The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer

 In Satellite City, Cosmo lives in a home where corporations use orphaned boys to do product testing. It is a tortured life, and Cosmo is always looking for a chance to escape. When his chance comes, he is severely injured and left for dead, but is saved by a group of young vigilantes when they discover that he has the same talent to see supernatural creatures as they do. Being part of the "Supernaturalists" is as perilous as the orphanage, but in the group Cosmo feels a sense of family for the first time. Their leader Stefan, is determined to exterminate the "parasites" that killed his mother, but no matter how many of the little green creatures they kill, they seem to reproduce exponentially. When the huge corporations find out about their group, things get so complicated it is hard to decipher right from wrong and the good guys from the bad.

This is a YA Sci-Fi from the author of the Artemis Fowl series. It has very interesting and vivid world building and the characters are delightfully troubled and complex. The plot reminded me a lot of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card but maybe a little less dated. Both Colfer and Card have the ability to aim a magnifying glass on both current social issues and deep philosophical questions and turn them into fast-paced YA fiction. The book ended with an opening for a sequel, but I guess it never happened, though there seems to be a graphic novel version of this book that was published in 2012. (2004, 273 p.)

The Forever Man, by Eoin Colfer

 In this final episode of the W.A.R.P. series, Chevie Sevano is just getting used to being are in Victorian England with Riley, when they come face to face with Riley's old master, the evil Albert Garrick who has returned from the temporal wormhole with amazing powers.  All three of them are sucked back into the wormhole and are spit out in the 1600's. Garrick has been to this time period before, and had styled himself as a witch hunter.  Upon arrive, Garrick proclaims Chevie as a witch and Riley as her familiar.  The population of the small town are after them, but luckily, or unluckily, they are not the only ones to have traveled in the temporal divide. It takes a lot of skill, wits, and help from new friends, to escape the the transformed Garrick, the Forever Man, and save the world from an increasingly unstable temporal rift. 

I was a little unsure of this series when I read the first one, but Colfer does a great job in this book of tying everything up into a satisfactory ending. I was really impressed. Over the first two books he threw out a lot of threads, and I wondered if he could manage to gather them up again, but he did.  The book has Colfer's characteristic exciting action sequences, and a couple of really good plot twists. I still didn't like the writing style as much as the Artemis Fowl books, but I got used to it by the third book.  Overall it is a great middle grade/YA series, especially for those who like his other novels. (368, 2016)

The Hangman's Revolution by Eoin Colfer

 In this second installment of the W.A.R.P series, the reader finds Chevie Savano living in an altered present-day London. She is a cadet in the youth army of the Boxites, a totalitarian regime that has come to control almost all of Europe.  She keeps having intrusive memories about her previous life as a FBI agent, and they have gotten her in trouble.  When she once again gets sucked back into Victorian England, she joins up with her old friend, Riley, to try to stop Colonel Clayton Box before he begins the revolution that destroyed her previous past. 

When I read the first in this series, I wasn't sure I would read the second because I didn't like the narrative style.  In this book, it didn't bother me as much, either because I was used to it, or maybe the writing was better. Like the first in the series, this is a fast-paced action adventure with a pretty high violence and body count. The action is like comic book violence, without any real pathos or degree of detail. Still, it is high enough that I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under 14. Colfer mixes in a fair amount of humor and silliness, and the characterization and setting are both well executed and fun. Colfer deals with the standard questions about cause and effect in time travel, and the ending is something of a cliff hanger with some basic plot questions unresolved.  The real question is, did I like #2 well enough that I plan to read #3?  I probably will, but I need to rest for a while. The cavalier violence does bother me, so I have to clear my soul for a while before I will consider returning for the next book. (385 p. 2015)

The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer

 Riley wants to be a CIA agent more than anything, but she botches her first assignment and is sent to London to babysit a strange piece of old tech. Riley lives in Victorian England and is the apprentice of a man, Garrick, who used to be an illusionist and now is an assassin for hire. Riley doesn't like his mentor, especially when Gerrick pressures him to make his first kill. The man they intend to kill turns out to be a scientist from the future, who, at the point of death is whisked back to the modern age, taking Riley and Garrick with him.  Riley knows how evil Garrick is and convinces Riley that it is worth following Garrick back into the past to stop him from completing his evil plot. 

