Think Twice Sarah Mlynowski

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 275

Publisher: Orchard Books

Released: 7th of April 2016

Other Books in the Series: Don't Even Think About It

What's worse than having telepathy in high school? Having telepathy in high school, and then losing it. When class 10B got their flu shots and developed the unexpected side effect of telepathy, it seemed like the worse thing ever. But two years later, they've got used to their powers. They've even come to like them. And as they prepare to leave school, they're all making exciting plans - plans that involve them being Espies. So when one by one they suddenly begin to lose their powers, they know they can't let it happen. Can they save their telepathy before it's too late? Or will they have to learn how to survive without them once again? 

What I Have to Say 

This was the perfect sequel to a truly fantastic book. I wasn't sure it would live up to the first one, or if having a sequel was even a good thing for this particular book, which worked so well as a stand alone, but this was a brilliant way to round off the story and add a little extra without detracting from the original story. 

I like the emotion that was in this book. You could really feel the fear that the espies had over loosing their powers as they fought to try and change them. 

Most of what I like about these books though is how real the characters feel. Even though a few of them are stereotypes, it gives a realistic view of how teenagers would adjust to getting telepathic powers. They don't go out fighting crime or defeating monsters, they use them to gossip with each other so people don't see or go on reality television. 

I love these two books so much. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Orchard Books for providing me with this copy for review. 

The List by Siobhan Vivian

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 384

Publisher: Mira Ink 

Released: 7th of April 2015 

It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn't matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up.

This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, "pretty" and "ugly." And it's also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two.

What I Have to Say 

This is a fantastic look into the superficial nature of high school, bullying and what other people's perceptions can do to people, good or bad. The List goes into the wide range of the actions that The List has on the people on it, showing that even if a girl gets called pretty, it's not always a good thing. 

It was really good to see the issues that the "pretty" girls face, the eating disorders, the sways in popularity and the way that having the eyes of the school on them changes how they feel themselves. It shows above all that popularity comes at a price, whether that's the easy way it's lost or the way it's gained. 

For anyone who likes stories of high school cliques, bullying and mean girls, this is a must read. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Mira Ink for providing me with this copy for review. 

Pax by Sara Pennypacker

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 304

Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books 

Released: 25th of February 2016 

Pax was only a kit when his family was killed and he was rescued by ‘his boy’, Peter. Now the country is at war and when his father enlists, Peter has no choice but to move in with his grandfather. Far worse than leaving home is the fact that he has to leave Pax behind. But before Peter spends even one night under his grandfather’s roof he sneaks out into the night, determined to find his beloved friend. This is the story of Peter, Pax, and their journeys back to each other as war rampages throughout the country.

What I Have to Say 

While this is a beautiful tale about a friendship between a fox and his boy, I found it a little slow. It seemed to drag in places and be overly action filled in others. That's not to say I didn't like it though. I loved to see Pax with the other foxes and their reaction to approaching war and Peter's journey to find him, while slower, was also filled with interesting characters and adventures. 

But beyond that, I found it dragged a little too much. I was as impatient as Peter was to get him back on the road and going after his fox friend, even though the pause was obviously so important to his development as a character. 

I know that some of the scenes from this book will stay with me for a long time and I may even reread it one day, but I think a younger me who is happier to read slower paced books may have preferred it better. 

My thanks go to Harper Collins and Netgalley for providing me with this copy to review. 

Stormwalker by Mike Revell

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 304

Publisher: Quercus

Released: 7th of June 2016 

Ever since his mother died, 11-year-old Owen has felt lost. He's drifting apart from his dad, his grades are dropping, and the only thing keeping him sane are the soccer trials coming up.

Then, in the middle of school one day, he is sucked out of real life and thrown into a desolate alternative world, a largely deserted wasteland where a menacing storm of Darkness plagues the city, threatening his life and the lives of the people who dwell there.

Terrifying as this new world is, Owen recognizes it--his dad is an author, and this is the setting of his new novel. Fueled by his grief over the loss of his mom, Owen's dad has conjured a world so real and so fraught that Owen is transported to it every time his dad sets pen to paper. And he has to live out every word in the story.

But each jump devours chunks of his real life. Owen misses days of school, and even a key soccer game that threatens his chances of having a shot at appearing in the tryouts at all. Owen desperately wants these events to stop, but doesn't want to plunge his dad any further into the well of unhappiness that threatens to drown them both. 

With social services threatening to ship Owen off to his aunt's house and his school career spiraling out of control, what if finishing the story and battling the Darkness is the only way Owen can save himself . . . and his dad?

What I Have to Say 

This book was such a lovely surprise. It was such a complex and beautiful story about grief, suffering and the road to recovery all interspersed with an intriguing Dystopia written by his father. 

I really enjoyed the chapters with the story in. It was well constructed and the presence of Owen made it funny and a refreshing take on Dystopia. I was almost disappointed when Owen woke up back in the real world, but it was that backdrop of trying to help his father recover from the death of his mother that made it as special as it was. 

