POD by Stephen Wallenfels

I thought the cover of this book spoke volumes, so I picked it up for that reason alone before reading some fairly decent reviews of it on Amazon.com--so I'd decided I'd better open it up.
The sci-fi teen genre (post-apocalyptic fun) is HUGE right now, and series like the "Dead and Gone" or books like "Compound" literally run of the shelves. I had a feeling POD might be one of those books, and I think my initial inclination may well be very right.
The story centers around two teens, Megs and Josh, who both have very different experiences. Josh is stuck inside his home with his dad, while Megs is literally fighting for survival in a parking lot garage; sleeping in various cars and trucks whilst trying to avoid killers and looters. Josh's voice can be whiny and as a character can be difficult to sympathize with--as his situation worsens his personality starts to develop in to a bit more likable one. Megs really has the more exciting story of the two and hers is one of total hands on survival and doesn't have time to whine or moan like Josh (who still has his dad to take care of him, and therefore, comes across bratty and unappreciative).
The story vacillates between the two teens and their outrageous existence now that the PODS have taken over. Oh, and PODS are literally black orbs in the sky that seems to annihilate anything in their path. A bright light crashes down and "whoosh" people and animals disappear. Literally, everyone is stuck inside their homes and as the lights go out and the water stops flowing, the drama really starts to set in.
This book is fairly fast-paced and quite heart-pounding. Teens over 12 will enjoy it, I think. While the writing isn't overly descriptive; the concept is interesting and the blood and gore just enough to keep the average reader not only interested--but wanting more.

Review "A Long Way Home"

What would you do if you woke up one morning and couldn’t remember anything that happened to you in the
past year? What if you realized you were wanted for murder and for being part of a terrorist group? What if that
terrorist group wanted you dead?

This is what has happened to Charlie. Having no idea where else to turn up clues to his mysterious lost year, he
returns to the most dangerous place - his hometown where it all started. There, the girlfriend and friends he
doesn’t remember decide to help him uncover the truth.

With the truth well-hidden and people wanting to erase his future, will Charlie be able to save himself and keep
his friends safe at the same time? What really happened during the past year? One thing’s for sure - life will
never be the same for Charlie again.

Action-packed from start to finish, this page-turner will keep you glued to your seat. The story reads fast and
the plot is intense. The characters are well-developed, and reluctant and avid readers alike will have a hard time
putting THE LONG WAY HOME down. I would, however, recommend reading THE LAST THING I
REMEMBER, the first book in the series, before starting this one.

Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous....

How they croaked is a series of vignettes regarding famous men and women who have lived and died. Whether someone had a lung explode, was stabbed to death, died of poison, or croaked from a really bad sore throat, getting sick and dying tended to be a big, ugly mess--especially before modern medical care. From King Tut's ancient autopsy to Henry VIII's explosive demise to Albert Einstein's great brain escape, these pages contain all the gory details of the awful ends of nineteen awfully famous people.

"How I Made it to Eighteen."

How do you know if you’re on the verge of a nervous breakdown? For seventeen-year-old Stacy Black, it all begins with the smashing of a window. After putting her fist through the glass, she checks into a mental hospital. Stacy hates it there but despite herself slowly realizes she has to face the reasons for her depression to stop from self-destructing. Based on the author’s experiences, How I Made it to Eighteen is a frank portrait of what it’s like to struggle with self-esteem, body image issues, drug addiction, and anxiety.

This was a CCBC choice this year!

The Professor's Daughter

Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert bring the true spirit of Victorian London to life in this witty, engaging, sepia-colored tale of a proper but mischievous young girl and the mummy who opens his eyes for the first time in 3,000 years and instantly falls in love with her. Will the love between Lillian and Imhotep IV survive when their fathers, the London police, and even the Royal Archeological Society are all determined to keep them apart?



Written by the hilarious and insightful Joann Sfar and painted in watercolors by the contemplative and beguiling Emmanuel Guibert, The Professor's Daughter tells an engaging, heart-warming love story through affecting, delightful art

Review: Divergent

Children's Review: Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth (Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins, $17.99, 496 pp., ages 14-up, 9780062024022, May 3, 2011)

In her debut novel, Veronica Roth creates an engrossing coming-of-age story set in a post-apocalyptic Chicago, recognizable only by the former Sears Tower and Hancock Building. Narrator Beatrice Prior has grown up in the Abnegation faction, where her father serves as a council member. Now that she is 16, Beatrice, along with her peers, must choose one of five factions to make their home. The teens first submit to an aptitude test, which demonstrates to them the faction best suited to their character traits. At a Choosing ceremony, they ultimately pick for themselves the faction in which they wish to serve.

Read the rest HERE: http://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1416#m11734

Magical Stamps in the UK....

In the U.K., the Royal Mail has released a special set of stamps featuring "some of the world's--and fiction's--"most famous wizards, witches and enchanters," including Merlin, Dumbledore and Nanny Ogg, the Guardian reported.