THE FORBIDDEN WISH, by Jessica Khoury

The story: Aladdin, in search of revenge, has found the lamp. He plans to use the jinni's power and his three wishes to get revenge for his parents' deaths. Instead, he finds Zahra: jinni of the lamp, doomed to grant wishes to humans, yet forbidden to love them. But she must accompany Aladdin to the palace in order to find and free another Shaitan jinni, or the jinn overlord will destroy her. Thirty days seems like plenty of time...but she never expected all these complications--especially the one that comes when she really does fall in love with a human.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG-13; Violence PG-13; Sexual content PG-13; Nudity PG, Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG-13; adult themes PG; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: Here's a new take on the Aladdin story with a genie as unlike Robin Williams as possible, and a romantic, hunky Aladdin that will have every girl wishing she were the jinni in his lamp! Any girl who likes fantasy along with her romance will like this one, as long as she's a strong reader. Booklist rates it for grades 7-10. First in a series.

THE MAGIC MIRROR, by Susan Hill Long

The story: Margaret has always been the orphan girl with a crippled foot. Her future isn't exactly rosy, but it takes a turn for the worse on the day her caregiver, Minka, makes a deal to marry her off to the local hunchback. But that's also the day Margaret trades her crutch for a magic mirror and gets far more than she bargained for: what she sees in the mirror sends her on a journey that helps her find adventure, love, and even a most unexpected family--as well as a squirrel that picks pockets. She certainly never saw that coming!

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (general evil-doing) PG; overall rating PG (but too hard for ES readers--I disagree with the review sources on this one. I'd say grades 6-9).

Liz's comments: Here's a charming story, probably good for girls 7th grade and up. Long does a good job of weaving together all the story threads, and although there are never any real surprises, there are a few twists before the happy ending--and I'm always in favor of that!

WOLF HOLLOW, by Lauren Wolk

The story: New girl in town Betty is a bully, and Annabelle is her chosen victim. Annabelle and--when blame starts to circle around for Betty's almost criminal meanness--the shell-shocked vagabond everyone calls Toby. No matter how Annabelle tries, she can't convince the people around her of the truth...not even when Betty goes missing, and Toby is blamed. If she tries to help Toby, does she really become an accessory to a crie?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG-13; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (mental illness/PTSD, bullying, mistaken blame) PG, overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: I liked this story a lot, and I think the comparisons of it to Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird" are apt. However, I think getting kids to read it will be extremely hard work--it's not fun, and the good guys don't win. I think most kids who make it all the way through will be reading it as an assignment for English class--which is certainly not the worst fate a book could enjoy. It could easily end up on this year's Newbery short list.

RANDOMS, by David Liss

The story: Zeke Reynolds, sci-fi dork extraordinaire, is chosen as one of four teens in a delegation that will compete with kids from three other planets to see which homeworlds will be admitted into the Confederation of United Planets. The other three have amazing skills, but not Zeke--he's a Random. It's only when he teams up with the other Randoms to outwit the system that they discover there's a much bigger plan at work here...one that could end up destroying the earth, and even worse--let the bad guys win. Not if the Randoms have anything to say about it!

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

Liz's comments: I have to confess that I'm a dork--obvious, when I admit I got all the Star Trek, Stars Wars, and Firefly references in this book. But even if MS readers (especially boys) don't get all the in jokes, they'll still enjoy Zeke's funny, snarky voice and the non-stop action. This book gets a "live long and prosper" nod from me! (If you like this one, you should also take a look at "The Improbable Theory of Zak & Ana" by Brian Katchner. Equally fun, just more bad words.)

KALIFUS RISING (Legends of Orkney #2), by Alane Adams

The story: Stranded in the mythical world of Orkney, Sam is alone in his fight against the witch Catriona. Little does he know that his friends Howie, Keely, and Leo have been brought back to Orkney too, and given an assignment that they must complete, even if it means the death of Odin. A prophecy tells Sam that he must give in to the darkness in order to overcome it, but when has THAT ever worked out well?

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 (murder and mayhem) PG; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: This story is the sequel to Adams's "The Red Sun" (Legends of Orkney #1) and draws heavily on Norse mythology for its magical characters. Kids who have read through Rick Riordan's books will like this one, especially if they've been following Thor's adventures with Loki in the Avengers movies.

HALF A WORLD AWAY, by Cynthia Kadohata

The story: Jaden's family is traveling to Kazakhstan to adopt another baby, and Jaden knows why: it's because he's such a failure as a son. He's got a whole bunch of terrible habits, but the worst of them is that he can't bring himself to love his adoptive parents, even after all these years. It's only after he meets toddler Dimash at the orphanage, and realizes he's the only one who cares enough to ever make a difference in the boy's life, that Jaden suddenly learns what it's like to care about someone else. Problem is, it doesn't look like it's going to make any difference, which is the worst feeling of all.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence G; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G: GLBT content G: adult themes (parental abandonment, disability, third-world conditions) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Here's a story that will give kids a look into several different worlds: what's it like in a crummy third-world country; what it's like to be adopted from a country like that, and what it's like to be a mystery to yourself and others. This is the kind of story that adults tend to like better than the target audience of kids, but given to the right readers, it will resonate.

HOLD ME LIKE A BREATH, by Tiffany Schmidt

The story: Penelope Landlow is the daughter of a crime family that deals in black-market organ sales. Need a heart? A new liver? No problem if you have the cash. She also has a disease that keeps her locked up at home. But when a rival "Family" in the business apparently brutally murders her parents and brothers, she stages a disappearance into the night. When she accidentally bumps into the son of one of the other organ-dealing families, she falls in love with him without realizing his true identity. Can Char keep her safe--or is he part of the plot that left her an orphan?

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

Liz's comments: This is, at heart, a fairy tale mash-up complete with romance and happy ending. However, it's not a fairy tale for the younger crowd: the gangland-style murder of Penelope's family is too chilling, and her being able to fall in love with a mystery guy so soon after such a terrible occurrence kind of pushes the limits on my Suspension-of-Disbelief-O-Meter. Not sure where a sequel would go, either--but for volume 1, go ahead and hand it to 7th or 8th grade girls. Astute reader will guess who Char is long before Penelope does, but romance lovers will find the love-at-first-sight part to be just right.