The House of Dead Maids

G/A Dunkle, Clare B. The House of Dead Maids. 2010. 147p. 978-0-8050-9116-8. 15.99.

Dunkle's novel, billing itself as "a chilling prequel to 'Wuthering Heights'" on the cover, has at its core a bizarre premise: what if Emily Bronte's housekeeper helped the "real" Heathcliff become a member of the family at Wuthering Heights? Young, timid Tabby is taken on as the nursemaid to a gruff and ill-mannered young boy at the creepy estate of Seldom House at the onset. She can tell right away that something is amiss. The young boy seems to have no name, but just be called a "heathen git" by the adults of the house. Also, the ghost of an eyeless young girl haunts her dreams. Dunkle has created a fast-moving, frightening (but not overly graphic) ghost story that will enthrall middle school readers. However, the premise is a bit muddled. According to the author's epilogue, Tabitha Ackroyd was the housekeeper to the famous Bronte family. Biographies of the Brontes indicate that Ms. Ackroyd told the Bronte sisters many frightening tales, which supposedly had a strong influence on the imagination of Emily (who went on to write "Wuthering Heights"). Are we to think that Heathcliff was a real person who Tabitha saved from pagan sacrifice at nefarious hands, and then she eventually told this bizarre tale to the Brontes? And that Emily Bronte extrapolated the novel of "Wuthering Heights" from this story? Or is Dunkle implying that the events in "Wuthering Heights" were also real? Dunkle leaves these questions unanswered.

The price of loyalty

G/A Castan, Mike. The price of loyalty. Holiday House, 2011. 150p. 978-0-8234-2268-5. 17.95

This is a first novel about Mexican-American middle schoolers and the beginning of gangs. Manny's friends from elementary school are becoming a gang. He is torn between ties to his friends and not wanting to be in a gang. This book is about peer pressure and how to maintain your own different values. Good read

Queer

General YA Non-fiction

VG/A Belge, Kathy & Bieschke, Mark. Queer: the ultimate LGBT guide for teens. Zest Books, 2011. 208 p. 9780981973340 $14.99

Belge and Bieschke have written a teen friendly book about being queer. They use the term queer to encompass the rainbow spectrum of the LGBTQ crowd. This book addresses everything from coming out and bullying to relationships and sex. Practical advice is interspersed with personal stories from the authors and historical tidbits about being queer in the United States. The authors top it off with a resource list of organizations, websites and books.

Recommended for 7th grade and up.

Sarah Mae Harper, CoLAPL- AC Bilbrew Library

Marbury Lens

High School Fiction

G/M Smith, Andrew. The Marbury Lens. Feiwel and Friends, 2010. 358p. 978-0-312-61342-6. $17.99.

Leaving a party alone and drunk, sixteen-year-old Jack is kidnapped by a seemingly trustworthy doctor offering a ride. He wakes up alone, tied up, wearing nothing but his boxer briefs. Jack barely manages to escape. He tells no one except his best friend, Connor of the traumatic event that happened to him. This is just the beginning point of where Jack’s life is turned upside down. Connor and Jack then travel to England for a summer trip. Someone claiming to know Jack approaches him, and the stranger leaves Jack a pair of purple glasses. The glasses allow Jack to see and travel to a world called Marbury. Marbury is a terrifying world torn apart by disease and war, where his best friend is his enemy and where two young boys are counting on Jack to survive. Jack cannot seem to stop visiting Marbury even though he can no longer remember what is happening in the present. Is Jack losing his grip on reality or does this desolate and horrific world actually exist? Smith’s novel is violent and dark and not for the faint of heart. While the story is compelling the ambiguous ending may leave some readers unsatisfied.
C. Campos, LAPL, Angeles Mesa

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

High School Fiction

G/A. McBride, Lish. Hold me closer, necromancer. Henry Holt, 2010. 342p. 978-0-8050-9098-7 $16.99.

Sam is a college dropout working at a fast food hamburger restaurant. He appears to be an ordinary guy with an ordinary life, but all that soon changes. Usually during break times, he and his friends like to challenge each other to a game of potato hockey. Unfortunately, one night the potato gets away from them and ends up hitting someone’s taillight. The owner of the car turns out to be no ordinary man, but a powerful necromancer and he can sense the power that Sam too has a necromancer. He issues Sam an ultimatum—join him or else. To demonstrate the seriousness of his message, he kills Sam’s friend, Brooke and sends him her head – alive and talking. Sam has one week to become Douglas’s apprentice or Douglas will go after him, his family and anyone else he cares about. Sam finds out that his mom is really a witch and he comes from a family of necromancers. His power was bound when he was born to keep him safe. However, before the week is up he finds himself a prisoner in Douglas’s home and in a cage with a beautiful were-hound named Brid. The two quickly become friends as they work together to escape Douglas’s clutches. Sam must learn to harness his latent powers to help them all before it’s too late. -C. Campos, LAPL, Angeles Mesa

Divergent

General YA Fiction

VG/A. Roth, Veronica. Divergent. HarperCollins, 2011. 496p. 978-0-06-202402-2. $17.99.

In a futuristic world, in an effort to maintain peace, society has split into five factions based on human personality: Amity, Erudite, Candor, Abnegation, and Dauntless. Working together with each faction contributing to a different sector of society; Amity members are counselors and caretakers; those in Abnegation are selfless leaders of the government; Candor members are leaders of the law, while Erudites are teachers and researchers and all are protected by the Dauntless. At sixteen each member takes part in a Choosing ceremony to decide to stay with your faction or select a different one for the rest of your life. “Faction before blood”. Your faction is more than your just family—it is where you belong. Beatrice, a member of Abnegation, chooses the freedom that Dauntless offers and renames herself Tris. However, Tris has a secret that if revealed could very well mean her death. She’s a Divergent; Tris does not fit neatly into any of the five categories. Furthermore, she has to undergo trials to prove herself worthy of Dauntless and only 10 out of all initiatives will be chosen to become members. Will she be able to survive the highly competitive trials that will not only test her physical strength but also her emotional and mental strengths as well? A dystopia novel that will entice readers and keep them engaged throughout the story. The first in a trilogy by debut author Veronica Roth. -C. Campos, LAPL, Angeles Mesa

I'll Be There

General YA Fiction

E/A Sloan, Holly Goldberg. I’ll Be There. Little Brown, 2011. 400p. 978-0-316-12278-5. 17.99.

Sam and Riddle Border were kidnapped by their father when they were very young. Since their father is a thief they are never in one place for very long and have never gone to school. Everything changes when they move to a new town and the boys meet and befriend the Bell family. Sam and Emily Bell are drawn to each other and Emily’s mother and Riddle develop a bond. When Clarence Border discovers what his sons have been up to he goes crazy and immediately leaves town with the boys again. Sam and Riddle must do everything they can to survive and help each other and hopefully get back to the Bells. Beautifully written, original story with great characters. Recommended for everyone (teens and adults). Loren Spector, LAPL, Felipe de Neve