THE CHAOS OF STARS, by Kiersten White

The story: Isadora is the mortal daughter of Osiris and Isis, ancient Egyptian gods of great power. So why does life in Egypt stink? Turns out that even immortals have trouble with their teens. When her parents unexpectedly send her to visit her brother in southern California, things start to look up--especially when Isadora meets oh-so-hunky Ry (aka Orion). What could go wrong? Oh wait…except the part where her half-brother Anubis is planning to overthrow the world of the dead, including Osiris…

June Cleaver's rating: language PG; violence PG; sexual content PG; nudity PG; substance abuse PG; magic and the occult PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes (mythological seduction) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: This was a fluffy story that eventually ended, and thankfully there doesn't seem to be a need for a sequel. I found Isadora's rather over-the-top anger toward her mother (for what to me was a "deal with it" issue) tiresome after a while; and the eventual reveal of Ry as also the son of Greek gods was not in any way a surprise. Additionally, it was really hard to suspend disbelief of her turning darling-and-sincere Ry down time after time (I don't even think MS girls will buy into that, because the author does a pretty good job of making him seem perfect). Girls looking for a high-school romance with no demands on the part of the reader will find a fit here.

PRE-PUB REVIEW: Persuasion, Captain Wentworth, and Cracklin' Cornbread by Mary Jane Hathaway

This lighthearted romance is probably intended for the “New Adult” group, but I found it a lot of fun and I could recommend it for Young Adults who would prefer a romance novel with all the humor and struggle and without the explicit sex.  Ms. Hathaway leans a little too heavily perhaps on a love of Jane Austen as a plot device, but her homage to Austen’s Persuasion provides the reader with the requisite hero and heroine for whom to cheer and the villain to hiss, although he is perhaps not as villainous as Mr. William Elliot. Lucy and Jem dated in high school and were deeply in love.  Lucy’s family were wealthy and influential and Lucy’s aunt convinced her to break it off before they went to college. (Sound familiar?)  After ten years apart, they are brought back together.  Jem is now a successful doctor and Lucy’s father has spent the Crawford family into the poorhouse.  Though neither knows it, both are still carrying the torch.  It is great fun to watch them suffer their way through figuring out that each still loves the other.  This time, Lucy vows that she will not let her family tear them apart, etc.  You get the idea.  A light, fun, fast read for someone who enjoys a clean romance.  I have to hand it to Ms. Hathaway for managing to inject tension into the story without resorting to sex scenes.

This book is set to be published November 11, 2014

 

June’s Rating System:

Language—G;   Nudity—G;  Sexual Content—G; GLBT Content—G;  Violence—PG; Adult Themes—PG

Robin’s Comments:

I would probably give this one only to High School just because the characters are older and therefore more likely to appeal to HS students. 

TOWERING, by Alex Flinn

The story: A girl waits in a tower for a handsome stranger to come rescue her. He hears a voice that guides him to the spot and uses her hair to climb up to where she waits? Sound familiar? But wait--when did that handsome prince ever drive a car? Or have a cell phone? And when was the witch ever actually trying to keep Rapunzel safe? See if the young lovers will find a happy ending when you read "Towering."

June Cleaver's rating: Language PG-13; violence PG; Sexual content PG; nudity PG; magic and the occult PG; substance abuse PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes (kidnapping, murder, abusive relationships, teen pregnancy, human trafficking and implied seduction) PG-13; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: I've liked Alex Flinn's other fairy tale remakes in the past, and this one didn't disappoint. She skillfully hides the identity of the person holding Rachel captive; and each little piece of the mystery falls into place at just the right time. The source of the evil brothers' magic is not explained well enough, and it's kind of a far stretch that any modern-day person would keep a girl locked up in a tower to keep her safe, but if you can willfully suspend disbelief on these elements, this is a story any girl looking for a handsome prince and a happy ending would embrace.

PEGASUS: FLAME OF OLYMPUS, by Kate O'Hearn

The story: Olympus is at war, under siege by the mindlessly destructive Nirads. This has direct consequences for New York City, where the lightning bolts of the gods have turned into the storm of the century. Even more amazing for Emily is finding, in the wake of the storm, that a horse has crash landed on the roof of her Manhattan apartment--and not just any horse: it's Pegasus, barely escaped from Olympus, sent on a mission by Jupiter himself. But the horse is badly wounded, and the alien-detection department of the government is determined to capture him and make sure he never sees the light of day again. It's up to Emily to outwit the bad guys (both human and Olympian)and make sure Pegasus makes it back...even if she has to sacrifice herself to make it happen.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; violence PG; sexual content G; nudity G; magic and the occult PG-13; substance abuse PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (death of a parent, separation from family) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: This is a well-written fantasy featuring a spunky girl, a reluctant guy sidekick, a secret, evil branch of the government, and of course, every girl's dream horse: Pegasus himself. Hand this to your fantasy lovers, your horse lovers, and to the occasional MS guy fantasy lover who isn't too squeamish to read a story with a girl as the main character.

I FUNNY, by Jame Patterson

The story: Jamie Grimm has a lemon of a life. He's had to move in (permanently) with his aunt and uncle, his cousin Stevie bullies him without ceasing, and he's stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. But Jamie keeps turning those lemons into lemonade, and with a little help from his friends, he might just turn out to be the funniest kid on the planet--or at least, in the state of New York!

June Cleaver's rating: Language G; Violence G; Nudity G; Sexual content G; magic and the occult G; substance abuse G; GLBT content G; adult themes (death of parents, disability) PG; overall rating: G.

