SOUNDLESS, by Richelle Mead

The story: Fei's village is trapped at the top of the tallest mountain in the range; forced to mine metals that are sent by pulley line to the valley below. Everyone in the village is deaf, and now some of them have started losing their vision too. Fei, being trained as an artist, has loved Li Wei since childhood, but there's no chance they'll ever be allowed to marry: he's a miner, a lower-caste citizen, and there's no marriage allow between social classes. But everything changes when Fei sees a vision and then begins to sense the strangest vibrations in her head--and realizes that somehow, some way, she's regained her hearing. Now it's up to her and Li Wei to rappel down from the mountain top to find help for their starving village. Neither realizes that the world below is a cruel and dangerous place, or that love might not be enough to keep either of them alive.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG-13; Sexual content PG; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes (political corruption and slavery); PG; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: Although the story gets off to a slow start, Fei and Li Wei's story picks up steam and turns into a cool kick-butt action tale with Chinese underpinnings. And if you have to have a deus-ex-machina moment to save the day, why not choose an awesome Chinese dragon like a pixiu to do the job? (Look 'em up on Google images--very cool.)

GEMINI, by Sonya Mukherjee

The story: Attached at the hip, Clara and Hilary are conjoined twins whose parents chose to opt out of surgery to separate them when they were little. Now seniors in high school, it's starting to become a little plainer how difficult things will be for the girls as they move on to college: they're both interested in different things; Clara is happy in their small town while Hilary wants to move out and try anything and everything. Eventually, the girls have to face the decision that wasn't made all those years ago: should they have a dangerous surgical procedure that will separate (and possibly kill) them, or will they have to accept that marriage and family are probably not in the cards?

(Pre-pub review, available July 26, 2016) June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG-13; Violence G; Sexual content PG-13; Nudity PG; Substance abuse PG-13; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content PG; adult themes (life-and-death choices) PG-13; overall rating PG-13. (Despite the PG-13 overall rating, this story isn't for younger readers--best for advanced readers, 8th grade and up.)

Liz's comments: The author does a nuanced job of showing the challenges, small and large, experienced by people with this very rare condition. Although readers might not agree with the final conclusion reached by the sisters, it feels right considering their character development. A fascinating look at a medical problem most people have only heard of in conjunction with freak-shows and traveling circuses.

THIEVING WEASELS, by Billy Taylor

The story: Skip O'Rourke was raised by conmen and grifters, so when he engineers an escape from the family and into a high-class prep school, he thinks he's got all the bases covered. No, wait--the family tracks him down and forces him into One Last Job...but the deeper Skip gets into plans to "off" Fat Nicky, the more he realizes this isn't about the money--it's about revenge. And he's the target. After all, as Skip has to keep reminding himself: “Always know your mark. And if you don’t know who your mark is…it’s probably YOU.”

Pre-pub review (available August 2016) June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG-13; Violence PG-13; Sexual content PG; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG-13; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (organized crime and related violence, family-wide dishonesty) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: Skip is an engaging narrator, and he gets the reader rooting for him. It's kind of eerie, however, how much this story resembles Joe Schreiber's "Con Academy". Buy it where that story, as well as Jude Watson's "Loot" and Mary Elizabeth Summers's "Trust Me, I'm Lying" are popular. And if you have a problem with the philosophy that it's okay to steal from someone because they're a bad guy, you'll want to give this one a skip.

