Eight Books That Will Keep You Turning Pages!

By Jan Pease

I love how new books smell and feel, are all shiny and exciting and are just waiting to be opened and shared.  Here are some new books in the juvenile and young adult areas of Litchfield Public Library.

First I’ll tell you about two books that are silly and whacky, and then we’ll get down to some more serious young adult reading.  “Just My Rotten Luck,”   by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts, is the seventh “Middle School” novel.   Yes, he’s THAT James Patterson.  The “Middle School” series would be perfect for people who loved “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” but with a bit more substance.  In this book, several important questions are answered, but the most important question of all is “Why can’t Rafe ever stay out of trouble?” 

“Cakes in Space,” by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre, is even sillier.  A

customer review at amazon.com says of this book, “My eight-year-old loves it.  I read through much of this book myself and I can’t quite figure out why. “Like the “Captain Underpants” books and the “Lunch Lady” series, these “not-so-impossible tales” are just plain fun.

 Imagine Earth devastated by heat as the sun turns into a red star.  Most of the inhabitants have

left or died, and a young woman named Tora Reynolds holds the secret of weapons her father feared would fall into the wrong hands.  Her goal is to get off the planet, as impossible as that seems.   “Burn Out” is Kristi Helvig’s first novel, and it was followed by her second novel, “Strange Skies.”    I don’t know when the third book will come out, but I’ll be watching for it.

Don’t you just hate it when we have books one and three of a trilogy but not book two?  “Unhinged,” by A.G. Howard, the second book in the

“Splintered” trilogy finally arrived.  Book one of the trilogy is “Splintered,” and book three is “Ensnared.”  The three books tell the story of a descendent of the inspiration for “Alice in Wonderland” as she tries to survive the craziness and chaos of Wonderland and her own insanity.  This is one of those trilogies that librarians tended to ignore, but fans seem to adore.

We’ve been purchasing novels by author Ilsa J. Bick that push the envelope a bit. “The Dickens Mirror” is the second book of “The Dark Passages” series, following “White Space.”    I think her perceived audience is   “new adults,” at the upper end of the young adult continuum.  She lives in Wisconsin, near a Hebrew cemetery, and sounds like an interesting person.  She says of herself, “I’m peripatetic, easily bored … and I write books.”   I passed these by at first, but later ordered them because of positive reviews.  Read them and let me know what you think.

Finally, “Pure,” by Terra Elan McVoy is one I missed when it was published, but ran across while doing some professional reading. It is highly recommended as   a coming of age story from a conservative viewpoint.  It is certainly an interesting look at friendship, faith, and betrayal.  I’d like to
know your opinion on this book.   

Summer is the perfect time to read longer books or series.  The “Splintered” series alone promises you 1200 pages of enjoyment.  See you at the library!