The Librarian Writer

Title: The Originals Author: Cat Patrick Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Publication Date: May 7, 2013 ISBN-13: 978-0316219433 304 pp. ARC provided by publisher The Originals by Cat Patrick has a great premise. Three sisters, Lizzie, Ella, and Betsy, live one life, each girl taking a different time of day. Because Lizzie, Ella, and Betsy aren't really sisters. They are clones. Their "mother" worked at a lab where they covertly cloned the three girls for a rich couple whose baby, The Original, died. Except the couple just wanted one baby and demanded the other two be destroyed. So the girls' "mother" took them and went into hiding. The three girls lived as triplets for awhile, but the doctor in charge of the lab was arrested and the government is on the lookout for girl triplets. So a scheme was concocted where Lizzie takes the morning shift, Ella takes the afternoon, and Betsy takes the night. All three of them live as ...

Title: When We Wake Author: Karen Healey Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Publication Date: March 5, 2013 ISBN-13: 978-0316200769 304 pp. ARC provided by publisher I believe that good sci-fi should be a reflection of modern society taken to an extreme. And I think Karen Healey does this with When We Wake . Tegan Oglietti is a sixteen-year-old in near future Australia. She loves music, especially the Beatles, and she believes in stuff. She believes in God, she believes in service to country (her dead father was in the military), she believes in family, and she believes that people can make a difference. She's just fallen in love for the first time and she's happy and hopeful for the future. And then she's shot by a sniper at a rally. It was an accident, really. The bullet was meant for the Prime Minister. But now Tegan is dead. Well, kind of dead. Tegan, who had donated her body to science, is put into a cyrogenic state. And then, one d...

Title: Of Poseidon Author: Anna Banks Narrated by: Rebecca Gibel Publisher: AudioGO Publication Date: December 11, 2012 ISBN-13: 978-1620642696 Listening copy via Sync I realized that my monthly Reader's Corner column had turned into a monthly audiobook review, so I thought I go ahead and just make it an actual audiobook review. I was able to stock up on some audiobooks thanks to Sync , and the first one I'll review is Of Poseidon by Anna Banks . The story centers on Emma, a good girl who follows in the shadow of her best friend, Chloe. But things change drastically when Emma and Chloe go on a vacation to Florida. First of all, Emma meets cute boy Galen, who has the same mysterious violet eyes that she has. And second, Chloe is killed in a shark attack. So begins Emma's journey as she learns about the Syrena, a type of mer-people, and her role in a battle between Syrena kingdoms. Of Poseidon is a good mix of action, romance, and humor. The big plot ...

Title: Genius Author: Steven T. Seagle Publisher: First Second Publication Date: July 9, 2013 ISBN-13: 978-1596432635 128 pp. ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley Genius , written by Steven T. Seagle and illustrated by Teddy Kristiansen, is a quiet book. A book, at times, of quiet desperation. Ted is a bona fide genius, the wunderkind that skipped grades and is expected to make a mark. Except now Ted is middle-aged and never really fulfilled all those high expectations. Ted still wants to make his mark. In fact, he needs to or he'll lose his job and his insurance, right when his wife needs some serious medical treatment. So when his father-in-law, in an Alzheimer's muddle, mentions that he used to be Einstein's bodyguard and Einstein once told him a BIG SECRET, Ted thinks his luck has changed. If only Ted can pry the secret from the lost memories of his father-in-law. But the book isn't really about Einstein's BIG SECRET. The book is about ...

Title: Winger Author: Andrew Smith Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Publication Date: May 14, 2013 ISBN-13: 978-1442444928 448 pp. ARC provided by publisher This book should come with a disclaimer. Something like WARNING: May cause spontaneous laughter. May also cause uncontrollable weeping. Winger by Andrew Smith starts off as a boarding school romp about a 14-year-old genius who plays rugby and dreams about dating his best friend, Annie, who seems out of his league because she's two years older. Ryan Dean (that's his first name) narrates the story of his junior year at a fancypants private school in the Pacific Northwest. His rugby nickname is Winger and though he call himself a skinny-ass bitch, he never backs down from a fight. He is hilarious in his accounts of life at school and they're often punctuated by the comics he draws. What could have been a delightfully fun story about Ryan Dean and his pursuit of Annie and surviv...

Title: The Theory of Everything Author: Kari Luna Publisher: Philomel Publication Date: July 11, 2013 ISBN-13: 978-0399256264 320 pp. ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley With a cover like this, you hope that the book will be as fun as it promises. Thankfully, The Theory of Everything by Kari Luna delivers on that promise. Sophie Sophia is a fourteen year old girl who moves into a new town with her mom. Again. Ever since Sophie's genius physicist dad disappeared, Sophie has been having hallucinations, or "episodes", where hearts roll off of sleeves or the school cafeteria becomes a Ramones rock video. Then Sophie meets Walt, her shaman panda, who is supposed to help guide her. Guide her to what, Sophie isn't sure, but she hopes it's her dad. Along the way, Sophie befriends Finny, who becomes her gay BFF, and cute boy Drew, who holds out a hope of normalcy for Sophie. The Theory of Everything is cute, quirky, and a mixed tape of BIG IDE...

Title: The Lord of Opium Author: Nancy Farmer Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers Publication Date: September 3, 2012 ISBN-13: 978-1442482548 432 pp. ARC provided by publisher I'm back from my summer hiatus and so happy to be able to review this book for you! I'm a huge fan of The House of Scorpion , which I listened to on audio , and am thrilled that Nancy Farmer is continuing Matt's story. I don't think it's much of a secret now that Matt is actually the clone of an evil drug lord known as El Patron and Matt was raised to be his organ donor. El Patron dies at the end of The House of Scorpion and Matt becomes the new Lord of Opium.   The Lord of Opium literally starts the next day after The House of Scorpion ends. If you haven't read The House of Scorpion , you can follow along well enough, but I highly suggest reading The House of Scorpion first. It's a different type of storytelling because it starts when Matt is very y...