Max The Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Maxwell Kane, whom we met in the unforgettable book Freak the Mighty, returns to save the day. I love Max because he always does the right thing (maybe not the smart thing) even though his head is telling him to let things alone. In this book Max rescues a little girl named Worm from a scary situation, and agrees to take her to her father in Montana. They have no money, and no plan, but off they go anyway. Of course Max is blessed by some incredible good luck on his journey, along with some bad luck, but somehow that doesn't make the story seem unbelievable, just really really good.


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The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Laura Brown is a pretty normal British Teen. She plays guitar in a band, has a good group of friends, a crush on the boy next door, an annoying older sister, and parents who spend too much time talking about the old days. However, life in London cannot be normal anymore, despite what the government says. The entire country is being placed on carbon rationing, limiting what each citizen can buy, where they can travel, and even the length of a hot shower. Every single action that uses electricity or fossil fuels is limited and tracked by the state. As everyone tries to remain calm and normal, everyday life is turned upside down by violent weather, government control, and a growing black market. Laura's journal entries are pretty evenly divided between normal teen problems and the bizarre circumstances forced on an entire society by the greed and excess of the previous generation. This gives the book a creepy reality that is punctuate by the date in the title. Carbon rationing isn't taking place in some distant future, but in the year 2015.


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Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Disappointed with her new school after her parent's divorce, Maddy focuses her attention on an online role playing game and writing her own manga. With several references to real-life manga, and sections of online conversation, this is a quick and fun read for anyone interested on online rpg's or manga. Quick question...is it sojo beat or shojo beat or both?


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The Compound by Stephanie A. Stuve-Bodeen

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wow, this one was pretty cool. A teenage boy, whose father is a billionaire genius, tells the story of his life since his family locked themselves into their bomb shelter for fifteen years, due to nuclear attack. The book starts in year six, when the food supply is dwindling, and several of Eli's father's plans for long term survival have proven ineffective. No one is very happy or content in there self-imposed prison, but they all play along with Dad because they believe all was lost on the nuclear attack, including Eli's twin brother, and beloved Grandmother. That is until Eli stumbles upon an intermittent internet signal, and discovers all is not as his father implied. Could Eddy still be alive, and can his father be trusted at all? A pretty gripping read, especially the part about the supplements....yuck!


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Chew On This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food by Eric Schlosser

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Some truly gross, and very interesting facts about the food we eat, and the effect it's production has on the world around us. Everyone should read this book, but not right before you drive through for some fries!


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Kin by Holly Black

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
While dark and pretty dreary, this volume is a quality story, a strong lead character and some really good art. I enjoyed it, and am looking for the next volume.


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Avalon High Coronation: Volume One, The Merlin Prophecy by Meg Cabot

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
Meg Cabot begins a graphic novel series based on her novel of the same title. Personally I felt it was a little too obvious and predictable. The first section is a recap of what you may have missed if you didn't read the novel, and the remaining chapters are a long dramatic set up for the next volume, without much real content at all. I don't think I'll pick up the next one.


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