TRU & NELLE, by G. Neri

The story: Tru and Nelle are both misfits in the small town of Monroeville, Alabama. They're both missing a mother; they both love Sherlock Holmes, and they're both too smart for their own good. So when Tru moves in next door for a "temporary" stay, it's not long before they're channeling their favorite detective and looking for a mystery to solve in their small town. They never expected to run into snake fights, the KKK, or the real Boo Radley--but it's the unexpected that makes a mystery so...mysterious.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (parental abandonment, racism, segregation; all in mild forms) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: This book was charming, but it's also kind of a puzzler. Truman is supposedly seven, and Nelle is six, when the story opens. They talk like teenagers, however, and you never quite believe they're the little kids they're supposed to be. The biggest problem with this story is that it's written for upper ES and MS readers, but there's no way that middle school kids are EVER going to choose to read a story about a couple of kids who are six and seven. I realize that the story is loosely based on real-life events (and there are plenty of nods to "To Kill A Mockingbird" characters and events) and that that author is trying to be true to the kids' ages and events in real life--but kid readers won't get the allusions, and would undoubtedly prefer narrators who were 11 and 12. I think even good 4th and 5th grade readers will decline to read down for this one (even the cover looks like it was colored by little kids!)--which is a shame, because it's a delightful story and will probably get skipped by its intended audience. I don't expect to buy it for my MS library...with a cover like that, it would simply never get checked out. :P

THE CHARMED CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE, by Janet Fox

The story: There's an ancient evil lurking at Rookskill Castle, and when Kat and her siblings are sent there to escape the bombs of the London blitz, it just might turn out that they've gone out of the frying pan and straight into the fire. Only the magic chatelaine's keys given to Kat by her great aunt will be of any use in fighting the soul stealer--but will Kat be able to figure out how to use it in time to save them all?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes (war, black magic) PG-13; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: I really liked this one and thought it had something for everyone: boys, girls, A&A fans, and scary story fans; there's a hint of steampunk, some downright scary moments, and kids who actually like their siblings and parents, despite the occasional fuss. With only a little selling, this one should be popular with upper ES and MS readers alike.

LUCKY STRIKES, by Louis Bayard

The story: When Melia's mother dies, it looks like Melia, Janey and Earle have struck out: they're orphans with no family to take them in, and with greedy businessman Harvey Blevins looking to drive them out of business. The obvious conclusion: they need to find themselves a daddy right away. So when a bum rolls off a passing truck, Melia seizes the day (and the bum) and offers Hiram Watts a job as her long-lost dad. Can the kids and Hiram pull it off? Or are they bound for foster care after all?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language R; Violence PG-13 (one of the kids kills someone, but it's in self defense and is not graphic); Sexual content PG (a character has a baby out of wedlock); Nudity G; Substance abuse PG-13; Magic & the occult G; adult themes (being orphaned; deceit; general evil-doing by the bad guy) PG; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: So the overall rating, and the R sub-ratings, are weird, because this is a charming story about a girl trying to keep her family together, and finding that family can include a lot more than just your immediate kin. However, the cussing (while it comes across as cultural) is still cussing, and it makes the book less suitable for younger audiences. You're more than halfway through the book before you figure out that the main character is 14, so that's weird too. A lot of the subplots are more suitable for older readers too, but the cover is deceptive and makes it appear that the story is good for elementary-aged kids--not so much. Middle-school readers not bothered by bad language will find themselves rooting for the rule breaking, tender-hearted Melia.

Pre-pub review: MOON CHOSEN, by P.C. Cast

The story: Mari is the daughter of a Moon Woman, shaman to the Earth Walkers clan. Nik is the son of High priest Sol, a son of the Tree Tribes, whose leaders bond with huge canines called Companions. When a pup entrusted to his care runs off, Nik attempts to find it--but he finds Mari instead. His people have enslaved her people for generations, thinking they're childlike and only good for farming; but when Nik first sees her, Mari is channeling the SUN - just like his people. How is this possible? Although brought up as enemies, the two will have to work together to unite their tribes before they fall victim to the coming onslaught of the Skin Stealers...but no one's ever done this before, and there's no guarantee Nik and Mari will be able to do it either. And falling in love is just bound to complicate things...

Available October, 2016June Cleaver's ratings: Language R; Violence R; Sexual content PG-13 (near-rape scene might earn an R rating from some); Nudity PG-13; substance abuse PG-13; Magic & the occult PG-13; GLBT content PG-13; adult themes (too many to name) PG-13; overall rating R.

