Book Talk

Pulse

by Patrick Carman

Another great story along the lines of the Hunger Games and Divergent. Faith lives outside the states, where the world is slowly withering away. As her friends begin to enter the states, Faith's life begins to change, even more than she knows. Faith meets Dylan another who will always live outside. It is Dylan who show Faith that she can move objects with her mind. Discovering a "pulse" is life altering for Faith and enters her in a battle she didn't even know was going on. It's a exciting story that was hard to put down. Definitely worth the time. It is a fantastic read that you don't want to miss.

~from the Teen Review

Book Talk

The Scorpio Races

Maggie Stiefvater

An interesting take on the myth of the water horse.  Every November on the Island of Thisby only the bravest race the water horses.  It is a deadly race.  Sean Kendrick is a returning champion, his skills with the water horses is almost otherworldly.  Puck Connolly never meant to race but to save her house and family she has no choice.  These two characters who are so different come to work together to paint a beautiful picture about life and fate.  It's a breath-taking story you shouldn't miss.

~from the Teen Review

Book Talk

Amber House

by Kelly Moore

A wonderfully haunting book about the past and present.  While exploring her family ancestral home, Sarah begins having visions of the past.  Slowly she comes to discover that there are many secrets hidden in this home.  But when her visions begin to see and speak to her, Sarah begins to feel that there is a presence that threatens the person she holds most dear, her little brother Sam.  It was a fantastic book that I couldn't put down.  Wonderfully written with just the right amount of mystery.

~taken from the Teen Review.

Book Talk

Legend

Marie Lu

Set in a dystopian United States where the West is the "Republic" at war with its neighbors, "Legend" by Marie Lu is an action-packed tale that keeps you reading!  I loved how the story switched perspectives from fifteen-year-old Day (a wanted criminal living in the slums) to fifteen-year-old June (a military detective).  They are supposed to be enemies.  And they are ... that is until they meet each other and are forced to reassess their notions of this dystopian world and the people in it.

~Jeanelle W. 

(from the Teen Review)

The Power of Story

A powerful statement; "Pick any time of the day or night and somewhere, everywhere, stories are being told.  They overlap and flow across one another, then pull away again just as waves do upon the shore.  It is this knack that stories have of rubbing up against one another that makes the world an interesting place,a  place of greater possibility than it would be if we told our tales alone.

This is impossible, of course.  Make no mistake, everyone's story touches someone else's.  And every brush of one life tale upon another, be it ever so gentle, creates something new: a pathway that wasn't there before.  The possibility to create a new tale." By Cameron Dokey, Winter's Child copyright 2009.

This is the season for stories.  Make yours a special one and send it out into the world.

Book Talk

                                   Storyteller's Daughter

Cameron Dokey

A wonderful retelling of the Arabian Nights, that shares the power of stories and love.  After his wife's betrayal the king decrees that he will take a new wife every day. In an effort to save the young women of the realm, Shahrazad volunteers to be his wife.  As a way to protect her life and hopefully heal the king, she begins a story each evening yet never quite finishing them.  Each telling fascinates the king so that he lets Shahrazad live night after night.  But how many stories can you tell before you run out?  And when an unexpected catastrophe happens will Shahrazad's stories protect her?  This is a fantastic new version of an old classic.  It is a simple and enchanting story.

Book Talk

Sold

By Patricia McCormick

Told in powerful vignettes, Sold by Patricia McCormick is a haunting tale of a girl from Nepal who thought she was going to be a maid, but instead finds that she ahs been sold into child prostitution.  Though the topic is quite heavy, through the voice of 13-year-old Lakshmi your eyes will be opened to the reality of modern-day slavery.  An important and enthralling read.

~Jeanelle W.

What to Try Next.

Did you enjoy the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins?  Looking for something similar to read?  Then try these.

Birthmarked -Caragh O'Brien

Life As We Knew It -Susan Beth Pfeffer

The Pledge -Kimberly Derting

Matched -Allyson Braithwaite Condie

Truancy -Isamu Fukui

Gone -Michael Grant

Maze Runner -James Dashner

Wither -Lauren DeStefano

Dark Inside -Jeyn Roberts

For more titles like these visit our If You Liked-Try Page or visit the Auburn Public Library for suggestions.