Reading

Reading....

Read.....

Waiting to read.....

Snakes

I cannot believe that I am enjoying a story where the main character is a snake! There is so much humour in "We Can't all be Rattlesnakes" by Patrick Jennings that I am chortling, that means laughing, along the journey of - not a rattlesnake but a gopher snake, a harmless relative, who is captured by.. well listen to his description of his captor;

"I was familiar with humans at this point only from afar, but even from there I found them a pitiable species: scaleless, fangless, clawless, nearly furless, wingless, venomless, witless. I honestly didn't understand how they had thrived so."

He ends up in a cage in Gunnar's room and immediately goes on a hunger strike. Dead mouse - no temptation there. Live mouse - a little temptation as he is getting really hungry but he did not catch it therefore it is beneath him to eat it. Breakfast, as he now calls his friend the mouse, indeed becomes his companion and the two forge an unusual and inspiring friendship.

Snake's plan of course is to escape but as he gets to know Gunnar a little bit more and is involved in his life a little bit more each day his feelings are ...gulp... changing...

But at the end of the day a snake has to do what a snake has to do.... however I think you may be surprised, or maybe not, on who he takes and more importantly, how he takes, with him.

Lots of fun!

One Down

Once upon a time there was a magical... castle. Yes, right here in "Tuesdays at the Castle" by Jessica Day George.

What can a magical castle do? Well for some reason it is on Tuesdays that the castle adds new rooms or a tower or two or changes doorways or decor just to liven things up. If it likes you it will add to your comfort and if it doesn't like you it can make life quite challenging!

King Glower the 79th is the ruler and the castle is instrumental in choosing the heirs to it and the kingdom. Rolf is the next chosen heir. He, with his sisters Lilah and Celie, leads a lovely and happy life here until King Glower and his Queen head off to meet their son Bran at Wizard School.

Disaster happens and it seems the family has been attacked and killed on their way home. Rolf, who is only 14, will be king. Except there is a group of council members along with an evil prince from a neighbouring kingdom who want to become regents and have the evil prince made the next heir.

Rolf, Lilah and especially wonderful Celie, who has a special relationship with the castle, resist and plot how to overcome these plans. First they know Rolf would soon be killed and second they feel, no, they know their father is not yet dead as his rooms in the castle have not changed.

The castle is helping them to the best of its ability until a spell seems to kill it and the children are on their own.

Lots of fun and adventure here and 3 wonderful and gutsy characters that will appeal to you.

Divergent

A couple of months ago Carmen posted about this book she had just read - "Divergent" by Veronica Roth. When I was at a bookstore recently the salesclerk was mentioning this book for those who liked "The Hunger Games" - "Divergent". Hmm - two comments from two different sources. I was intrigued.

When I was at Vancouver Kidsbooks it was on their wall of bestsellers for young adults and I picked it up. I have just finished it and it was.... very good... even great and had me so hooked as the story progressed. What an exciting ending. But for the very mature readers. (sorry Gwen!)

In a dystopian society set in Chicago the population is divided into five separate and distinct factions that are dedicated to different virtues; Candor are honest, Abnegation are selfless, Dauntless are brave, Amity are peaceful and Erudite are intelligent. When a teen turns 16 they take an aptitude test to guide them into a faction but they are also allowed to choose which faction they will dedicate the rest of their lives to.

Triss comes from Abnegation but chooses Dauntless where she is challenged by extreme tasks she must compete and succeed at or be banished into the factionless, those homeless souls dependent on the generosity of the Abnegation for survival. For her, that is not an option.

In her new surroundings she discovers a side of herself she never knew existed, she discovers the value of friendship and she discovers first love. She also discovers a plot to shake the whole system up, a deadly plot for those she loves.

This is such a gripping tale you cannot help but be caught up in it. It starts slow but builds and builds and the ending is once again only the beginning.

On My Bedside Table

Here are a few that are sitting beside my bed waiting for me to read them!


Tuesdays at the Castle - Jessica Day George


Princess of Glass - Jessica Day George


Darth Paper Strikes Back - Tom Angleberger


Conspiracy 365 - Gabrielle Lord

Trouble Twisters - Garth Nix and Sean Williams

Another Humphrey

"School Days According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney is just so good and a real favourite of so many students. Humphrey is such an engaging hamster... er character and it really is all about real life.

As he heads back to school and Room 26 he can hardly wait to see all his old friends..... except he thinks something is very wrong as there is a whole bunch of kids there that he doesn't recognize. As much as he tries to tell them they are in the wrong place nothing happens.

