Magic Steps by Tamora Pierce (Circle Opens Quartet, Book 1)

Pierce, Tamora (2001). Magic Steps. New York, New York: Scholastic Paperbacks. 

ISBN: 9780590396059

272 pages

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Fantasy

Age Level: 15-17

Stars: 4 stars

Subjects: War, Royalty, Magic,  Murder, Family, Relationships

Reader's Annotation

Sandrilene fa Toren (Sandry) is fourteen years old and fully in her powers as she helps her great-uncle, Duke Vedris IV, ruler of Emelan, recover after a near-fatal heart attack, when she realizes that she must help another with his magical training as they both work to stop a murderer. 

Summary

14-year old Sandrilene fa Toren (Sandry) has finally come into her powers. She is busy helping her great-uncle, Duke Vedris IV, the ruler of Emelan, recover after a near-fatal heart attack when she witnesses a younger boy unknowingly perform a dance of magical power. She takes it upon herself to become his trainer and to guide him in the arts of magic before he becomes a danger to more than himself. He is reluctant to accept her as a teacher, making her job more difficult. In the meanwhile, a powerful family is slowly being killed off and the two must weave magic to overcome the murderers before it is too late. 

Notes

There can be quite a bit of gore and death, so those with weak stomach should read with caution. Those who read the Magic Circle Quartet will recognize the characters in this book as they have grown and developed. Younger teens will find it easier to relate to young Sandry than older teens, but anyone who enjoys a skillful fantasy narrative will enjoy this and the other books in the series. 

Author Information

Tamora Pierce Fansite

Bloodsong by Melvin Burgess

Burgess, Melvin (2005). Bloodsong. London, England: Andersen Press Ltd. 

ISBN: 9781416936169

384 pages

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Age Level: 15-19

Stars: 4 stars

Subjects: Myth, Relationships, War, Heroism, Betrayal, Dystopia, 

Reader's Annotation

In future war-ravaged Britain where machines inhabit the same world as human-animal hybrids, 15-year-old Sigurd must claim his royal lineage and accomplish a series of impossible tasks- but will that be enough? 

Summary

In future Britain, a post-apocalyptic landscape reveals that the future has been anything but sweet. This story, part science fiction and part fantasy, weaves the tale of the lives and deaths of 15-year-old Sigurd. In this world, there are machines as well as animal-human hybrids, terrifying warlords, incredible technology used for destruction, and hideous beasts that present danger at every turn. After Sigurd is sent on a suicide mission, he then must pass a series of impossible tasks that force him to prove his courage, intelligence, and ingenuity as he passes into the underworld and must find his way to the throne with his heart and body intact. It is filled with violence and drama, but it is gripping nonetheless. 

Notes

Although this is a sequel to Burgess' Bloodtide (2001), it can easily stand alone. It has a strong narration, and although it can be somewhat dark at times, it is realistic enough that readers will find themselves wondering if a world such as this might be looming in the future as technology advances. Readers may also enjoy the links to Viking mythology. Because of the violence and graphic descriptions of war, only those capable of stomaching such material should venture into this novel, but any who do will be rewarded with a rich, engaging story. 

Author Information

Melvin Burgess' Website

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ismael Beah

Beah, Ismael (2008). A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. New York, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 

ISBN: 9780374531263

240 pages

Classification: NonFiction

Genre: Memoir

Age Level: 15-19

Stars: 5 stars

Subjects: War, Soldiers, Death, Family, Relationships, Grief

Reader's Annotation

Ismael Beah tells his true account of growing up, surviving, and fighting in Sierra Leone as a soldier during a brutal civil war. 

Summary

At the tender age of 12, Ismael Beah becomes swept up in the civil war in Sierra Leone. He loses his family, is completely alone in the world, and he is recruited in the army. The chilling tale of how he becomes a trained soldier, learns to shoot an AK-47, and becomes a warrior to survive. Reading the boy's transformation from an innocent boy who loves American hip-hop and reading Shakespeare to a casual murderer is horrifying and gruesome. At the age of 15, he is finally brought to a rehabilitation center and he begins a life as a child advocate, but the truly gripping part of the story is the account of his life as a soldier- how he gets wrapped up and consumed by the violence, and how his existence is measured by war. 

Notes

The validity of the account based on the dates mentioned as well as some shooting incidents, was questioned, and Ismael Beah responded by releasing this statement.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

Maguire, Gregory (1996). Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. New York, New York: Regan Books 

ISBN: 9780739468975

409 pages

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Fantasy

Age Level: 17-19

Stars: 5 stars

Subjects: Fairy-tale, Love, Deception, War, Relationships, Family

Reader's Annotation

Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, is not necessarily the evil woman portrayed in The Wizard of Oz, but perhaps a misunderstood witch who cares too much as she tries to right the ills in her world. 

Summary

Elphaba  is the product of her mother's illicit relationship with a traveling salesman and owes her green skin to her mother's use of an elixir sold by the same man. Her deformity makes her hideous to those around her, and when her beautiful younger sister is born without the use of her legs, Elphaba becomes responsible for her as well. She eventually goes off to college and becomes the roommate of Galinda, a popular young witch desperate to be successful and well-liked by everyone. Galinda is both drawn to and jealous of the power Elphaba has. When Elphaba learns that the Wizard of Oz is a corrupt man changing talking, intelligent Animals into mindless beasts, she sets herself in opposition to him and the mainstream, but despite her best efforts, everything seems to go wrong. Characters from The Wizard of Oz make brief appearances, but the focus is on social issues, religion, and politics. It often is very dark and not all readers will find satisfaction with the ending. 

