Interesting Reader Society - Book Reviews by Young Adults

Interesting Reader Society -- School Library Journal, 07/15/2009

Having super strength and the ability to fly is amazing, right? Wrong. For Avery, superpowers are just about the last thing he needs. When he gets in trouble for trying to stop a robbery, Avery's parents send him to a school for troubled teens, and there he finds that he might not be the only one with troubles as super as his. Dull Boy is an exhilarating story that readers can easily connect with, even if they themselves lack superpowers. It has a little of something for everyone—danger, wit, and, of course, action that will keep the reader's eyes glued to the pages until the final word.

This book was hands down amazing! From the very beginning, I connected with the character of Avery because his character is written so well. He has flaws and quirks, and I found myself cheering for him every step of the way. My favorite book characters are those with plenty of individual voice and an abundance of flaws and challenges. In addition to Avery, every single character in Sarah Cross's book was rich, unique, and so well fleshed out that I could see each one in high definition in my mind's eye.

It was not only Cross’s characters that won me over—the quality of the plot exceeded most of what I've read this past year, and the cover is one of my favorites of the year. The dramatic pose of Avery flying through the title, shattering it, just draws the eye to the book. The balance between the light blue background and the brightly colored figure of Avery and the black letters makes the title pop out from the shelf.—Rachel B., age 17

Brennan, Sarah Rees. Demon’s Lexicon. S & S. June 2009. ISBN: 978-1-4169-6379-0. Gr 8 and up.

Two brothers, Alan and Nick, live in a world where surprise attacks by demon-wielding magicians looking for their deranged mother are commonplace. That is, until the duo meets the sister-brother team of Mae and Jamie. Jamie has been attacked and infected by a demon, and as a result Alan is also bitten and infected. Now they must rush to heal the infections in a journey that will create many more questions about their mother and the family's dark past.

This book is a fascinating combination of Star Wars, Harry Potter, and the Bartimaeus trilogy with entirely original characters and a breakneck plot. The ending is a fantastic surprise with a very smooth and well-planned buildup. The excellent combination of memorable characters with an intriguing plot really makes for an enjoyable read. Brennan did an excellent job of taking themes from other books and making them entirely original and exciting.

However, I did not like the cover as it made the book look more like a magical, soul-searching novel instead of an adventure-type book. Also, the writing is a little choppy; if it was smoother the great elements of the plot would flow together in a way that allows the reader to stay tuned in and hooked.—Tyler R., age 15

Draper, Sharon. Just Another Hero. Antheneum. June 2009. ISBN: 978-1-4169-0700-8. Gr 7 and up.

Just Another Hero weaves a tale about a group of teens as they go through their lives in high school. The dilemmas they face are realistically portrayed, and each character has his or her own unique flaws. The author jumps right into an interesting beginning, and the cover is great. This title completes Draper’s trilogy, which includes The Battle of Jericho (2003) and November Blues (2007).

While the book starts out strong, it quickly unwinds into a boring tale. I kept waiting, hoping, that the story would eventually amount to something. At a little over 110 pages of nothing but ramble and an occasional interesting moment, I decided the author was not going anywhere with this book anytime soon. I skipped ahead to other parts, and it still droned on.

I was disappointed in this book for so many reasons. The plot, at its core, seemed to be compelling. The author developed it way too little though, focusing more on the characters. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but each character was so flat and lifeless there really was nothing to develop. There was hardly any distinction between each individual even though they each had unique problems.

The way characters responded to situations and the way they talked was odd and not believable. Sharon Draper tried to infuse “hippin' and happenin'-ness,” mentioning iPhones and other current devices, but the way the characters talked wasn't cool at all. Each conversation was dull and lifeless. While her terminology is normally OK, Draper has an odd obsession with the word narc; I don't think I've ever heard someone casually use that in a conversation, ever. The conversations just sound like a bunch of posers trying to be cool. It was odd; such a present-day setting, but such out-of-date characters. It's too bad. If this book had dynamic characters, it really could've been polished into something well done.—Michael R., age 14

MacCullough, Carolyn. Once a Witch. Clarion. September 2009. ISBN: 978-0-547-22399-5. Gr 9 and up.

Seventeen-year-old Tamsin Greene is the only un-Talented witch in a family of them. When a mysterious man comes calling at her Grandmother’s bookstore, Tamsin finds herself impersonating her older Talented sister, Rowena, and promising to find a clock that's lost in time. As Tamsin navigates unfamiliar waters, she finds help in her Talented family friend, Gabrial, as they journey through time and discover dangerous secrets. No one is as they appear, not even Tamsin.