Sleepless by Thomas Fahy

A book review by Madeline Soucie

This is a quick read for anyone who likes horror.

   

Students of Saint Oppurtuna High have been turning up dead lately.  Emma Montgomery has been having nightmares, as has her group of friends. And to make matters worse, no one wakes up where they should be; they've been sleepwalking. On top of that, the bodies only turn up when Emma or her friends were sleepwalking the night before.

   

Emma and her friends must team up to keep each other from sleeping until they can figure out what it is that's making them kill. 

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Fahy, T.

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

A book review by Madeline Soucie                           

Jasper just wants to be normal -- hang out with his girlfriend and survive high school -- but can't because he is held back by his father's past. Jasper's father was one of the world's most notorious serial killers, whose murders numbered in the triple digits. Not to mention he took Jasper along with him sometimes and showed Jasper the ropes.

Now, four years later, Jasper is still looked at as his father's son and feels like the town is waiting for him to turn into his father. Sometimes, Jasper himself feels like he is going to crack. It isn't exactly easy having your serial killer father to raise you to be the next best serial killer.

Recently, bodies have been showing up in Jasper's small town. Jasper believes it could be a serial killer, but the police aren't sure at first. As the bodies pile up, Jasper is determined to find and stop the killer -- whether the police ask for his help or not. It's a test of faith on whether a son can overcome his father's legacy.

This is a good series for anyone who likes horror stories and doesn't mind a bit of blood. Nothing too graphic, though.

Find it in: APL Teen Fiction YA FIC Lyga, B.

The Enchanter Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

A book review by Madeline Soucie                      

The Enchanter Heir is the fourth book in the Heir chronicles series. In this book the reader is introduced to Jonah Kinlock and Emma Greenwood. Both are survivors of the Thorn Hill Massacre -- the brutal killing of a peaceful Weir (magically gifted) community.

Jonah grew up in the magical world and works/lives in a home for survivors of the Thorn Hill Massacre. Like many of the survivors, Jonah wasn't left unscratched -- he was cursed with the ability to kill anyone or anything he touches.

    

Emma grew up in the normal, but musical world of Memphis, Tennessee with her grandfather making guitars for a living. Growing up in Memphis, music is what Emma knows until she finds her grandfather dying, clutching a note telling her to run. Run Emma does -- into Jonah's life. The two meet unexpectedly and under unusual circumstances.

    

As wizards are being killed off, Jonah and Emma must work together to find out the truth about Thorn Hill and who's behind the murders.

    

This is a great new installment in the Heir Chronicles and a great summer read. The first three books are in order: The Warrior Heir, The Wizard Heir, and The Dragon Heir.

Find it in: APL Teen New Books YA FIC Chima, C.

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

A book review by Kat Seevers

(Book 2 of The Maze Runner series)

Thrown into the action right from page one, The Scorch Trials is far better than The Maze runner. The main character, Thomas, can’t catch a break even when he thinks he’s safe. Although this book reads more like a zombie story with the ‘Flare‘ disease, I enjoyed the action after the slow, easy pace of life in the Maze.  

This book kept me reading with its constant danger and lack of conveniences, which was something that had really annoyed me in the first book.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Dashner, J.

The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson

A book review by Madeline Soucie

It is years into the future and the ozone layer that protects humans from the sun is slowly breaking down. Domes have been built to help block radiation, though they are few and fewer live in them -- mainly those who are privileged enough. No one can go out without protective lotion to help battle the awful effects of the radiation.

This was all caused by an ancient civilization who used their technology for what they thought was good and nearly destroyed the earth and its human population. They sacrificed three to stop their mistakes and save humanity. Those three left a legacy behind so that if someone ever found the technology to destroy the earth and its population again, three would be chosen to save the world. The time is quickly coming. Owen is one of the three, though he doesn't know it yet. Owen who seems least capable for the job, must unlock the code in his genes to unravel the hidden history.

Kevin Emerson writes a different and new spin on an ancient myth everybody knows and weaves it into a dystopian futuristic society that isn't what it says it is.    

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

The Knife Of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

A book review by Kat Seevers

Ultimately, this book is like a study of gender through a science fiction point of view. 

Todd's fight with Viola forces him to rethink everything he has learned about women, as well as what it means to be a man. The knife of the title also plays a key role in Todd's journey as he tries to defend Viola from villainous townspeople. His conversations with her about faith, hope, and growing up will surprise anyone expecting a plain, old story of "good vs. evil." 

A great book for expanding horizons.

This is book one of the Chaos Walking series.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Ness, P.

Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper

A book review by Madeline Soucie


Little Hawk is a young Native American boy living in his tribe in Massachusetts in the 1600s during the time that the first settlers came over to America. His tribe has not really had any problems with the white colonists nor have they had much interaction with them. Little Hawk hears stories though, and wonders about the white men sometimes. Mostly he focuses on his tribe and the fact that he will soon have to venture on a three month journey into the wild with nothing but his tomahawk and knife in the dead of winter. This journey is something all boys must go on as it is the journey into manhood.
Little Hawk does not realize how big of a deal the white men will be in his life or how it will be changed by them. 

Read Ghost Hawk to find out what happens to Little Hawk on his journey and about the white men encroaching on his land. It is a good historical fiction book about what happened to the Natives when the colonists first came to America.

Find it in APL TEEN New Books YA FIC Cooper, S.