You'll Like It Here (Everybody Does) by Ruth White

You'll Like It Here by Ruth White

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


11-year-old Meggie Blue lives a happy, comfortable life in North Carolina with her mom, older brother, and grandpa.  However, the recent talk among her classmates about aliens makes her unhappy because it brings back bad memories from years ago of the crazy man who trespassed into her class looking for aliens.  An experience like this would traumatize any young child, but this was especially traumatizing for Meggie because she is, in fact, an alien.

Meggie's family first moved from the planet Chroma to Earth when Meggie was just a baby.  They had to leave their home planet because the pollution there was too overpowering.  They first lived in California, but then moved to North Carolina after the crazy man incident in Meggie's class.  Now that the people in North Carolina are growing suspicious of them, they decide that it's time to move on again, but this time they decide to move to an entirely different planet.

Interestingly, they end up on a planet called Earth...but a much different Earth from what they're used to.  The place they find themselves in is called Fashion City, a city run by "The Fathers," where adults are assigned to mindless jobs, clothing isn't allowed to be colorful, and taking "Lotus" pills to make one feel good and numb is encouraged.  The Blue family can't wait to get away from this awful version of Earth, but will they be able to escape before falling victim to the overbearing ways of the city?

I enjoyed this book a lot--I began the story without knowing the plot and was completely surprised to find out that the Blue family are actual aliens!  The Blue family is a nice group of people who genuinely care about others, and this trait shines through strongly when they're in Fashion City and want to help all of its citizens stuck in their dull, repetitive lives.  Those who enjoyed this alien story might also enjoy The True Meaning of Smekday (Adam Rex).



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The Search for Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi

The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Centuries in the future, Eva Nine lives in an underground sanctuary with Muthr (her robot mother).  She has never seen another human being and doesn’t even know if humans still exist on the planet they live on, called Orbona.  In fact, Eva has never been to the surface.  She lives a peaceful life (if not a little boring, although they have all the technology one could ask for) until a hunter flushes them out into the open—he wants to capture them so that they can be added to the Queen’s museum as display items.



Never having been to the surface before, Eva must rely entirely on her Omnipod (her talking handheld device that is similar to a computer).  However, her Omnipod is having trouble identifying nearly everything she sees!  Since her underground sanctuary has been destroyed, she can’t return there, and she begins to despair.  Things get a little easier when she meets Rovender Kitt, a lanky creature who is out exploring on his own—he agrees to help her reunite with Muthr.  The whole time Eva is on the surface, she clings to a picture she found in the sanctuary (of a girl, a robot, and a man in a hat) and hopes that she can find some clues as to who they are: she calls this picture her WondLa.



This is a good book that I enjoyed very much.  The pictures are so interesting, plus there’s a website readers can visit (http://www.wondla.com) with interactive maps and more!  Watch for a sequel, as readers are left with a lot of unanswered questions.



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Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Liam is a totally normal guy; he likes stuff like computer games, video games, and amusement parks. The only thing is that he is really tall—taller than the kids in his class…even taller than most adults. In fact, most people think he is an adult, which can have its advantages (like getting to –almost— test drive a new car).



When Liam wins a contest to test a ride at a new amusement park, his dad thinks it’s a scam and refuses to follow up on it. Thinking about how people always mistake him for an adult, he pretends to be his dad while his friend Florida pretends to be his daughter so that they can redeem the prize. The plan works perfectly, only Liam and Florida get way more than they bargained for on this exclusive new ride.



I enjoyed this book very much and was disappointed when it was over. Liam is such a likable character—I wish I knew someone like him when I was that age! Those who enjoyed this book might also enjoy The Tapestry series (Neff).





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The Time Quake: by Linda Buckley-Archer

The Time Quake: #3 in the Gideon Triliogy by Linda Buckley-Archer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Time Quake is the third and final book of the Gideon Trilogy, and I'm so sad that it's over. I enjoyed this series so much and I'm shocked that it wasn't more popular with the kids.