I was excited to find another sci-fi series by Eoin Colfer, the author of the Artemis Fowl series. As I started to read it I was surprised to find the writing clunky and awkward.  I wondered if Colfer had started to go senile or something.  Later in the story (much later) it is revealed why the writing style is so bad, but I think it was a gimmick that went wrong. I don't actually want to read poor writing just to get a clever plot twist at the end. That being said, the story line is good.  It is interesting and the final resolution satisfying. I think, though, before I read the next in the series I am going to listen to the sample to make sure the writing style is back up to the Artemis Fowl level. (321 p. 2013)

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

 Murder Bot has discovered that his friend and liberator, Dr. Mensah, is in trouble, and Murderbot knows he must do what he can to help her, even if it means stepping further out of his comfort zone.  He makes further adjustments to his programing to appear more human and takes a transport to the place he first met with Dr. Mensah's group. Meeting up with the original crew is emotionally complicated for Murderbot, but when bullets begin to fly, he knows exactly what to do.

Here is another series I really enjoy. This is a great episode, where we see Murderbot take a few more giant steps toward being more human. It has the fast paced action scenes that one would expect, but also some really nice scenes with Dr. Mensah that melt your heart. I also like that each book is really short, only a few hours on recording.  I imagine they make the series more accessible for reluctant reader teens.  (2018, 176 p.)

Murderbot books 2 and 3 by Martha Wells

 Artificial Condition: Murderbot has left the crew of his last mission to discover more about his past.  He boards an unmanned shuttle, but discovers that its onboard computer is more sentient than average.  The two of them team up to discover what really happened on the day Murderbot went crazy and killed a whole colony. (2018, 160 p)

Rogue Protocol: Having discovered the truth about his worst malfunction, Murderbot doesn't really know what to do with himself. Then he sees a news feed about Dr. Menseh who is trying to prove that the mega-corporation GrayCris is crooked. Murderbot.  He meets up with some idealistic scientists whose research was stolen and hires on as their security guard to get passage onto planet terraforming station where he thinks he can get evidence against GrayCris. Of course, the megacorporation does not want their secrets revealed and sends will stop at nothing to stop the group. (2018, 160 p)

I think these books are starting to be a guilty pleasure.  I am not sure what makes them appealing to a 60 year old woman.  I know I am not their target audience.  I like the insecurity mixed with confidence of the Murderbot, and his willingness to help people, even at his own peril.  Reader should beware that there is some rough language in the book, and violence, so these aren't for kids. Still, I will probably read more of them. 

Rogue Princess by B.R. Myers, Bill Myers

 Crown Princess Delia knows she must marry strategically to secure the future of her planet, but at 18 she still dreams of finding true love. In a moment of panic before her princely suitors arrive, Delia takes a spaceship to get away from it all.  She is surprised to find a young man, Aiden, the body guard of one of the visiting princes, also hiding out in the spaceship. Their attempt to get away fails, but it sparks an unexpected friendship.  Soon they are sneaking away and having adventures with pirates and traitors with each experience drawing them closer together.  Aiden becomes increasingly protective of the princess, especially when he suspects a plot to overthrow the kingdom. Can the two young lovers save the kingdom, and their hearts against unimaginable odds?

This is a swashbuckling sci-fi retelling of Cinderella with a little Beauty and the Beast and Rapunzel mixed in.  The target audience is teens, and there is a lot of hormones and teen wish fulfillment going on here. The plot is interesting, with an unexpected twist, but the world building/magic system is weak.  Whenever the author gets into a plot bind, she just invents a miraculous technological save from a mysterious long-gone scientist. That being said, I enjoyed the book and I think those
who like Cinder by Merissa Meyer, and The Selection series by Kiera Cass would like it, too. Aiden is a charming mix of suave and insecure, and Delia is both an awesome maiden warrior and a teen who is being manipulated by her mother. I read this because I liked A Dreadful Splendor by the same author, and I just put her other book, The Third Wife of Faraday House on hold. (2020, 304 p)

