Carbon Diaries 2015...a little too realistic

The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I've read quite a few futuristic/we ruined the environment and the world books, but this one scared me the most...probably because this possible future isn't too far off. The year is 2015 and London has had a Great Storm that devastated the infrastructure. Now England is rationing energy in the form of individual carbon cards. All Laura wants to do is play in her band and hopefully score a date with her next door neighbor, Ravi. Her diary from the year 2015 shows, though, that the reality of her life is anything but typical for a middle class teenager. She and her family must cut back on all luxuries (including showers! and vacations!) severely and necessities like water and food are suddenly in very short supply. Laura's family has never been close and the crisis is making things even more difficult. Survival as a family and survival in general is now on the line.



I recommend this to anyone who cares about the environment and likes learning about the consequences of global warming/wasteful humans. I'd also recommend it to anyone who likes reading books about teenagers with family problems. I would love to read this with teenagers as part of a discussion about global warming and ways we can personally be "greener" and our responsibility as citizens to help our country adopt greener policies. The book seems to argue that we won't do anything about the crisis until it really is an immediate crisis...at which point it may be too late. We should definitely take preventative action!


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The Roar...dystopian sci-fi thriller...

The Roar by Emma Clayton

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Mika is a twin living in a futuristic world where all of humanity lives in the northern hemisphere of Earth behind a Wall due to an Animal Plague that has made the rest of Earth uninhabitable. Mika is twelve years old and is part of the first generation born since the Plague took hold over 40 years ago. Life is uncomfortable and unpleasant for most people (i.e. the poor people) who have to live in confined spaces, eat colored mold, are terrified of the idea of animals and barely ever see the sun. Mika's twin, Ellie, is missing, but Mika senses that she is not dead, as their parents presume. When the government begins offering Mika and all his classmates FitMix and encourages them to play arcade games after school, Mika is suspicious. Once he learns that playing the game is the only way to get closer to Ellie, however, he is determined to win...no matter the cost.



I'm completely creeped out by Clayton's take on the future we're headed towards if we continue to trash our world. (I like to be creeped out by dystopian future Certain elements of the book were confusing and seemed not to fit with the story. The ending was pretty open and left room for a sequel, but I've found no indication that there will be one. I wouldn't mind having to imagine my own ending in this case. Clayton is a first-time author and I look forward to reading more. I wish I could give this 3.5 stars. I recommend this book to anyone who liked The Hunger Games by Collins, Unwind by Wasserman or Carbon Diaries 2015 by Lloyd


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How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier (who is married to Scott Westerfeld!! of the Uglies series!!) is about a girl named Charlie who is sick of her fairy. She goes to an all-sports-school and lives in New Avalon, a place where some people have specific-good-luck fairies that help them with things. i.e. a shopping fairy or a parking fairy like Charlie. Charlie hates her parking fairy and wishes she had a all-boys-like-you fairy like Fiorenze. Charlie has been walking everywhere in an attempt to freeze out her fairy, but it's taking forever. Is there a quicker way? And will she survive it?



This book is very clever and the dialogue is fast and snappy. I couldn't really predict what would happen next and it was fun to see the consequences of Charlie's choices. A good read!


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The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book takes place in a fundamentalist community where Kyra has three mothers, lots of siblings and has just been promised to her uncle as his seventh wife. The Prophet in their community, Prophet Childs, has instituted new rules that involve burning all outside influences (including books!) and keeping to a strict set of social rules. The author does an amazing job showing how desperate Kyra has become to escape her world. As the plot escalates, Kyra's emotional state becomes more and more unhinged and the reader must just go along for the ride. I read the last fifty pages of the book while walking around the house because I couldn't sit and read this book...it was just too intense. Overall, I'd say this book is horrifying, very sad and impossible to ignore.


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Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Cammie Morgan is back in her most exciting adventure yet. Roommate Macey McHenry's father is running for vice-president and Macey is a target. After an incident on the campaign trail when Cammie and Macey barely manage to escape an attack on their lives, a new operative is brought to Gallagher Girls Academy to watch out for Macey. Cammie, Liz and Bex are told not to worry, but when have they ever followed the rules before? And why does Cammie keep seeing Zach in strange places? Does he still like her or was their kiss in book 2 a one-time thing?



I loved this book just as much as the first two, I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You and Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy. I highly recommend this series for middle and high school students. Ally Carter writes books that are fun to read; I can't wait for book 4 in the Gallagher Girls series! Put this one on hold today...the Millicent Library owns two copies, but it will be very popular!!


