FINISHED: 

Losure, Mary. (2012). The Fairy Ring: Or Elsie and Frances Fool the World. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
 [.]

STARTED:
DiTerlizzi, Tony. (2012). A hero for WondLa. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[The first in the series was my favorite book of 2010.  Been anticipating the followup for awhile!]

*

FINISHED:
Steward, Trenton Lee. (2012). The extraordinary education of Nicholas Benedict. New York: Little Brown.


[.]

STARTED:
Losure, Mary. (2012). The Fairy Ring: Or Elsie and Frances Fool the World. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
McMann, Lisa. (2011). The Unwanteds. New York: Aladdin.

[The society of Quill sorts 13-year olds into three categories each year:  the Wanteds (who are valued), the Necessaries (who'll be put to work), and the Unwanteds... who are punished for their creative urges by being put to death.  While Alex's twin, Aaron, is labelled a "Wanted" and goes to work for the oppressive government, Alex himself, because he once drew a house in the mud, is an Unwanted.  What Alex and the other Unwanteds don't know, however, is that being labelled an Unwanted isn't quite the sentence to death that they thought they were in for.  In fact, though the government of Quill isn't aware of this, the Unwanteds are brought to a magical, colorful place run by Mr. Today, where they will hone their creativity and learn to fight in anticipation of the day when they are discovered by Quill.  I'd say that the blurb on the cover which describes this as "Hunger Games meets Harry Potter" is actually pretty apropos.  Though hardly a substitute for either, I found this one to be SUPER compelling and quite fun.  Granted, the action moves a bit quickly and there really isn't time for much character development or relationship building (Alex does find a Hermione/Ron-ish group of pals), but the premise is intriguing and you've got me any time a major plot point revolves around a restrictive government that is called into question.  A VALUABLE lesson for the youth of today!]

STARTED:
Steward, Trenton Lee. (2012). The extraordinary education of Nicholas Benedict. New York: Little Brown.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Dumon Tak, Bibi. [Laura Watkinson, translator] (2011). Soldier bear. Grand Rapids, MI.: Eerdmans.

[Interesting (true!) story about a group of soldiers in WWII who took in a bear as their mascot, but was then made an honorary soldier because of the theraputic nature of the bear to the soldiers.  Great story, but I found the writing (maybe it's a translation issue?) to be kind of stilted and plodding.]

STARTED:
McMann, Lisa. (2011). The Unwanteds. New York: Aladdin.

[It's touted as "Harry Potter meets the Hunger Games"...  Who WOULDN'T want to read this one?!?]

*

FINISHED:
Lawrence, Caroline. (2012). The Case of the Deadly Desperados: Western Mysteries, Book One. New York: Putnam.

[ P.K. Pinkerton, a 12-year old, half Lakota indian living out in the Wild West in 1862, comes home one afternoon to find his foster parents slain and now on the run from outlaws who are after a piece of paper that P.K.’s mother entrusted to him on her deathbed; a piece of paper that would grant the bearer land believed to contain a large natural deposit of silver.   After hopping a stagecoach, P.K. finds himself in Virginia City and continually getting side-tracked on his way to get his paper notarized by engaging in a host of adventures including spending the night in an opium den while keeping watch over a prostitute, helping a guy cheat at poker, dodging bullets while disguised as a girl, and, ultimately, deep in a mine.  The first paragraph of the book reads, “My name is P.K. Pinterton and before this day is over I will be dead,” and it’s full speed ahead from there on out, with most chapters ending in classic “How will he possibly get out of this situation?” cliffhangers.  Lawrence draws a vivid and realistic depiction of the old West by including the rampant racism against Native Americans and Chinese during that time, and not shying away from gruesome details (scalping, chopping off a finger, etc.) or the fact that “soiled doves” (prostitutes) and opium dens existed in the city.  And, P.K.’s character is kept interesting and given depth by the fact that, although it is never explicitly spelled out – likely because it was never identified at the time – he is clearly operating somewhere on the autism spectrum, having a photographic memory, an amazing talent with numbers, and constantly having to consult his mental notes on what people’s various facial expressions might indicate about their motivations.  This is an explosive, nonstop beginning to what should be a rip-roaring, fun new series.  Includes a glossary of colloquial language used at the time and places and people (including Sam Clemens [a.k.a. Mark Twain]) referenced in the novel [Review based on ARC.] .]

