Most Popular Books - 11/10/14

Most Popular:

Shadow and Bone
by Leigh Bardugo

Orphaned by the Border Wars, Alina Starkov is taken from obscurity and her only friend, Mal, to become the protegé of the mysterious Darkling, who trains her to join the magical elite in the belief that she is the Sun Summoner, who can destroy the monsters of the Fold.

Second Place:

The Compound
by S. A. Bodeen

Fifteen-year-old Eli, locked inside a radiation-proof compound built by his father to keep them safe following a nuclear attack, begins to question his future, as well as his father's grip on sanity as the family's situation steadily disintegrates over the course of six years.

Third Place:

Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover
by Ally Carter

Cammie Morgan visits her roommate Macey in Boston and the two escape a kidnappers' plot using their espionage skills, and when Macey goes on the campaign trail with her father, the vice-presidential nominee, Cammie and other friends use their spy training as part of the security team.

Fourth Place:

Explorer: The Mystery Boxes
edited by Kazu Kibuishi

An anthology of short graphic works by such artists as Kazu Kibuishi, Dave Roman, and Raina Telgemeier, all on the theme of a mysterious box and the marvels, or mayhem, inside.

Fifth Place:

Found
by Margaret Peterson Haddix

When thirteen-year-olds Jonah and Chip, who are both adopted, learn they were discovered on a plane that appeared out of nowhere, full of babies with no adults on board, they realize that they have uncovered a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces, each trying to repair the fabric of time.




Honorable Mention:

 

Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Ever since watching the preview for Found during last year's book fair, I've been intrigued by this book. Unfortunately, everyone else was intrigued as well and I wasn't able to read it during the year, since it was always check out. Thankfully, it's included on this year's Lone Star reading list and I've put those at the top of my to read list this summer.

Jonah's life has been that of a typical seventh-grader. He likes to play basketball, has a younger sister that bothers him, and parents that can be embarrassing. The only thing that makes him out of the ordinary? He's adopted. It's not that big of a deal to him, since he's known that as long as he can remember. When he receives a strange message in the mail that says, "You are one of the missing," he thinks it's weird and wonders who sent it. When he receives a second one that says, "Beware! They're coming back to get you," he gets a little more nervous, especially when his friend, Chip, received the exact same letters and was also adopted 13 years ago. Jonah and Chip decide to investigate the strange letters and their adoptions. After Jonah and Chip discover that they were two of 36 babies that strangely appeared in a plane at the airport, their detective work leads them smack dab in the middle of a mystery involving the FBI, kidnapping, and strange men that appear and disappear right in front of their eyes.

I think students will love this book, because it's fast-paced and contains plenty of suspense. Each chapter ends with a cliff-hanger that will have you wanting to read just one more chapter, and then, just one more until you reach the end of the book. It's not the end of the story, though. There's enough of a tease to leave you waiting impatiently for the next book in Jonah and Chip's story. I give Found a B, Recommended.