The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly

 Michael Rosario doesn't understand why the adults around him aren't preparing for the Y2K crisis that is looming in a couple of months. He is secretly stockpiling canned food, filched from the local grocery store, under his bed. His mother works three jobs, and he has a crush on his 16 year old babysitter, Gibby.  One day a strange teen-age boy shows up on the bench outside of his apartment building. Ridge is wearing strange clothing, and seems fascinated by pretty normal every-day things, like a microwave, or a CD player. Michael and Gibby discover he has traveled from the future, and he is both excited to learn about the 1990's and terrified about what his presence in the past will do to his world in the future. Ridge had a book with the general outline of events during the next ten years, and Michael is desperate to read it and discover if Y2K is going to be as bad as he fears. Can he betray his new friend and risk the future of the world to allay his own anxieties?

This is the Newbery book for this year.  It is a well deserved award, and I think a lot of people, both kids and adults would enjoy reading this book.  There is a lot in here about family and the importance of relationships.  There is also a major theme about how to calm anxieties about the future. Kelly conveys the idea that, although bad things happen, in the end we will get through them, without monologuing or feeling preachy.  Michael and Gibby are authentic and sympathetic characters, and even Ridge comes across as a normal kid in a complicated situation. The overall tone of the book is hopeful--a message kids really need right now. (272, 2024)

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

The SecUnit likes the small team of scientists it has been tasked with protecting as they investigate the possible assets of an uninhabited planet. The SecUnit, which calls itself, MurderBot, has secretly disabled its management program, and has downloads hours of action sitcoms to review while in stasis between its daily patrols and other responsibilities. It doesn't feel comfortable around the humans and always keeps its visor down around them.  Then one day something goes wrong. There is an attack on a base, and the team begins to wonder if there is more to it than the undocumented large fauna which injured one of the crewmen.  It is up to MurderBot to keep its unit safe as they investigate the unknown.

I can't remember who recommended this book to me but I really enjoyed it. The MurderBot has an interesting personality, both interaction-averse and highly protective of the scientists. It is querky in a kind of Asperger's way that is endearing. There is some language, but the book is otherwise clean for a YA SciFi. It is also really short and I think it would be a good choice for a teen reluctant reader. I enjoyed it enough I put the second on hold right away. (2017, 160 p)

P.S. As I was looking up the page count and publication date, I discovered it won a boatload of awards the year it came out. 

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson

 A man awakens in the middle of a burned out patch in a meadow.   He doesn't know his name or where he is. He makes his way to a small peasant village and is captured by some of its residents. He finds pages from a damaged book and soon discovers that he has traveled to this land from another dimension. His memories of his past return slowly, and events in the small Medieval town become more complicated until he has to decide whether to try to return back to his own dimension or stay to help the privative people he is quickly becoming attached to.

This is one of Sanderson's few stand-alone books and was one of the four surprise books he wrote during the COVID pandemic.  One of Sanderson's great strengths is world building.  He always seems to find and interesting and novel settings and premises for his stories.  It was interesting to have the POV character slowly remember his past life and to see how his memories affected his opinion of himself.  One of the main conflicts in the book is the clash between modern society and primitive society. Despite all the technological advances of a future age, John, the main character, has not had a happy life, while the residents of the new dimension daily struggle just to stay alive, but seem to be happier.  This summary makes the book sound really serious, but there is plenty and humor and satire to be found.   I can see why so many of my family members enjoy Brandon Sanderson's books. (2023, 384 p)

Tiger Honor by Yoon Ha Lee

 Sebin (they/them) is a tiger spirit on one of the planets in the Thousand Realms.  He idolizes his uncle who is the commander of a Space Forces, they apply for space academy as soon as they are eligible. On the same day Sebin receives his acceptance letter, the clan leader receives a notice that Sebin's uncle has been accused of treason and is in hiding. Tiger Spirits have fierce loyalty to their clan, but when Sebin is called to choose between loyalty to his family and to his new commander and his new friends in Space Forces, it is not an easy choice to make.  He has always looked up to his uncle and has assumed he was wrongly accuse, but what if his uncle is not as honorable as Sebin always thought he was?

