Bookends -- my chance to tell you what I (the young adult librarian) have been reading. See Bookends on a daily/weekly basis on the FPL YA blog! For lots of tips from previous years, see the Bookends Archives for 2007 and for 2004-2005.

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
Lady Saren refuses to marry the man her father betrothed her to, choosing instead another, and for her insolence she is sentenced to live in the tower for 7 years until her father lets her out. And because she made the promise to never leave Lady Saren's side, her maid Dashti joins her to cook and clean and keep company -- and Dashti tracks it all in her writing book. But soon rats appear, and the food dwindles, and the guards that used to deliver fresh milk and meat disappear -- after fierce howlings from wolves and sharp screams in the night. Completely alone and left to starve, Lady Saren continues to despair; but Dashti, clever and hopeful, finds a way out of their tower -- only to discover their old world has been ravished by war. Alone, friendless, and poverty-stricken, they must figure out how to survive on the steppes of central Asia.
I was hopeful and doubtful about this book at the same time -- I haven't read this author before, but I know she receives much praise; nevertheless from the early pages, the book seemed to be a stretch. However, I pushed through some of the journal entries, and am pleased I did. Wicked kings, wars, dedication, hope, fear, skinwalkers, good and evil, true love -- these roam the book freely and make a well-crafted story that I ended up enjoying more than I thought.
Y FANTASY FICTION Hale

Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl
Georyn is a woodcutter's son on Andrecia, determined to kill the evil dragon plaguing their forest and be rewarded with knowledge from the king. Jarel is a medical officer with a crew set out to colonize Andrecia -- and to force the natives onto reservations. Elana is a member of an advanced civilization from another planet, on her way to Andrecia to save the primitive people from losing their land and their culture to colonization. Through a series of encounters and misadventures, the story is created of how the Enchantress from the Stars helped a woodcutter's son free his people from a powerful magical dragon and his minions.
Part interplanetary adventure, part fairy tale, this story is full of magic, science, misunderstandings, humanity, moral issues, romance -- and a wonderful prose that weaves it all together flawlessly in three voices. And I quite enjoyed it -- it was thought-provoking and engaging. I'll definitely recommend it to those not afraid of mixed genres or of a little substance in their books.
Y PB Science Fiction E

Flush by Carl Hiaasen
Audio version: read by Michael Welch
When Noah's blows up a casino boat, the Coral Queen, because he believes the owner is dumping sewage into the bay, he ends up in jail -- a slight problem for Noah, his sister, and his mother. But the protest fails, and the Coral Queen is back in business before Noah's dad gets out of jail. So Noah decides to take things into his own hands and succeed where his impulsive father has failed. With the help of his sister Abbey, Lice Peeking, Shelly the bartender, and a strange old pirate, he sets out to prove that the Coral Queen is illegally (and disgustingly) dumping sewage into the ocean.
I'm usually not a huge fan of audiobooks, but I'm trying to learn. I picked this one up last week as an attempt to save myself from repetitive radio stations -- and I chose it because it's only 5 discs and a story I hadn't yet read. And I'm reasonably pleased -- in fact, I looked forward to driving this week so I could listen to the story. First of all, the story is fun, full of spicy characters getting into scrapes and helping each other out. Second, the reader does a fine job, except in a few places where his voice gets so soft you have to turn the volume way up; he's expressive but doesn't overdue it with the voices.
All in all, I'd say this is a good choice for audiobooks.
Y COMPACT DISC Hiaasen

MacGregor Tells the World by Elizabeth McKenzie
(In 35 words or less) -- MacGregor's mom left him and now he's on the search for his father. What he discovers along the way disturbs him and aids him. Good adult-teen crossover. Lags a bit in the middle.
Y FICTION McKenzie

Repossessed by AM Jenkins
(In 35 words or less) -- about a fallen angel who takes possession of a boy's body for the experience of having a body. Definitely a guy's book. Some sexual content. Printz Award runner-up.
Y FICTION Jenkins

Taken by Edward Bloor
Kidnapped. Charity Meyers wakes up in the back of a van, strapped to a stretcher. She has been taken. By the clock set up in front of her, she realizes that she probably only has 12 more hours for her parents to follow the instructions of the kidnappers before something terrible happens to her. Kidnapping is big business in 2036, and students are taught in school what to do and how to act, should they be kidnapped, and Charity goes over these lessons over and over again -- she wants to be let go, returned to her life. But as the minutes tick by and she is not freed, the worries and fears begin to increase....
As I mentioned before, I took interest in this book mostly because of the Unshelved Comic I saw one Sunday, so I picked up the book and took it home. The premise is definitely interesting, but despite the action-based plot, the story gets off to a bit of a slow start. It doesn't really pick up and start moving until about halfway through, but even then the tension and action don't seem to be where they could be.
And don't be fooled by the cover -- it has little to do with the story -- chess is mentioned but is not a major part of the book, though it works as a metaphor.
Y FICTION Bloor

Teen, Inc. by Stefan Petrucha
(In 35 words or less) -- adopted by a corporation, Jaiden's life has been different than anyone else's, but when he learns of dangerous practices, he has to determine whose side he's on. Enjoyable with themes of green.
Y FICTION Petrucha

April 2008