I was lucky to get my hands on the audio book version; I ended up having to request it from another library in this state. It's so good to listen to and was totally worth it!



Admittedly, this was my least favorite of the three books, only because the reader not only follows Peter and Kate, but also Lord Luxon, the Tar Man, Anjali and Tom, and of course Peter and Kate's families...which makes for a lot to keep track of. Plus, Peter, Kate, and Gideon were the characters I was most interested it and found myself a little impatient that so much time is dedicated to other characters. For example, Lord Luxon's plans on changing history were interesting, but I felt like I didn't know him well enough to really feel anger towards his character; rather, I disliked what he wanted to do more than the character himself. I found myself sort of sighing whenever the story focused on him.



There were also very serious parts to this story, such as Kate becoming more and more transparent (and fast-forwarding), Tom wanting so badly to go home (after we thought he was dead!), the Tar Man's ability to somehow travel back and forth between times, the secret about Gideon and the Tar Man, and, finally, the big ending where Peter has to make a choice about fixing everything that went wrong with time.



Speaking of the ending, I found it to be confusing--so much that I went back and listened to it again to see if I was missing something. I suppose that, when writing about time travel, events are bound to get jumbled up in a way that makes things difficult to keep track of. I kept playing the scene over and over in my mind (keeping in mind the other time travel book I read and loved: The Time Traveler's Wife) to make everything work out and makes sense.



Despite these issues, I found the series in its entirety very enjoyable and I look forward to watching for whatever Buckley-Archer sets her sights on next.









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Gideon the Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer

Gideon the Cutpurse: Being the First Part of the Gideon Trilogy by Linda Buckley-Archer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


_Gideon the Cutpurse_ is the first book in this trilogy. I had wanted to read this story for a while, and I’m glad I finally got around to it! I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading (or listening to) the second one.



The story begins normal enough—in present-day England—with a young teen named Peter. His parents are very focused on working, so his birthday gets pushed to the side. He ends up having to spend the day with his nanny (?) and accompanies her to her friend’s farm. There, he meets the Dyer family and gets to see the special area where Mr Dyer works on science experiments. During a tour, the family dog gets spooked so Peter and Kate (the oldest daughter and Peter’s age) chase it and suddenly find themselves in a totally different place.



After a while, Peter and Kate learn that they are no longer in the 21st Century; rather, it is 1763! They are at a total loss as to what to do until a kind man named Gideon helps them find “proper” clothing, somewhere to stay, and plan how to locate the man who took the machine they appeared in 1763 with before he sells it.



This is story has likable characters and is told at a good pace. It ends on a cliffhanger, and I’m very interested to see what will happen next! Suggest the Ulysses Moore series to those who enjoyed this.





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Eva by Peter Dickinson

Eva by Peter Dickinson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This futuristic story is about an adolescent girl whose brain is put into a chimp's body in order to save her life after an accident destroys her own. This happens because her father works for a company that studies chimps, so she becomes part of the company's research.

I would have thought Eva would be more angry about having to live as a chimp for the rest of her life, but she seems to take it well--I think this is because she had spent a lot of time with her father and the chimps he studied. In fact, she knew the chimp whose body she now inhabits. She is able to communicate orally using a specialized keyboard that gives a voice to her words.

It was interesting to witness the changes that Eva goes through as her mind comes to terms with having lived as a human for over a decade, but then having to live as a chimp. At first Eva spends more time in the human world--she lives at home with her parents and she even attends school. But, as time passes, it appears as though she feels more of a connection with the chimps being studied.

I liked this book; I listened to the audio version of it, and I have to admit that it was entertaining listening to the reader make chimp grunting noises.

I'd recommend this book to readers who enjoy futuristic stories, human/animal relations stories, or simply like stories about the strange and bizzare.

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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this future society, there is no more United States; instead, Panem is divided into twelve districts, each of which must hold a drawing once a year to see which boy and girl will compete in that year’s Hunger Games. The Hunger Games were designed to remind the people of Panem that the Capitol has complete say over what goes on everywhere and that fighting back is futile. So this is why, every year, 24 adolescent participants kill each other off in a Capitol-made arena until there is one participant left—the winner.

