It’s not long before Lisabeth must face what she has become and rides out into the world as Famine. She sees gluttony where food is wasted and witnesses the swollen stomachs of children struggling with true starvation. She finds that has the power to turn food into ash, but also to nourish those who are in need. However, if she wants to help she must find the balance within herself as well. She can help, but can she do so when it requires her to eat?

Bad things don't happen in Gentry. No floods, tornadoes, or earthquakes. No disease reaches the people of Gentry. Nothing bad happens.

Unless you count the children stolen from their cribs in the night, and offered up as human sacrifices days later. This is the price the town pays for their safety. Once a year, a child is taken and something else, something unnatural, is left in its place. The replacement is fragile, and usually doesn't survive. Parents bury the replacement and provide a headstone with their child's name on it.

That's what should have happened to Malcolm Doyle. Well, the replacement of Malcolm, anyway.

Mackie hates what he is. He lives his life just trying to blend in, and it generally works until Tate's sister is taken. Tate is determined to get her sister back, and she suspects that Mackie might be able to help her. Now, Mackie has to decide if he is willing to risk everything for Tate, by confronting the very monsters who left Mackie to die in a stranger's crib. Or will he, like the rest of the people in Gentry, choose to let Tate's sister pay the price for their safety?

In the blink of an eye, Mia's entire life is forever changed. A day that begins as a cherished "snow day," one of those days where the universe grants you a special gift, no school, soon turns in to the worst day of Mia's life. One that takes everything she has. Now she must decide if she is strong enough to survive, or if she even wants to.

Witnessing her damaged body being pulled from the wreckage of her family's car is just the beginning. She listens as friends tell her it's okay to go, and as others tell her to stay. Intensely moving, this book explores the life that Mia had and what she has lost. If I Stay is a witty and fun book that manages to take a serious situation and turn it into a beautiful discovery. I highly recommend this book, and am looking forward to the sequel Where She Went which will be available April 2011. (Already available for requests!)

-Rachel

After years of drought, famine and war the United States has collapsed and Panem has risen. Panem controls every aspect of life for the citizens in its twelve districts, from food to entertainment. As part of their “entertainment” and as a reminder that the government is in absolute control, each year they hold a competition known as the Hunger Games. Each district must provide a boy and a girl to compete in a televised game where the winner is the last one standing.

Dorky, I know, but one of my reviews made it into the monthly library newsletter! I know, I know... like I said, it's dorky for me to be excited. But I never said that I wasn't a dork. I'm a librarian. It's my nature. Anyway, here's the review in all it's glory:

Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

So a few weeks of ago, I was looking through the new books for teens and trying to decide what to order. Part of how I do that is reading through the summary of the book and deciding whether or not I would read the book. This is one of the ones I not only decided I would read (the cool cover is a plus too), but I immediately put on request so that I could be one of the first ones to get my hands on it. Yay me!

This book begins with Finnikin as a young boy who is close friends with a prince and princess of Lumatere. At least he is close to them until one horrific night when assassins enter the kingdom murdering the entire royal family and seizing the throne. In the days to come (known as the five unspeakable days), a powerful priestess is blamed and is ordered to be burned alive by the imposter king. However, before she dies she places a curse on the kingdom which allows nothing to either escape the kingdom or enter it until a rightful king returns with the exiles to retake the kingdom.

For ten years Finnikin searches the land for exiles and for any sign that the prince may still be alive. Along the way he meets Evanjalin, a girl who claims that she walks the dreams of their people and can help lead them to the royal heir. However, her unpredictable behavior makes her nearly impossible to trust. She is obviously not all she appears to be, but the truth may be more than Finnikin can handle.

When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.
 This is the lesson the D.J. becomes very familiar with over the summer. Her family seems to be on the brink of falling apart: her mother is never home, her little brother refuses to talk, and no one has heard from her two older brothers since they moved out to go to college. D.J. has essentially taken over her family’s dairy farm since her father’s accident, so who has time to talk anyway. She milks cows, mucks the stalls, oh, and helps with football training for Brian. She loves training Brian, and the more she does it the more she enjoys both football and Brian himself. Just a few problems with that, like: 1.) her dad would flip if she tried out for the team and 2.) Brian Nelson is sooo out of her league.

Through the course of the summer D.J. tries to figure out who she really is, and if what she wants is really worth going after. It might cost her everything if she speaks up, but boy does she have a lot to say. Her story is one every girl should read. It’s hilarious, romantic, and daring all tied into one neat package.