Pi in the Sky by Wendy Mass - OPTIONAL

Mass, Wendy  Pi in the Sky, 237 pgs. Little, Brown and Company, 2013.  $17.00.  Language: G  Mature Content: G  Violence: G

Joss is the seventh son of the Supreme Overlord.  Joss ‘ assignment in The Realm is to deliver pies.  Joss and Kal are best friends.  They were at Aunt Rae’s when sirens begin to go off.  They saw Annika looking through a telescope to view The Realm.  Everything on earth disappears.  Because Kal’s parents were on earth, they have disappeared.  Kal then disappears because he is their son.  Joss has been challenged by Gluck the Yuck, one of the PTB, to recreate the earth in order to bring Kal and his parents back and send Annika back to earth with her family.  Joss has to go to each of his six brothers to ask for help.  Joss discovers that he has many abilities that his brothers don’t and he has to learn to trust himself.  

I had a hard time getting started in the book and liking it.  But, about half way through, I was really enjoying Joss and Annika.  I loved how they worked together to solve the problem of rebuilding the earth.  It was a cute story.  

EL, MS – OPTIONAL.  M. Olsen, teacher

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey -- PUBLIC ONLY

Yancey, Rick The 5th Wave 459 pgs. Penguin Books, 2013. $18.99. Language: R (100+ swears); Sexual Content: (PG-13); Violence: R (many gruesome deaths, especially in the beginning).

The aliens came in waves -- unpredictable and carefully-planned attacks that destroyed most of humanity while preserving the Earth itself. Now it is the dawn of the 5th wave, and only a few people remain, including 16-year-old Cassie, who is both on the run and on a mission. But in order to succeed at either, she must discover a strength she never knew she had. Harder still, she needs to figure out how to stay alive in the face this newest wave, which promises to be the worst one yet.

Yancey is a skilled writer who takes readers on an emotional and suspenseful journey, complete with chills, tears, laughter, and even the thrill of romance. This phenomenal, and very intense, story would appeal to fans of Ender's Game, The Hunger Games, and Divergent. If introduced to a few key readers, it could sweep the teen population as its predecessors did. Due to its mature content, however, this one could be a hard sell in schools. The language, while warranted -- it is, after all, the end of the world -- is pretty strong, and some of the graphic scenes Yancey described made me physically ill. Despite this, I loved The 5th Wave and highly recommend it for any students or adults who can handle it.  Note: This is the first in a series.

HS, adult -- PUBLIC ONLY. Reviewed by: Caryn

Aliens in Disguise by Clete Smith-ESSENTIAL

Smith, Clete Barrett, ill. By Christian Slade. Aliens in Disguise. Disney Hyperion, 2013. Pgs. 230. Language: G, Violence: PG, Sexual Content: PG

David and Amy are back for another week at the Intergalactic Bed and Breakfast. Grandma has won a prestigious award and is off on an all-expenses paid vacation. Officer Tate is convinced she’s in trouble and ran off to help. That leaves David and May in charge of full B&B full of alien visitors. Can they handle a group of school-age aliens, a couple UFO fanatical spies, and the other adventures awaiting them?

Readers will easily identify with David and Amy and become engrossed in the two’s exploits. The plot is well-done and the humor will leave students in stitches. The readers will capture even the most reluctant readers, especially boys. EL (4-6). ESSENTIAL. Reviewer: Jessica Moody, Library Media Specialist, Olympus Jr. High.

The Assault by Brian Falkner-ADVISABLE

Falkner, Brian, The Assault. Random House, 2011. Pgs. 288. Language: PG-13 (14 swears, no “f”s), Violence: PG-13, Sexual Content: PG-13

Earth has been taken over by aliens, except for a few free territories like the Americas. Humanity is losing fast, however. Their only home is a team of six teens selected to infiltrate the enemy’s headquarters in the heart of the Australian Outback. As the recon mission stats, it goes terribly wrong and it’s apparent that there’s a spy amongst them. Can the teens figure out who has betrayed them before it’s too late?

This action-filled novel is implausible, but entertaining. The characters are likable and believable. Readers interested in science fiction novels, war, aliens, and suspense will enjoy reading this book. HS. ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Jessica Moody, Library Media Specialist, Olympus Jr. High.

The Twinning Project by Robert Lipsyte - OPTIONAL

Lipsyte, Robert The Twinning Project, 269 pgs, Clarion Books, 2012. $16.99. Language: PG (2 swears) Mature Content: G; Violence: PG. 

Tom is a rebel; he gets revenge on the bullies especially other people’s bullies and he’s very smart. But he’s constantly getting kicked out of school, and this is his last chance, but he doesn’t want to change.  His only friend is his “imaginary” twin brother who he believes lives on another planet exactly like Earth. Tom’s brother Eddie is his mirror, where Tom fights back, Eddie makes a friend; Tom plays the violin, Eddie is athletic.  But when it turns out that Eddie isn’t imaginary, and the scientists need the boys to trade worlds to save the 2 Earths, Tom, Eddie and their friends embark on an adventure.  

This novel about time travel and aliens was too strange even for Science Fiction.  While the premise offered promise, character development was shallow, the plot was thin and not very exciting.  

MS OPTIONAL Lisa Librarian