Cabot, Meg. Awaken.

Cabot, Meg.  Awaken.    Scholastic Press/Point  2013  346p  ISBN 978-0-545-28412-7  ms/hs VG    Fantasy    

This is the third book that continues this darker interpretation of the Persephone myth. Pierce Oliviera and John (Hades, if you will) continue to establish the ground rules of life in the underworld with their posse of characters -- Chloe, Frank, Mike, Mr. Liu -- and a host of troublesome furies and demons. While this sounds kitschy, it reads really well. The story flows with constant dialogue, much of which is filled with dark humor and sarcasm. With the readership of the book made up primarily of preteen and teenage girls, this type of storyline and dialogue will undoubtedly hit the mark. The story concludes smoothly, wrapping up a bunch of loose ends that have carried through all three books, so the assumption of this reader is that this is the conclusion of a trilogy of books.

Some of the situations and dialogue may be too much for some students at the bottom end of YA literature, so some care should be taken about who should read this book.           

Summary: In this sequel to Abandon and Underworld (and possible conclusion to a trilogy), young Pierce Oliviera finds herself adapting to life with John in the underworld, and saving Earth from the wrath of the furies. 

Underworld-Fiction, Supernatural-Fiction                    --Lynn Fisher    

Poblocki, Dan. The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe.

Poblocki, Dan.  The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe.  Scholastic Press  2013  277p  ISBN 978-0-545-40270-5  jr/sr  E-BN      Supernatural     

Gabe and his family lost everything in their apartment because of a fire and had to move in with his grandmother, who lived in a small town in a mansion surrounded by woods and forest.  The house had a history that dated back many generations and now was known as the Temple house.  Gabe’s grandmother grew up in the house, and many years ago, when she was little, she became friends with a boy who lived nearby.  Tragically the boy was discovered missing and was never found after a terrible thing happened in the house he where he lived with his aunt and uncle.  Now Gabe has uncovered something sinister that seems to be lurking in the woods, and he is not sure if whatever is out there is dead or alive!

This is a book that will keep you guessing and at the edge of your seat to the very end.  It’s a really good ghost story.                 

Ghost stories                                               --Magna Diaz

Horowitz, Anthony. Oblivion. (Book Five of The Gatekeepers)

Horowitz, Anthony.  Oblivion. (Book Five of The Gatekeepers)      Scholastic Press  2013  590   $17.99  ISBN 978-0-439-68004-2     ms/hs       Supernatural      VG-BN

Anthony Horowitz is an accomplished novelist.  His plots have ins and outs that are going to entice young readers to read all of his books.  The genre is a combination of many:  supernatural events occur in a science-fiction kind of futuristic setting!  The concept of the power of five young people is not a new one, yet this book is special because dreadful conflicts abound and there is something for every reader: cannibalism, catastrophic battles, unusual feats of survival, secret doors, and five adolescents with super powers.  Book Five is a stand-alone; however, it would be helpful for the reader to have read books 1-4 of the series to build prior knowledge.  In Book Five the five Gatekeepers are dispersed around the world after separating quickly during a typhoon, and their adventures as they try to get to Antarctica are as terrifying as they are varied and fun-filled!  Scott has become a traitor, a pawn of the Old Ones who are trying to take control of the planet.  The other four, Matt, Scarlett, Pedro and Jamie, are left to figure out how to save the world without him, an impossible task since they cannot proceed without the presence of the entire group.  Or, is it impossible?  The five meet in Oblivion, where there is subterfuge along with shape-changing creatures, apocalyptic battles, and more.  If they fail, life on earth will end.  Readers will expect a climactic event, and Horowitz doesn’t disappoint them.  The dedicated fan might figure out the resolution, but the new reader will be entertained trying to figure out how or if the world will be saved.  A well-developed plot combines with excellent character descriptions and lots of blood and gore to interest veteran readers of this genre as well as beginners who are hoping for action and conflict.

