Monday, February 25, 2013

Books Out This Week: Feburary 25 - March 3, 2013

February 26th

Me, Him, Them, and It by Caela Carter
Publisher: Bloomsbury

From Goodreads:  E is Evelyn Jones, 16, a valedictorian hopeful who's been playing bad girl to piss off THEM, her cold, distant parents. HIM is Todd, Evelyn's secret un-boyfriend, who she thought she was just using for sex - until she accidentally fell in love with him. But before Evelyn gets a chance to tell Todd how she feels, something much more important comes up. IT. IT is a fetus. Evelyn is pregnant - and when Todd turns his back on her, Evelyn has no idea who to turn to. Can a cheating father, a stiff, cold mother, a pissed-off BFF, and a (thankfully!) loving aunt with adopted girls of her own help Evelyn make the heart-wrenching decisions that follow?

Killing Rachel (Murder Notebooks #2) by Anne Cassidy
Publisher:  Walker Children's

From Goodreads: When Rachel, a friend from Rose’s past, starts phoning her late at night, begging Rose to return to her old prep school to save her, Rose ignores her pleas until she receives word that Rachel has died. Though the police think it was a suicide-by-drowning, Rose is suspicious, and as she questions those who knew Rachel best, a sinister back story surfaces. At the same time, Rose is battling her romantic feelings for Josh, who continues to search for their missing parents and to try to uncover the truth behind the Butterfly Project. When Rose discovers a secret from Rachel’s past that could be a link to Rose and Josh’s parents, fi nding Rachel’s killer becomes personal. But will the people behind the Butterfly Project find her first?

Dualed (Dualed #1) by Elsie Chapman
Publisher:  Random House Books for Young Readers

From Goodreads:   You or your Alt? Only one will survive.

The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Survival means advanced schooling, a good job, marriage—life.

Fifteen-year-old West Grayer has trained as a fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. But then a tragic misstep shakes West’s confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she’s no longer certain that she’s the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from her Alt, but also from love . . . though both have the power to destroy her.


Fragments (Partials #2 ) by Dan Wells
Publisher: Balzer + Bray

From Goodreads:  Kira Walker has found the cure for RM, but the battle for the survival of humans and Partials is just beginning. Kira has left East Meadow in a desperate search for clues to who she is. That the Partials themselves hold the cure for RM in their blood cannot be a coincidence--it must be part of a larger plan, a plan that involves Kira, a plan that could save both races. Her companions are Afa Demoux, an unhinged drifter and former employee of ParaGen, and Samm and Heron, the Partials who betrayed her and saved her life, the only ones who know her secret. But can she trust them?

Meanwhile, back on Long Island, what's left of humanity is gearing up for war with the Partials, and Marcus knows his only hope is to delay them until Kira returns. But Kira's journey will take her deep into the overgrown wasteland of postapocalyptic America, and Kira and Marcus both will discover that their greatest enemy may be one they didn't even know existed.


 Pulse (Pulse #1) by Patrick Carman
Publisher: The year is 2051, and the world is still recognizable. With the help of her mysterious classmate Dylan Gilmore, Faith Daniels discovers that she can move objects with her mind. This telekinetic ability is called a “pulse,” and Dylan has the talent, too.

In riveting action scenes, Faith demonstrates her ability to use her pulse against a group of telekinesis masters so powerful they will flatten their enemies by uprooting street lights, moving boulders, and changing the course of a hurtling hammer so that it becomes a deadly weapon. But even with great talent, the mind—and the heart—can be difficult to control. If Faith wants to join forces with Dylan and save the world, she’ll have to harness the power of both.
 


The Trouble with Flirting by Claire LaZebnik
Publisher: HarperTeen

From Goodreads:  Franny's supposed to be working this summer, not flirting. But you can't blame her when guys like Alex and Harry are around. . . .

Franny Pearson never dreamed she'd be attending the prestigious Mansfield Summer Theater Program. And she's not, exactly. She's working for her aunt, the resident costume designer. But sewing her fingers to the bone does give her an opportunity to spend time with her crush, Alex Braverman. If only he were as taken with the girl hemming his trousers as he is with his new leading lady.

