Vampire Kisses

Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber

Have you ever been the odd man out? Have you ever felt like an outcast? Well, if you have you are in the same boat as Raven Madison. Raven is the goth chic at her all preppie school. Her town is so boringly suburbia that she has nicknamed it Dullsville.

Live in Dullsville is pretty horrible for Raven. She is constantly being bullied by soccer snob Trevor. She only has one friend, a farm girl named Becky, and her once cool hippie parents have fallen under Dullsville's spell. Raven feels all alone, until one day when she sees a mysterious figure standing in the attic window of the abandoned mansion in town.

Raven starts to investigate and even breaks into the mansion to discover the secrets of the new family who has recently taken up residence. Her snooping leads her to Alexander, the seventeen-year-old, home schooled only child of the family. Alexander is the man of Raven's dreams. A goth guy who sleeps all day and is as misunderstood as Raven.

Tension rises between Raven and her new beau Alexander when Trevor begins to spread rumors that Alexander and his family are vampires. Could this be true? It would mean the answer to Raven's biggest wish, to be a vampire, but is she ready for eternity?

Although this book is in the vampire genre, it is all about acceptance and being different. Teens who love books like Twilight will enjoy this tale of young love, but so will those teens who have ever felt like an outcast. It is also a nice quick read; I read it in a day. This book is the first in a series, so those who enjoyed this first book can get more of Raven and Alexander.

Warning: Contains sexual situations and inappropriate language

Doomed Queen Anne

Doomed Queen Anne by Carolyn Meyer

Another book in the Young Royals series (see Beware, Princess Elizabeth), this book follows the life of Anne Boleyn, second wife to King Henry VIII and mother to Queen Elizabeth I. Readers are introduced to Anne at thirteen when she is in France and reuniting with her older sister Mary, mistress to the King. We are then taken back to when she was just six years-old and sent away for the first time.

The most intriguing parts of this book start when Anne leaves France to join the court of King Henry VIII. Anne starts off as a sweet girl who is trying to over come her deformities (a sixth finger on one hand and a large mole) and her dominating older sister. As the years go by, Anne is turned from a sweet young girl into a manipulative woman bent on becoming queen, even though there is already one.

Anne plays a complicated game of cat and mouse as she lures the King to her. It is interesting to see how the King at first loves her and then discards her for another. It would be fascinating to read his side of this story, but alas at over forty in this book, he does not qualify as a "young royal."

Once again, I recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction or who want to learn more about Anne Boleyn. It is a quick read that would be perfect for a rainy weekend.

Beware, Princess Elizabeth

Beware, Princess Elizabeth by Carolyn Meyer

Beware, Princess Elizabeth follows the life of England's Queen Elizabeth I, from her father's death to her coronation. Meyer does an excellent job of introducing teen readers to the life of someone they have no doubt heard of, but know little about. Even this adult reader learned a lot from this book, but I'm not sure how much is fact versus fiction.

Told from the perspective of Elizabeth, the story spans eleven years. Readers will be intrigued by Elizabeth's patience as she first lives through her nine-year-old brother's reign as king (a mere six years), where she watched as her brother was controlled like a puppet by his two maternal uncles. Then, Elizabeth must suffer through the rule of her sister, Mary, as she burns Protestants at the stake and imprisons Elizabeth.

The book not only gives readers a look at Elizabeth's life, but also but what life was like for the ruling class in 16th century England. Courtly manners are observed as well as strange customs, such as Elizabeth being required to attend the birth of the next heir to the throne. There is also some political material as we learn of the two Seymour brothers (Elizabeth's brother Edward's uncles) and there goal of seizing power for themselves, and the use of marriage to gain power.

Overall, this book does a wonderful job of introducing readers to Elizabeth and proves to be a quick read. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially fans of the Dear America: Royal Diaries books. This book too is part of a series, Young Royals, other women such as Anne Boleyn, Bloody Mary, Catherine of Aragon and more are the subject of the others in this series.

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

This is the first book in a fantasy series that follows the trial and tribulations of thirteen-year-old Thomas Ward. Tom, born the seventh son to a seventh son, is starting his apprenticeship, but instead of being a farmer or a blacksmith, Tom is going to be a Spook. Spooks protect the people of the county from the supernatural: witches, ghosts, boggards, etc. Each county has a Spook and it is a thankless but important task.

Spooks are almost as feared as the creatures they hunt. Old Gregory, Tom's mentor, has had 29 apprentices, some who have lived, some who have fled, and some who have died. Tom, it is prophesied, will be Gregory last apprentice and he has a lot to learn about his trade. One thing he needs to learn, never trust a girl with pointy shoes.

As we follow Tom through his first few months of training, we are given the basic understanding of what a Spook is and how Tom isn't ready to be one. As young heroes are apt to do, Tom messes up in a big way, but is determined to clean-up his own mistake. At times his naivete is frustrating, but the reader is compelled to keep reading.

