THE YOUNG ELITES, by Marie Lu

The story: Blood fever has swept through the land of Kenettra, killing it adult victims, and scarring the children "lucky" enough to live. Ever more frightening are the dark powers possessed by some of the survivors: the Young Elites, marked by disease and gifted with strange and remarkable abilities. Now the government has sworn to rid the country of these powerful, shadowy figures--just as the hideously-scarred Adelina comes to recognize that she possesses powers which can either get her killed...or allow her to do the killing.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence R; Sexual content PG-13; Nudity PG; substance abuse PG; magic & the occult R; GLBT content PG; adult themes (murder committed by teens; abusive relationships; exceptionally dark subject matter) R; overall rating R.

Liz's comments: This story, obviously a series opener, is quite different from the "Legend" series in that it's fantasy rather than dystopian and the main character has magical rather than technological or intellectual powers. Lu is a skillful world builder, but the story is so dark and violent, and the heroine driven so much by rage and hate, that it became kind of a slog to get done with it. There's not a single moment of comic relief--in fact, everything that happens is so dark that it seems like the whole story takes place at night. This one, even though there's not a single "F" word in it, is going up to the high school: too many murders committed by teens (wronged or not), too much violence, too much ugliness. It should have been rated 9th-up by one and all.

ATLANTIA, by Ally Condie

The story: After the Divide, humans live both below and above the sea. Rio lives Below, where she hides a deadly secret: she is a Siren, someone who can use her voice to influence other people's actions--even against their wills. Devastated when her twin sister chooses to live Above, Rio begins to question their mother's death, her city's government, and the circumstances that will force her to spend the rest of her life Below. And the more she finds out...the more dangerous her life becomes. Will the truth ultimately kill her?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG-13; Sexual content PG; Nudity G; magic and the occult PG; substance abuse PG; adult themes PG (death of a parent, political conspiracies) PG; overall rating PG (although I would recommend it for older readers; it requires a little too much thinking for the average 6th grader).

Liz's comments: I really liked this one, and was surprised when it resolved neatly at the end--a stand-alone book, and not the first in a trilogy. I even felt a little bit sad about that (although in general, I find the trend for everything to be a trilogy just a little irksome)! Condie's writing is strong, and her world-building is interesting and thought-provoking.

The Good Girls Revolt

In 1970, a group of women, mostly employed as researchers and fact checkers at Newsweek magazine, filed a lawsuit against the publication for gender discrimination on the same day Newsweek ran a cover story entitled, “Women in Revolt.”  The Good Girls Revolt tells the story of the brave women who risked their futures to make the workplace fairer.  The Newsweek suit was the first class-action suit brought by women, it was also the first by women journalists;  the Newsweek suit would be followed by others at Time, The New York Times, and Reader’s Digest. 

Results were good for some of the women, and less so for others, but many of them recall this as a defining moment in their lives.  They stood up for themselves and the fact that they were being institutionally discriminated against because they were women.  They had the same Ivy League educations and the same writing credentials as the men, and yet they were never going to advance beyond researcher at Newsweek.  In some cases they were told this in no uncertain terms.  Often, women of the sixties accepted this type of treatment as “just the way things were.”  But after the civil rights act was passed including a provision which outlawed sex discrimination, Judy Gingold started attending a conscientious raising group, where she had an “aha” moment that would make all the difference. 

These were not angry, man-hating, bra-burning, feminists.  They were nice girls who had labored under the illusion that hard work and achievement would get them where they wanted to go.  Once they realized those things would never be enough, they decided to do something to change the system. 

I wish every woman under thirty would read this book for two big reasons.  First, they would realize the debt they owe to the women who came before them.  Sometimes, it is tempting to think that the way things are is the way they have always been.  Reading about the real women who put their real reputations on the line to help others might give a little perspective to modern young women.  Second, young women might be less inclined towards apathy.  Women have yet to attain real equality.  It is true that great strides have been made, but as long as women are undervalued and over-sexualized, there is no equality.

An excellent choice for those interested in civil rights, history, or women's issues.

