the red necklace

by Sally Gardner

I find it really too bad that the cover of this book is so "girly."  That probably will keep many guys from checking it out, which is a shame, because the main character of this book is Yann Margoza, an appealing orphan Gypsy boy who has been reared by Tetu, a dwarf with powers of the mind.  They make their living by performing in a magic show in a Paris theater.  Yann himself has limited powers which he uses in the show, but these powers seem to desert him one night when he meets Count Kalliovski, a creepy and intimidating man of the upper class, and Sido, despised daughter of the selfish and silly Marquis de Villeduval.  Set against the backdrop of the turmoil and bloodbath of the French Revolution, this story is full of intrigue and interesting historical facts.  To avoid being captured and killed by the evil count, Yann is forced to flee to London, where he is cared for by a well-to-do couple, and educated as a gentleman.  When he learns that Sido and her father are in danger, he realizes that he must return to Paris and rescue them.  In his quest to recapture his former powers and learn new ones, Yann also seeks out the Gypsy community near Paris and comes to grip with his own heritage.  I really liked this story.  It's much more than a historical novel, and Yann and Sido's story is compelling.  I'm not sure if a sequel is forthcoming, but it's possible since Gardner left plenty of loose ends.    ~reviewed by Dail Sams

Four things my Geeky-Jock-of-a-Best-Friend Must Do In Europe  
by Jane Harrington

Brady is heading off to Europe with her mother for her coming of age trip, a family tradition.  Before she leaves, her best friend Delia writes four must-do things on Brady's hand in permanent ink.  Brady spends her entire Mediterranean cruise trying to overcome her insecurities, fulfill her friend's instructions, and wash off the ink.  This is a novel in letters--the letters Brady writes home to Delia reporting on her progress and adventures in her sardonic and ironic voice.  From being dragged around Pompeii, Barcelona, and Florence by her mother, to partying with fellow shipmates, Brady has a funny take on all that happens to her.  Pure fluff, Harrington's travel novel is a really quick read and a fun piece of escapism.     ~reviewed by Dail Sams

CATCHING FIRE

By Suzanne Collins

Though Katniss and Peeta have been given a few short months of peace and prosperity following their victory in the Hunger Games, it is inevitable that Katniss, at least, would be punished by President Snow for her defiance at the end of the games. Refusing to kill Peeta has sparked rebellion in a number of the districts, infuriating government officials. Punished she is, in many and excruciating ways. The most painful way of all is the announcement by the government that she and Peeta will be going back into the arena for the Quarter Quell, the 75th anniversary of the Hunger Games. Katniss has no hope that she will survive the games a second time. Even if she could, she has already made the decision to protect Peeta as long as she can and sacrifice herself to keep him alive. Returning to the diabolical arena are a host of tributes from past games, some there just to stay alive as long as they can, but others allied together to spark further rebellion. Collins has followed up her highly acclaimed The Hunger Games with another turn in the arena guaranteed to keep readers racing through the pages and begging for more at the cliff-hanger ending. ~reviewed by Mrs. Sams

Hawkes

Harbor

S.E. Hinton

Those who have read and loved such S.E. Hinton classics as The Outsiders and Tex may have wondered if she has written anything new recently. The answer to that question is yes! After a 15-year hiatus, Hinton has come out with a new novel, but if readers are looking for another teen novel like The Outsiders, Hawkes Harbor will come as something of a shock. This dark, adult novel of Jamie Sommers, an orphan abused as a child, and terrified as an adult by an awakened vampire to the point of madness, moves too slowly to really capture, and for me, at least, was too crude and violent to engage. I wanted to stop reading every page. The plot seems inconsistent. Near the end of the book, the cruel vampire, Grenville Hawkes, is cured of his vampirism, and suddenly gains concern for the man he violently controlled for years. While I like happy endings as much as anyone, this resolution just didn't seem to fit the tension-filled beginning of this novel. S.E. Hinton's new book will not be available in the high school library, and I would be hard-pressed to recommend it to our students. There are plenty of better vampire books out there. Leave this one on the shelf. ~review by Dail Sams