A Wrinkle in Time

L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time. Bantam Doubleday Books for Young Readers, New York, 1962. 211 pages.  Tr. Pbk. $6.50 ISBN 0440498058

Plot Description:

It has been over a year since Meg’s father disappeared while experimenting with the fifth dimension of time travel.  Meg’s life takes a drastic turn late one night when Meg, her mother, and younger brother Charles Wallace receive an unexpected visitor, Mrs. Whatsit who mysteriously confirms the existence of the tesseract.  Meg has no idea what a tesseract is, but her mother seems visibly shaken by the stranger’s confirmation of the tesseract’s existence.  Only Charles Wallace is unfazed by Mrs. Whatsit’s visit, having already met Mrs. Whatsit and her friends Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which.  Soon Meg, her friend Calvin and Charles Wallace will learn exactly what a tesseract is as they undertake a journey through time and space with the help of Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which, to rescue Meg’s father and the universe from an unspeakable evil.

Review:

A Wrinkle in Time is Madeleine L’Engle’s elegantly written and imaginative, classic novel that continues to resonate with readers fifty years after it was first published.  Readers will find A Wrinkle in Time to be an inventive and challenging adventure.  Meg and Charles Wallace are both faced with the obstacle of being different from their peers and both handle that difficulty very differently; Meg lashing out violently towards her peer, while Charles Wallace ignores the naysayers.  Besides the topic of being different, L’Engle also tackles the topic of family and what it really means to love someone. 

Genre:

Science Fiction

Reading Level/Interest Level:

Grades 5-6/Grades 5-10

Similar Books:

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Awards/Honors:

Newberry Award 1963

Author’s Website:

http://www.madeleinelengle.com/

The Hunger Games

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Scholastic Inc., 2008. 374 pages. $17.99 ISBN: 9780439023481

Plot Summary:

In the future after the fall of the United States, a new country called Panem has arisen, composed of twelve districts surrounding the Capitol. Every year the Capital holds the Hunger Games and demands two tributes, a boy and a girl, from each of the districts. Every child between 12 and 18 has their name entered for the Hunger Games a brutal televised competition in which only one of the tributes will survive. When her little sister, Prim, is picked as the female tribute in District 12, 16 year old Katniss immediately volunteers to take Prim’s place. Together with the male tribute, Peeta, Katniss leaves for the capital to begin training for what could be the last days of her life, with Haymitch they only tribute from District to ever win the Hunger Games. Katniss and Peeta develop a friendship that can only be doomed; as soon as they enter the arena they can trust no one, not even each other. The arena is enormous enclosed space with a man made and controlled environment. Lucky for Katniss the environment of the arena is similar to the woods near her home where she would hunt. Growing up poor and hungry Katniss is accustomed to fighting to survive, but nothing can prepare her for the turmoil of the arena. At every turn Katniss is fighting for her life against the other opponents, wildfires, poisonous gases, genetically engineered animals and whatever other devices the Capitol can dream to torture the tributes and entertain the audience.

Review:

The Hunger Games is a brilliant novel that will leave readers wanting more. Katniss is the ultimate survivor, she is clever, determined, and unlike some of her competitors compassionate. Peeta is the antithesis of Katniss, he is devoted, loyal and selfless; when he enters the arena his last thought is his own survival. Katniss’s compassion saves her time and again in the arena as does Peeta’s selflessness, proving that brute force does not always win.

Genre:

Science Fiction
Dystopian

Adventure

Reading Level/Interest Level:

Grades 5-6/Grades 6 and up

Similar Books:

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Fever Crumb by Phillip Reeve

Graceling by Kristen Cashore

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Awards:

YALSA Teen’s Top Ten 2009

YALSA Best Books for Young Adults 2009

ALA Notable Book 2009

Booklist Top Ten Science Fiction/Fantasy for Youth 2009

Children’s Choice Book Award 2009 Teen Finalist

Cybil Award 2008

Indies Choice Book Award 2009 Honor Book

Author’s Website:

http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/

The Higher Power of Lucky

Patron, Susan. The Higher Power of Lucky. 2006. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 134 pages. $16.95 ISBN: 1416901949

Plot Summary:

Ten year old Lucky lives in the small town of Hardpan, California (population 43) with her guardian Brigitte. When Lucky's mother was killed two years earlier, Lucky's father's first wife, Brigitte, moved from France to take care of Lucky. Lucky works sweeping up after the meetings in the town hall and spends the time during the meetings listening to the members’ stories about how they found their higher power. Lucky wonders how she will find her higher power someday. After Lucky finds Brigitte's passport and suitcase she is worried that Brigitte is leaving her to go back to France. Lucky decides to run away since Brigitte is leaving anyway. She packs up all her survival supplies and the urn with her mother's ashes and sets out into the desert in the midst of a dangerous dust storm.

Review:

Lucky is a lovable and spunky girl. Your heart cannot help but break for her to be so young, abandoned by her father and her mother dead. Lucky is scared that Brigette will leave her too. This is a heartwarming story about love in an unconventional family. The Higher Power of Lucky is really about Lucky’s struggle with her grief over her mother’s death and her fear of being abandoned. Lucky needs to learn how to let go and trust again.

Genre:

Realistic contemporary fiction

Reading Level/Interest Level:

4th to 7^th Grades

Similar Books:

Savvy

Awards:

Newberry Award 2007

ALA Notable Book 2007

Author’s Website:

http://susanpatron.com/

The Mark of Athena

Riordan, Rick. The Mark of Athena. Disney Hyperion Books, New York, 2012. 586 pages.  Tr. $19.99 ISBN 9781423140603

Plot Description:

The Mark of Athena begins as Annabeth and Percy are reunited at last, after months of separation thanks to the meddling of Hera/Juno.  Annabeth along with fellow demigods, Piper, Leo, and Jason, arrives in New Rome in the Argo II, a flying ship with a fire breathing, bronze, dragon figurehead.  The Romans perceive the Greeks as a threat and the Greeks barely have time to explain that the Greeks and Romans must join forces if they are to defeat Gaia’s minions and prevent her from awakening.  Percy and the Roman demigods, Hazel and Frank join the quest as the rest of the Romans drive the Argo II out of New Rome and the heroes head from the original Rome.  In Rome the heroes aim to rescue Hazel’s brother and fellow demigod Nico D’Angelo, the son of Hades, who is being held hostage by Gaia’s minions.  Annabeth, however, has her own mission in Rome, assigned to her by her mother, Athena.  Annabeth is meant to follow the mark of Athena and fight an unknown and undefeated foe in order to right and ancient slight the Roman’s committed against Athena.

Review:

The Mark of Athena is the third book in Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series and picks up right where The Son of Neptune ended.  With The Mark of Athena, Riordan delivers another fast-paced adventure fantasy that will not leave readers disappointed.  Riordan will gain new fans with this series and will please Percy Jackson fans with the return of favorite characters Percy and Annabeth.  In addition to a thrilling adventure story, readers will also learn much about figures from Greek and Roman mythology in Riordan’s latest middle grade novel.

Genre:

Adventure

Fantasy

Reading Level/Interest Level:

Grades 6-9/Grades 4-10

Similar Books:

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan

Author's Website:
http://www.rickriordan.com/home.aspx