I liked this book, and was only slightly miffed when ONCE AGAIN, I have read a great YA book that will be a trilogy or series. A co-worker was disgusted with how BEAUTIFUL these characters were, but honestly, I was so engrossed in the emerging mystery that I paid little attention to looks.

It’s sometime in the future. Day is a brilliant street criminal that thrives on reputation and destruction caused to the government. It’s the United States, but not really anymore. Apparently there was a civil war, and as a result the country has been divided. We don’t know much about the Rebels, other than that they are the enemy. It’s a world in which children are tested to determine their worth and usability to society. Individuality and defiance are death sentences, though the public is told that the children are sent to work camps. Brilliancy combined with blind obedience is a treasure, and one girl is treasured above all others. She’s gifted, loyal and undeterred. And she is after Day.

June is thrust into the spotlight with an early promotion into the service of the government, despite her young age. Her brother Metias has raised her to be a good citizen. After the deaths of their parents, the two siblings do their best to serve their superiors. Metias is a young Captain, and well respected in his field. When tragedy strikes, it is up to June to capture Day. Going undercover in the streets where he roams, June is caught in an ever-widening web of deceit. Not is all as it seems, and when she discovers Day, he is not at all what she expected. With a shift in perspective, June wages an internal war while remaining deeply entrenched in a conflict that goes far beyond one boy and one crime.

This is Marie Lu’s first novel. I look forward to the next in the series.

I discovered this book in a list of best adult books for teens in a magazine that arrived for me at my library. I was able to obtain a copy, and it did not disappoint! From the very start, I was hooked. The action begins early with the discovery of a body by Lin, our teenage protagonist. Her family is en route to a rental home for the coming months because her father failed to make professor in a disappointing and politically motivated act by his university. The only viable alternative is for him to study the Demon Glass in Germany. The only problem is that the glass hasn’t been seen for hundreds of years and might not even exist. Furthermore, the glass is rumored to be cursed, with the creator obtaining his skills through allegiance to demons, thus bringing one into our realm. After a series of bizarre and violent deaths involving those somehow connected to the glass, Lin is thrown into increasingly disturbing and secretive activities. Her only ally is Michel, the farmer’s son who lives nearby who also seems to know more than he’s letting on, like much of the village. When tragedy strikes close to home, Lin must choose to keep her secrets or make a stand. <br/><br/>I gave it a rare 5 stars. I stayed up loooong past my bedtime riveted to the narrative. The language is clear and the pace is just enough to make it impossible to put down. My day job seriously hampers this! However, as a librarian, I will gladly add this title to an upcoming book club discussion and recommend it to many. Helen Grant has a new fan.
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I came across Oliver Jeffers when I selected his picture book Lost and Found as a read-aloud for preschool storytime. I was immediately charmed by the simple illustrations that could convey so much from a tiny penguin. When I saw the follow-up, Up and Down I think I was just as excited (if not more) than the children. I really love the pairing of a penguin and his friend the boy.  Now, I am excited about his book Stuck.

Anyone who ever got something stuck in a tree (in this case, a kite) can appreciate this book, as well as the increasingly silly reactions that follow the kite’s unfortunate entanglement. First, a shoe is thrown. Good idea, right? Nope. It joins the kite, followed by the other shoe and a wildly hilarious collection of other objects. Will the kite become unstuck? Read and find out!

Oliver Jeffers is an Irish writer and illustrator currently living in Brooklyn, New York. According to the author’s website (www.oliverjeffers.com) He is widely known for his picture books for children, published by HarperCollins UK and Penguin USA. How to Catch a Star debuted in 2004 to critical acclaim, and Lost and Found (2005), won the Nestles Smarties Book Prize Gold Medal 2006, the Blue Peter Book Award 2006 and was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal the same year. The Incredible Book Eating Boy (2007) won the Irish Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year. If all of this doesn’t convince you, then go find an orangutan and throw it in a tree. You’ll appreciate Stuck even more.