I Hope You Get This Message

What if Earth was the alien experiment? And what if we were put on trial to see if we were a worth species? If you knew the verdict would be rendered in 7 days, what would you do with your time? Three teenagers must face this very challenge in this thought provoking book. The search for family and forgiveness takes the lead as each one races to get to those they have lost. One is looking for her father, whom she has never met, one for his sister who ran away after coming out and one is just looking for a meaning to his life. All roads lead to Roswell where the three lives connect in the most fluid of ways. Jesse creates a hoax to make money to save his mom's home all the while running from any human connection. Cate is fulfilling her mother's wish before she commits herself to the hospital to find Cate's dad and Adeem is looking for the sister who left without saying goodbye. The story is in the journey, interspersed with accounts from the trial taking place on the other planet. Not all is solved and not all is satisfying, but such is life I suppose. I liked this book and the message it puts out there, we can all be bette and we are always better when serving others. Happy reading my friends.

Fountains of Silence

Ahhh, Ruta Sepetys is a master of language and worlds. All her books deliver you to another time and place. Always with a historical edge and always teaching me something new. This one is no different. This book transports you to Franco's Spain in the 50's. Ana is the daughter of resistors who were both killed for opposing Franco. She lives on pins and needles so as not to attract attention. She has a job at the Hilton which services rich Americans. Ana is hiding a secret the could get her sent away. Daniel is the son of a rich Texan who is in Spain to make a deal with Franco for oil. His mother is originally from Spain and is anxious to return to her home land. Daniel and Ana's paths cross at the hotel and it sets them on a lifelong path that has heartbreaking twists and turns. A secondary plot is the story of the thousands of babies that were stolen from Anti-Franco mothers and handed over to supporters up until the 1980's. WHAT?? The more I learn the more I am horrified by the crimes we commit against each other in the name of power. But every country has scars that must be brought to light no matter the embarrassment. If we don't learn from them, then we are no better than the perpetrators of these crimes. I couldn't put this down and I know I will be a better teacher and human after reading it. Run, don't walk to this author's catalogue. Happy reading my friends!

Ninth House

Let me start with, this is not YA. That being said, after a rocky beginning, I found this to be an interesting and adventurous book. Alex has always been able to see ghosts. It terrified her all her life. When she wakes up in the hospital after a bloody crime scene, in which she is the only survivor, she is given a new chance at life. Join the Ninth House at Yale. Be a student and moonlight as a protector of the other 8 houses during their rituals. See, the secret societies at Yale are all supernatural and are responsible for many of the economic and social systems of the world. They must be fed with ritual and often blood to keep the rich rich. The more Alex is involved, the more she is convinced something is wrong. When her mentor Darlington goes missing, she is determined to find a way to bring him back to this world. But forces are working against her and if she is successful, he may reveal her darkest secret. There are some scary moments in this book. These ghosts ain't no Caspers for sure. But as the story moves along, it gets more difficult to figure out who is good and who isn't, And isn't that quite a bit like life? Happy reading my friends!