Shift by Charlotte Agell

In a frighteningly possible future, Homestate rules the land.  Evolution is not allowed to be discussed let alone taught in schools, watching religious programming is required, and the End of the World is approaching according to many.  This all happened after terrorists bombed Boston with nuclear weapons, creating a swath of dead land across the Eastern United States.  To the north of the Deadlands which still swirl with radioactive dust lies a land of horrible devastation and crazy people.  At 15-years-old, Adrian has seen his friends disappear for not believing, his mother change from a scientists into a shell, and his little sister grow into her strange psychic abilities.  Now he finds himself on an adventure across the Deadlands with a girl he barely knows, his little sister and a penguin.  And all they have to look forward to on the other side is a frightening unknown.

Agell has created a world that is all too possible.  I applaud her for not shirking away from what religious zealots could create in this world, though at times her tone can be too strident about the dangers.  The book is gripping and impossible to put down.  It vibrantly mixes humor and horror together.  One worry I have is that it does belittle the dangers of nuclear weapons, rather than showing the devastation to the extent it should be.  There were also some mixed messages about what food was safe to eat.  But the heart of the story and the journey were a treat.

This book is a mixture of action, adventure and disaster and is well worth the time to read thanks to its writing.  While I have quibbled about some of the points in the book, it is a strong novel with a strong voice.  Appropriate for ages 10-13.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

On the shortlist for both the Booktrust and Guardian Children’s Fiction awards, this book will not disappoint.

Todd Hewitt is the last boy in his town.  The youngest in a community of only men, he has only a few weeks before he too becomes a man.  Todd can’t escape the Noise of his town, where everyone can read everyone else’s thoughts, literally.  There are horrible things in men’s minds, things that boys should not be exposed to, but Todd has to face them every day of his life. 

When Todd goes out into the swamp to gather apples, he finds an area of silence where there is no Noise at all.  He can’t even hear the Noise of his dog by his side.  This lack of Noise is something he has never before encountered.  Though he tries, Todd can’t keep his discovery out of his own thoughts and therefore his own Noise.  His discovery threatens the community he lives in, and Todd is forced to flee into the wilderness with only a book he can’t read and a vague map to a destination he doesn’t understand.

Let me be straight with you.  This is a brutal book, filled with violence, cruelty, murder, maiming and tragedy of epic proportions.  This is not a book for children to read, no matter how advanced their reading levels.  This is a book for teens that will enthrall them and leave them breathless until the very end.

Ness manages to make a completely successful science fiction book that has real heart and a thrilling story.  His book is a definite response to our own inter-connected world of Internet, cell phones, and information overload, but it manages to break free from that and become something much larger.  Ness’ writing is as fast paced as the novel itself, often rushing headlong and leaving the reader stunned.  He is a fearless author, and after a few of his stunning events, readers know that they are in for a real ride where there is no predicting what will happen next.  It is thrilling to read a book that breaks so many conventions and finds its own path.

Highly recommended, this is the best science fiction novel I have read in many years, not just this year. 

Guardian by Julius Lester.

This is a gripping, striking novel of lynching told from the point of view of a white teen boy who witnesses the hate crime.  It is the summer of 1946 and Ansel is fourteen years old.  He is the son of the store owner in a small town in the Deep South.  One of his best friends is Willie.  Though they fish together often, there is always an awareness of their differences solely because of the color of their skin.  Ansel is also in love with Mary Susan, daughter of the local pastor, who fairly glows with purity and sexuality.  Enter into this an evil spoiled wealthy kid and you have everything it takes to make a lynching.

Lester’s language is lyrical, somber and almost languid with the heat of the South.  He takes the time to examine each person in the story down to their soul.  Each person trapped in their own pain, their own decisions.  Each with their own guilt and shame.  This is done for a reason, so that knowing these people that deeply, one can only feel gut-wrenching, fearful amazement at what they allow to happen. 

Let me give you one example.  This is Maureen, Ansel’s mother:

It takes Maureen a while to understand why she looks forward to seeing the colored faces every Saturday.  Their lips turn up at the ends and their lips part to reveal their teeth, but she sees only sadness in their eyes.

One Saturday morning she understands.  Smiles begin in the eyes and flow downward to the lips.

Her eyes are dead.

She wonders: "When did I die?"

And that leads her to ask: "Was I ever really alive?"

Racism is dealt with head on.  Lester doesn’t hide the evil of racism, but rather shows that a community and nation this divided must inevitably lead to horror and evil.  It is a powerful book for all that it says without being didactic and preaching.  It is instead a moment in history caught, captured and revolting.

This powerful book with its amazing writing is also invitingly short.  High school classrooms will embrace it as a catalyst for discussion of race in America.  Even adult book discussion groups should take a look at it.  One of the most powerful novels on race I have ever read, this is one of my top teen novels of the year.  I can’t wait to see the cover art.

Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce

Released in October 2008.

Created first to be a Full Audio production, this is the written novel form.  The novel continues the story of Evvy, a stone mage, who after a disgraceful scene in Winding Circle finds herself on a boat with Rosethorn, the plant mage, to investigate strange happenings on an island.  Traveling with them is a prickly water mage, who scorns Evvy’s presence on their trip.  Evvy herself is unhappy to be there until they get to the island and she is thrilled to find unusual stones everywhere.  As they investigate the changes on the island: lakes turning to acid and trees dying suddenly, they find themselves in the middle of a volcanic emergency where they must use all of their skill and magic to keep not only themselves but everyone on the island safe from harm.

Pierce has created an engaging heroine in Evvy.  She is at times sullen, self-absorbed and critical, but readers will see through those harsh defenses to the real girl.  As the novel moves forward, Evvy herself changes realistically with no sudden jumps or unexplained realizations.  It is a pleasure to read a character so well developed and written.  The secondary characters are equally well crafted. 

The action here is thrilling and vivid, even scenes that take a lot of imagination deep within the earth are captured to best effect.  The island itself as a setting is almost a character as it reveals its secrets and story. 

Pierce’s Circle of Magic series expands one more ring with this novel, and I hope to read more about these new mages in future novels.  Recommended for all libraries because of Pierce’s fan base, this novel is sure to find readers easily.  Appropriate for ages 12-14.