Reeve, Philip Black Light Express

Reeve, Philip  Black Light Express   Capstone Publishers 2018   352p   17.95  978-1-63079-096-7            ms/hs Fantasy           VG-BN Sequel to Railhead.  

Stands alone if reader familiarizes self with the glossary.  Sentient trains, fantastic aliens, thrilling escapes and action make this fantasy an exciting read. Grades 7-10         

Sequel to Railhead. Stands alone of the reader familiarizes them self with the glossary. More becomes clear as the reading progresses.  Zen Starling and his android girlfriend Nova have created a new gate.  They have no idea what they will find in the undiscovered world.  Meanwhile Threnody Noon has been named Empress and Chandni Hansa has been unfrozen from prison to serve her.  These characters all interact as new worlds are discovered and Zen hears of the Black Light Zone where he may find answers about how to return to Earth.
  In this universe connected by trains with brains traveling through gates that lead from planet, asteroid, or moon to each other, there are many things to discover.  This section of the universe has not seen humans before.  Thrilling battles, exciting escapes, political intrigue and a sense of adventure flow through the whole story.  Possibly the secrets of the Railmaker may be found in the Black Light Zone.  With no other route of escape, Zen, Nova and Threnody enter the Zone with trepidation.  They find some answers, more questions and a way forward.
  The novel ends with Nova going back into the Zone, Chandni rejoining the travelers and the three moving on.  A sequel is expected.                         Theal(1), Joan          

Roman, Dave, and John Green. Teen Boat: Race to Boatlantis.

Roman, Dave, and John Green.  Teen Boat: Race to Boatlantis.      Houghton Mifflin/Clarion      2015  150p  $14.99  ISBN 978-0-547-86563-8  ms  Graphic novel  E-BN

The sequel to TeenBoat!, this silly story about a boy named TB who transforms into a yacht whenever his ears get wet will be a hit with middle schoolers who want a fun story and bright illustrations.  They will laugh (or possibly roll their eyes) at all the boat puns throughout and crack up when they see the love story between TB’s mom and his long-lost dad, a submarine, whom he finds in Boatlantis.  TB is not a perfect character by any means, but he will be relatable whether he is in human or boat form.  The graphic novel can definitely be read as a stand-alone story.

Summary: TeenBoat (TB) is a yacht living as a teenage boy who transforms whenever his ears get wet.  He is going through the ups and downs of high school like any normal teenage boat would.  He has a crush, a best friend with a secret, a need to be popular, and of course a new TeenBot who shows up at his school who is not quite a yacht himself, but a captain’s chair.

Humor, Boats-Fiction                                        --Erin Daley

Bell, Hilari. Traitor’s Son.

Bell, Hilari.  Traitor’s Son.  Houghton Mifflin 250p  $16.99      978-0-547-19621-3  ms/hs            E-BN        Fantasy/Science fiction

This is a sequel to Trickster’s Girl.  Jase is waiting for his father’s client at the Canadian border when shooting breaks out and he dives for cover.  When he raises his head he sees a girl making signs at him, and then she throws something his way.  It looks like a medicine bag!  He just isn’t sure what is inside it.  Jase picks up the client and moves on in his Tesla car.  Since he isn’t sure what is in the bag, he decides not to tell anyone he has it until he figures out what it contains.  He does not want to be accused of drug dealing.

When Raven finds Jase, he thinks he is very lucky, because Raven is a very beautiful Native girl; however, then she shape shifts into a raven, a real one. Jase freaks out, but Raven has tied him down so that he cannot run and has to listen.  When Raven explains who she is and what is in the medicine bag, Jase wants to give it back and forget all about it, but then things get more complicated.  He discovers that he has inherited from his Native culture the ability to dream walk, and he must deal with the great powers of his dreams. Then his grandmother gets stuck in the dream world, and it is up to him to save her, as well as the world of nature, but in order to do that he will need to face his greatest fear.

This is an excellent stand-alone book.  You do not have to read the first book to understand what is happening in the second one.  The author does an excellent job of developing the story independently of Trickster’s Girl, but drops hints that the first book set up possibilities for the second book. 

