Jennifer Bradbury's Shift was a good mystery that will appeal to older boys. Chris and Win decide to go on a cross country bike ride after graduation. Things go well at first, but then the two quarrel and split up. Chris comes homes and heads off to college, but Win never shows up, and his parents put high level detectives on the case. Chris tries to find out what has happened to Win, and uncovers a lot of information about's Win's life that he didn't know. Great cover. My only complaint-- don't stick a full page of acknowledgements at the beginning of a book. I feel oddly compelled to read them!
Sometimes, things just don't appeal or don't fit my needs. Recently had a stack like that. I feel bad, because most of these had very positive reviews.
Salamandra Drake. Dragonsdale. Decent enough drgon fantasy, but the cover is way too young, not to mention prone to damage.
Victoria Foyt. The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond. A girl and her computer. Didn't grab me.
Mary Jane Beaufrand. Primavera. My 9th grader enjoyed it, but it sat next to my chair for a long time. If I don't want to pick up a historical novel, it's not a good bet with my patrons.
Simon Holt. The Devouring. Looks like a vampire novel, but is about two children who read a book about evil creatures who suck out your soul. Apparently, when they do this, you feel a need to savage hamsters. Aside from that, it was uneven, with too much ordinary stuff about a busy father and children whose mother has left. Makes the horror all the clearer but I can see students bringing this back disappointed.
Clare Dunkle. The Sky Inside. Maybe I'm reading too much future dystopia, but I couldn't get into this tale of a suburb under a dome, and the Wonder Babies who are repossessed because they are causing trouble. If I need science fiction, I may buy it, but it didn't click.
Catherine Ryan Hyde. The Day I Killed James. Really drove me nuts. It goes back and forth in time, and all I wanted to know was what happened to James. After so much bouncing around, I no longer cared.
Shift. Hmn. Plot sounds very, very familiar. I think I started reading this one last year or two years ago... and sort of lost interest in it.
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