Liz's comments: Cast does a great job setting up a post-apocalyptic world set (my guess) in the future area of Portland OR. However, the things that make this is a great read for more mature audiences (think very deliberate pace, careful world-building, and a tendency to require readers to have to think about things) will make it unsuitable for MS audiences. There are probably two or three readers at my middle school (population 1100) that would be able to tackle this one and keep with it to the end. I really liked it, but it's totally for grades 9-up.

FACELESS, by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

The story: Maisie expected to be going to prom--not to end up in the hospital when burns from a freak fire destroy most of the lower half of her face. When the chance to have a full face transplant becomes available, she moves forward with it, but she never expected how difficult it would be to live in someone else's skin---literally. Everyone's looking at her; she even feels like a freak to herself. How can she ever hope to move back to living a normal life?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence G; Sexual content PG; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (life-changing injury, parental discord; people's responses to physical handicaps) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: Although the subject matter was interesting, I found I kept wishing the story would end here...or HERE. It just kept going. However, girls who like to immerse themselves in other people's difficulties will enjoy this one. It's not a book for junior readers, though--give it to good 8th grade readers and up.

THE SECRET OF DREADWILLOW CARSE, by Brian Farrey

The story: Jeniah and Aon live in a kingdom where everyone is happy...except for them. But Jeniah is the princess; her mother is very ill, and when she dies, the 12-year-old girl will become Queen. Aon is a glassblower in a small town in the kingdom, and when her father is taken away as a servant to the Queen, she's the only one who's sad. Jeniah hears a prophecy that if the Monarch enters Dreadwillow Carse, the monarchy will fail. But she's a girl full of questions who wants to know why--so she enlists the help of the only person she knows who's actually been into the dreaded place: Aon. Little does either girl know that when prophecies are fulfilled, they often come to pass in a way no one expects. Aon's trips into Dreadwillow Carse might just change the lives of everyone in the kingdom.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; substance abuse G; Magic & the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (death of a parent) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: An interesting stand-alone fantasy (although with possibilities for sequels, of course) by the author of "The Vengekeep Prophecy". Implicit in the story line is the idea that when peoples' lives don't contain some adversity, they are less able to enjoy the good parts.

FERALS, by Jacob Grey

The story: Caw's parents abandoned him when he was a child, and ever since then, the crows have taken care of him. Or at least, that's how he remembers it. But when three vicious criminals escape, Caw teams up with the warden's daughter to help catch them--and only then does he learn the truth: he's not the only person who can talk to animals. And not everyone who CAN is a good guy.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG-13; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes (being orphaned, homelessness, scary magical scenes) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: A fast-moving homage to Batman and the X-men. First in a series.

THE GIRL IN THE WELL IS ME, by Karen Rivers

The story: Wanting desperately to get in with the popular girls at her new school, Kammie agrees to do the "initiation" into the Kandy/Mandy/Sandy club--only to find herself falling through the rotten boards on top of an abandoned well, stuck there when the other girls run off. Her time in the well, spent thinking about her difficult life and the events that brought her here, helps her realize what things are the most important, and which ones are just clutter. Problem is--will she ever get out of here so she can put her new plans into action? Not if that French-speaking goat has anything to say about it.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG (brief spasm of bad words during a hallucination); Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG-13; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (parental neglect, crime, bullying) PG-13; overall rating PG. Probably best for grades 4-6.

Liz's comments: Kids will find themselves rooting for Kammie and even boys, if persuaded to look beyond the cover and the girl-centric nature of the characters, will see how bullying and other life events over which we have no control can have a significant influence on us.

RADIOACTIVE! by Winifred Conkling

The story: Radioactive! introduces readers to Irene Curie and Lise Meitner, women scientists in the 1920s-30s who helped revolutionize the study of physics--and both of whom, because they were females, have been largely forgotten while their male counterparts are remembered in the textbooks. This volume goes a good way toward rectifying that mistake!