This is the second in the series that began with Dragon Pearl.  I liked that one when I read it clear back in 2022 and had decided to put the next on hold right away, but I guess I didn't.  When I finally listened to this one I must admit I had forgotten much of the story and characters of the first one and was a little lost starting out. B
y the end I had figured everything out and enjoyed the book, if not as much as Dragon Pearl, at least decently well.  The world building is interesting as is the magic structure, which is based on Korean mythology.  Sebin is a believable and sympathetic 13-year-old trying to live up to his family's expectations. That said, I thought the fact that Lee made Sebin non-binary and always referred to them as "them/they" was a little distracting.  Really, their sexual orientation had no bearing in the plot at all.  It seemed like it was only included in the book to pander to a publisher's pressure to create more LGBTQ literature. (256 p. 2022)

Mixed Up by Gordon Korman

 Reef is an orphan who was taken in by his mother's best friend.  Although she has welcomed Reef into the home, her children have not.  One, in particular, is fairly abusive.  Theo still has both his parents, but he seems to constantly disappoint his father.  Theo's dad had "ruled the school" when he was a kid, but Theo would rather tend his garden than take karate lessons. Then, one day, memories start showing up in Theo's mind, memories of things that happened to someone else.  The same thing starts happening to Reef.  The two middle school boys figure out that they are experiencing each other's memories, and once a memory goes to the other boy, it is gone from the original owner's mind. It gets so bad that both boys are finding it hard to function in daily life. They have to find a way to stop the "phenomenon" before both boys sink into a confused stupor. 

Gordon Korman is a good writer and has really figured out an authentic tween voice.  He also recognizes that 12-year-olds can have deep, poignant and complex emotions. As a result, I enjoyed listening to this book.  That said, the premise and plot are kind of weak. It was just too improbable for me.  It felt like a realistic fiction that wasn't at all realistic.  It made me wonder if the author, who is 60, is starting to have occasional memory loss, and that prompted the premise.  Or maybe his parents are struggling with dementia and he is dealing with that.  Kids that are Korman fans will probably like the book, but I thought ReStart, which is also by Korman and deals with memory loss, had a much stronger plot and premise. (256, 2023)

The Nebula Secret by Trudi Trueit

 Cruz Coronado and his dad live in Hawaii and Cruz is a surfer boy.  His mother, however, was an elite scientist who worked for an organization called The Explorer Academy.  Ever since his mother's death in a tragic accident, Cruz has wanted to be admited to the academy as a student. His dream comes true the summer before his 13th birthday.  He flies to Washington DC and joins 23 ultra talented like-minded tweens from around the world.  Once he is at the academy, however, things don't go smoothly for Cruz. Someone seems to be out to get him, and he doesn't know why. Eventually he figures out that it has to do with his mother and a project she was working on before she died.  Could her death have been more than an accident?  As Cruz and his friends try to figure out the clues, they come closer to mortal danger.

This is the first in a long series produced by National Geographic.  The series is fairly popular at my library so I decided to give it a try.  I was pleasantly surprised.  The writing is decent and there is definitely a coolness/wish-fullfillment element that I think both girls and boys will enjoy.  At the end of the book there is a note that explains what science/tech in the story was real and what has not yet been invented.  It also highlights several of the real scientists mentioned in the book. Another plus is that the recorded book is read by Ramon de Ocampo, who is one of the best kid's book readers out there right now.  Even though the kids on Cruz' team are all from different countries, de Ocampo does a good job at least suggesting all their different accents.  I put the next book in the series on hold. (2019, 208 p)

What Came from the Stars by Gary D. Schmidt

 Tommy is trying to hide the dorky lunch box his grandmother gave him for his birthday, when he finds a strange necklace inside.  It seems to change and morph in his hands, and when he puts it on, he gains access to the memories and skills of an all-but-extinct race from a different planet.  As Tommy experiments with his new abilities, others are looking for the necklace, and not for noble purposes.  As inimical forces pressure Tommy to give up the necklace Tommy has to decide what he will be willing to sacrifice to save a people he understands intimately, but never met. 

