Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Katsa is a Graceling, in a land where folks who have a special grace or skill are often feared or exploited. Katsa's grace is killing, and her uncle, King Randa of Middluns, uses her to punish those who cross him. Trying to put her skills to a good use, Katsa forms The Council, an informal group of her close friends and a wide range of supporters throughout the Seven Kingdoms.

During a Council mission, Katsa first meets Prince Po of Lienid. Po is also a Graceling, graced with combat skills nearly equal to Katsa's own. Training together, they begin to learn each other's secrets. But can they trust each other enough to save Po's cousin? And work together to learn who was behind the kidnapping of Po's grandfather?

Graceling is a well written first novel, full of sword play, fist fights, adventure and even a little romance. It has been nominated for the Flume Award: New Hampshire Teen Readers' Choice.


Reviewed by Nancy Lang

Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918

Flu: The Story Of The Great Influenza Pandemic by Gina Kolata

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating account of the search for the virus that caused the 1918 Influenza pandemic. The author also covers some of what scientists have learned from flu outbreaks throughout the 20th century, including how influenza strains from pigs and chickens can be transmitted to humans (and vice versa), and how they can combine to form new, more violent, strains. She also covers the Swine Flu vaccination efforts of 1976 and the problems and lawsuits it caused for the government.

Because the book was published in 1999, I felt the story was not complete. In 1997-1998, the virus that caused the 1918 flu was finally discovered in a few samples of lung tissue preserved from victims and in a body buried in the permafrost of Alaska. Still, questions remained. What caused the flu to breakout in multiple countries at nearly the same time? Had there been a related virus traveling the world 2-3 years before that eventually emerged as the H1N1 virus of 1918? And why did the flu kill so many the 20-40 year old age range, a group that usually had the highest survival rating in other epidemics?

Flu offers an interesting history of influenza outbreaks and research. With explanations in plain English of how viruses spread and change over time, this is valuable reading for anyone worried about the current pandemic.

View all my reviews.

Elephant Run by Roland Smith

Excellent!! Amazing!!

Submitted by Olivia Dodd

Note: Elephant Run has been nominated for the 2009 Great Stone Face Award. Voting will take place during National Library Week, April 12-18.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Reviewed by Lauren Kilmister

I first heard about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins when it was recommended by Twilight author Stephenie Meyer on her website a few months ago. I didn’t think about the book again however, until a few weeks ago when I saw it in the Dunbarton Public Library. Trusting past reviews, I tried the book out – and was instantly hooked.

The overall plot of The Hunger Games is unique – teenagers fighting to the death for fortune and glory. It takes place in the future, and what used to be The United States is now a country divided into 12 districts still recovering from a brutal civil war. The Hunger Games serve as a punishment for the revolutions – a teenage boy and girl are randomly chosen from each district, 24 contestants in all, to fight to the death – a fate no one wants. In District 12 resides Katniss Everdeen, a strong-willed teen providing for her mother and younger sister. As the reader will soon discover, the course of her life is changed by The Hunger Games.

I would recommend this book to everyone if I could, but the violence insists it should be read by kids over twelve. Filled with suspense, danger, humor, and a little romance, The Hunger Games is addictive – with many hours of sleep lost to it. The Hunger Games might sound scary and a little bit stupid, but I assure you it’s worth every second you’ll spend reading it.

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X

Spiderman (or maybe Superman or Batman) meets the Men in Black in James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge's The Dangerous Days of Daniel X.

Daniel was only three when his parents were killed... and now he has to fill their role as an alien hunter. Fortunately, Daniel has some special skills... like creating people and things out of stray molecules. And he has the friends he creates to keep him company... and watch his back.

Ergent Seth, Number 6 on The List, is Daniel's next target. Seth wants to take over the Earth, eliminate the human race, and move in his horse-headed fellow creatures. In the meantime, he's kidnapping little kids and forcing them to deal drugs from his base in Malibu.

Daniel's never gone after anyone this high on The List before... can he defeat an alien whose powers may be greater than his own? Will he survive to go after his parents' killer?

Written to appeal to ages 10 to 110, Daniel X could become the next Harry Potter. It's that good!

~Nancy

Dear American Airlines

Dear American Airlines, by Jonathan Miles

Bennie Ford is just trying to get to his estranged daughter's wedding/commitment ceremony. His ticket was to take him from New York to LA, with a 45 minute stop in Chicago. Unknown circumstances force his plane to land in Peoria, where the passengers are boarded on a bus to O'Hare. Eight hours later, Bennie's still in O'Hare, and missing the rehearsal dinner. Frustrated by the delay, he begins writing a letter to American Airlines, demanding a refund.

His letter quickly dissolves into a massive missive which is part autobiography, part commentary on his fellow stranded passengers and the airport personnel, and part Polish literature... Bennie is in the process of translating a novel from Polish to English, and he includes portions in his letter.

Ranging from hilarious (some of Bennie's antics while under the influence) to heart-breaking (his mother can no longer talk, so she converses via messages written on post-it notes), Jonathan Miles has crafted a novel that gives new meaning to "airplane reading".

Magic Street

I'm listening to Magic Street by Orson Scott Card, one of the many titles available to download with our new Downloadable Audiobook Service. Mac Street was found in a plastic grocery bag near a drain pipe when he was only hours old. Adopted by the neighborhood nurse, he knows he's different. His 'cold dreams' show him the deepest desires of people in his neighborhood...and all too often, those dreams come true in the worst possible way. Who is this homeless man the professor refers to as "The Bag Man", Cecil calls "Mr. Christmas", and Mac thinks is really Puck, the trickster fairy? Who is he really? And what's with the motorcycle lady?

I finished the book...a terrific story, with lots of plot twists, exciting happenings, and secret identities revealed. A bonus on the audio version...author Orson Scott Card talks about how he came to write the book, and how the characters and plot were developed.

One note on Magic Street: The Science Fiction Book Club did label this book for explicit language, meaning it has more 'course' language than other books of the same genre and reading level.

If you like potty humor, you'll like this book.

Originally posted on the Teen Blog by Nancy in October, 2006.