FOUND (Mickey Bolitar #3), by Harlan Coben

The story: Mickey is convinced that his father is alive, although he saw him buried eight months ago. Ema the goth girl has a new online boyfriend, leaving Mickey feeling oddly left out--until the guy disappears. Spoon is still in the hospital, paralyzed from the waist down. Someone's dealing steroids in town, Mickey's mom is still in rehab, and there's the on-going mystery of the Bat Lady and the Abeona shelter lurking in the background. Will Mickey ever find the "normal" life he was looking for when his family moved to Kasseltown?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; Sexual content PG; Nudity G; Sbstance abuse PG-13; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (death of a parent, bullying, steroid use) PG-13; overall rating PG.

Liz's opinion: This is probably my favorite on-going YA mystery series, especially so because it appeals strongly to boys. Mickey's voice is spot-on, he's a basketball player, and he wrestles with issues that resonate with boys (most books don't). Additionally, there's always something unexpected waiting around the corner for Mickey and his group of friends. Not only that, this volume offers a satisfying resolution to one of the series' longest-running problems. Gotta like it!

BALANCE KEEPERS #1: THE FIRES OF CALDERON, by Lindsay Cummings

The story: Albert, Birdie and Leroy discover they're all Balance Keepers, a mysterious group that lives at The Core and fights to keep the Earth in Balance. There's some serious training to do before they can tackle the Imbalance that threatens Calderon (one of the three Realms that exist under the surface of our Earth that most humans recognize) but time is running out, and when it does, New York City is the first thing to go down--and take Albert's family with it. Can Albert's Master Tile give the team the extra push that will take them to the top?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language: G; Violence PG; Sexual Content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; magic and the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (bullying) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's opinion: A fantasy series for tween readers, aimed squarely at grades 4-6. Fans of Lisa McMann's "Unwanteds" will like this one too. Although it moves briskly and keeps the reader engaged on that level, Cummings doesn't invest enough time in world building, so it's hard to imagine the underground realms, or even The Core, where the kids train to fight. Additionally, the bullying by the Argon team seems contrived--more like a plot device to take up space by throwing obstacles in the way than anything else. The book has a good premise, though, and one can hope the series will get a little more sophisticated as the kids get older (they're already due for a go-back on their next summer vacation).

INHUMAN, by Kat Falls

The story: Lane McEvoy thinks she's safe on her side of the Feral Zone--until her father goes missing and Lane finds out the secret behind his job as an "art dealer": Mac goes into the disease zone and risks infection to bring back art for the highest bidder. Given an ultimatum, Lane knows she must find her father...but she also knows that crossing into the Feral Zone can mean disease, mutation, death. Can she do it? Alone, it would be suicide, but she finds unexpected allies in Everson and Rafe, boys from opposite sides of the line who both want something from her. Does she dare? One wrong step, and something worse than death awaits: something...inhuman.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language: PG-13; Violence R; Sexual content PG; Nudity PG; Magic and the occult G;
Substance Abuse PG; GLBT Content G; Adult Themes PG (pandemics); overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: Here's a standout in a world awash with dystopian YA fiction. Even for someone who's pretty tired of the "end of the world as we know it" approach to YA books, there's a lot to like in this one. Falls's prose is fast paced, her world-building is convincing, and the thought of a huge wall along the banks of the Mississippi, dividing east from west, diseased from disease-free, makes complete sense in this world. As in all YA fiction, there's plenty of violence here, but that's pretty much the norm for societies where polite civilization has broken down. Both guys and girls will like this one--and grown-ups too!

BLUE LILY, LILY BLUE, by Maggie Stiefvater

The story: Blue and the Raven Boys are still searching for Owen Glendower, but it's becoming obvious they're not the only ones...and that the others are richer, more powerful, and far more ruthless than they are. Then all of a sudden, the search gets far more personal for Blue: her mother has disappeared, and Blue realizes that if they find the sleeping King, they'll find Maura too. And if they don't--both may remain underground and lost forever.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language R (possibly "X"--it's really exceptionally bad); Violence R; Sexual Content PG; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic and the occult PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes (demonic possession, domestic violence) PG-13; overall rating R.

Liz's comments: While I'm fascinated by this series, I have to say that it is absolutely not for readers below grade 8. The language, while pretty much confined to Ronan's character and used as a reflection of it, is nonetheless awful (it's the concentration as well as the content); plus, all of the creepy and suspenseful moments are magic-related, so if you thought Harry Potter was the devil's spawn, you'll have issues here too. The bottom line is that if you've read the first two books in the series and been undisturbed by them, you'll be fine with book 3 as well; if you haven't read the first two, go back to "The Raven Boys" and start there, because this is not a stand-alone volume, no matter how you feel about the language and the magic.

THE RULE OF THOUGHTS, by James Dashner

The story: Everything has changed: Michael, formerly nothing but a line of code in a sophisticated virtual reality game, now inhabits a stolen body and meets his real-world friends Sarah and Bryson for the first time. Far from being grateful to Kane, the mastermind who brought him here, he's determined to bring him down. But doing that will mean going back into the world of VirtNet--only this time, he can die for real.

June Cleaver’s ratings: Language PG-13; Nudity G; Sexual Content G; Violence PG-13; Substance Abuse PG; Magic & the Occult G; GLBT Content G; Adult Themes PG; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: Again, this is a book for kids who understand the lingo and logic of computer games (and maybe for movie makers who could bring it alive for the rest of us). Although I thought Michael's reactions to being human were very interesting, once they went back into the VirtNet, the breakneck pace of everything oddly made the story somewhat less compelling. Definitely a "second of three" book.

DON'T LOOK NOW, by Michelle Gagnon

The story: Still on the run, Noa and Peter find themselves on opposite ends of the country, but still in Persephone's crosshairs--and one wrong step will be their last. They're racing to find the cure for PEMA, a disease that attacks and kills teens, and to bring down the evil corporation that manufactured the epidemic in the first place. But as good as they are, there are hackers working for the bad guys who are every bit as good. So the real question is...when they find the answers they're looking for, will the killers in black ski masks be there waiting for them?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG-13; Violence R; Sexual Content PG; Nudity PG; magic and the occult G; substance abuse PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes (corporate espionage and mayhem); overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: Definitely a second-of-three book, this one still has plenty going on to keep the reader engaged (as long as he/she read the first one). Not a stand-alone story! Read the series in order, staring with "Don't Turn Around", then this one, and finally "Don't Let Go".