Notes

Fans of the musical Wicked seeking the same happy, inverted fairy tale, might be disappointed by the dark tone of this book. Just to be clear, although the musical was adapted from this book, the two are very different in tone and treatment of characters. This is also not a children's book- it handles adult subjects of sex, love, and politics in a somewhat unforgiving manner that doesn't shy away from the darkness. I would recommend this more strongly for older teens. 

Awards

Other Information

This is part of the Wicked Years Series, as of yet including Wicked, Son of a Witch, and A Lion Among Men. Readers who enjoy Wicked may enjoy following the aftermath of Elphaba's actions. Other reimagined fairy tales include Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Mirror Mirror, and Lost. 

Author Information

Gregory Maguire's Website

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers

Myers, Walter Dean (1998). Fallen Angels. New York, New York: Scholastic Paperbacks. 

ISBN: 9780545055768

336 pages

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age Level: 15-19

Stars: 4 stars

Subjects: War, Vietnam, Relationships, Friendship, Death, Grief

Reader's Annotation

Richard Perry sets aside his dreams of college and a writing career and enlists in the army to get out of Harlem and support his family and finds himself in Vietnam, facing the horrors of war, violence, death, and questions about racism and virtue, good and evil in a war that means so little to him. 

Summary

This book is set in Vietnam in the late 1960s, where Richard Perry, a Harlem teenager, finds himself after his dreams of college fall through. He is the sole supporter of his family, and even though he could have gotten out of the draft with a medical condition, he enlists to uphold his obligation to them. As he and his comrades face the horrors of war and the basest levels of human existence, Richard is able to contemplate meaningful life questions about the nature of good and evil, and how to find virtue in soldiers trained to kill without question. As the war continues, he starts to realize the disturbing trend that black troops are given the most dangerous assignments, and he seeks to understand what the US is doing there in the first place. 

Notes

Richard Perry is a skilled narrative guide throught the trenches of Vietnam. Although it can be graphic and difficult to read at times, the sensitive narrator will draw readers in as he questions the fundamental basis of society and war. These questions that he asks are the same that readers will have, and his exploration of these topics is poignant and sincere and make this book readable in spite of the horror. 

Awards

1989 Correta Scott King Award

Author Information

Walter Dean Myers' Website

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Zusak, Markus (2006). The Book Thief. New York, New York: Knopf Books.

ISBN: 9780375831003

576 pages

Classification: Fiction: Fiction

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age Level: 15-19

Stars: 5 stars

Subjects: Books, Nazis, World War II, Death, War, Germany, Holocaust

Reader's Annotation

Death tells the story of a 9-year-old book thief, Liesel Meminger who first steals a book at the burial of her 6-year-old brother and thereafter continues to steal books as she avoids Death even as it envelops World-War II era Nazi Germany. 

Summary

Death is not a very involved narrator- he is rather dry and sardonic at times, but he weaves the story of Liesel Meminger incredibly well. 9-year-old Liesel is sent away with her 6-year-old brother to live with a family in the countryside and avoid detection from the Nazis. On the way there, her brother develops a cough that proves fatal. At his burial, Liesel steals her first book, The Gravedigger's Handbook, even though she can't read. She learns to read and she marks the years by the various books she manages to steal as well as a group of friends she meets. As she survives when so many others do not, she begins to write her own story, and that is what seems to be her own saving grace. 

Notes

There have been a number of books on World War II and the Holocaust, and most readers will be familiar with Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl. This basis of knowledge will serve them well as they read this heartwrenching story. The dry tone it is told with makes the material palatable, and the rich story and characters created present hope in the most unlikely of places, in the most unlikely of times. 

Awards

New York Times Bestseller

Other Information

Readers who enjoy this book may also enjoy Zusak's I am the Messenger. 

Author Information

Markus Zusak's Website

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Meyer, Stephenie (2008). Breaking Dawn. New York, New York: Little, Brown and Company. 

ISBN: 9780316067928

768 pages

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Fantasy

Age Level: 15-19

Stars: 3 stars

Subjects: Vampires, Werewolves, Marriage, Pregnancy, Relationships, Family, War

Reader's Annotation

Isabella "Bella" Swan gets married and finally becomes a vampire, but reconciling the human and the supernatural worlds may be more than even she can manage. 

Summary

This is the fourth and final installment in the Twilight Saga and it is packed with drama. Bella gets married and goes on her honeymoon, but there are some unexpected arrivals. She finally becomes a vampire, but not in the way that she expects, and with that comes a whole new set of problems and issues. Her relationship with Jacob continues to be problematic and Bella tries to find a way to keep her life the same when everything has changed. Most loose ends are tied up within the first 300 pages, and then Meyer creates a new conflict to keep the story going. Although it is the conclusion of the series and it wraps up some all of the loose ends, it doesn't feel as realistic as the other books in the series- and that's saying a lot. 

Notes

Many readers weren't totally satisfied with this conclusion to the saga, myself included. Things were wrapped up a little too neatly, and as it turns out, Bella is the best vampire ever! Compared to the other three books in the series, this one both has more action and less substance. It's an enjoyable conclusion, but it would have been stronger if everything wasn't quite so perfect. Then again, that wouldn't really be in keeping with the Twilight Saga as a whole, so I guess you can't have everything. 

Awards

New York Times Bestseller

Other Information

After the success of the film Twilight, it looks like New Moon, and Eclipse will both be gracing the big screen as well, but the same doesn't seem to be true for Breaking Dawn- at least not yet. Readers and fans of the series, I'm certain, will wait with baited breath for further information. 

Author Information

www.stepheniemeyer.com