Poor Humphrey finally realizes life has moved on. But in his dauntless style he soon realizes there is a whole new bunch of kids with a whole new bunch of problems that he can help with!

Fantasies

I do like a good fantasy and have read a few new series these past few weeks. While I am anxiously awaiting the final book in The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini and the third book of The Beka Cooper series called Mastiff this fall, I have found one or two good ones that I think you will like.

The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima begins with "The Demon King". A good choice for the mature readers this book introduces you to characters you immediately connect to and are intrigued by who they really are and what will happen to them.

For instance Han is a reformed street thief but wears silver cuffs that cannot come off and even magically seem to grow as he grows. He travels between the mountains, where the clans live and where he feels free and accepted, and the town of Fellcastle where he is targeted by bullies and guardsmen alike. Thrown into this mix are wizards, the Princess heir named Raisa who is turning 16, her childhood friend Amon who is now a part of her Guard and Han's very good friend named Fire Dancer who has a secret of his own.

It is on a hunting trip that Han and his friend Fire Dancer come upon 3 young wizards who are up to mischief on the mountain where they are forbidden. Han takes a prized and magical amulet from one not knowing this is a dangerous artifact and will bring danger to not only Han and his family but to many of the street gangs that carve out an existence in the city. Princess Raisa also is at risk as her mother the Queen seems to be under the spell of The High Wizard and has plans for Raisa that she cannot accept.

This is a page turner, full of exciting adventures that lead right into the next installment.


The Relic Master series by Catherine Fisher, who wrote "Incarceron", begins with "The Dark City" followed by "The Lost Heiress" and "The Hidden Coronet" and finishes with"The Margrave". These books draw you in to a world where ancient relics emit a modern technology, where Keepers of these once cherished relics are now hunted by The Watch and the relics destroyed.

Galen is one of the few remaining Keepers of The Order and he and his 16 year old apprentice Raffi head to a dangerous city full of a million streets and crumbling skyscrapers where it is rumored to have a most powerful relic hidden.

These books will appeal to those students who love fantasy. It had all the elements that I look for and love; characters who exhibit bravery in the face of danger and loyalty to what they believe in and to their companions. The relationship between master and apprentice is reminiscent of Halt and Will.

Cupakes Anyone?

A new series about friends by Coco Simon is the Cupcake Diaries beginning with "Katie and the Cupcake Cure". It actually is a familiar theme where two best friends head back to school after a summer apart and one has been accepted by the popular group and deserts her geeky pal.

Katie is the one left out but as she bites into the scrumptious cupcake her mother has put into her lunch to aid in the jitters of a new school she notices 3 other girls who look like they are feeling just like her. A fast friendship begins with the new friends forming their own club that discovers the delight of delicious and decadent cupcakes.

These girls are refreshing in that they make the best out of bad ingredients.

Finally

I have read some good books by Wendy Mass and was keen to read "Finally"! Well - laugh out loud....

In this story Rory is finally turning 12 , a very exciting day as her parents have always told her she can do this and have that when she is 12. So you can imagine how she is feeling - ready to get going with being able to do so many grown-up things.

Like getting her ears pierced and shaving her legs and getting her own cell phone. Except everything she tries doesn't quite turn out the way she thinks it is going to.
ears pierced = infection
legs shaved = bloody legs
cell phone = yep its hers only to find her number was previously that of a pizza place. She gets lots and lots of phone calls for pepperoni pizzas, sometimes right in the middle of class!


Rory finds out very quickly that life really is a lot more complicated and embarrassing once you turn 12.

I think girls will really like this book a lot as Rory is a very fun and endearing character who has the ability to laugh at herself as well as be honest with herself too.

The Penderwicks

"The Penderwicks" by Jeanne Birdsall is an old fashioned yet charming story of 4 young sisters, Rosalind, 12, Skye, 11, Jane, 10 and Batty 4, who have come to stay at a cottage on a beautiful estate with their slightly forgetful and very loveable father for their summer holiday. The girls are all very different; Rosalind is the eldest and very responsible, most of the time, and has taken on her mother's role, Skye is adventurous and impetuous, Jane is imaginative and Batty is... well... 4.

Eager to explore they soon discover all sorts of wonderful things, but most of all Jeffrey, the owner's son. They certainly don't try to but they do manage to get themselves into a little trouble here and a little trouble there.... things that could happen to anyone!

An enticing book that makes you remember simpler times.