Katniss’s name is drawn as that year’s female participant, while a boy she hardly knows named Peeta is drawn as that year’s male participant. Before she can truly grasp what has happened, she is saying goodbye to her mother, sister, and best friend, then being whisked away on train headed to the Capitol, where they provide her and Peeta with all the luxuries one could ask for before being left to fight for her life in the arena.

This is an excellent book that had me hooked from the beginning. The Hunger Games is the first book in The Hunger Games Trilogy. I can’t wait to find out what happens to Katniss and Peeta as they move forward from the terrifying experience of the Hunger Games. For those who enjoyed reading about the fight for survival in a futuristic society, give the Exodus trilogy (Bertagna) a try.

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The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
In this fast-paced story, Gratuity (Tip) Tucci shares her experiences during the year that aliens land on—and take over—the earth.  The day the Boov (the aliens) land on Earth is called Smekday (named for the Boov captain Smek).  They decree  that they own all of the United States—except for Arizona, which is where the Boov send everyone in the U.S.  The humans are provided with rocketpods to get there, but Tip decides to take her chances and drive the car (although she doesn’t have her license) so she can look for her missing mother on the way.

When car trouble forces her to pull over near an abandoned convenience store, she encounters a Boov that—for some reason—calls itself J-Lo.  He agrees to fix Tip’s car if she lets him accompany her to Arizona…it turns out that the Boov are after him for a mistake he made with radio towers.  To the surprise of each, Tip and J-Lo become friends.

I enjoyed this book very much.  Tip is a likable character; the way she reacts to J-Lo and the crazy adventures they face together is entertaining.  And readers will be sure to like J-Lo, even though he’s technically on the same side as the bad guys.  Readers who enjoyed this alien adventure might also enjoy The Doom Machine (Teague).

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This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Readers met Miranda in the companion novel Life As We Knew It; this story picks up a bit after that one ends.  She, her mom, and two brothers are still living in their suburban Pennsylvania home, and they are still doing all they can to survive.  Life has gotten a bit better now that they receive weekly bags of food, but they know that this could stop at any time.

Unexpectedly, Miranda’s father, step-mother, and baby half-sister turn up at the house.  With them are three people they had traveled with and have grown close to.  Two of these people are Alex and his sister Julie—readers met them in the other companion novel The Dead and the Gone.  The group had met each other in one of the ‘safe camps’ that are scattered around the country.  The group decides to stay near Miranda’s house until they can come up with a better plan.  While the group is nearby, Miranda and Alex fall in love, which makes Alex’s decision to leave with Julie even harder to follow through with.

This book, like the other two, made me uneasy about what the world would be like if a meteor really did hit the moon, but all of the characters are very brave.  Those interested in this book might want to read  Life As We Knew It first, followed by The Dead and the Gone, and then this one.

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Claim to Fame by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Claim to Fame by Margaret Peterson Haddix


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Lindsay is a former Hollywood child star who now lives a secluded life in Springdale, Illinois (the middle of nowhere) with her father.  She’s fine with the secluded part; in fact, she prefers it!  When she was 11-years-old, Lindsay developed—quite suddenly—what she refers to as her “talent.”  It’s not an acting talent she’s talking about—it’s the ability to hear everything anyone says about her from anywhere in the world. 

For some strange reason, the house in Springdale can block all of these voices, so Lindsay doesn’t go outside if she can help it.  If she does, she can hear what everyone says about her, and it gets worse when the reruns of her show Just Me and the Kids comes on.  However, when her father suddenly passes away from a heart attack, Lindsay must face the outside world for the first time in five years.

This is a good story!  Lindsay is a very likable character; readers will cheer her on as she deals with the loss of her father and her special “talent.”  Those who enjoyed this book might also enjoy The Princess Plot (Boie).