STARTED:
Dumon Tak, Bibi. [Laura Watkinson, translator] (2011). Soldier bear. Grand Rapids, MI.: Eerdmans.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
 Tyler, Anne. (2012). The beginner's goodbye.  New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

[Well, the New York Times review that I've linked to (click title above) says that this is one is "arguably this talented author’s tritest and most predictable novel," and I might be somewhat inclined to agree.  I'll tell you, even when the book was first announced and I saw that it was going to be under 200 pages I thought, "Well, this one's going to be kind of thin..."  Thirty-something Aaron loses his wife, Dorothy, in a "freak" accident and attempts to move forward, occasionally seeing Dorothy at random places and times.  There are definite shades of The Accidental Tourist (Random House, 1985) here (the main character works in publishing a series of "how to"-ish books, his sister ends up with someone Aaron knows) which made this one seem like a bit of retread, though I enjoyed hearing about Aaron and Dorothy's "unconventional" relationship because it reminded me a bit of my own...]

STARTED:
Lawrence, Caroline. (2012). The Case of the Deadly Desperados: Western Mysteries, Book One.  New York: Putnam.

[Reviewing for ACL...]

*

FINISHED:
 Wood, Maryrose. (2012). The unseen guest [The incorrigible children of Ashton Place #3]. New York: Balzer + Bray.

[Not my favorite of the 3 so far, but it's still a highly entertaining series.  Much like the TV show LOST (best. show. ever.) she seems to be presenting a whole bunch of clues to something (but, what??), and asking a whole bunch questions and not answering any of them.  In this one, the Widow Ashton comes to visit her son with her new boyfriend and their pet ostrich in tow.  When the ostrich mysteriously gets away, Penelope and the three incorrigibles head off into the forest to find it, eventually having to spend the night in a cave - a cave which Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia seems to know only too well...]

STARTED:
Tyler, Anne. (2012). The beginner's goodbye. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

[NEW ANNE TYLER! NEW ANNE TYLER!!]

*

FINISHED:
Shelton, Dave. (2012). A boy and a bear in a boat. New York: David Fickling.

[Life of Pi meets Waiting for Godot... for kids!
That sounds like a joke, but it’s not.) This existential and esoteric title involves a boy who jumps in a rowboat captained by a bear and asks to be taken to the “other side” of a vast expanse of water.  What follows is 300 pages of hilariously dry, meaningless “action” including:  for a whole chapter the two play “I spy” with the only things to really spy being the sea and the sky (“Um, what did you say it began with again?” said the bear.  “S,” said the boy.  Like everything we’ve spied for the last hour, he thought.); the bear assures the boy that he knows where he’s going by pointing to a spot on an all blue map (“The boy was speechless.  A single tear traced a route down his cheek.  ‘No need to cry with joy,’ said the bear.  ‘It’s all part of the service.’”); and encounters with a terrifying creature from the deep (“Don’t hit him!” shouted the boy.  “Ask him if he knows the way!”) and a ghost ship (“What do you smell now?” said the boy.  “Danger!” said the bear.  “…or maybe marmalade.”).  The text is littered with cute, simple spot art every couple of pages which show a good amount of emotion (the bear is sticking his tongue out of the side of his mouth while tying a fishing fly), and the chapters are episodic, relatively short, and easily digestible.  Although I fear this one might not get the response that it deserves, it sure made me laugh out loud!]

STARTED:
Wood, Maryrose. (2012). The unseen guest [The incorrigible children of Ashton Place #3]. New York: Balzer + Bray.

[Loving this series - they're pretty darned hilarious and clever...]

*

FINISHED:
Hall, Teri. (2011). Away. New York: Dial/Penguin.

[.]

STARTED:
Shelton, Dave. (2012). A boy and a bear in a boat. New York: David Fickling.

[We were talking about whether or not to get this one at SFPL and couldn't decide - so I took it to read because it instantly made me think of The Life of Pi which I LOVED.]

*

FINISHED:
Mull, Brandon. (2012). Seeds of rebellion (Beyonders #2). New York: Aladdin.

[Well, this one suffered a bit from the "middle book" syndrome. It really seemed like not a whole lot happened in this one, even though it was almost 500 pages and took me way too long to read. There was a bunch of stuff presented that it seemed was set up for the final installment in the trilogy, and there were WAY too many characters and places (some of which weren't even included on the map at the beginning) to keep track of. Jason took a bit of a backseat and didn't really have a whole lot to do in this one, though the Rachel character was definitely given a greater role and it would appear that the powers she is developing will play a large part in Maldor's downfall. I'm still a Brandon Mull fan and eagerly await not only the conclusion to this series, but all other works from him in the future.]

STARTED:
Hall, Teri. (2011). Away. New York: Dial/Penguin.

[.]

*