When Harry Cartwright, a notorious flirt, shows more than a friendly interest in Franny, she figures it can't hurt to have a little fun. But as their breezy romance grows more complicated, can Franny keep pretending that Harry is just a carefree fling? And why is Alex suddenly giving her those deep, meaningful looks? In this charming tale of mixed messages and romantic near-misses, one thing is clear: Flirting might be more trouble than Franny ever expected.


Also Known As by Robin Benway
Publisher: Bloomsbury Juvenile US

From Goodreads:  eing a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.


The Madness Underneath (Shades of London #2) by Maureen Johnson
Publisher:  Harper Collins Children's

From Goodreads:  After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Devereaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance. But Rory's brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she's become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades—the city's secret ghost-fighting police—are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it's too late.

What We Become (Those That Wake #2) by Jesse Karp
Publisher: Harcourt Children's

From Goodreads:  Two years ago, teenagers Mal and Laura destroyed a corporate empire intent on controlling human thinking through technology. For a while, life was good. But now a new force has arisen: the Old Man. He’s hungry for power and he knows who holds the key to getting it: Mal. Mal needs his beloved Laura’s help to defeat the Old Man, but is he willing to risk her life in another battle to save humanity? What We Become combines mind-bending thrills with the hot immediacy of corporate greed. It will leave readers wondering who is really in control…

March 1st

 The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine

From Goodreads: he lush city of Palmares Tres shimmers with tech and tradition, with screaming gossip casters and practiced politicians. In the midst of this vibrant metropolis, June Costa creates art that’s sure to make her legendary. But her dreams of fame become something more when she meets Enki, the bold new Summer King. The whole city falls in love with him (including June’s best friend, Gil). But June sees more to Enki than amber eyes and a lethal samba. She sees a fellow artist.

Together, June and Enki will stage explosive, dramatic projects that Palmares Tres will never forget. They will add fuel to a growing rebellion against the government’s strict limits on new tech. And June will fall deeply, unfortunately in love with Enki. Because like all Summer Kings before him, Enki is destined to die.


Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg
Publisher: Point

From Goodreads: verybody loves Lexi. She's popular, smart, funny...but she's never been one of those girls, the pretty ones who get all the attention from guys. And on top of that, her seven-year-old sister, Mackenzie, is a terror in a tiara, and part of a pageant scene where she gets praised for her beauty (with the help of fake hair and tons of makeup).

Lexi's sick of it. She's sick of being the girl who hears about kisses instead of getting them. She's sick of being ignored by her longtime crush, Logan. She's sick of being taken for granted by her pageant-obsessed mom. And she's sick of having all her family's money wasted on a phony pursuit of perfection.

The time has come for Lexi to step out from the sidelines. Girls without great personalities aren't going to know what hit them. Because Lexi's going to play the beauty game - and she's in it to win it.


Being Henry David by Cal Armistead
Publisher: Albert Whitman Teen

From Goodreads:  Seventeen-year-old "Hank" has found himself at Penn Station in New York City with no memory of anything --who he is, where he came from, why he's running away. His only possession is a worn copy of Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. And so he becomes Henry David-or "Hank" and takes first to the streets, and then to the only destination he can think of--Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Cal Armistead's remarkable debut novel is about a teen in search of himself. Hank begins to piece together recollections from his past. The only way Hank can discover his present is to face up to the realities of his grievous memories. He must come to terms with the tragedy of his past, to stop running, and to find his way home.           

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Magick (The Coven #3) by Trish Milburn

Magick (The Coven #3) by Trish Milburn
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
Publish Date:  September 27, 2012
Pages:  166
ISBN# 978-1611941784


I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.



Jax has been magically bound by the Bane after showing her dark powers.  She has to convince them that she can control her powers and be a White Witch. 

This book has a lot of waiting.  We have to wait for Jax to calm down, wait for her to prove herself to the Bane, wait for the evil witches to show up, wait for her friends to forgive her...so much waiting!