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48 hr personal challenge UPDATE: 7.5 hours read/listened
# books finished: 3

(I've got some major reading to do the rest of today!!)

Newest Airhead Novel!!

Being Nikki by Meg Cabot

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I liked Airhead a lot, but I like Being Nikki even better. This sequel follows Em Watts now that she's in supermodel Nikki Howard's body. Em is getting used to being a supermodel, but still misses spending time with her family and her best friend/crush Christopher. It's apparently not easy to be a runway model and have to wear a ten-million dollar diamond bra for New Years. I expected more drama like what happens in the beginning of the book, but then the book took a fun twist and everything suddenly changed. The ending had me wishing I could read the third book right away.


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Science Fair by Dave Barry

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Hilarious!! I'll read just about anything Dave Barry writes after the Peter (Peter Pan prequels) series. I think he does a fabulous job of stretching the believable. This book is about a boy named Toby who is desperate to win the school science fair (and the $5000 prize!) to pay off Star Wars enthusiasts who are blackmailing him, but gets caught up in an international terrorist attack from the Republic of Krpshtstan (population 4 million including goats) instead. Just enough tech info to make geeks happy, but also enough action and humor to keep everyone else happy.


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New book!

Max is here! We have two copies available at the library. Stop by, call or go on sailsinc.org to place a hold. See you in the library!

Brisingr!

The newest book in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini was released on Saturday! I recently read Eragon and Eldest, so I'm pretty excited to read Brisingr, too!! I'm dying to know if Roran and Eragon defeat the Ra'zac, rescue Katrina and defeat Galbratorix. Aren't you?

Here are some Brisingr related websites to keep you happy while you're waiting for the book:

Alagaeisa
Main website of the books

Vroengard Academy
Virtual reality site where you can pretend to be Eragon

Eragon on Myspace

Alagaeisa Adventure Game

CNN article about the author

The Host by Stephenie Myers

Stephenie Myers is best known for her Twilight series for teens. The love triangle between Bella, Edward and Jacob (go Jacob!!) is exciting and engaging. I've loved all of her books so far and often find myself reading late into the night to finish them.

The same has so far been true for her newest book. The Host, which is marketed to adults, but is definitely appropriate for teens (so far) is Myers' first book outside of the Twilight series. In the book an alien species called 'souls' has taken over earth and possessed almost all humans body-snatcher style. The souls are implanted in the brain and completely take over the body...most of the time. The book is told from the perspective of Wanderer, a soul who has already traveled to nine planets. Wanderer has been implanted in Melanie's brain, but Melanie hasn't disappeared. In fact, Wanderer and Melanie are co-existing and Melanie slowly exerts her control. Eventually they find their way to an enclave of humans who have escaped implantation and are living underground out west. The humans, who know Melanie, immediately know Melanie is no longer herself. But they are merciful and although there is conflict, Wanderer/Melanie becomes a part of their world. Besides all of this, there is also a bit of a love triangle...but I don't want to give anything more away so I'll save that for you to find out on your own.

So far (page 265 out of 600 as of now), this book is completely absorbing the same way all the rest of Stephenie Myers' books have been. If you want to read it, be sure to put it on hold as soon as possible!

UPDATE: It only took 48 hours to finish the book and I loved it. I think I liked it more than any of the books in the Twilight series. It really was that good!

New Stuff!

We just got some new YA Graphic Novels in the library...

Clubbing
Re-Gifters
Confessions of a Blabbermouth
Kimmie66
Good as Lily

New Stuff!

Come in and check out our new books or go ahead and put one on hold now!

New YA Fiction
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter
Prom Kingss and Drama Queens by Dorian Cirrone
Boy Toy by Barry Lyga
The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
Bounce by Natasha Friend
Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Zen and the Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick
Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson

NEW YA Science Fiction
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Final Warning by James Patterson (last in the Maximum Ride series!)
Gregor and the Code of Claw by Suzanne Collins

NEW Graphic Novels
Amulet Book 1: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi
Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel by Eoin Colfer

Not so new, but new to us!

FICTION
Rhymes with Witches by Lauren Myracle
Devilish and 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

SCI-FI
Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox
The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
Gregor and the Marks of Secret by Suzanne Collins
Specials and Extras by Scott Westerfeld

News from Library Land

The fourth book in James Patterson's Maximum Ride series releases today! Check it out or put it on hold today because it's going to be popular...

Harry Potter #7 the movie is going to be released in two movies. Wha?! Go here to read more.

What do you think? Is it great b/c that means more movies to watch or annoying b/c it's longer to wait??