Epic June 3, 2009

Title: Epic

Author: Conor Kostick

Summary:There is no violence in Erik’s world, only Epic. The global online multiplayer game allows people to create avatars to fight against one another and settle grievances. But Epic is more than just a game. It’s politics. Run by Central Allocations, a group of the richest, most powerful players, they lead a corrupt system that dictates the lives of everyone else.

Fed up with the difficulties his family faces, Erik creates a new type of character. He creates a girl named Cindella with only beauty instead of the typical fighter/elf/magician. But there’s something special about Cindella. When she starts getting attention from NPs (and not for her looks), Eric knows he’s onto something. Teaming up with his group of friends, they set off to fight dragons, find treasure, and slay the corrupt Central Allocations once and for all.

Who will like this book?: Boys and girls who enjoy discovering virtual worlds will find Epic to be a must-read. It’s packed full of adventure and has the interesting twist of a male player with a female avatar. The game system is well described but you don’t need to be a technician to understand the way this excellent sci-fi novel works.

If you like this, you should try: Saga, the sequel to Epic. Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde, 1/2 Prince(manhwa), The 39 Clues series, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Walls of the Universeby Paul Melko, The Game by Dianna Wynne Jones

Recommended by:ZZ, Fairfield resident and avid reader

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie April 16, 2009

Title: Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie

Author: Jordan Sonnenblick

Summary:  Eighth-grader Steven Alper is a rock star drummer, at least according to his annoyingly cute five-year-old brother.  The same cute brother that is the star of Steven’s English class journal entry exploring  the topic “The Most Annoying Thing in the World.”   Add the annoying brother with a crush on an unattainable girl, an occasionally irritating best friend,  a love of drums, and the regular school drama and you have Steven’s life. 

That is until the day Steven’s brother falls from a bar stool while Steven is making him breakfast and develops a nose bleed that just won’t stop.  The reason behind that non-stop nose bleed will change the lives of everyone in the Alper family and will lead to the most difficult year of their lives.  Steven struggles with the lack of parental attention and rebels against school, but through it all he maintains his quirky sense of humor and a pretty good heart. 

Who will like this book ?:  Those who like drama but can also appreciate a clever character who handles that drama with a bit of humor.

If you like this, try this: Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick,  Deadline by Chris Crutcher, or Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass.

Recommended by: Jen, Branch Teen Librarian

Life As We Knew It March 6, 2009

Title:  Life As We Knew It

Author:Susan Beth Pfeffer

Summary:  Have you ever gotten about half-way through a book and were struck with the almost irresistible impulse to flip to those last few pages –  and you fight that impulse for the rest of the book?   The impulse is born not out of  the need to finish some mega-hit bestseller before someone spoils the ending for you, but rather because you are so invested in this story and in these character’s lives that you need to know what happens to them.  Author Susan Beth Pfeffer has created one such story in Life As We Knew It. 

Miranda, a sixteen year old high school student, records the usual teen woes – step-parent issues, friend problems, massive crush on an unattainable local Olympic hopeful, etc. – in her diary.  Along with the rest of the world she thinks nothing of it when it becomes known that a meteor is about to crash into the moon.  With unconcealed excitement people around the world wait to see this once in a lifetime astronomical event, but the scientists were wrong about the potential outcome of the meteor crash.  

No one could have imagined that life on earth would change so drastically:  Massive tsunamis, newly erupting volcanoes, and earthquakes strike throughout the world and with a ripple effect, touch the lives of everyone on the planet.  Through Miranda’s diary we experience the horror of these disasters and how she and her family must change if they are to survive this new world.

Who would like this book?:  Don’t be fooled by the science fiction set-up – you won’t find a truly in-depth scientific explanation as to the how’s-and-whys leading to this natural disaster.  Rather, this book’s focus is on self-examination and relationships with family and the world around oneself.   This book’s universal appeal is that it builds off of a question most of us have asked of ourselves – “If a disaster struck, how would I react?”

If you like this, try this: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the dead and the gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer, Unwind by Neal Shusterman, The Giver by Lois Lowry.

Recommended by: Jennifer, Branch Teen Librarian