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G: Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (persecution of the Jews by the Nazis) PG-13; overall rating PG-13--mostly because the complex content isn't something that will reach out and grab middle school or younger readers.

RATSCALIBUR, by Josh Lieb

The story: Turned into a rat by Gondorff the Gray, Joey is then sent on a mission to find King Uther and tell him of Gondorff's failed quest. On his way to the throne room, Joey pulls the Spork from the Scone and suddenly finds himself the owner of Ratscalibur, prophesied to awaken and save the kingdom. But will he be able to battle traitors and the squirrel magician (Squirrelin, pronounced Merlin, of course) in order to restore the kingdom to the king and get himself turned back into a 7th grader again? The odds do not appear to be in his favor...

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult PG: GLBT content G; adult themes (kids disappearing from home) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: This one was really cute, with all its tie-ins to King Arthur and nods to the Lord of the Rings and other fantasy tropes. Brutilda, the huge guinea pig devoted to Princess Yislene, was a favorite, and there was just the right amount of fighting and biting to keep upper ES boys engaged. Plus, you have to give thumbs up to a book where a boy really loves his mom!

THE JUMBIES, by Tracey Baptiste

The story: Corinne and her father don't believe in jumbies--trouble-making spirits that supposedly haunt their Caribbean island. At least, they don't believe until they meet one...and by then, it's almost too late. Can Corinne learn to use her dead mother's magic to save them all?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; SUbstance abuse G; Magic & the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (demonic influences) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Here's a story with just the right amount of scare factor for the grade 4-6 crowd. Baptiste introduced folklore figures from her native Trinidad with great success and ratchets up the suspense skilfully, leaving the reader wondering right up till the very end just how this unusual adventure is going to turn out!

THE TIN SNAIL, by Cameron McAllister

The story: Angelo's father designs cars for the wealthy elite, but Angelo has an earth-shaking idea: they need to build something that regular people can afford. As the designers hole up at a farm outside of Paris to work on the prototype, the rumbling of Nazi tanks is heard, on their way from Germany after invading Poland. Eventually, rather than letting the Nazis steal their ideas, they destroy all the cars...except for one. Will it fall into enemy hands and help the bad guys win the war?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence G; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG (it's France and everyone drinks all the time; WW2 and everyone smokes); Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (war, industrial espionage) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: This was a fun story that will appeal to the group of boys who either (1) like stories about cars, whether old or new, or (2) like historical fiction. Angelo has a good voice, and his puzzlement over Camille is spot-on for a 14-year-old kid with his first crush. A fun read!

FIRST & THEN, by Emma Mills

The story: Devon thought she was getting along just fine: silently crushing on best friend Cas, figuring out how to get along with live-in cousin Foster, dealing with her senior year. But when Foster turns out to be great at kicking, and All-American footballer Ezra Lynley turns out to be almost Mr. Darcy-esque, things start getting a lot more complicated than Devon expected. What would Jane Austen do?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language R; Violence PG; Sexual content PG; Nudity PG; Substance abuse PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes PG; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: This was a charming story that would have been perfectly suitable for 6th graders except for the appalling, graphic language. I realize that high school kids (at least some of them) DO talk that way, but still. The language added nothing to the story but made it so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone below 8th grade (and only then because I'd already bought it!). I don't understand why the author and editor wouldn't have gone for the broader audience appeal that a bit of search-and-replace would have offered. :P

REIGN OF SHADOWS, by Sophie Jordan

The story: Luna is blind--but since she lives in a world forever darkened by an unending eclipse, her other senses have become so sensitive that she copes just fine--well enough to save travelers lost in the woods, which is how she meets Fowler. Luna is the long-hidden daughter of the slain king and queen, and when the new king's soldiers follow the travelers to her Rapunzel-esque tower, her guardians realize the king is bound to hear about her survival. Desperate, they send her off with Fowler, who's bound for a land where the sun is reputed to shine. The only things that stand in their way--the darkness, Fowler's inability to trust, and the underground Dark Dwellers that hunt and eat humans. It's only as the teens learn to trust, and eventually love, each other that it begins to appear they have a chance--at least, until Fowler's true identity is revealed, and all is lost. Or...is it?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG-13, Sexual content R; Nudity PG; Substance abuse PG-13; Magic & the occult PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes (murder, political killings, scenes of monster horror, general gruesomeness) PG-13; overall rating R.