This is a very interesting and original book.  Schmidt intersperses chapters from Tommy's life with ones from the foreign planet.  The ones from the other planet are written in a grand, epic style, reminding me a little of the style of Beowulf, and the chapters about Tommy are written in normal narrative style.  As the two cultures come together, the author switches more freely between the two styles.  It is very clever, but what else would I expect from Gary Schmidt?  Like all Schmidt's books, this one has a lot of heart, with a very sweet relationship between Tommy and his sister as both deal with the death of their mother.  I also liked the friendships between Tommy and his classmates. Mostly, I liked that it is different, not like all the other middle-grade fantasy/sci-fi I have read before. This, like The First Boy, is one of Schmidt's earlier books, and didn't quite have the impact of OK for Now, but it came close. (294 p. 2012)

Lost Girl by Chanda Hahn

 Wendy doesn't remember her early childhood, but is plagued by nightmares of drowning and loss. She also see shadows that other people don't see.  Peter is a member of a group of children and teens who were genetically altered in a science experiment gone wrong.  Peter's group has the task to hunt down the shadow creatures Wendy can see. When Peter and Wendy come together, sparks fly, and both begin to see that their destiny's were intertwined long ago.

I decided I hadn't read a YA novel in a long time, and this one came highly recommended.  I was a little leery since the last Peter Pan remake I read wasn't that great.  This one turned out to be much better.  I thought Ms Hahn did a great job with both Peter's and Tinkerbell's personalities, and also with working in a lot of details from the original book into the new setting.  Wendy is pretty emotional--in love one minute, in despair the next--but that is kind of how it is with YA heroines. It is the first in the series, and I am not sure I will read the rest, but I might, (which is pretty high praise for me when it comes to YA).  (320 p. 2016)

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

 Petra Pena loves the stories her grandmother tells of their Aztec ancestors.  She wants to become a storyteller, too, but her life is upended when Haley's Comet goes of course and heads towards Earth.  Petra's family is given the chance to join a few hundred who will escape the utter distruction of the earth in star ships.  She will be put in stasis and awaken 400 years later on a new planet.  It is a desperate plan, and, unfortunately, desperate people send it off course, just like the comet.  When Petra wakes up the ship has been taken over by a group of radicals who want complete unity through complete homogeneity. Petra tries desperately to hold onto her dream of being a storyteller, while trying to find her family and see a way through to a new life like the one she was promised.

This is the Newbery winner for 2022.  I have been waiting on hold for it for 6 months, and it turned out to be nothing like I expected.  First off, it is amazing that a science fiction won the Newbery Medal.  The last real SciFi to win was The Giver written about 30 years ago. This book was like The Giver in theme, crossed with Wall-E in setting.  The whole message was about the importance of diversity and culture in making a life meaningful.  I guess I can see how that message could resonate right now with so many groups clamoring for inclusivity and tollerance.  

I must admit I didn't love the book.  The scientific elements were weak, which was distracting to me. Also, as Petra was telling the other children her stories, I kept thinking, "They have been on a space ship 400 years, why would they know that word, or that term?"  I also thought there wasn't much character development. Petra goes through horrific experiences, but doesn't really change much because of them. She endures, but doesn't grow. The thing that was the biggest turn off was that most of the book felt pretty hopeless. I knew it would have something of a happy ending at last, because it was written for a middle-grade audience, but it was 98% downer and only 2% happy ending. I am being overly harsh.  I am impressed with how original it was in concept, and different from what others are writing.  I can see how lots of people will have liked it. It just wasn't my cup of tea. (2021, 336 p)

Weird Kid by Greg Van Eekhout

Fitting into junior high is tough on anyone, but it is especially hard for Jake Wind.  He has the extra challenge that he is an alien from another planet who has recently been having problems controling when he shapeshifts. He is therefore pleasantly surprised when he makes a new friend, Agnes, on the first day of school. One day when they are eating lunch together on the edge of the soccer field, a sinkhole opens up in the ground nearby.  It triggers Jake's shapeshifting urge, and also contains a kind of ooze similar to Jake's natural form.  Jake and Agnes start to investigate the mysterious sinkholes that have been popping up all over town and their investigation leads them to a ominous abandonded mall on the outskirts of town that holds a secret so big it will change their lives forever.

