Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

A book review by Madeline Soucie

Dante and Aristotle (Ari) become friends the summer of their 15th year over swimming lessons. Dante is very open, into drawing and poetry and introduces Ari to poetry. Ari is quiet and angry about a brother in jail he can barely remember and no one will talk about.

    

As Ari and Dante spend the summer hanging out, they will learn new things and Ari will come to terms with his feelings and things about his brother's past that he didn't know will be revealed.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Saenz, B.

No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale

A book review by Madeline Soucie

    

Friendship, Wisconsin, is a small town, population now 688. Everyone knows everyone else, no one locks their doors at night, and people are always smiling. Even the police cars have smiley faces on them. In the town of Friendship, there aren't many problems besides missing pets until high school student Ruth Fried turns up dead in a cornfield.

    

Since the police are convinced they have the case closed and the suspect locked up, best friend Kippy Bushman takes it upon herself to find her friend's real killer. The only problem is in a town this small, everyone seems innocent, even the killer.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Hale, K.

When We Wake by Karen Healey

A book review by Madeline Soucie

Tegan Oglietti lived her first life until 2027 when she was killed by a would-be assassin. But instead of dying, she wakes up a century later, much to her surprise.

    

It's hard to believe at first, especially when the footage is so crappy and could be anyone, but it's her. Life in the future is hard for Tegan to adjust to -- so much has changed. Tegan is supposed to be part of a government project, but she's not exactly on board with that. How could she go from her normal life of playing the guitar with her brother and going to environmental protests with her friends to the future she woke up in? Tegan is faced with the choice to keep her head down and go along with everything or make some big waves.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Healey, K.

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming

A book review by Madeline Soucie

The Romanov family rules Russia for 300 years. Tsar Nicholas II was its last. He turned a blind eye to the poverty of his country during its time of need.

    

Empress Alexandra was a shy religious woman believed to rule behind her husband.

    

Their daughters, the Grand Duchesses, were isolated from the world, taught by tutors and had very little interaction outside the palace. They were dependent on their parents.

    

Tsarevich Alexi was the son and heir to the throne of Russia. He was a hemophiliac, which was kept a secret to the world, as he was often sick and bed-ridden.

    

This book tells the tale of the Romanov family, life at the palace and during their rule, and their eventual murder during unrest and the start of a civil war.

Find it in APL TEEN Nonfiction YA DK 258 .F5725 2014

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

A book review by Madeline Soucie

If you have read Marie Lu's Legend series or are reading it, try this book next. The Young Elites is a good book that looks like the beginning of a series that could go in multiple directions if you know what I mean.

     

Adelina Amouteru survived the blood fever that swept through her land a decade ago, killing many people, but like so many children, she was left with a unusual markings. Her black hair turned silver and she lost an eye. Her father believes she is no good and wants her gone. Some children who survived the fever are rumored to have mysterious powers and call themselves the Young Elite.

     

Teren works for the King as part of the Inquisition Axis hunting down the Young Elites and will stop at nothing until he sees them all put to death.

     

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society, a group of Young Elites who look for others like them and try to save them before the Inquisition Axis gets them, which is how he finds Adelina. Adelina, whose powers are unlike any he has ever seen before, could be the group's demise if they aren't careful.

Find it in APL TEEN New Books YA FIC Lu, M.

Far From You by Lisa Schroeder

A book review by Madeline Soucie

Alice's mother died and her father has since remarried and has a new baby. Alice doesn't like her stepmother or that her father is creating his perfect family without her. Trapped in her life she can't wait to move out and get away from her family. The only people that keep her sane are her best friend and her boyfriend, and of course her music.

When Alice gets stuck in the car in a snowstorm with no way out and no help, she will not only learn the true meaning of lonely, but will learn that hope isn't that far away; that she has an angel watching out for her.

     

Far From You is a quick, but really good book that may tug on your heart-strings a bit. It's a lot of loss and hope and new beginnings.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Schroeder, L.

"The President Has Been Shot!": the Assassination of John F. Kennedy by James l. Swanson

A book review by Madeline Soucie

       

Like history or just want a good book? Take a step back a few decades to when Kennedy was president. Read a quick overview of his life and important achievements, learn about his wife and family, and then his presidency. "The President Has Been Shot!" not only gives an overview of Kennedy's life and presidency, but also tells about his assassination and how it was believed to have been carried out. And of course his impact and how the country and his family went on after his untimely death.

    

Using historical information, this book retells the assassination of JFK and how it is believed that his assassin planned out and set in stone his actions. 

Find it in APL TEEN Nonfiction YA E 842.9 .S95 2013