Liz's comments: This story contains a sex scene, which (no matter how "tasteful") in my opinion makes it better suited for grade 9-up. Apart from that, though, I found the traveling scenes, which comprise about half the book, straight-up boring. They might as well have been sitting having tea and conversation in the tower, because the Dweller attacks were cheesy and the rest was just walking. Only when they reach the village of Ortley does a bit of plot surface, and there's a twist at the end that some readers will have guessed (I did) but most teens won't...except for the part that most teens won't make it to the end unless someone tells them about the sex scene. Even then, they probably won't think it's worth the time they spent. Not a fan, even if the author does live in Texas.

RUINED, by Amy Tintera

The story: Em is on her way to the kingdom of Lera, disguised as Princess Mary of Vallos, and determined to marry Prince Casimir...and then kill him. Ever since her parents were hunted down and her sister taken captive, she's thought only of exacting vengeance on the people responsible. She never realized that the son of those people might be different; she never dreamed of the possibility of falling for him. But in love or not, Em's mission remains unchanged. She could never betray her people, the Ruined, just to save one person. Not even if he's a handsome prince. Not even if he seems to be falling for her too.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG-13; Violence R; Sexual content PG-13; Nudity PG; Substance abuse PG-13; Magic & the occult PG-13; GLBT content PG; adult themes (torture, political killings, blood and gore everywhere) R; overall rating R.

Liz's comments: Booklist very rightly lists this one for grades 9-up. Although it is primarily a love story, the first glimpse we get of our heroine is her murder of Princess Mary in order to assume her role. The violence is unending, and even in a world of first-person shooter games, one has to wonder if/how 17-year-olds could ever get so inured to killing that it become de rigeur. I found this extremely off-putting, and although I like a great fantasy/romance as well as the next person, I couldn't get past the violence to believe in the love story. I feel that a killing machine such as Em would have very little heart left for a first love.

THE APPLE TART OF HOPE, by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald

The story: Meg has come home for her friend's funeral, unable to believe that Oscar is dead. Oscar's brother Stevie doesn't believe his brother committed suicide, either. And strangely--they're both right. But Meg is wrong about a lot of things, and knows she was wrong to treat Oscar the way she did. But as days go by and there's still no sign of Oscar, she slowly starts to learn the truth about her friend...and she wonders--if Oscar is still alive--whether he'd ever be able to forgive her anyway.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; Sexual content PG; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G: GLBT content G; adult themes (bullying, ostracism, adolescent angst) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Even though the story, above, makes this book sound like a downer, it really wasn't. Oscar and Meg are two teens dealing with adolescent problems the best they can, and they learn that keeping things all bottled up inside is generally not a good thing. I thought this book was both charming and insightful. I liked it a lot.

Webster: Tale of an Outlaw, by Ellen Emerson White

The story: Webster (formerly called Beast, now known to his friends as Bad Hat) has had it with humans. They love you, then they leave you--most likely at a nasty animal shelter. Or even worse, they're mean and then they leave you. When Webster ends up at Green Meadows Rescue Home, he's determined not to make friends, not to like the great food, not to trust the humans. Instead, he's got a plan: run away and have adventures. Who knew that all those adventures would just keep cycling him right back to Green Meadows? Any maybe even turn him into a hero?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (cruelty to animals is discussed, nothing graphic) PG; overall rating G.

Liz's comments: This is a charming read. Webster is a fun, funny character. Animal lovers and kids who like a sassy narrator will both eat this one up! The discussion of cruelty to animals, while not graphic, will help readers think about the topic. Give this one to kids grades 4-7.