Archive for March, 2017

Gutless by Carl Deuker

Published March 29, 2017 Realistic Fiction , Sports Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Sports Fiction

# of Pages:  329

Brock Ripley has always considered himself gutless because he tends to shy away from aggressive plays in all sports.  He’s even considering quitting soccer for next season because he feels responsible for losing the championship game for his team.  Then, he’s asked to play with Hunter Gates in the local park because he needs to practice throwing the football to someone.  He’s nervous, but Hunter is the kind of guy you do not say no to and you desperately try not to get on his bad side.  Brock is fast and has an eye for the ball, but is terrified of getting tackles in a real football setting.  Hunter’s dad tries to convince Brock to try out for football because they think the two of them could be a good pair.  Brock’s parents need some serious convincing to let him even try out, but as a freshmen who has never played before he ends up on the freshmen team and even on that he is not a superstar.  Meanwhile, he befriends an outgoing, silly, nerdy, Asian kid named Richie who immediately becomes a target for bullying from Hunter and his friends.  As Brock tries to be friends with Richie and play on the football team he finds himself ignoring the harsh treatment that Richie keeps getting from the older, bigger players.  Eventually things escalate and Brock must decide whose side he’s going to be on.

Fans of sports fiction will once again enjoy this new addition by Carl Deuker.  He includes both football and soccer action that sports fans will love, but also includes a lot on the topic of bullying that is so timely today.  The foreshadowing will instantly put the reader on alert with a sense of foreboding, but the characters are engaging enough that you have to keep reading to find out what happens.

The Pledge Series by Kimberly Derting

Published March 29, 2017 Fantasy Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Futuristic

# of Pages:  323

First in a trilogy

Charlaina of “Charlie” lives in a society where every caste has its own language. Englaise is the universal language everyone speaks, but her family belongs to the serving class and they have a language.  The elites has a language as well.  If anyone is in the presence of someone speaking a language they do not know they are required by law to drop their eyes out of respect.  Charlie has been able to read, write, and understand all languages since she can remember and her parents are very fearful due to this ability.  If it were ever discovered she could understand all of these languages it could be considered treason and their queen has publicly hanged people for much less.  She has kept her secret hidden from even her best friends until one day she accidentally looks at someone in a dance club speaking a language she has never heard before.  He begins to suspect she is “the one” the queen is looking for and starts tracking her movements.  Can Charlie trust him?  Can she trust anyone?  Why is the queen looking desperately looking for the next female relative in her otherwise male dominated bloodline?

Fans of futuristic series such as Divergent, Cinder, and Red Queen will enjoy this trilogy.  The use of languages to represent status is a new detail in this story and makes it an unusual but interesting talent for Charlie to have.  The queen is every bit as evil as many of the villains of other futuristic stories, but her purpose for seeking Charlie out is very different than readers will have seen before.  Her friends, family, and allies make for interesting and well developed characters to help Charlie navigate her role in her country’s future.

Forever, Again by Victoria Laurie

Published March 29, 2017 Mystery Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Mystery

# of Pages:  360

When Lily Bennett moves with her mother to  a new town before her junior year of high school she tries to remain optimistic, but in reality her mother is fleeing her cheating husband and his pregnant girlfriend and Lily is fleeing her cheating father and the boyfriend who cheated on her with her best friend.  They are both looking for fresh starts and unfortunately, that involves living on her wealthy grandmother’s property.  Ever since she was a child Lily has had a bizarre recurring dream where she’s running on a big field that has caught fire and she approaches a teenage boy’s body in the middle of it.  It has scared her since she was little, but normally she only has this dream a few times a year.  Since she moved she has had this dream every single night and it’s beginning to take a toll.

Amber was a teen living in the same town Lily just moved to in the 1980s.  Her boyfriend, Spence, was murdered on the football field of their school and the police investigator believed that Amber committed the murder.  Four days later Amber was stabbed to death and it was ruled a suicide.  Could Amber be trying to send Lily a message all of these years later about what really happened to her and Spence?  What is Lily’s connection to Amber’s death?

Fans of Victoria Laurie’s mystery When will enjoy this title as well.  It has many great plot twists, sinister characters, and red herrings.  The idea that Lily could be the reincarnation of Amber is a unique twist you do not often see in YA mystery novels.  The book itself moves quickly and will keep even reluctant readers engaged.

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