The characters are still just as good, it was just a little slow-paced.  Not bad at all, definitely a must-read if you're in the series already!

Monday, February 18, 2013

Books Out This Week: February 18-24, 2013

February 19

Mind Games (Mind Games #1) by Kiersten White
Publisher: HarperTeen

From Goodreads:  Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways… or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.



Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan
Publisher:  Balzer + Bray

From Goodreads:  On April 21, 2008, Steven "Crash" Crashinsky saved more than a thousand people when he stopped his classmate David Burnett from taking their high school hostage armed with assault weapons and high-powered explosives. You likely already know what came after for Crash: the nationwide notoriety, the college recruitment, and, of course, the book deal. What you might not know is what came before: a story of two teens whose lives have been inextricably linked since grade school, who were destined, some say, to meet that day in the teachers' lounge of Meadows High. And what you definitely don't know are the words that Burn whispered to Crash right as the siege was ending, a secret that Crash has never revealed.

Until now.



Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler
Publisher:  Simon Pulse

From Goodreads:  Gabby Gardiner wakes up in a hospital bed looking like a cautionary ad for drunk driving—and without a single memory of the accident that landed her there. But what she can recall, in frank and sardonic detail, is the year leading up to the crash.

As Gabby describes her transformation from Invisible Girl to Trendy Girl Who Dates Billy Nash (aka Most Desirable Boy Ever), she is left wondering: Why is Billy suddenly distancing himself from her? What do her classmates know that Gabby does not? Who exactly was in the car that night? And why has Gabby been left to take the fall?

As she peels back the layers of her life, Gabby begins to realize that her climb up the status ladder has been as intoxicating as it has been morally complex...and that nothing about her life is what she has imagined it to be.


February 21st

 The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door by Karen Finneyfrock
Publisher:  Viking Children's

From Goodreads:  hat’s the day the trouble started.
The trouble that nearly ruined my life.
The trouble that turned me Dark.
The trouble that begs me for revenge.


Celia Door enters her freshman year of high school with giant boots, dark eyeliner, and a thirst for revenge against Sandy Firestone, the girl who did something unspeakable to Celia last year.

But then Celia meets Drake, the cool new kid from New York City who entrusts her with his deepest, darkest secret. When Celia’s quest for justice threatens her relationship with Drake, she’s forced to decide which is sweeter: revenge or friendship.


The 39 Deaths of Adam Strand by Gregory Galloway
Publisher:  Dutton Juvenile

From Goodreads:  Adam Strand isn't depressed. He's just bored. Disaffected. So he kills himself—39 times. No matter the method, Adam can't seem to stay dead; he wakes after each suicide alive and physically unharmed, more determined to succeed and undeterred by others' concerns. But when his self-contained, self-absorbed path is diverted, Adam is struck by the reality that life is an ever-expanding web of impact and forged connections, and that nothing—not even death—can sever those bonds.

How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller
Publisher:  Razorbill

From Goodreads:  A meth dealer. A prostitute. A serial killer.

Anywhere else, they’d be vermin. At the Mandel Academy, they’re called prodigies. The most exclusive school in New York City has been training young criminals for over a century. Only the most ruthless students are allowed to graduate. The rest disappear.

Flick, a teenage pickpocket, has risen to the top of his class. But then Mandel recruits a fierce new competitor who also happens to be Flick’s old flame. They’ve been told only one of them will make it out of the Mandel Academy. Will they find a way to save each other—or will the school destroy them both?
 
 

 The Different Girl by Gordon Dahlquist
Publisher:  Dutton Juvenile

From Goodreads: 
Four nearly identical girls on a desert island. An unexpected new arrival. A gently warped near future where nothing is quite as it seems.

Veronika. Caroline. Isobel. Eleanor. One blond, one brunette, one redhead, one with hair black as tar. Four otherwise identical girls who spend their days in sync, tasked to learn. But when May, a very different kind of girl—the lone survivor of a recent shipwreck—suddenly and mysteriously arrives on the island, an unsettling mirror is about to be held up to the life the girls have never before questioned.


