tiny pink books

Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten
Point, 2009

Ellie’s sister Nina disappeared two years ago.  Although most people in her life have given up hope and moved on, Ellie can’t stop thinking about Nina.  When a clue to Nina’s disappearance surfaces in Ellie’s world, she cannot help by follow the trail, suddenly finding herself on a cross country road trip with a near strange named Sean, possibly the only person who understands what Ellie is going through.  As each clue leads her to another, the mystery of Nina’s disappearance grows deeper…and Ellie finds herself quickly wrapped in a world of murder, mystery and romance.

I was very impressed with Wherever Nina Lies.  Not only does it manage to take the mystery/suspense element of the story and turn it into a very fast and exciting read, but it also manages to take the emotional element of Ellie’s loss (not to mention the lack of closure she experiences) and make that sadness palpable.  While I will say this is a tearjerker (yes, it made me tear up in public…alas!), it is first and foremost a page turner.  From cover to cover, I could not put this book down.  Every spare second that I had over the two days I read this, I had my nose buried in this book.  Even though I found the ending to be unrealistic and a little “lifetime movie of the week,” I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Recommended to reluctant readers (especially girls).  I think readers of both suspense and drama will like this, as there is plenty for everyone.  Adult readers open to teen books will enjoy this too…it’s definitely a teen book, but it’s also definitely a quality book.

Lockdown:  Escape From Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2009

When fourteen-year-old Alex is framed for a murder, he is sent to the Furnace, a new, state of the art prison for juvenile offenders.  The Furnace is a brutal place, built deep in the bowels of the earth, offering tortures far worse than death.  Facing violent gangs, hard labor, mutated evil monsters, and more, Alex must try to do what has never been done before–escape.

A roller coaster from the very beginning, Lockdown is definitely a page turner.  While the writing feels a bit simple and the plot and characters are a little predictable (though it’s easy to identify with them), the book remains fun and exciting from cover to cover.  It’s violent, dark, and brutal, yet never really pushes the gore or language too far for younger readers.  Complete with cliff hanger ending, this is thriller that will leave readers hanging for the next installment.

I’d recommend this book to reluctant readers (boys, mostly!) who want to move onto something a little bit darker than the Alex Rider books.  Although I can see those readers crossing over and enjoying this too, I think readers who enjoyed books like The Compound will be satisfied with Lockdown.  Definitely not for readers seeking melodrama, sophistication or lyrical language though.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Simon Pulse, 2009

In Leviathan, a steampunk alternate history of World War I, Scott Westerfeld has created a wonderfully imaginative world with characters as likable as they come.  Telling the stories of Deryn Sharp, a spunky and tough girl posing as a boy soldier in the British army and Aleksander Ferdinand, son of the Archduke and on the run from his own country of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  In Westerfeld’s world, the British, known as The Dawinists, have followed Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theories with a twist of genetic engineering to create animals for battle and transport.  The Germans, known as the Clankers, use engine powered iron machines (think steampunk meets mecha) to do their bidding.  The result is a spectacular adventure–fun, imaginative, and meticulously detailed (yet never dry).

If you can tell already, I loved this book.  I’m a fan of Westerfeld’s previous work with the Uglies series and Leviathan has surpassed my expectations.  I should also mention that the illustrations, by Keith Thompson, are excellent and really contributed to the feel of the story.  I guess the thing that I was most impressed with in Leviathan, was Westerfeld’s ability to create a world with so many details, both historical and fantastic, yet still have lifelike characters and an exciting plot with much drama.  Go Scott!

I’d recommend this book to, uhh, everyone.  But seriously, this book is timely in that it is decidedly steampunk, which is currently exploding on the hipster front (has anyone picked up Make magazine lately?).  I can see this book working for a lot of different audiences (the fantasy readers, the scifi readers, the nostalgic adventure readers).  I think this is be a great book for adults, teens, and tweens who want adventure, a little imagination, and a lot of fun.