Nominee for the 2007 Cybil Awards in Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Choices by Deborah Lynn Jacobs.

Kathleen’s brother dies in a car accident coming to pick her up from a party.  After his death, Kathleen learns that it is possible for her to move between realities and visit multiple universes where her life is similar but not the same.  As she starts to wonder about her sanity, she learns that Luke is also a shifter who can move about in the same way.  Luke becomes her only constant as Kathleen continues to wake up in new and unexpected realities.  Can Kathleen figure out how to control the shifting?  And if she can, can she find a reality where her brother didn’t die?

This impossible-to-put-down book is a breathtaking rollercoaster ride.  Kathleen’s character is vivid and constantly interesting as is the plot as it veers from reality to reality.  The writing is strong and controlled allowing the characters to take a wild ride, but making it completely believable.  Jacobs does an admirable job of creating alternate Kathleens who are just as interesting and convincing as the original without losing the focus and forward motion of the novel. 

Get it into the hands of teens who enjoy science fiction, but it will also be of interest to teens who enjoy general fiction.  The book should also be recommended to reluctant readers who may find themselves unable to put it down too.

Nominated for a 2007 Cybil in Fantasy and Sci Fi.

Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan.

This third book of short stories by Lanagan demonstrates exactly how short story collections should work.  I consider Lanagan a student of Ray Bradbury, whose short story collections filled my teenage summers.  Like Bradbury, Lanagan takes a supernatural or science fiction genre and delicately creates stories that within a few short pages create entire worlds.  Lanagan’s stories are surprising, wondrous and at times quite horrific. 

One never quite knows where the story is headed, when the twist is coming, or if there will be a twist at all.  It makes the reading of the stories a very dynamic and engaging activity.  Unlike novels, there is no settling in with characters, no constant narration, no ground to rest on.  Here there is only the whirl of worlds, the dance of planets, and possibilities to explore. 

Lanagan excels at taking complex worlds and distilling them into an instance that speaks to their enormity.  She can create characters you care deeply about within a few paragraphs.  Her skill with this limiting form is astounding as her prose remains light and accessible while revealing so much more underneath.  There is a crystalline beauty to the stories as they chime together to a greater whole. 

Recommended for teens willing to try short stories.  These stories should be offered side-by-side with Bradbury’s as a recommendation. 

Good Enough to Eat by Brock Cole

There was once a poor girl who had no family and was forced to beg her way through life.  The townspeople considered her a pest, so when the evil ogre demands a fair maiden be given to him, the girl is the first choice of sacrifice.  The girl has lived with the townsfolk giving her cruel nicknames, but she uses those nicknames against the ogre and finds her own way out the situation.

I know that first paragraph is vague, but the joy of this sort of story is seeing how it all fits together, rather like a puzzle.  Cole has created a book that will flow off of your tongue as you read it aloud.  It almost reads itself simply because of his skill in creating prose and telling a good tale.  Here he has created a lively adventurous tale filled with traditional touches that begs to be shared or learned as a story to tell.

Cole’s illustrations also contribute to the traditional feel of the story, but the girl being the smart one, the hero is certainly not traditional nor are the message of this tale about individuality, courage and grace.

Highly recommended as a read aloud for 5-9 year olds.  There is a deep enough story here to keep the older children engaged and such a life and flow that younger children will enjoy it as well.