I picked this book on the fly when I had to find something new to listen to in a hurry.  It is a cute, if a little bit odd, middlegrade science fiction.  The characters, even the peripheral ones,  are each a bit quirky but charming.  My favorite side character was the hippy uncle, though the proctologist dad was pretty good, too. There is plenty action and 6th-grade-boy humor to keep reluctant readers engaged. This one was probably not on anyone's Newbery list last year, but I can think of lots of kids that would like it. (2021, 208 p)

Charlie Thorne and the Lost City by Stuart Gibbs

12-year-old super genius Charlie Thorne is lying low in the Galapagos Islands after her first adventure.  She knows she needs to stay off everyone's radar but she can't help volunteering at a center that protects sea turtles.  One of the workers at the center approaches her with a puzzle Charlie can't resist.  It seems to be an encoded message from Charles Darwin and it leads her on a wild adventure in search of what Darwin considered the most valuable treasure he had ever found.  She is not the only one in search of Darwin's treasure, and soon Charlie realizes she must once again team up with her brother, Dante, and the CIA, if she hopes to stay alive.

This is the second in this series, and I enjoyed it as much as the first.  I love the character of Charlie who is smart and independent, but also acts like a kid.  I also like that Gibbs includes a lot of historical, geographical and scientific information that is woven seamlessly into the narritive.  Of course, not everything in the book is scientifically accurate, but there is enough there to tempt an inquisitive reader to learn more about Darwin, his travels, and his theories.  Number 3 in the series comes out in June, and I can't wait.  (384 p. 2021)

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

 Min lives on a poor planet that is part of the 1000 Worlds confederation.  She has been raised to hide the truth about her family, that they possess ancient fox magic that allows them to both shape shift and influence other's feelings with charm.  She has always been proud of her brother Jun who was accepted in the Space Forces, so she is at first devastated, and then suspicious when a government inspector comes to tell the family that her brother has deserted his post. Min leaves home to find out what has really happened to her brother and uses her fox powers to impersonate a cadet on the same ship her brother was on.  As she investigates what happened to Jun, she finds a conspiracy concerning the fabled Dragon Pearl that threatens the security of all the 1000 Worlds.

This is a original and strange addition to the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, but I enjoyed it for its novelty. It was like Korean mythology meets Star Trek.  While the subject matter is a little odd, Lee totally pulls it off with strong world building, interesting and likeable characters, and an engaging mystery plot.  I also thought the ending was clever, but I won't say more about that.  The second in the series just came out this month, and I will definitely be putting a hold on it. (2019, 320 p)

Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan

 Ana Dakkar and her brother Dev are both students at an elite private school that focuses on marine science. Ana is nervous about her freshman trials that are coming up, a weekend of hands-on tests aboard a school owned ship.  As she and her fellow freshmen are on a bus  ride to meet up with the ship, their seaside school is attacked.  The teacher/advisor with them on the bus hurries them onto the ship anyway, and informs them that the attack was perpetrated by a rival aquatics school. Ana, realing from fear that her brother, her last surviving relative, perished in the attack, finds out that she is a direct descendant of the real Captain Nemo from the book, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  She and her classmates also discover that the Nautilus and all the amazing technology from that story is real, and evil people are after it.

I was excited to see that Mr. Riordan had started a new series, and one not connected to his earlier series.  Although I don't think this new series will make the kind of "splash" Percy Jackson did, it was a solid offering and one that Riordan fans will enjoy.  The story similar to Riordan's other books.  A kid finds out that they have inherited something special from unknown ancestors and is thrust into a situation where they need to save the world.  But in this book, the powers are based on science rather than magic.  The one thing that I think will hamper the book's popularity is that I don't think many kids have read 20,000 Leagues under the Sea or have even seen the old Disney version of it.  What works are Riordan's characters, each flawed, but each one discovering the best inside of themselves.  

One fun note, Ana's side kick, Gem, is a Mormon from Provo.  He scolds people for taking God's name in vein and talks about his missionary brother.  I like to feel that the inclusion of this character in the book was infomed by his visit to Provo Library back in 2012.  I had the opportunity to meet him then and chat over dinner with my fellow librarians.  I am sure someone must have talked about their missionary son, and maybe scolded someone about swearing?  (2021, 352 p.)