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Who is Fever Crumb?
Fever Crumb, by Philip Reeve, is a prequel to the Mortal Engines Quartet, also called the Hungry City Chronicles. I haven’t read the Quartet, but enjoyed this novel on it’s own. It is a great steampunk science fiction novel with strong characters.
Fever Crumb was abandoned as a baby for unknown reasons. Left to be raised by the stoic engineers of a crumbling city in a time of unrest. Fever also may be the last of the ousted rulers of the city, and must discover her heritage and the secrets of the city if she is to survive. The story leaves off in a dark, yet hopeful ending and made me want to follow Fever in her next adventure!
A great read, full of adventure and fast paced.
~ Amy L.
Incarceron
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Finn is trapped in Incarceron, but knows there has to be a way to escape. He currently resides with a bunch of killers and thieves in the prison and can’t stand it.
Claudia is the daughter of the warden of Incarceron and is about to become the queen the area outside of the prison.
Both have found keys to communicate with the other. They don’t know how to help each other, but they are determined.
I really thought I wouldn’t like this book, but ended up loving it. It was so imaginative. The switch in narration 
between the two worlds was great. It brought you fully into both worlds. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a great fantasy novel. The audio book is available, too.
~ Lisa C.
Hunger Games : Mockingjay
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. What’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Look for this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking Hunger Games trilogy to be released in August!
While you wait for Mockingjay, check out the first two books in the Hunger Games trilogy!
~ DJC
Lock and Key
Ruby Cooper can take care of herself. It doesn’t matter that her unreliable mother has abandoned her. It doesn’t matter that she hasn’t heard from her older sister, Cora, for ten years. It doesn’t matter that she’s living alone in a decrepit house with no electricity.
She’s almost eighteen and soon no one can interfere with her life – or her heart. But all this fortitude means nothing after social services places her into the home of her long-lost sister and her wealthy brother-in-law, Jamie. Ruby keeps the key to her old house on a chain around her neck. It reminds her that she doesn’t need to make friends or fit in with anyone.
Of course, like the pond Jamie is building in the backyard, life and love come pouring in to fill the vast gaps in Ruby’s life. Handsome next door neighbor Nate seems too good to be true. Cora remembers things that Ruby never knew, and it seems that even nervous Harriett, Ruby’s boss at the jewelry kiosk at the mall, has discovered the “key” to success.
Sarah Dessen‘s Lock and Key characters seem real, her dialog rings true and her story is heartwarming.
~Laura
What’s Earth Day Without Green?
Fans of Alice Hoffman’s Green Angel will enjoy Green’s return as she confronts what she fears most and searches for lasting love in Green Witch. 
With her family gone and the boy she loves missing, Green’s world has been transformed by tragedy. As her story continues, Green sets out from her home to collect the stories of “witches” — a group women with mysterious powers. Will their stories help Green find her own heart’s desire?
~DJC
It’s Prom Season!
Readers are taken on an exhilarating ride through the terrifying side of an otherwise common event in this exciting collection of stories, aimed at older teens. With edgy writing designed to hook and captivate even the most reluctant of readers, each story is filled with strong, appealing characters who work their magic on the senses by appearing to be strong, daring, and passionate. Bestselling authors Stephenie Meyer, Kim Harrison, Meg Cabot, Lauren Myracle, and Michele Jaffe take prom mishaps to a whole new level–a truly hellish level. Re-released for 2010- check out the 2007 edition of the same.
Merchant Sets Poetry to Music
Natalie Merchant and the Brooklyn indie band Ghost Ghost have each made a musical contribution to National Poetry Month that may also help teachers and librarians expose their students to poets and their poems. Merchant, who was lead singer for 10,000 Maniacs before going solo in 1993, released her latest album, Leave Your Sleep, on April 13th. The 26-track album is based on a collection of songs adapted from poems by Jack Prelutsky, Edward Lear, Ogden Nash, e.e. cummings, and Robert Louis Stevenson, and is inspired by Merchant’s desire to expose her young daughter to complex poetry. Merchant believes poetry has a larger and more vivid life when it’s set to music. Check it out for yourself!