Lots of Reading

Yes, lots of reading always but just no blogging. I think after reading "Okay for Now" I was searching for a book its equal and that just didn't happen. But I kept reading and looking and hoping and here are some I enjoyed.

"Belly Up" by Stuart Gibbs was a mystery filled with fun. Henry the Hippopotamus has died at Funjungle theme park. Sad... but mysterious? Not until Teddy, who just happens to live at Funjungle with his researcher mom and wildlife photographer dad, sneaks in to view the autopsy and overhears Doc saying it was murder.

Now who would murder a hippo? Teddy has all sorts of ideas who as Henry really was a piece of work and lots of staff were quite fed up with him. So with the help of Summer McCracken, daughter of the owner, Teddy puts his own life on the line as he continues trying to find all the connections between the staff and other animals who have also died either at the zoo or enroute to it.

Teddy is a very likeable character, down to earth yet into mischief and you cannot help laughing at the descriptions of poor Henry and others.

I thoroughly enjoyed this very entertaining book.

Okay For Now

Wow....

.... this book kept me up till the wee hours of the night reading..... this book had me hooked, this book had me in tears...... this book.....

This book "Okay for Now" by Gary Schmidt is the companion book to the "The Wednesday Wars", a title I thoroughly enjoyed.

But this one is so much more.

Doug Swieteck has just moved to a small New York town where his dad has a new job. Doug is such an unlikely main character; a skinny thug who seems to hate the world, his family (with the exception of his mother who has a beautiful smile) and himself. And one would think rightly so. His father is abusive, his brother a bully and he is constantly being picked on then held responsible for things he didn't do.

He has built up walls and keeps the world out until he stumbles upon two things; amazing pictures of birds by James Audubon and a girl named Lil. Both offer Doug a view into a new world, one where their beauty is reflected back and absorbed.

Little by little Doug tiptoes into his new community; delivering groceries to a myriad of neighbours who give him the chance to prove himself, discovering his innate ability to draw and understand art with the help of a mentor, coming to grips with his disfiguring secret, seeing past the anger of the cruel high school coach, finding true friendship with the girl of his dreams.

There is such strength, such resilience and even though the ending is so not what you think it might be it just adds to the emotion this book draws from its reader.

12 Dancing Princesses X 2

Is there something in the air? I have just read not one but two stories based on the same fairy tale, "The Twelve Dancing Princesses".

The first was next years YRCA choice for Grades 7-9, "Princess of the Midnight Ball" by Jessica George where you are introduced to the story of 12 beautiful princesses who are dancing their nights away in an underworld location. It is up to a handsome and kind soldier, Galen, who has been given an invisible cloak as a reward for his thoughtfulness to an old woman and who has fallen in love with the eldest daughter Rose, to save them. Because of his infatuation he is determined to follow and free the princesses from the curse bestowed upon them as result of the wish of their mother to bear her husband a child.

But because the beauty of a fairy tale is that everyone can make it their own, Diane Zahler has also created a story around this same fairy tale called "The Thirteenth Princess".

In this retelling the twelve princesses are also forced to dance their nights away because of magical interference. But in this version they have another 13th sister, Zita, forced to live as a servant as their father believes her to be the cause of his beloved wife's death. But it is Zita who does not fall under the curse and who, with the help of the stable boy, his handsome elder brother and a mysterious old woman living in the woods, is determined to save the sisters she has grown to know and love.

I think the girls will love both.

Incarceron

Simply amazing..... that's my impression of this fantasy novel "Incarceron" by Catherine Fisher. The cover is dark and mysterious and you just know the book is going to be too.

You meet two characters in two different worlds.... Finn is a young man trapped in an underground world, a prison within a prison.... in a hierarchy of degenerates out for themselves, his only friend Keiro, his oathbrother who looks out for him.

Claudia is a young woman, the entitled and privileged daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, the prison, who is slated to marry, against her will, the next king of the kingdom where time has stood still for hundreds of years, where technology has no place unless it is to keep things as they once were.

Does this sound too confusing? As the plot falls into place you see and feel the desperation of those who are trying to escape both prisons and see how they find the key to communicate.

I am off the buy the sequel, Sapphique, tomorrow.

Very True

Have you read "Martha Walks the Dog"by Susan Meddaugh ? The picture book with the talking dog? In it there is a dog who is told by his owner he is a bad dog and because he is called bad he acts very bad... but when he is told he is a good dog, he, well, acts good. Do others opinions of us dictate who we are and how we act?