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11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

11 Birthdays - Audio Library Edition by Wendy Mass


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Amanda and Leo have celebrated their shared birthday together since their first birthday, and
they are each other’s best friend—that is, until Amanda overhears Leo say something mean about her to his friends at their 10th birthday.  Angry and hurt, Amanda hasn’t spoken to Leo since that day.

Now it’s a year later, and Amanda and Leo are both turning 11—but they will celebrate their birthdays separately for the first time ever.  Amanda is glad when her birthday is over and can just forget about her awful day—if she has to hear about Leo’s cool party one more time, she is going to lose her mind!  When she wakes up the next morning, she’s happy that it’s finally Saturday and her and Leo’s birthdays are behind her.  But the strangest thing happens…when she wakes up, it’s not Saturday at all—it’s Friday (and her 11th birthday) again!  To make things worse, when she wakes up the next morning…and the next morning…it’s still Friday!

No one besides Amanda seems to notice that she keeps living the same day over and over again; everyone else is living Friday for the first time—that is, except for Leo, who she learns is living the same day over and over again too!  After a year of not speaking, Amanda and Leo work together to figure out why every day is their 11th birthday.

This is a very cute book that might call to mind the movie Groundhog Day.  Amanda is very likable (as is Leo, once he’s forgiven).  Readers who enjoyed this book might also enjoy Take Two (DeVillers) or The Secret Language of Girls (Dowell).

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Raider's Ransom by Emily Diamond

Raiders Ransom by Emily Diamand


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
23rd-Century England is much different from the England we know today; much of the land has been flooded, Scotland’s lands have been extended, and technology is something no one knows about anymore.  Raiders looking for more wealth and power come to Lilly’s village and kidnap the Prime Minister’s daughter Lexy as a ransom.  When the Prime Minister learns this, he blames the people of the village; he rounds up all able-bodied men to fight for him, leaving the young and old men in prison.  Lilly thinks she could get Lexy back by trading a “jewel” Lexy’s aunt has for Lexy’s freedom.  With no one else in her village able to go, Lilly and her cat sneak off after the raiders with the jewel.

While Lilly heads in the direction to where she thinks Lexy might be held, she meets a boy named Zeph.  Lilly (who’s dressed like a boy) tricks Zeph into helping her into raider territory after she learns that he is the raider boss’s son, and along the way they become friends.   Unfortunately for Lilly, Zeph isn’t as naive as she thinks, as Zeph knows about  her tricks.   He has some tough decisions to make about his loyalty to his father and to his new tricky friend.

This story is told in the alternating points of view of Lilly and Zeph, so readers get to see through both the eyes of a poor fishergirl and the son of a well-to-do raider boss.  It’s fascinating to think that humanity could regress so far after a devastating environmental attack; Lilly and Zeph’s descriptions of how they live without any technology remind me of how  people of  today think of  people living hundreds of years ago.  There is also a hint of a sequel coming.  For a similar read, try The Faerie Door by Bruce Maxwell.

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My Rotten Life by David Lubar

My Rotten Life by David Lubar


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Nathan thinks he has a rotten life...but things get much worse after he gets some experimental liquid called “Hurt-Be-Gone accidentally spilled on him!  After that, parts of his body start losing feeling, he stops digesting food, and he doesn’t need to go to the bathroom!

His friends Mookie and Abigail help him get the ingredients for the mixture that will stop him from becoming a total zombie—ingredients that include a scale from a rare breed of fish and a strange mushroom.  The problem is, he must have at least a little bit of feeling somewhere on his body for the mixture to work.  The more time that passes, the more he losses feeling everywhere!  Will the mixture be ready in time for him to use before he become a walking dead boy?

This is a funny story with very likable characters.  Nathan’s friend Mookie was probably my favorite with his laid-back attitude.  Even Nathan, who is very unhappy about becoming a walking dead boy, deals with his zombie-ness as best as he can.  It appears as though a sequel is on its way.  Recommend this book to those who enjoy the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (Kinney) and the Captain Underpants books (Pilkey).

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