The Looking Glass Wars

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor is the first in a trilogy of the "true" story behind Alice in Wonderland. Alyss Heart is a princess in the land of Wonderland. When her evil Aunt Redd decided to take the thrown, Alyss' parents are murdered, and she must escape through a porthole to another world. Alyss ends up in Victorian Oxford, and must assimilate to her new life as an ordinary little girl. Alyss must forget the world that she came from to make her life easier in our world. As she continues to live her life, a royal guard from her land searches for her in order to bring her back to Wonderland to claim the thrown.  Meanwhile, in Wonderland, the citizens, thinking Alyss is dead, form an army to fight against Redd. The book is fast-paced and interesting as the readers learn what really happened to Alyss, not the horrible make-believe story written by Lewis Carroll. Read this book if you like fantasy, if you enjoy retold classic stories, or if you enjoy intense battles of good against evil. I give it an 8 out of 10.

Paper Towns

Paper Towns by John Green is Green's third young adult fiction novel. In this book, Q is a high school senior in love with his mysterious next door neighbor, Margo. When Margo takes him on an all night adventure of revenge on her enemies, he believes things will be completely different between the two both at home and at school. However, when Q returns to school the next day, he realizes Margo is missing. Margo remains missing, but Q and his friends pick up on a trail of clues seemingly left for him to discover where Margo has disappeared to. This book has several literary references and borders between mystery and emo. Read this book if you enjoyed An Abundance of Katherines and Looking for Alaska, if you like mysteries, or if you want to keep up on the latest teen fiction. I give it an 8.5 out of 10.

Nectar in a Sieve

Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya is a story told from the perspective of Rukmani, an Indian woman reflecting on her life. As a young woman, she was married to a poor farmer, a man she didn't even know.  He is a wonderful husband, however, and together they raise their children and work hard on the farm that they rent. Troubled times come to haunt the family with the onset of foreigners, floods, and drought.  Poverty leads to leaving, and starvation leads to death. The book comes full circle as Rukmani begins the story at the end and ends where she began. Read this book if you're interested in other countries and cultures, if you like stories about the bonds of love and family, or if you like to empathize with people in hard times. I give it an 8 out of 10.

Ties that Bind, Ties that Break

Ties that Bind, Ties that Break by Lensey Namioka is a story about traditions being questioned.  The main tradition in this case is the practice of foot binding in China.  At a very young age, women in China were required to bind their feet by bending their toes down and wrapping them in bandages. As their feet tried to grow, the bones would be pressed together in order to create tiny, dainty looking feet that would fit into tiny, dainty shoes. This process cripples the young girls for life as they must learn how to hobble around on mutilated toes and feet. Ailin is a young girl who refuses to have her feet bound. As her father obeys her wishes, Ailin faces consequences that she could not have predicted. Her choice changes her life forever. Read this book if you're interested in historical fiction, if you like stories about traditions being questioned, or if you just want a quick, easy read to keep you occupied for a few hours. I give it an 8 out of 10.

Freakonomics

Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner attempts to bring to light the answers to several strange questions in society. They define economics as the study of reality, and take several factors into consideration when answering questions such as "Why do crack dealers still live with their moms?" The answers to these questions are quite shocking considering the information, and the book is interesting to read because of this information. Read this book if you like the study of society, if you're interested in getting to know more about the way our society works, or if you like books that attempt to answer the strange questions in life. I give it an 7 out of 10.

Sold

Sold by Patricia McCormick is the story of Lakshmi, a thirteen-year-old Nepalese girl. Thinking that she is going to work in the city as a maid, Lakshmi is excited at the prospect of helping her poor family by sending home her income. She soon realizes, however, that she has been sold as a sex slave by her own stepfather, and the prospect of ever returning home is very dim. Lakshmi must undergo the terrible humiliation of becoming a prostitute at a young age which means learning how to become a different person. The book is written in a series of short verse rather than prose which makes the book easy and fast to read. Read this book if you want to learn about a terrible tragedy happening right now in our world, if you are interested in a short, easy to read book, or if you want to keep up on the current young adult fiction. I give it an 8.5 out of 10.

The Mermaid Chair

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd is a novel of a married woman coming to terms with her self as an individual. She returns to her home on Egret Island, South Carolina when her mother begins to have a psychological meltdown. While there, she meets a monk she falls in love with, tries to determine what is bothering her mother, and connects with her past in a deeply spiritual and personal way. Read this book if you liked The Secret Life of Bees by the same author, if you like books about women searching for self, or if you want a fun, easy, romantic read. I give it an 8 out of 10.