June's Rating System:

Language--PG;  Sexual Content--R There are numerous instances of sexual harassment and innuendo in the office.  Office affairs are also discussed.  Drug Use/Abuse--PG13  There are some instances where pot smoking is mentioned.  It was the seventies.  Adult Themes--PG13.

Robin's Comments:  

Reviewed as an adult book, I would be comfortable giving this to high school students.  I probably wouldn't recommend it to students below ninth grade due to some sexual content and some mention of drug use and suicide.  As I stated above, I do think this is an excellent choice for older students. It tells a story that needs to be heard. 

THE IRON TRIAL (Magisterium #1) by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

The story: When most kids hear "magical", they think of something special. Not Callum Hunt--he thinks of the power that killed his mother, and that's now taking him away from his dad. He tries his hardest to flunk the magical test waiting for him at the Magisterium, but he can't do it. There's a power deep inside him waiting to come out--but is it for good, or for evil?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; sexual content G; nudity G; magical and the occult PG-13; substance abuse PG; adult themes (death of a parent; betrayal) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: As a fantasy fan, I enjoyed this story, but it does occur to me that that yet another kid sent to a magical school to discover powers about which he knows nothing is not exactly new territory. However, the Magisterium is a cool underground world, Callum doesn't know who he can trust, and isn't even sure whether he'll turn out to be the good guy in his own story. What's a boy to do--except maybe shoot some fire bolts, steal a lizard, and make sure not to say anything to any adult who might be able to keep him from doing something crazy?

THE FAMILY ROMANOV, by Candace Fleming

The story: This is the true story of the fate of the last Tsar of Russia and the terrible times in which he lived: times when peasants, oppressed by the rich and driven to desperation by starvation and ill use, turned their society upside down and literally destroyed it.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG-13; Sexual Content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; magic and the occult PG; adult themes (oppressive societies & their behaviors) PG; Overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Despite its PG rating, this is not a book for middle-school students. Its well-written prose is very fact-heavy, and Fleming spends a good deal of necessary time setting up the political background of Russia and its Tsar at the turn of the 20th century. All but the most historically-interested MS kids will have bailed by page 20 (the book is reviewed for high school for this reason). I found it very interesting, but not exactly fast moving.

CATALYST, by S.J. Kincaid

The story: In the final book of the awesome "Insignia" trilogy, Tom Raines goes man-to-man against Vengerov, the evil chairman of Obsidian Corp who's planning to take over the world by sneaking neural processors into EVERYONE'S brain. Vengerov has thought up the perfect way to defeat Tom, and it's up to the one person Tom never expected to trust to help him beat the bad guys and change the world in unimaginable ways. Can Tom Raines the Nobody actually be the one destined to bring down the corrupt world of the multi-nationals and start it over with something shiny?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG-13; Violence R; Sexual content PG; nudity PG; substance abuse PG-13; magic and the occult G; adult themes (abandonment, war, torture, killing, plans for world domination) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: Here's a really great science-fiction series for 8th-up (or really good 7th grade readers of the sci-fi persuasion). The final book focuses more specifically on Tom, and much less on his friends, as our hero tries to find out who's stolen his secret identity as "The Ghost in the Machine" and is now using it for evil, and on Tom's figuring out his relationships with Blackburn and Vengerov (and of course, Medusa). Tom's friends, especially Vik, seem sadly absent, but Kincaid is on a mission here, and she accomplishes it nicely.

STORM (SYLO Chronicles #2), by D.J. MacHale

The story: It's the US Navy (also known as SYLO) against the "Retros": an unseen enemy that's taken over the Air Force, obliterated 3/4 of the people on the planet, and started what seems to be a second Civil War. On their own, with the RETROs' deadly black fighters on their trail, Tucker, Tori, Olivia and Kent start a frantic cross-country journey to find and get their revenge on whoever's behind all this. But first they have to face betrayal from within...

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG-13; Violence R; Sexual Content PG; Nudity PG-13; Substance Abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (genocide, murder, death of a close friend) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: Another second-of-three volume that spends most of its time incrementally moving the story forward without actually coming to a resolution. Still, there's lots going on here that will keep readers (especially boys) engaged, which is something to cheer all by itself!