In "True (...sort of)" by Katherine Hannigan the wonderful main character is Delly. The thing about Delly is that she is always getting into trouble.... not mean trouble but trouble all the same. It all began when she was 6 and went with her family to the County Fair. Delly could not stand to see all those chickens couped up in the coup so she let them all out. She was told it was a Bad BAD thing to do and that she was bad. She believed those words and the trouble went on and on from there...

But Delly has the uncanny understanding of when something good, a surpresent, is going to come to her. ( In Delly language a surpresent is a surprise and a present) And on Saturday Delly just knows a surpresent is coming. She waits all day and finally she feels it coming.... its in a green Impala car that comes bumping and grinding into town. But to her disappointment there is nothing in the car except a pale, skinny boy wearing a too big t shirt. Delly refuses to believe this is her surpresent.

The boy turns out to be a girl, Ferris Boyd, a very special person. Special in that she does not use words or talk ever and cannot be touched. But Delly finds something in her that is fascinating and thus begins a very special friendship.

And then there is Brud, the basketball wanna be, who stumbles over words and friends as well.

I absolutely loved this story.

It demonstrates how very rare good friendship is and once found never let it go, it demonstrates that we can communicate in so many ways if we try very hard.... with a one word note that is tucked into your pocket, with a look that tells everything you are thinking or by just sitting together not doing anything. It demonstrates how Delly and the reader learn so much about life.... that by just asking questions one does not get into trouble.

Special......

The Crime of the ....

A crime has been committed... a very serious crime where $208.00 has been stolen. "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies was the beginning of the saga when siblings Evan and his younger sister Jessie battled it out to see who could make the most money selling lemonade.

The story continues in "The Lemonade Crime" when Jessie, bright and advanced for her age, particularly in math, is now in Evan's Grade 4 class and overhears Scott tell their classmates that he has just bought a very expensive Xbox 20/20. How interesting when brother Evan has just has the profits of their lemonade war, $208.00, stolen from his shorts as he is swimming in his friend's pool. The plot thickens when it is learned that Scott, also at the same friend's house, had gone to the bedroom alone, quickly changed and and even more quickly headed off.

Jessie puts two and two together and decides to confront Scott with a trial complete with judge, lawyers and jury of classmates, to prove he is, in fact, guilty of theft. Jessie thinks it is a slam dunk but does not account for the fact that members of the class love playing the new Xbox with Scott. Evan is caught up in the middle and things just seem to go from bad to worse.

Read to find out who was right, who was wrong and who did steal the money.

The Final Battle!

Do you see what is on the cover of the latest Ranger's Apprentice? The Final Battle........ I am reading it as I write and will let you know .........

A Bit of History

"The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly, a Newberry Honor Book and as well as a YRCA 2012 choice, is a detailed look into the life of an 11 year old girl in the year 1899 in Texas. A time when girls were girls, not scientists.


What are you reading today?

Another Dreamdark

I know it has been awhile..... I have been reading adult books instead of books for kids! But I am back and have been reading and tracking down some great new titles. Stay tuned.

For now I have to write about the second book of the series Dreamdark called " Silksinger" by Laini Taylor that I enjoyed so much.

After a slow start I thoroughly enjoyed her first book, "Blackbringer" and was excited to get my hands on this story that takes place shortly after the other leaves off, with champion Magpie Windwitch, her friend Talon and her loyal band of crows on the quest of finding the fire elementals, the djinn, who together will save the world from chaos and destruction.

We soon meet up with Whisper, a young faerie who is the last of her clan and who is entrusted with the task of protecting the Azazel, a long lost fire elemental, tucked safely away in her tea kettle! Another character we are introduced to is Hirik, a young male faerie with a hidden past who is set on being the champion to the Azazel. These brave and engaging fighters come together, with a host of other intriguing characters, to fight the devils who are slowly getting closer in succeeding in their goal to find Whisper and take over the world. I think you will be suitably shocked to see who is behind all this!

This book is wildly imaginative and yet seems very real. You become immersed in the history and the culture of the clans. The plot is brilliantly woven together giving us insights into these characters' minds where we are aware of their feelings, their desires, their fears. There is both humour and despair. This book is beautifully written with wonderful lyrical descriptions and I know you will be as caught up in this tale as I have been and you will not be able to put it down.

What are you reading today?

Girls and Girls

One of my ex students, Amanda, didn't like fantasy and would always ask, "Don't you have anything real?" So I used to go looking for good "real" books just for her and the others like her.... those who didn't share my love of fantasy. I did pick up two this week, both "realish" and very different from each other.