The thing that made this book so special was the uniqueness of the idea. I've read plenty of books about people going into stories, but none of them have had the same grief and desire to help his dad that made it more than just the basic story. 

This book is definitely something that I'll remember for a long time. 

Mystery and Mayhem edited by Katherine Woodfine

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 304

Publisher: Egmont

Released: 5th of May 2016 

Twelve mysteries.

Twelve authors.

One challenge: can YOU solve the crimes before the heroes of the stories?

What I Have to Say 

As a massive mystery fan, this was obviously a title that I was eagerly anticipating, but I was kind of disappointed. There were some really great short stories, especially from Robin Stevens, Katherine Woodfine, Francis Hardinge and Helen Moss, but some of the earlier stories seemed a little lacking in tying things up at the end. A few left out the motive, which personally I think is pretty important in a mystery, or otherwise left things seeming a little unfinished, I think this was partly due to the shortness of each story, but I was left unsatisfied 

That said, on the whole, I enjoyed the book. I like the sections that everything was split into, meaning that you can flick through to the type of mystery you want to read, whether it's about poisons or dogs. 

Naturally, I enjoyed seeing authors I already liked, but this was also a good way to find new authors. There are some authors that I'd like to read more from, like Helen Moss and and Sally Nicholls. Also, some of the stories were connected to already established series that I hadn't heard of. This was a really good way to read a small piece as a taste of the series. 

Although I was disappointed, I would definitely recommend this to people. There were some fantastic stories from some really great authors so it's well worth reading just for those! 

3.5 stars 

My thanks go to Egmont and Netgalley for providing me with this copy to review. 

A Seven Letter Word by Kim Slater

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 305

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books 

Released: 24th of March 2016

'My name is Finlay McIntosh. I can see OK, can hear perfectly fine and I can write really, really well. But the thing is, I can't speak. I'm a st-st-st-stutterer. Hilarious, isn't it? It's like the word is there in my mouth, fully formed and then, just as it's ready to leave my lips . . . POP! It jumps and ricochets and bounces around my gob. Except it isn't funny at all, because there's not a thing I can do about it.'

Finlay's mother vanished two years ago. And ever since then his stutter has become almost unbearable. Bullied at school and ignored by his father, the only way to get out the words which are bouncing around in his head is by writing long letters to his ma which he knows she will never read, and by playing Scrabble online. But when Finlay is befriended by an online Scrabble player called Alex, everything changes. Could it be his mother secretly trying to contact him? Or is there something more sinister going on?

What  I Have to Say 

Often in books, I find that when there is dialogue to show stuttering, it just irritates me. But with A Seven Letter Word, I found it very easy to read those parts. It may be that it was well researched so the stutter was very realistic, or just that I felt more sympathy with the character, but it didn't seem to trip me up or slow down my reading or any of the other things that normally put me off. 

This book was the sort that you can fall into. The characters and the world are as easy to sympathize with and understand. Finlay'se attempts to find his mother and win the scrabble championships are ones that you can fully support and get behind.

I also really loved Maryam. I think that a fiery female former scrabble champion in a hijab was exactly what this book needed. Without her, it wouldn't have been the same book and she made a wonderful friend for Finlay while adding a bit of diversity to the book. 

With mystery, bullying and scrabble, you really can't go wrong with this A Seven Letter Word 

My thanks go to Macmillan for providing me with this copy to review. 

Knights of the Borrowed Dark by Dave Rudden

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 368

Publisher: Puffin

Released: 7th of April 2016 

Denizen Hardwick is an orphan, and his life is, well, normal. Sure, in storybooks orphans are rescued from drudgery when they discover they are a wizard or a warrior or a prophesied king. But this is real life—orphans are just kids without parents. At least that’s what Denizen thought. . . 

. 

            On a particularly dark night, the gates of Crosscaper Orphanage open to a car that almost growls with power. The car and the man in it retrieve Denizen with the promise of introducing him to a long-lost aunt. But on the ride into the city, they are attacked. Denizen soon learns that monsters can grow out of the shadows. And there is an ancient order of knights who keep them at bay. Denizen has a unique connection to these knights, but everything they tell him feels like a half-truth. If Denizen joins the order, is he fulfilling his destiny, or turning his back on everything his family did to keep him alive?

What I Have to Say 

I felt this was a good start to a series. With a series like this, the first book is always a similar story, so I find that it's best to look beyond the main story line and see what is there that sets it apart from the other books like it.

In Knights of the Borrowed Dark, the characters were the main thing that stuck out for me, there was a good range of characters with a variety of backgrounds that set them apart from each other and makes me want to know more about them. The other thing was the way that Rudden used words to evoke emotions in a way that few writers are capable. 

The only thing that really bothered me about the book was the orphanage, because orphanages don't really exist any more or at least not in the way that they were shown in the book. I can forgive it as a part of the world, but I would like to have had it explained. 

I think that this series could go either way, but that Dave Rudden has many great things in his future, I'm looking forward to seeing what he comes up with. 

3.5 stars