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:

 

Most Popular Books - 11/3/14

The most popular book last week:

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan.

The Greek and Roman demigods will have to cooperate in order to defeat the giants released by the Earth Mother, Gaea. Then they will have to sail together to the ancient land--Greece itself--to find the Doors of Death.

Runner Up:

Ungifted by Gordon Korman

Due to an administrative mix-up, troublemaker Donovan Curtis is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students, after pulling a major prank at middle school.

Third 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.

Fourth Place:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen accidentally becomes a contender in the annual Hunger Games, a grave competition hosted by the Capitol where young boys and girls are pitted against one another in a televised fight to the death.

Fifth Place:

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.




Honorable Mention:

Most Popular Books - 10/27/14

So, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo is the most popular book again this week. This dark fantasy, one of my favorites from a couple of years ago, has a touch of a creepy feel to make it perfect reading close to Halloween.

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.

At the number two spot is Tenth Grade Bleeds, the third book in The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series by Heather Brewer. These books continue to circulate well based on the fabulous covers -- very eye catching!

Tenth grade does not bring any relief to Vlad who is finding it increasingly difficult to resist feeding on his classmates and to avoid the evil vampire D'Ablo who wants to drain his powers.

Next up is The Compound by S.A. Bodeen. It's a chilling story that captures the interest of many a reader early in the story. 

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.

Another book with a fabulous cover takes the number four spot this week. Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter is a solid entry in the Gallagher Girl series.

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.

At number five, How to Survive Middle School by Donna Gephart is a humorous look at life in middle school. 

When eleven-year-old David Greenberg's best friend makes the start of middle school even worse than he feared it could be, David becomes friends with Penny, who shares his love of television shows and posts one of their skits on YouTube, making them wildly popular--online, at least.






Honorable Mention:

 

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

Wow. That was my first response when finishing The Compound. I couldn't believe how simply "weirded out" the book made me.

Eli and his family have been living for six years in an underground bomb shelter. It's not your typical one-room bomb shelter from the fifties, but rather a lavish living space with lots of amenities. You see, Eli's dad is a multi-billionaire and was able to get his family to the "Compound" before the first nuclear bombs exploded. Well, most of his family. You see, Eli's twin brother Eddy and his grandmother had to return to the house to get Eddy's medicine and didn't make it back in time. One night, Eli was checking out the laptop, when an IM pops up. It's from Eddy and he tells him that he and Grandma are alive and well -- there was no nuclear war. Eli begins to realize that his father has locked them down in the Compound and he might be completely insane.

As I said before, I got shivers just thinking about the things Eli and his family were having to contemplate. With food supplies, especially protein, running low, their father had devised some simply awful ways in order for the family to receive the protein. Ugh! I still get shivers... The suspense and horror felt was like seeing a really bad car accident. You don't want to look, but you can't help yourself. With all the events that slowly, step-by-step, built up to the climax, I felt the ending just rushed by. I'm sure it was because I was dreading what was going to happen next. A superb horror story that will please many different readers. I can't wait to get some reactions to this book from others! I give it an A, Highly Recommended.