The book I finished late last night is "Close to Famous" by Joan Bauer. This book had me simply drooling over all the glorious cupcakes described and I have learned so much about cupcakes that I am inspired to go and make some and I hate to bake!

I really enjoyed this book as I have enjoyed so many of this author's in the past. In this book Foster is a 12 year old girl, fleeing with her mom in the night to get away from an ugly incident, and finally ending up in West Virginia in a small hiccup of a town. Foster is one of those girls that I admire so much. Not a whiner or complainer or a poor me, well maybe just a little when her pillowcase full of mementos gets lost, but instead she epitomizes the saying "when the going gets tough.... the tough get going".

No job? need money? Not a problem! Foster prepares some of her scrumptious cupcakes and heads over the the town's diner to share her treats. She comes away with orders for the next day and the next... Foster's goal is to be the youngest chef on tv and she is an amazing baker.

But Foster does have a problem or two of her own and the biggest is - she can't read. She is one of those kids who are so good at getting others to read for her but because Foster is that type of kid who is likeable, honest and is a straight shooter she soon has quite a few of the town folks helping her over come this particular obstacle.






The second is "Encore Edie" by Annabel Lyon. Set in Metro Vancouver, Edie is a 13 year old girl who is just having trouble with life; trouble with her sister Dexter, trouble with her cousin who has Down syndrome and has come to live near her, trouble with her new school, trouble with the school play she has involved herself in and even trouble with a boy who likes her.

Life seems very overwhelming for Edie and I think for a lot of young girls today who just get so wrapped up in themselves and forget to look at the big picture. Things do eventually resolve with Edie feeling and acting better but I can just hear the tone and voice throughout..... whatever!

What are you reading today?

The Youngest Templar - Orphan of Destiny

I have been waiting for this book, the last in the "The Youngest Templar" trilogy, for eons.

"Keeper of the Grail" the first book by Michael Spradlin was a book I very much enjoyed a while ago. Set in the Holy Lands at the time of the Crusades, the Holy Grail is placed into young Tristan's hands for safe keeping and he must deliver this most sacred of relics back to England. However, Tristan seem to be the target of another Knight Templar other than his master, one who knows who Tristan really is and also knows of his importance of his mission.

A second book, "Trail of Fate" followed where Tristan and his two friends, Robard Hode and Maryam, have managed to make it to France but the evil Sir Hugh still manages to find him and threatens once again to end his mission.

In this final book, "Orphan of Destiny", Tristan along with his two friends have made it safely back to his home in England where his beloved abbey, his home where he had been placed as a baby, has been burned to the ground. The trio makes plans to head to the safety of Sherwood Forest, an area well known to Robard, but once again Sir Hugh interferes and places everyone and everything in jeopardy.

Adventure and intrigue, suspense and secrets make this book one difficult to put down.

Dreamdark - Blackbringer

Just look at the cover of "Blackbringer", the first book of "Dreamdark" by Laini Taylor and you know this is going to be an unusual book. There is a picture of a very small fairy with tiny pointed ears, her wings aloft, holding a tiny dagger and sitting high on the back of a crow.

In fact she is scruffy, headstrong and determined. Magpie Windwitch is her name. She is not only a fairy but a very special one who, up till now, flies around the world with her band of crows, defeating devils and imprisoning them once more into bottles. But she stumbles upon evidence of a very powerful being and hurries home to Dreamdark to find out all she can in order to defeat this horror who devours all in his way.

This story is complicated at the beginning as you maneuver among the dialogue and characters who are djinns, the creators of the world and a multitude of faeries and imps, both good and bad. One particular endearing soul to both the reader and to Magpie is the warrior Talon, a Prince of Dreamdark, who is a fairy who cannot fly because of stunted wings. His determination is evident when he finds his own way of overcoming his disability.

But we finally discover who Magpie really is and why it is her birthright to overcome the Blackbringer, that creature who is about to rip open the fabric of the world.

I am amazed at the complexity of this world that the author has created where events and explanations unfold in an unexpected and detailed manner. It took me a while but I loved it. Good readers - try it.

Moon Over Manifest

This book, Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, is the Newberry Award winner of 2011. I always know a Newberry Award winner is going to be good but will it appeal? Do judges look for things that readers may not? I picked this one up, I read, I could not put down and I loved.

