The Hunter's Moon

The Chronicles of Faerie: The Hunter's Moon

by: O.R. Melling

published by: Amulet Books

Summary: Gwen and Findabhair are cousins, but they are also best friends. Gwen is coming from America to visit Fin in Ireland and while they are together they are going to hunt for the magic and secrets of Ireland. They spend the first night of their adventure in a fairy mound and when Gwen wakes up, she finds that Findabhair has vanished. Suddenly things have gone too far for Gwen, she's no brave adventurist! She doesn't know where to begin without her cousin by her side. But she knows she must attempt, so with a little help from the faries she finds her cousin, but not as a damsel in distress. Instead Findabhair seems to be enjoying herself and Gwen is angry that she's gone through so much to rescue her cousin who doesn't want rescuing. Together they face disputes and life changing adventures.

Personal Review: It was hard for me to get into at the beginning, but I really liked it by the end. Ireland seems like a magical, beautiful country and this story really showed that. I loved Gwen's and Findabhair's relationship, they seemed to be the best of friends despite their disagreements and different decisions.

Touching Spirit Bear

Touching Spirit Bear

by: Ben Mikaelsen
published by: HarperCollins

Summary: Cole Matthews is angry at the world and not to be defied. Little Peter finds this out the hard way. After beating Peter up and smashing his head on the sidewalk, Cole is arrested. Before his trial he is given the choice to go to prison or to join something called the Circle of Justice, which would decide on a suitable punishment for him that will cause him to grow an change. Only if he is willing to. Cole isn't--but that doesn't stop him from pretending. He does everything he can to get into the circle of Justice and stay far away from prison. That's how he finds himself stranded on an Alaskan island mauled by a gigantic white bear, in the clutches of death. Now he wonders if prison would have been easier.

Personal Review: I loved seeing this character evolve; slowly though it was. I like how the author didn't suddenly change him all at once, it made him much more realistic. I had to have patience with Cole and it helped me realize that I need to have more patience with real people I know in my life. It is a beautiful and touching story, I would definitely recommend this book to a teenage boy.

Cautionary notes: violence when cole beats up Peter, and when Cole throws any kind of fit, and violence when the bear attacks Cole.

Godless

Godless

by: Pete Hautman

published by: Simon and Schuster

Summary: Jason Bock and Shin are collecting gastropods under the water tower when Henry shows up to cause trouble as usual. As Jason lies on the ground after being punched down by Henry, the idea comes to him. The water tower is like God. It provides the town with water; water is life. He declares his new religion to his friends and soon other peers from the town begin joining up. While Jacob sees his religion of worshiping "the ten legged one" as a joke, will others begin to take things too far?

Personal Review: I read this book in a flash, I couldn't put it down! The creepy, yet creative ideas in this book are intriguing. It's very insightful into human nature concerning religion. Like how everybody had different reasons for joining the Chutengodonians. Shin's character intrigued me the most though because of his intense passion for things. It was more fun reading about his brush with insanity than another character's distant apathy.

Cautionary notes: radical ideas of worshiping idols,

Speak

Speak

by: Laurie Halse Anderson
published by: Puffin Books

Summary: Melinda is only a freshman in high school. And already she has a black secret lying on her shoulders. She is already unpopular for calling the cops at a party over the summer. But she didn't mean to call the cops on the party, she called them for another reason, a personal reason. A reason that was bubbling up and growing inside of her like a sticky poison blackening her insides. She had to talk, but she wouldn't.

Personal review: I was touched by this book; it was a pretty intense read! It was very realistic but drove home the feelings I think the author intended. It was a very beautiful book and I would recommend it to a teenage girl.

Cautionary notes: scenes of rape and violence

Stuck in Neutral

Stuck in Neutral

by: Terry Trueman

published by: Harper Collins

Summary: Shawn McDaniel is the dumbest kid in his class. In his entire school! He has cerebral palsey and lacks the ability to respond to anything, including people talking to him or getting right up in his face. There's a secret though and only Shawn knows it. He's a secret genius; he can remember anything he sees, he can read, he knows exactly what's going on around him. He just has no way to communicate it to the world. To them he is a vegetable, but he is only trapped inside a vegetable body. How can he make them see that there is someone in there? Especially after he starts getting eerie feelings that his father wants to kill him.

Personal review: I loved this book! It was completely frustrating though because you knew something the characters in the book didn't. That Shawn is coherent, but we too are trapped from telling them. Although frustrating, it was a fascinating point of view to have and makes you think about situations that could be similar in your life of the life of people you know.

Cautionary notes:

The Devil's Arithmetic

The Devil's Arithmetic

by Jane Yolen

published by: Viking

Summary: Hannah is 12 years old and is getting tired of attending the Passover dinner every year with her family. She doesn't understand what the big deal is. This year it's a little different though. The family decides that she should have the responsibility of opening the door for Elijah the prophet, one of the traditions performed every year. She does so grudgingly, and as she opens the door she is transported back in time! She doesn't know what year it is or where she is, but when she realizes that she is a Jew living in Poland at the start of WWII she is horrified of what might happen to her. She tries to warn her new family that she knows what's coming because she's from the future, but nobody believes her. Who would?

Personal Review: I absolutely loved this book! It was terrifying yet I fell in love with the characters and felt very emotional with the sad events that took place.

Cautionary Notes: Some parts were graphic

Stop Pretending

Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy

by Sonya Sones

published by: Harper Collins

Summary: A 13-year old girl has an older sister who went crazy one day. Now she visits her frequently in the hospital's psycho ward, but she wishes she didn't have to. She loves her sister but she is ashamed. Ashamed when her sister "throws herself into a chair. She says this chair controls the room and all her thoughts and all mine, too." And she is ashamed to tell her friends because of what they will say. When she finally does pluck up the courage, they act like it's no big deal to them, but soon they are ignoring her. Will she ever have a real friend who will be able to look past her sister? Will she ever be able to smile again? Who are these strangers in her life now? Her mother and father fight all the time now and her sister doesn't know who she is.

Here is an excerpt from the book, that I think really captures the overall mood. Enjoy!

Stop Pretending

Stop Pretending.

Right this minute.

Don't you tell me

you don't know me.

Stop this crazy act

and show me

that you haven't changed.

Stop pretending

you're deranged.

Stop a minute.

You'll remember things

like they used to be

when you used to read to me

from Dr. Seuss in our backyard.

Stop Pretending.

Right this minute.

I'm your sister.

Don't you tell me

you don't know me.

Personal Review: This book was very sad but beautiful. I loved how it was written in poems, with the line breaks giving it special emphasis. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was a quick read and I couldn't put it down at all, even if it wasn't.

Cautionary Note: one sexual situation