The Scorpio Races

The Scorpio Races

by Maggie Stiefvater

Some race to win. Others race to survive.

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.
Some riders live.
Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a choice. So she enters the competition - the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen. (description from Amazon.com)

Wow. I apologize to anyone who previously told me that I needed to read this book...

I picked it up at BEA *last year* because the premise just sounded soooo cool.  Then I remembered how much I, uh, did not really enjoy Shiver and I put off reading it forever...

Now. Now I am kicking myself.  Whatever it was that did not work about Stiefvater's writing style for me in her earlier books, it totally clicked here.

I LOVED The Scorpio Races.  It was lyrical. It was gritty. It was the perfect mix of folktale and old-style cautionary fairy tale that I just can't seem to read enough. There was romance in a very realistic way. There were killer water horses that were beautiful and enticing and thoroughly deadly. There were word choices that just sang in my ears. Stiefvater really knocked this one out of the park!

I also want to mention that I listened to this book as an audiobook and I think it was phenomenally done.  The actors chosen perfectly suited their characters and the tone of the book was great on audio. My only problem was that when it came to nearing the end, I couldn't sit in the car long enough to finish it!! I finally broke down and read the last fifty pages or so.

I loved this book enough to give it a coveted GOLD STAR.

And...here is me echoing the words of those before me...

If you haven't read this one, yet, WELL WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Read it. Really. 

Full disclosure: ARC received at BEA 2011

The Hollow

The Hollow
by Jessica Verday

When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead…and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special.

Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity. (description from Amazon.com)

After having met Jessica Verday on the Ghost and Graves tour at the Otis Library in Norwich, CT, I had to read this book. The setting, in Sleepy Hollow (yes, of the famous legend!) made this book! It was just the right amount of spooky and fit beautifully with the grieving tone of Abbey's mourning.

Abbey spends her time making perfumes, preparing her business plan, and hanging out at the graveyard. (The descriptions of the perfume making process totally drew me in and now I really want to go and try it out myself!) Though others think her a "freak," Abbey's withdrawal makes sense and feels right. Plus, what everyone else doesn't know is that she's no longer hanging out at the graveyard or by the Crane River alone.

I really liked Abbey's relationship with her parents, her new friend Ben, and with Nicholas and Katie, the cemetery caretakers. Each felt spot-on for the point Abbey's at in her life. The only relationship I sometimes questioned was the one that develops with Caspian...in part because Verday does some excellent foreshadowing and I kept picking up on the fact that things were not as they seem! I liked the romance, but sometimes Abbey just got a little melodramatic for me...I also felt like there were moments when I wanted her to be bolder, but then again there were moments when she was way more direct than I ever could be!

All in all, I will definitely need to read The Haunted A.S.A.P. since this one ended with a great cliffhanger. If you love the paranormal, check this book out...and then you might even want to reread The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I know I'm going to... :)

Full disclosure: Book signed by author at event, audio book sent to review for AudioFile

Mackenzie Blue: Friends Forever

Friends Forever
by Tina Wells
Mackenzie Blue, book three

Mackenzie Blue is hitting the trails!

It's time for Brookdale Academy's camping field trip, but Zee has much more to deal with than a lesson about nature.

I'm not sure how I feel about spending an entire week in the woods away from home.

Pros: 1. My BFF, Ally, is visiting all the way from Paris! Ooh la la!
2. My friends and I are so going to win the environmental scavenger hunt!

Cons: 1. We have to stay in teeny-tiny log cabins. How will we all fit?
2. The legendary (and terrifying) Mountain Man...

Zee is determined to have a great time at Brookdale Mountain, but when her friends stop getting along she can't help but wonder: Will the trip be a bust?

This is a series I wish had been around when I was entering middle school. Mackenzie is such a relatable character...she's started a new school, her BFF moved away so she had to make all new friends, and she's starting to have real feelings for boys.

What makes Zee stand out, though, is that even when she's unsure or scared, she's still herself. She's unapologetic about the things she likes and she really cares about everyone around her. She is a fantastic role-model for tween readers! Zee likes to customize her clothes, room, accessories...everything. She is in an awesome new band. She loves adventure and wants to be a rock star.
I want to be Zee!!

In her newest adventure, Zee and the other "Beans" head out on the school's week-long camping trip. Zee has never been away from home before and is somewhat anxious. When she starts to have encounters with the legendary "Mountain Man" her tension really amps up. Add to that, awful stomachaches, her fears that the band might be breaking up, and her two girl BFFs not getting along, and Zee is facing one stressful trip!

Wells does a great job building tension, exploring tweens' fears and feelings, building awesome friendships and even popping in environmental and social concern issues without overwhelming the characters and basic plotline. It flows really well and is fun to read.

Tween girls will love this series as it is peppered with diary entries, drawings, instant messages, emails, and lots of "things" to look at along the way. If they liked Diary of a Wimpy Kid definitely steer them in this direction.

Don't forget to check out Mackenzie Blue and The Secret Crush!

Highly recommended for the tween set.

Full disclosure: Provided by publisher for review