Once again this is a story that entwines so many things so beautifully. Abilene is a spunky 12 year old girl who has come to live in the dusty small town of Manifest in the year 1936 when her father Gideon is supposedly off to work where she can cannot go. After a life of running the rails and not having a home Abilene is determined to find out about her father's past in this town that he has sent her to and told her about through his stories.

Abilene is staying with Shady, a preacher/bartender in his church/bar, she meets Miss Sadie, a diviner, who seems to be able to read Abilene's thoughts and wishes and who tells her stories about a time years before that are connected to a box of mementos that Abliene finds under the floorboards of her room; things like a fishing lure, a cork and a skeleton key.

And she meets a whole host of townsfolk, both in real life and through these stories that ulitimately show her what she is looking for.

I think you will love Abilene and this book.

Do You Believe in Magic?

Two down and one to go.... books which involve magic that is. This one is titled "The Grimm Legacy" by Polly Shulman. Grimm refers to The Brothers Grimm, authors of a multitude of fairy tales which always have an element of magic; dancing slippers or seven league boots, artifacts which help or sometimes hinder the hero of a story.

In this book magical artifacts are a part of a very special lending Library in New York. Yes, you can actually take out and use something magical. At the beginning we meet Elizabeth, a teenage girl living with her father and stepmother and has two stepsisters. She has always loved fairy tales as they connect her to her mother. After doing a school assignment on The Brothers Grimm, Elizabeth is asked by her teacher if she would like a job at this special Library. Not fitting in at school she is anxious for the opportunity and, after a very unusual interview, she gets the job. There it is her responsibility to find old and unusual objects that people would like to borrow, like a 19th century doublet, and send them down to the main circulating area through a system of pneums.

There are 3 other pages (a term to describe the students who work there) who show her the ropes and fill her in on the mystery of some disappearing magical objects from the Grimm Collection, a very special collection that only a few people are able to access and use. They also tell her of the mysterious disappearance of two young workers. Weird things happen, magic is used and Elizabeth is torn in who to believe.

I quite liked this book with its interesting characters, of things that are not as they seem, of the very real danger of using things that could have disastrous results. Many parts kept me on the edge of my seat and I think you will like the adventure as well as the romance.

Lots of Reading..

"The Girl Who Could Fly" by Victoria Forester... loved it because of a wonderful imaginative plot and a battle of good and evil...



"The Thirteen Treasures" by Michelle Harrison... good because of the evil fairies who play havoc with Tanya.
"Neil Flambe and the Aztec Abduction" by Kevin Sylvester. Not as good as the "Marco Polo Murders" as it jumps around quite a bit and you have to concentrate a bit more but still
very entertaining character. Neil is competing in a cooking contest in Mexico when his friend is kidnapped and he tries to find her before it is too late.

"We the Children" by Andrew Clement whom I love.. but this book feels very unfinished... like they wanted to do a series so just stopped in the middle but not even at a critical point.

Benjamin 's school is going to be demolished but on this particular morning the janitor presses an old coin into Benjamin's hand along with the instruction to save the school. And then the janitor dies. More of a mystery occurs as the assistant janitor is not whom he seems and is watching Benjamin and his friend Jill as they try to figure out how to stop the wrecking ball..

The Scorch Trials

I have learned that I best write when I have just finished reading as the impact of the book is still fresh in my mind. My other recent reads over the holidays have faded and I will have to revisit them to regain their full effect.

So here it is New Years Day and I have just finished "The Scorch Trials" by James Dashner. This is the sequel to "The Maze Runner" and I will let you know now that this is not the end.

This book is for the very mature reader, ones who like "The Hunger Games" I think will like this one. But this is even darker and more evil in its theme. The characters are watched and manipulated however not for the entertainment of a country but for the survival of the world and nothing is sacred, certainly not life.

At the beginning of this book Thomas and his Gladers think they are finally safe from Wicked, the organization responsible for the Maze. Quickly they find out this is not so. There is another trial they are forced into where these few remaining boys are given the seemingly impossible task of making it across one hundred miles of vast wasteland to a safe haven while hindered by Cranks, deteriorating humans infected with a disease, and science fuelled monsters as well as horrific weather conditions; unbearable heat and severe lightning strikes.

Thrown into this equation is the fact that Thomas's friend Teresa has been taken, replaced by a boy who describes the exact same experience Thomas and his friends have gone through with one exception, the players were girls with him being the only boy.

Memories surface that describe patterns and variables being used in this trial and Thomas knows the stakes to survive have been raised.

This is such a thriller but certainly not for the faint of heart.

What are you reading today?