World domination-Fiction                                    --Martha Squaresky

Morris, Paula. Unbroken.

Morris, Paula.  Unbroken.  Scholastic Press/Point     2013  291p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-545-41641-2      hs    Historical  E-BN   

Rebecca Brown travels to New Orleans with her father and best friend and winds up engaged in a mysterious ghost-related adventure once again, in this sequel to Ruined: A Novel.    While working on community service projects and visiting with old friends and family, she finds herself trying to locate a necklace at the behest of a ghost, to return it to the family that was intended to receive it. The necklace has close ties to a famous artist, and Rebecca works diligently to solve the mystery and return it to its rightful owner.  Rebecca relies on old friends introduced in the previous novel, and makes some connections to that mystery in order to resolve this one.

Paula Morris has certainly done her homework in writing this extremely fast-paced, exciting mystery adventure, which takes the reader on a historical journey along with ghosts of the past in New Orleans.  Accurate depictions of people, events, and geography in New Orleans add credibility and excitement to the story.

This is a fun, fast-paced mystery that will leave the reader unable to put it down until the very end.  The reader feels like a part of the action and can relate to Rebecca with racing heart and sense of excitement. This book is great for historical fiction fans, fans of the supernatural, and reluctant readers.

New Orleans-Fiction, Ghost stories                                      --Virginia McGarvey

Bickle, Laura. The Hallowed Ones.

Bickle, Laura.    The Hallowed Ones.      Houghton Mifflin/ Graphia     311p $8.99    978-0-547-85926-2     2012  jr/sr       E-BN        Supernatural

This wholly unique novel tells the story a young Amish woman about to embark on her Rumspringa when a helicopter crashing in the cornfields and the concurrent disappearance of several members of the community cause the Elders to declare the community closed to all comings and goings.  Katie faces a more difficult challenge than missing out on her Rumspringa when she finds an injured young man at the border of their land and defies the Elders’ ruling to tend him, possibly putting everyone she knows in grave danger.

This book is deceptive.  It is not a typical “Amish girl goes out into the world, learns about herself and her faith and chooses to abandon/return to her community” story, although that is the impression it gives at the outset.  Keep reading, because the boy next door is not a sweetheart and the tattooed outsider is not a troubled high-school hooligan with a dark past and a heart of gold, just waiting to embrace the faith.  For that matter, there are reasons not to leave the farm that have nothing to do with the lure of the devil’s soda and movies.  People outside are not just disappearing, but dying horrible, gruesome deaths, and after the reader puts together the pieces it becomes apparent that someone has released a plague that essentially transforms people into thinking flesh-eaters who cannot set foot on holy ground.  In other words, this is a story about vampires, but it’s also a story about humanity, and Laura Bickle tells it masterfully.  This book contains elements of horror, but they’re fitting. One of the most amazing aspects of the novel is the believability of its characters. Katie is practical and straightforward about confronting the bloody aftermath of vampire attacks, and yet she remains very obviously a teenage girl with many of the same impulses, fears, and desires every other teenage girl on the planet feels.  Her clothing just doesn’t have zippers.  

Bickle’s research into the Amish lifestyle was obviously done carefully, and her treatment of the community is judicious, portraying its members as human beings rather than stereotypes.  This is the sort of book that should be published in hardcover so that it will have a better chance of surviving the abuse it will see when a reader carries it everywhere in order to read just a little more to see what surprises Bickle will introduce next.       

Amish–Fiction, Bioterrorism–Fiction, Horror stories       --Bethany Geleskie

Kessler, Jackie Morse. Loss (Riders of the Apocalypse)

Kessler, Jackie Morse.  Loss (Riders of the Apocalypse)     Houghton Mifflin/ Graphia     258p  $8.99 978-0-547-71215-4      hs          VG    Supernatural

Loss, a companion book to Hunger and Rage, features Billy Ballard, a boy who is bullied relentlessly at school.  Then he realizes that he’s been tricked to become one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.    

