This book is a combination of knights and magic.  Elspeth Cooper has written a swashbuckling tale with Gair as the protagonist.  Gair can fight with his sword or his magic.  He is also a shape shifter.

Magic in this land comes as “the music of power.”  This is the first in a series called “The Wild Hunt.”  In the second book more characters are introduced.

Veronica Roth’s book takes place in a futuristic dystopian society.  When Beatrice Prior turns sixteen she has to choose one of the five predetermined factions.  She discovers she is not entirely one faction but is drawn to several.  Tris (Beatrice) discovers that there is great unrest and danger as she trains to be part of the Dauntless faction.  There are some great actions scenes that make this book very exciting to read.

 One of the quotations that inspired Roth’s character Tris is written by Agamemnon, “My will is mine…..I shall not make it soft for you.”

Marie Lu has written a fast-paced science fiction thriller.  Day is a criminal and June is out to catch him.  The two teenagers are from opposite ends of the social spectrum.  Day is poor and June is rich.  June believes that Day is responsible for her brother’s death.  Day is a “Robin Hood” character and believes the government is not what it seems.  The second book in the series, Prodigy,  is also very popular with the cadets.

One of the cadets asked me about the Bluford Series of books.  I finally bought one, The Fallen by Paul Langan.  Martin Luna’s brother has been accidentally shot and killed.  The bullet was meant for his gang leader.  “And bullets don’t have names.  They cut down anyone.  Everyone.  Even eight-year-olds who are in the wrong place at the wrong time.”  This story was very touching as Martin conquers his anger and finally does the right thing for himself and his mother.

I have a fascination with the Holocaust dating back to high school when my Avon lady came to the house. My Avon lady, Hilda, had a number tattooed on her arm and I asked her about it. She told me the Germans had tattooed her arm during World War II.

Brzezinski’s book is really excellent and well researched.  He explains the different factions of Jews in Poland and why it was so hard for them to unite against the Germans in Warsaw.

I consider Ender’s Game a science fiction classic.  Card wrote, “Battle School is for training future starship captains and commodores of flotillas and admirals of the fleet.”  Andrew Scott Card created a military school of the future and the cadets love reading this book.  The battleroom scenes in null gravity are my favorite part of the book.

Tamora Pierce’s series about Beka Cooper is a fantasy mystery. The first book, Terrier, is excellent. This book is also a coming of age story as Beka deals with her family and her job. I really enjoyed reading my first book about the fantasy realm of Tortall!

Whoa, hold onto your seat!  This is one action packed book!  Pittacus Lore has written great science fiction.  My favorite character is Bernie Kosar, the dog, who is not what he seems.  I cannot wait to rent the movie and then read the other two books in the series.  The series title is “The Lorien Legacies.”

George Martin’s series is incredibly bloody and incredibly good.  This is a soap opera on a very grand scale.  Knights, queens, wizards, kings, and dragons all play a part.  Daenerys Targaryen is my favorite character of the series.  I have all five books in the series, “A Song of Ice and Fire.”  The cadets really like this series.

The final book in the Wake trilogy, Gone, was very dark but had a great ending. Morton’s fork is a recurring theme in Lisa McMann’s book. Morton’s fork is defined as “A situation involving choice between two equally undesirable outcomes.” (Wordsmith.org) The heroine, Janie, must choose between two bad outcomes. What a dilemma she has!

Janie meets her father who is also a dream catcher. He is in a coma getting ready to die when Janie finally meets him. Janie comes to terms with her alcoholic mother, the father she never knew, and her love for Cabel. The conclusion was very satisfying.

Ron Kovic’s book left me feeling horrified. The treatment of Vietnam veterans by medical personnel and the general public was shameful. I followed Kovic on his journey from patriotic American for the Vietnam War to patriotic American against the Vietnam War, and all war. Kovic explains the battle in which he was wounded at the very end of the book.

102 Minutes tells a riveting tale of “the unforgettable story of the fight to survive inside the twin towers.”  I watched a lot of the specials on TV for the tenth anniversary and was familiar with some of the survival stories.  The most fascinating part of the book was the 1968 fire code which reduced the number of stairwells required in tall buildings. (Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn page 109)

This is a very Russian book. Benioff’s telling of the siege of Leningrad in World War II is both hilarious and chilling. Lev Beniov is the story’s hero. He is thrown in jail and then sent on a quest to find a dozen eggs. I really felt like I was there during the siege, battling the Nazis. This was historical fiction at its best.

Steve Jobs’ biography by Walter Isaacson is powerful. I have bought as many Apple products as Microsoft products. The first computer I bought was an Apple IIe and then a Macintosh. It was fascinating to read about the development of the Apple machines and operating systems and Jobs’ devotion to “make great products.” Currently I own an iPod and an iPhone. I really enjoy using both of them because they are user friendly. Jobs was both an entrepreneur and an artist. Jobs wrote, “People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” Jobs was incredible at showing us the good stuff!

Leviathan takes place in an alternate world at the start of World War I. Darwinists are able to create a huge airship which is really an ecosystem, a “fabricated beastie.” Opposing the Darwinists are the Clankers who have incredible mechanical walking machines. The two main characters are fifteen year old Deryn and Alek.  Deryn is disguised as a boy so that she can volunteer for the British Navy as an airman. Alek is an Austrian prince trained in war. Alek and Deryn become allies.

Keith Thompson is the illustrator and his drawings add to the realism. The genetically engineered animals would be hard to comprehend without his drawings.

Westerfeld has written some masterful fight scenes for both Alek and Deryn.

This book gave me the creeps, but I loved it. This modern medical mystery by Richard Preston made me realize how we are connected to other primates. Through sheer luck an extremely contagious virus from Central Africa was contained in a Washington, D.C. primate lab. We may not be so lucky next time.

Miguel gets sent to Juvi for one year. He ends up in a group home and decides to run away with two other teenagers. His journey ends up being a healing process. He starts reading books in the group home and he takes some books with him when the three escape. (I love it when the hero reads a lot!)

The judge has instructed him to write in a journal and Miguel enjoys the experience of writing. The novel is written as Miguel’s diary. As the three boys make their way down the California coast each one comes to terms with his problems. Matt de la Pena's book is heart wrenching as the boys’ crimes  are revealed.

This is a funny coming-of-age novel.  Liam is seventeen and his father throws him out of the house.  It seems Liam can do nothing right. He goes to live with his gay uncle to finish high school. There are some unresolved issues in Liam’s life. Should he be true to himself or continue trying to please his father?

Kelly Going has written an insightful, hilarious novel about the complex relationship between a teen and his father.

This novel tells the story of a school shooting and its aftermath. Valerie’s boyfriend Nick shoots students at the end of his junior year. Valerie believed her “hate list” was an imaginary list, not a list Nick would take action on. Valerie goes through therapy and through flashbacks we see the Nick that she loved. Jennifer Brown’s book makes me cry and see how harmful bullying can be.

Emma Clayton has written a science fiction thriller! Mika lives in a future London where there are no animals because of the Animal Plague. Mika’s twin sister is kidnapped and the story follows his quest to find her when everyone else thinks she is dead. The Secret is revealed at the end of the book which makes the reader demand a sequel. One of my cadets read this and begged me to purchase the series. The Roar and The Whisper make up this series.