Young readers will enjoy the adventure as well as the fantasy aspects of this story. While older readers will want to delve further into Tom and Gregory's world. I found this book quite enjoyable and I look forward to reading the sequel. I not only recommend this book to middle school and up, but I also recommend the audiobook which is done quite nicely as well.

Pretties

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

In this sequel to Uglies, readers are taken from the "ugly-side" of Tally Youngblood's teenage life to the "pretty-side." It is a few months after the pretty operation and Tally has fallen in with a popular clique of teens, The Crims. The Crims are made-up of past uglies who use to pull pranks and other tricks. Tally is a legend among them since she use to actually live in the Smoke, with *gasp* ugly adults.

Tally no longer remembers her mission, to distribute the cure to the bubbleheaded pretties. She is just interested in staying "bubbly" and hanging out with the leader of The Crims, Zane. David is just a distant memory, thanks in part to the operation and memory modification by the evil Dr. Cable, but things change in Tally's life when someone from her past resurfaces.

Tally then must fight, fight the pretties, fight the specials, and fight her best friend Shay. She must also find a way out of her gilded cage, a cage she might not want to leave. Readers of the previous book will find this a nice continuation of the storyline and the cliffhanger ending will leave you wanting more (the third book is entitled Specials).

Just like Uglies, Pretties is a great book for those who like light sci-fi stories. There is something in it for everyone: action, adventure, cool technology, romance, and teens fighting the system. It is also a great series for those looking for a series of books to read. I recommend it to all.

Warning: Contains teenage alcohol use and mentions sex.

When I Crossed No-Bob

When I Crossed No-Bob by Margaret McMullan

Set against the backdrop of 1875 Mississippi, When I Crossed No-Bob is the story of twelve-year-old Addy O'Donnell. Addy's pappy ran away a few years ago leaving Addy and her momma to try to eek out a life in post-Civil War rural Mississippi. Life is proving to hard for Addy's momma so she leaves Addy behind and strikes off for Texas and Addy's pappy.

Left by herself at the wedding of two strangers Addy is taken in by the newlyweds, Frank and Irene Russell. It is with great trepidation that Frank (star of McMullan's How I Found the Strong) takes Addy in, after all she is a no-good O'Donnell. O'Donnells are known for two things, being the meanest people to ever walk this earth and living in the swamp of No-Bob.

Addy tries to prove her worth to the Russells as she deals with not only her own misfortunes but those of a state and a county trying to come back from a war that literally tore our country apart. Topics such as poverty, independent rule and most importantly racism are dealt with by Addy and in the end she will have to decide if she is her own person or if she is nothing more than an O'Donnell.

Readers will find Addy endearing and many readers will be able to connect with Addy on a personal level. Whether you have had a hard life, grown-up in a rural area, had a family reputation that wasn't so good, been abandoned by your parents, or just felt like an outsider where ever you went, you will see yourself in Addy. And through her struggles, maybe you will find out a little about yourself as well.

I think that it is important to note her that McMullan does an excellent job of dealing with the topic of racism and that children today could benefit from the lessons taught in this book. There are however terms that were common in the time period (1875) that might offend some readers. However, it is this realism that makes the book that much more realistic and powerful.

Fabulous Terrible: The Adventures of You

Fabulous Terrible: The Adventures of You by Sophie Talbot

I just finished reading a new book, Fabulous Terrible: The Adventures of You. This fantasy novel that revolves around a foster kid who goes to boarding school is different than any book I have ever read; it may even be the first of its kind on the market. What makes this book different is the main character, it is you.

The book is published by Chooseco, who is famous for their Choose Your Own Adventure line of books. I know as a kid I was an avid reader of them. Remember: dying in the books doesn’t count if you still have you hand on the previous page. Similar to those books you are the main character, however you do not have to choose any paths in this one it is straightforward story.
I must admit that I wasn’t too into the main character being me, because I know I’m not that person and I just couldn’t feel like it was me. However, I must admit that once I got past the “you look around” stuff, I found an actually really good fantasy chick-lit book.

As I mentioned already, the story takes place at a boarding school and you are a foster kid who has just received a full scholarship to the elite private school. You are different from the rest of the kids, not only because you do not have parents or money, but because you also have the power to see the future. A secret you are vehemently hiding.

Things do not go well for you at your new school as you are trying to hide your secret and being plagued by someone out to get you, perhaps the rich girl you ticked off the first day of school. There are definitely some twists and turns in this book, enough to make you want the sequel, Fabulous Terrible: The Adventures of You: Chloe to come out sooner than October. I definitely recommend this book to those out there who love chick-lit with a fantasy twist or those looking for a good light read.

Warning: Contains bad language.