There is no doubt that the story is unique.  To bring a bullied child together with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and have him not only learn about himself, but also overcome his fears and self-doubt, is an interesting and original premise.  In addition, Kessler’s poetic writing style is sublime.  When she describes Death’s chuckle as “wind blowing through withered leaves” (p. 53), one knows that this author possesses talent in the use of literary devices and descriptive text.  The plot begins with an introduction to Billy’s pain.  His life is a contradiction; he is the victim of merciless bullying at school, but at home, he is thrust into an adult role in that he helps his mother look after his grandfather, a victim of Alzheimer’s.  Billy’s nightmares about an Ice Cream Man at the park add to the rising action, and it is when Billy begins to hear voices that the reader begins to feel a chill as well.  The conflict?  Death tells him that he is the new Horseman of Pestilence, an “honor” bestowed on him when he made a pact with the existing horseman while at the park as a child.  Billy does not want this new role and must search the world for the Ice Cream Man, AKA the White Rider, who has given up and is hiding.  During his search, he finds himself and rids the world of a creature who would destroy everyone.  His final decision?  Should he remain in his new role as the Pale Rider or should he return to be Billy Ballard once again?  Readers will either like the detailed descriptions of Billy’s journey to find the Ice Cream Man and accounts of Billy’s sometimes light, sometimes dark discussions with Death, or they will feel “stuck” in the pages of the journey, which seems to take an inordinately long time.  Regardless of how the reader reacts, the idea that one can defeat bullying is an important one for everyone.        

This book must be read carefully by a mature reader; it is best for a high-school library or for a public library for an older audience.-- Martha Squaresky 

Fantasy – Fiction, Bullying – Fiction, Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse

         

Noel, Alyson. Whisper.

Noel, Alyson.     Whisper.    Macmillan/Square Fish   215p  $7.99

978-0-312-64156-6       ms          Good        Supernatural     

Riley Bloom, a soul catcher who, by the way, is dead, is sent to catch the soul of a Roman gladiator named the Pillar of Doom.  Along the way she meets a young girl who works at cross purposes to Riley, for her own reasons.  As a result, Riley could get caught in the other girl's world.    

Riley Bloom is written in a manner that will capture the interest of middle-school girls with an interest in the supernatural.  The dialogue reads as smoothly as a dialogue between friends.  The image of a young girl pitting herself against a big, burly gladiator as well as a scheming young woman will pull readers into the story, even though much of it is told on a superficial level.  The book is an easy read that would probably lend itself to female reluctant readers.  The Immortals & Radiance series presents a world that middle-school girls with an interest in supernatural tales will find interesting.  The series presents itself as a set of titles for female, reluctant readers.                        --Lynn Fisher

Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Wisdom’s Kiss.

Murdock, Catherine Gilbert.  Wisdom’s Kiss.     Houghton Mifflin/Clarion/Graphia/Kingfisher, 2011.

284p.   $16.99.  ISBN 978-0-547-56687-0     ms/hs   Fantasy           VG-BN                      

Wisdom’s (Dizzy) impending marriage to the Duke of Farina provides the springboard to a hilarious and engaging supernatural tale, complete with a love triangle, tales of intrigue, and hints of various fairy tales.   A feisty clairvoyant barmaid, a soldier who is not what he seems to be, a princess longing for adventure, and evil conniving duchess, and an uncanny feline all fall together in an unlikely mix in this enchanting fantasy.  And Princess Ben is back as a still-resourceful queen mother.  The story is told through diaries, memoirs, encyclopedia entries, letters, biographies, and a stage play.  Murdock’s strong female characters and sense of humor, coupled with double entendres and pieces of -- and allusions to -- classic fairy tales, all make for a delightful romp.  Older readers will get the double entendres, and younger readers will enjoy the adventure.  All in all, this sort-of sequel to Princess Ben has all the makings of a wonderful yarn for a multigenerational audience.            

 Subject: Supernatural Tale     

Pat Naismith