suffer. She also has to deal with bullies from school when her secret life as a DJ is discovered. How will Elise juggle high school, friends, drama, family, and everything else? 

Great musical references allow you to see (and hear) Elise in her world. Check out our literary playlist for TSWSYL:



This Song Will Save Your Life has also been optioned for the stage and screen, so we may see a Glee-style revolution in the coming years.

Reading Challenges for 2015 + MRL YA Book Club!!

I'm sure you guys know about monthly challenges. They're personal goals you set for yourself. Really the challenge checklists are just suggestions. You can also get a little creative and use them to fit your schedule. Of course, we're obsessed with monthly/yearly book challenges. You can search for one online, or check out these cool ones (click to enlarge):

via books-cupcakes.tumblr.com

via PopSugar.com

You could also join our online YA Book Club!!! Once a month, we'll post a review of a book. Check it out and enjoy! And don't forget--you can always submit your own book review and/or suggestion for the Book Club.


January's Book Club Read:

Title: Monument 14

Author: Emmy Laybourne

Copyright: 2012

Call Number: YA Fiction LAYBO

Dean is riding the bus to school one morning when his world changes. His bus and the one in front of him, holding his younger brother Alex, start dodging beach ball-sized chunks of hail. Cars are swerving, people are screaming, and his classmates are freaking out. Alex's bus driver crashes into the front of a Greenway (think: Wal-Mart). Dean's bus is heading for the school bus-shaped hole in the building when their driver is hit by hail. The bus flips to its side, seats are flying off, and thick, black smoke is filling the air and Dean's lungs.

Want to know what happens next? Read the page-turner Monument 14 series by Emmy Laybourne. Monument 14 is the first book in the series, and documents how Dean and his classmates try to survive living on their own. Everything in their world has changed. The Network (Internet/phone service) is down, and the air turns black when a nearby weapons facility releases toxins that affect people different based on their blood type. They are separated from their parents, but they still encounter frightening adult strangers from the outside world.

Even though they are facing life-threatening new elements, they're still kids--six high school students and some younger children. The older guys have problems with group leadership and desperate love triangles, and the younger kids are scared out of their minds. How will they manage to stay alive when it seems like everything (the toxins in the air, manic outsiders, and their own disruptive hormones) is out to get them?




Also on Goodreads:

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First posted on the MRL Youth Blog as the YA Book Club's January Read.

Dean is riding the bus to school one morning when his world changes. His bus and the one in front of him, holding his younger brother Alex, start dodging beach ball-sized chunks of hail. Cars are swerving, people are screaming, and his classmates are freaking out. Alex's bus driver crashes into the front of a Greenway (think: Wal-Mart). Dean's bus is heading for the school bus-shaped hole in the building when their driver is hit by hail. The bus flips to its side, seats are flying off, and thick, black smoke is filling the air and Dean's lungs.

(Read more...)

(View all my reviews)