Liz's comments: Here's a fun story that also has a moral (which kids may just have to absorb without noticing, depending on how hard they're laughing): work hard if you want to succeed. Yes, natural talent is good, but hard work is good too--and it's also a tonic for making it through your pain. Jamie is a non-whining hero who uses a crummy situation (non-emotionally-supportive adoptive family, bullying, unexpected disability, and the deaths of his immediate family a year ago) to help him crank out the funny stuff. You'll cheer for Jamie every step of the way...even through the booger jokes!

THE HERO'S GUIDE TO SAVING YOUR KINGDOM, by Christopher Healy

The story: four Princes Charming from four separate fairy tales decide they've had enough: enough of just being the handsome face, enough of being the muscle that gets the beautiful princess out of her dilemma, ENOUGH of not even getting their names mentioned when the song comes out! Almost by accident, the guys start off on their own adventure--where they fight a dragon, face down a giant, rescue the bards, and take care of the evil witch once and for all--with only a little help from the girls. This time, their names will be in the song for sure!

June Cleaver's ratings: language G; Violence PG; Nudity G; Sexual content G; magic and the occult, PG; substance abuse PG; GLBT content G; adult themes G; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: this was a fun and funny story told completely from the princes' eye view--now that's a switch! Sadly, because most of the princes don't act in a typically "manly" fashion anyway, I'm not sure this is one that MS boys will pick up (possibly very good boy readers in grades 5-6)...so steer it to girl readers, who generally don't have trouble reading stories about guys anyway. There's plenty of action and adventure, and the princes get the un-fairy-tale-like taste of what it feels like to fail in areas where they've usually been a star--and to embrace the ways that non-fighters can also occasionally bring an adventure to an acceptable comclusion!

JOSHUA DREAD, by Lee Bacon

The story: Joshua Dread's parents have super powers, but that doesn't make them superheroes. In fact, they're just the opposite--super villains. Joshua's own super powers are beginning to become obvious--so he recognizes the ability in a new girl at school…only to discover that her father, Captain Justice, is the Dread Duo's archenemy! Just because their parents are enemies--are Joshua and Sophie bound to be enemies as well? And what if the most devilish criminal of all requires the work of BOTH heroes and villains to defeat him?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; sexual content G; nudity G; magic and the occult (do super powers fit here?) PG; GLBT content G; adult themes PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Here's a funny, action-packed story that both boys and girls will like if they're looking for something with both adventure and a spot-on middle school voice.

TEXAS GOTHIC, by Rosemary Clement-Moore

The story: Amy Goodnight walks a fine line between the ordinary and the occult. Her family does more than just dabble in magic--but Amy wants to be normal, and to accomplish that, there's a lot she keeps hidden from those around her. It all works well enough until she accidentally promises a ghost to find his bones and lay him to rest--little does she know that there are others who will do just about anything to prevent that from happening. They're even willing to kill. Lucky for her, even though handsome Ben McCulloch drives her crazy, he generally happens to be around when the bad guys make a move. Wait--luck? Or…magic?

June Cleaver's rating: Language: R, Violence PG-13; Sexual Content PG-13; Nudity PG-13; Magic and the occult PG13; substance abuse PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes PG; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: I really liked this one, by homegrown Texas author Moore. It had some good creepy parts, but nothing horrifying or gruesome. Amy is a spunky heroine with a kooky but likable family; she's also smart, on her way to college, and not one to just fall for a pretty face. (Although that doesn't hurt either!)

Classic June: THE GIVER, by Lois Lowry

The story: Jonas lives in a world that is safe, well ordered, and predictable. Everyone does a job they like, everyone is polite, and there's no suffering, crime, or war. Why would anyone want to escape from such a place? Especially if they didn't know there was any other choice. Because that's another thing they don't have in Jonas's world: a choice. But who in their right mind would choose freedom over safety, anyway?

June Cleaver's rating: language G; violence PG-13; nudity PG; Sexual Content PG; magic and the occult G: Substance abuse G; GLBT content G; adult themes (euthanasia) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Of course, this isn't a new book--in fact, it's coming up in its 20th anniversary (new edition ahoy, no doubt). But since it's been so long since I read it, I thought it was worth another look...especially with the movie coming out. (I was pretty sure I didn't remember a 16-year-old kid as the main character. Turns out I remembered that much correctly!) One of the first dystopian YA novels, this one is more introspective than most, which is of course why it's ended up on so many curriculum lists over the years. But it raises great questions for the MS set without a lot of killing or anarchy. In fact, it's such a peaceful novel that when violence does raise its ugly head, it's all the more shocking. Well deserving of its Newbery medal, this is a book all kids should read and think about: would you be willing to trade the ability to choose for safety? The possibility of falling in love for a life without pain? A world full of imperfect people for one where those who weren't quite all there didn't exist at all? Enter the world of "The Giver" and see if you agree with Jonas's answers.

THE SAVAGE FORTRESS, by Sarwat Chadda

The story: When Ash Mistry went to visit family in India, he never dreamed that the demons and ghosts of ancient Indian mythology could possibly be real. He never dreamed that he could have a personal connection to the great Indian warrior Rama--or that the connection would extend to the most evil creature of all time: the demon king, Ravana. But just because you don't know something doesn't mean it can't hurt you…

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Nudity G; Sexual content PG; Violence PG-13; Magic and the occult PG-13; substance abuse PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (kidnapping, demonic possession) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: Hand this one to the boy who's boo-hooing about having finished all of Rick Riordan's books. This one has the advantage of being shorter than the "Heroes of Olympus" and "Kane Chronicles" series, in addition to being just as action-packed and exciting. Plus, it introduces a new mythology for those who pretty much have the Greek and Roman gods down pat. A warning, though: if you're opposed to stories about black magic and demons, don't pick this one up.