Native Americans – Fiction, Fantasy – Fiction, Tricksters – Fiction    

n  Magna Diaz

Elkeles, Simone. Rules of Attraction

Elkeles, Simone. Rules of Attraction
Walker & Co 2010 326p 16.99
978-0-8027-2085-6 hs Multicultural E-BN

Carlos is remanded to live with a college professor and his family after being set up in a drug search at high school. Carlos, a bit of a smart aleck and no fan of rules, learns about love as he falls for the daughter of the professor. A feel good novel. Grades 8-12.
A sequel to Perfect Chemistry, that is similar in theme. Carlos, a Mexican American, living with his brother Alex in Colorado Springs misses his gang friends in Chicago, Carlos is dismayed when he is set up during a drug search at school by a drug dealer who has merged his drug operation with the Chicago gang. Because Carlos won’t snitch, he is remanded to live with a college professor, his wife and two children, ever mindful that the drug dealer will extract a payment from Carlos. Carlos, never a fan of rules, has a hard time settling into the professor’s family life. He and Kiara, also a high school student, butt heads over almost everything. Carlos tries to stay tough, but finds himself warming up to the unconditional love of the parents. Told in alternating chapters between Carlos and Kiara, there is humor, playful insults, and finally a realization by Kiara that Carlos is really a good guy under his bravado and machismo. Love between them blossoms through a set of challenges that they throw at each other. An insightful look at the life of a troubled Mexican American who is placed in an affluent white household. The ending is rip-roaring dangerous. Great feel good reading. Grades 8-12.
Strongly recommended where Perfect Chemistry was popular. Insightful look at the life of a troubled Mexican American who is placed in an affluent white household. A truly feel good story that will be requested by girls in grades 8-12. McNicol,Lois

Chanda's Wars by Allan Stratton

Stratton, Allan. Chanda’s Wars.
Harper Collins/Tempest, 2008, $18.99, 384p, 978-0-06-087264-9
Conflict-Fiction
Continuing the story of Chanda from the title Chanda’s Secrets, the African teen is now caring for her little brother and sister after her mother dies from AIDS in their fictional sub-Saharan country. She travels to her mother’s village to visit her family, including her grandparents and aunt who disavowed and turned away her mother when she was dying. Chanda doesn’t really want to go, but is going to make peace among the family. While she is there, her family arranges a marriage for this independent young woman. She flips out about this and runs off to the bush. Meanwhile, the rebels are invading the countryside, and kidnap her whole family, including her brother and sister. Her aunt is killed and her siblings are forced to become child soldiers. Chanda eventually teams up with the young man to whom she was to marry to rescue Soly and Iris, as well as his brother who was also kidnapped. The situations become frightening as they hunt the evil Mandiki and his rebel faction. Whereas Chanda’s Secrets focused on the problem of AIDS, this newer title focuses on the crisis of child soldiers when her siblings are kidnapped. Horrific situations make this a book best suited for grades 8 and above. Those who read the previous book will definitely want to read this title. TW

The Tide Knot (Ingo). by Helen Dunmore

Dunmore, Helen. The Tide Knot (Ingo).
Harper Collins, 2008, $17.89, 330p, 978-0-06-081856-2
Fantasy

In this sequel to Ingo, Sapphy and her family have moved from the Cornish cliffs to the seaside town of St. Pirans after the disappearance and supposed drowning of her father. Her brother Conor is trying to assimilate into the everyday world but Sapphy cannot forget that they both carry the blood of the Mer and are still drawn irresistibly to the underwater world of Ingo. She manages to evade her family and return to the sea, swimming with the Mer and visiting their world. The longer she spends in Ingo, the more difficult she finds it to return to the world of the Earth. She and Conor face the ever-increasing danger of going too deep into Ingo and breaking the balance between land and sea irrevocably. Her father returns briefly to warn her of an impending disaster, but she and Conor cannot avoid its path.
Dunmore convincingly tells of the difficult and dangerous choices that Sapphy and Conor must make and the repercussions that occur with each decision. Her lyrical writing style will engage the readers and make them anxious to read more about the undersea world of Ingo. While better read in sequence, this book can stand on its own. SO