The Chaos Walking trilogy, by Patrick Ness

I have yet to read the final installment, but I can assure you that The Knife of Never Letting Go and The Ask and the Answer are both incredible reads.  Patrick Ness has written a thrilling and thought-provoking science fiction trilogy that, to paraphrase his wording, raises questions about the amount of information available to us today and the ways in which it is controlled. Todd is the only boy left in his small town on a planet far away from the original Earth.  To become a man, Todd must undergo a kind of initiation ceremony, the details of which he is unaware.  What’s more, there are no women in this town, and all the men can hear each other’s thoughts 24/7.   Todd believes that the so-called “Noise” germ killed the women but only infected the men when they arrived on this planet.  He has been brought up by two men he calls his uncles, and one day, soon before he is to become a man, they tell him to take  run away to the next town and find other people, because the leader of the town has a very sinister objective in mind.  On the way, he discovers a crash-landed spaceship…and a girl, still alive.  Todd has never seen a girl before.  He knows he cannot leave her behind.  Furthermore, he cannot hear her thoughts at all…but she can hear his.  For readers 14 and up (there is violence, but it is not gratuitous).  

Shadow on the Mountain, by Margi Preus

Shadow on the Mountain, by Margi Preus, is just as good as her first novel, Heart of a Samurai.  The two books are not companions to each other, but they are written in the same style and are both well-research historical fiction novels for the reader 10 years old and up.  Note that Shadow on the Mountain is not to be released until September 2012.  I highly recommend it for those of you who enjoy reading historical fiction and/or read Margi Preus’ first book.  Shadow on the Mountain is about the boy Espen who, at age 14, is running “errands” for the Norwegian Resistance during World War II.  As he grows older and his work for the movement becomes more dangerous, he learns and understands more about how the world he was born into changed so drastically and seemingly overnight.  Through the eyes of various characters in the story, we see how different their motivations are and why they choose to act the way they do.  If anything, Margi Preus shows how history is never black and white, and emphasizes the importance of critical thinking.  

Heart of a Samurai, by Margi Preus

Heart of a Samurai, by Margi Preus, is really good! It is based on a true story about Manjiro, a 13-year old boy from a fishing village in Japan who, along with four others, is shipwrecked and eventually picked up by an American whaling ship in 1841. Since this is at a time when Japan was closed to foreigners and did not welcome back Japanese people who strayed too far from Japan’s borders (whether of their own volition or not), Manjiro must make the decision of whether he will try to get home anyway or join the crew. What happens next turns into the adventure of a lifetime. Preus does an excellent job of describing the cultural differences between the East and the West and the conflict that is constantly within Manjiro, even as he takes in the wonder of seeing and experiencing things beyond his wildest dreams! The book has a glossary at the back of technical terms and some Japanese words (which was very helpful), and a bibliography of the author’s resources, for those who, like myself, wish to know more about this period of history and its lasting effects today.

The Time-Traveling Fashionista, by Bianca Turetsky

The Time-Traveling Fashionista, by Bianca Turetsky, is perfect for any girl (or boy!) who loves fashion, old movies, and time-travel. 12-year-old Louise loves vintage fashion, and receives a special invitation to a vintage fashion sale. She finds the perfect dress and tries it on. Can you guess what happens next? For ages 12up.

Y The Last Man: Unmanned, by Brian K. Vaughan et al

I read Volume One of Y: The Last Man: Unmanned, and I have also read Volume 2: Cycles and Volume 3: One Small Step. So far, so good! The first book pretty much sets up the story and introduces us to some very important characters. I don't want to go into it too much for those who haven't read it: I myself did not really know what to expect. All I heard was that the series was and is good. Sometimes, I prefer to let the story unfold as I read.  This is definitely a series for mature readers.

Liberator, by Richard Harland

Liberator qualifies as steam-punk literature. It's pretty good, though I suggest reading Worldshaker first. Richard Harland is an Australian author, so the third installment may be a while in coming.  Worldshaker establishes the characters and the overarching storyline: an alternate history where the major countries of the world have taken over different parts of it.  Large populations of people from England, Russia, Japan, etc., live aboard huge juggernauts that are capable of traveling by land, sea, and air.  Col Porpentine is a member of a high-class family on Worldshaker (that is the name of the British juggernaut, complete with in-residence Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert).  In the first book, he meets a Filthy (one of the lowest social class-the people who keep the juggernaut running far belowdecks), a girl named Riff, who challenges everything Col has been brought up to believe.  What follows is an adventure in which Col must decide where his loyalties lie and consider true nature of the current political and social system in which he has lived his whole life.