The Maze Runner

As our school librarian said to me last week- you haven't read this YET? Well, I can now say I have. Maze Runner is about a boy named Thomas who wakes up in a box. As he is lifted out, he is greeted by a community of boys who have no idea how they got there in the Glades- and this ain't Florida my friends. The community is surrounded be a GIGANTIC maze that the boys have to try and solve. Only the runners are allowed to be in the maze and Thomas is sure he wants to be a runner, in fact, he remembers he once was a runner. When an accident happens and Thomas finds himself in the maze after dark, he realizes that he has been there before and even worse, others seem to know this too and hate him. When a girl shows up in the box, all heck breaks loose and he has a weird connection to her- they can communicate in their minds. She has somehow triggered "the ending". And when the city walls don't close and the sun doesn't come out, and the Grievers come looking for one victim a night, Thomas knows he has to do something. Only one problem, it looks like a suicide mission. This was an okay book, I think my students would really like it, and I may read the sequel- The Scorch Trials eventually. I am eagerly awaiting the release of my FAVORITE adult authors' first YA book next week. I'll let you know how that goes. In the meantime, look out for Grievers, and keep searching for the solution to the maze.

The Enemy

What would happen if everyone over the age of 16 suddenly got a disease? What if that disease turned them into mindless zombies? What if all they wanted to do was kill and eat you? Where do you hide, how do you find food and how do you defend yourself? A group of kids in London have to figure all this out or die trying. When a mysterious kid shows up and tells them that they could find safety across town, Maxie and Arryn find it hard to believe. But the zombies are getting closer, and food is running low, so they make the choice to make a run for this promised land- which just happens to be Buckingham Palace where a few zombies of the royal family are being held captive. On their journey they meet up with other groups of kids and some are lost along the way. Buckingham palace is run by a kid named David and it seems too good to be true. So of course , it is too good to be true. Can Maxie convince the others that something is wrong, can Sam survive on his own, and why is there one zombie who all of a sudden seems to be able to think and plan? This was a great read by Charlie Higson who also wrote the young James Bond series. It was a well- written and entertaining book that I couldn't put down. I have the prequel on my shelf and will pick it up soon and see what happens before... just hope that zombie disease doesn't strike me before I have the chance. Happy reading!

Steampunk Anyone? The Girl in the Steel Corset

I've been hearing about Steampunk for years. This is my first journey into this world. And I must say, I really enjoyed it. Steampunk is when you take machinery etc. that is modern and put it into a time period where it didn't exist. This novel takes place in Victorian England and involves a Duke and his friends. They are fighting  "The Machinist", an evil mastemind who figures out how to make automatons (robots) come to life. Griffin is the Duke who runs the show along with his friends Emily, the genius, Jasper, the American cowboy, Sam, half man, half metal and new addition,  Finley, who just might have the real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as her father. Each of these characters has a power that comes from some mysterious Organites that their now deceased parents had found. As these friends try to figure out who they can trust, they are called on to save Queen Victoria during her Jubilee. To add intrigue to the mix, Finley finds herself not only drawn to dreamy Griffin, but to the nefarious Jack Dandy- who may not be as nefarious as he seems. This book ended with a cliffhanger that will bring the gang to New York City to help one of their own. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and the only reason it took me so long to read is that school is back in session. Pick this one up if you want to try some Steampunk! And if you really like the idea of robots... I read a great adult novel called Robocalypse that documents the year that computers take over the world. Scary.