~ DJC
Read-a-likes for The Lovely Bones
The movie, The Lovely Bones, has recently been released on DVD. Not surprisingly, there’s been a resurgence of interest in the book of the same title, which was first published in 2002. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold, is one of those rare books that received a lot of critical praise and was a best seller. Popular with both teens and adults, it’s the story of a young girl, Suzie Salmon, who is raped and murdered by her neighbor. Suzie looks down after her death on her family, friends and neighbors and follows the aftermath of her disappearance. Although it deals with dark subject matter, the book ultimately is about love and life. If you loved The Lovely Bones and are looking for similar books, this list contains well-written tragedies that are popular with teens and that contain some of the elements of The Lovely Bones. These books should leave most of your heart intact, but will haunt you with their well-drawn characters, settings and storylines.
The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue, is the story of the rebellious Raziela Nolan, who dies in a freak 
accident, leaving behind her college sweetheart, Andrew. After her death, Razi spends the next 70 years “in between” and wondering about Andrew and his life after her. Intertwined with Razi’s story, is the story of Amy, a young woman who Razi haunts. Amy has faced some profound losses of her own. The story begins in 1920′s New Orleans, and is full of the atmosphere and mood of the time. This book is cataloged as an adult book, and so there is some sex. This is a very romantic and touching tale.
I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
Ava and her boyfriend, Jackson, promised to love each other forever. After attending Jackson’s funeral, Ava is so grief stricken that she almost doesn’t believe it when she feels his presence. As Jackson’s haunting continues, Ava wonders if she can forgive herself and if she can move on. This story is written in verse and is a very quick read.
Me, the Missing, and the Dead by Jenny Valentine
Fifteen-year-old Lucas Swain finds an urn of ashes at the taxi dispatch station and decides to properly dispose of the remains. It seems that the dead woman named Violet is communicating with him and that her mysterious death is connected with his Dad’s disappearance years earlier. This story takes place in England and combines British humor and setting with great characters and a surprise ending.
Seventeen-year-old Mia, a gifted cellist, has a wonderful, loving relationship with her family. While in a coma following an automobile accident that killed her parents and younger brother, Mia weighs whether to live with her grief or join her family in death. Mia’s boyfriend and friends join together to persuade her to stay, but ultimately, it is Mia’s choice.
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott 
Fifteen-year-old “Alice” was abducted by Ray five years ago when she was ten and on a school field trip. Alice now worries that she is getting too old for Ray, who prefers little girls. Ray now seeks her help in finding his next little girl. In the process of finding Ray’s next victim, she may have found her salvation. The book ends a bit abruptly but the story’s power is not in the resolution, but in the realistic portrayal of a victim of sexual imprisonment.
Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
Fifteen-year-old Sam is a pastor’s daughter with a lot of problems. Sam’s mother’s alcoholism resulted in a DUI and landed her in rehab; her father spends all of his time dealing with other people’s problems, but doesn’t communicate with his wife and daughter. Then, a girl from her church is abducted and the whole town turns out to search for her. Sam turns to God to help her through the issues that surround her in this complex but rewarding story.
What happens here by Tara Altebrando. 
Chloe and Lindsay have always been best friends. They moved with their families to Las Vegas from North Carolina. Now they are planning to go to Europe together. But, Lindsay has to work for the summer and is left in Las Vegas while Chloe goes to Europe with family instead. Chloe sends Lindsay postcards telling about all of the places she is enjoying Europe, and about a budding romance. Meanwhile Lindsay is brutally raped and murdered in Las Vegas. Altebrando manages to join together light teen romance with grief, murder, and regret in this fast-paced compelling story.
All We Know of Heaven by Jacqueline Mitchard
This fictional story is based on a national headline. Two best friends, Bridget and Maureen, look enough alike to be sisters. On the way to a cheering competition, there is a terrible car crash. Everyone assumes that Maureen has died, and that Bridget lies in a coma. In reality it is Maureen who is still alive. This story details how hard it is recover both emotionally and physically from a traumatic accident.
Love you, hate you, miss you by Elizabeth Scott. 
After coming out of alcohol rehabilitation, sixteen-year-old Amy sorts out conflicting emotions about her best friend Julia’s death in a car accident for which Amy feels responsible. She has to deal with her suddenly attentive parents and the kids at school who don’t know how to handle the situation. Through journaling and conversing with a boy she briefly knew before the accident, Amy comes to terms with life without Julia.
~Beth
Something New for April