Dark Eyes (Dark Eyes #1) by William Richter
Publisher: Razorbill

From Goodreads:  Wally was adopted from a Russian orphanage as a child and grew up in a wealthy New York City family. At fifteen, her obsessive need to rebel led her to life on the streets.

Now the sixteen-year-old is beautiful and hardened, and she's just stumbled across the possibility of discovering who she really is. She'll stop at nothing to find her birth mother before Klesko - her darkeyed father - finds her. Because Klesko will stop at nothing to reclaim the fortune Wally's mother stole from him long ago. Even if that means murdering his own blood. But Wally's had her own killer training, and she's hungry for justice.


  



 

Friday, February 15, 2013

Ghosting by Keith Gray

Ghosting by Keith Gray
Publisher:  Barrington Stoke
Publish Date:  January 20, 2008
Pages: 96
ISBN# 978-1842994900


I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A story about siblings that are fake mediums and how they get surprised by the ghost of a serial killer.  The premise sounds great.  This was written for reluctant readers and I can see where it's a good story for them.  It's simple enough and moves fast enough to keep their attention.  I think that just a little more character development would make it just that much better.  Overall, good book!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Alternity by Mari Mancusi

Alternity by Mari Mancusi
Publisher:  NLA Digital Liaison Platform
Publish Date:  October 19, 2012
Pages: 236
ISBN# 978-1620510131


I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.



Skye Brown is a college girl with a nice job, good friends and a hot boyfriend.

Then she starts having dreams about a place called Terra where she's mistaken for a girl named Mariah.  Mariah just might be a traitor, but Skye knows she's NOT Mariah.

At the very beginning I was a little lost, but quickly found my footing and moved on.  I did flip back and forth a couple times until I caught the rhythm of the story.

Skye - she's ok, a little whiny at times, but that's pretty normal for a college girl thrown into a different world, I think.  There wasn't any insta-love, thank goodness!

Dawn - Mariah's boyfriend. He wants to help Skye, but he believes that she might be Mariah.

Dusk - I do hate when the two guys have names like this.  The evil guy.

The story is action-packed and definitely something different.  I like Mari Mancusi, but this book just wasn't what I was expecting.  Not that it's bad, it's not at all.  I was being picky and just wanted a little more info at the start and a different name for the evil guy...

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Pale by Chris Wooding

Pale by Chris Wooding
Publisher:  Stoke Books
Publish Date:  September 10, 2012
Pages: 72
ISBN# 978-1781120910


I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review



I've really like Chris Wooding's writing, so I gave this short story a shot. 

In this story, a Lazarus Serum was developed.  Yep, you guessed it, it brings the dead back to life.  But once they are reanimated, they are completely white or 'pale'.  The regular people are generally very mean to the Pales.

There's bullying, bad behavior and a moral.  It's a little heavy-handed, even if i take it as a fable.  Good idea though, I'd like to see it as a full-length story.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Surrender (The Ferryman & the Flame #1) by Rhiannon Paille

Surrender (The Ferryman & the Flame #1) by Rhiannon Paille
Publisher: CreateSpace
Publish Date:  October 2, 2012
Pages: 402
ISBN# 978-1480029859


I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.



The world-building and description were really good.  I could hear the waterfalls and smell the forest.  But every time the two main characters showed up, it just went cold for me.  I think that perhaps there wasn't enough on them for me to feel like I 'knew' them.

Kaliel and Krishani are elves -he's a Ferryman and she's a Flame (a weapon of war). They are not supposed to be together.  In fact, they aren't supposed to marry.  The majority of their time is spent moping around about how they want to be together.

It also seemed to me that the merfolk were just tossed in.  I didn't think they really had a good enough reason to be there, aside from Krishani liking them.


Monday, February 11, 2013

Books Out This Week; February 11-17, 2013

February 12th

Breaking Point (Article 5 #2) by Kristen Simmons
Publisher: Tor Teen

From Goodreads:  After faking their deaths to escape from prison, Ember Miller and Chase Jennings have only one goal: to lay low until the Federal Bureau of Reformation forgets they ever existed.

Near-celebrities now for the increasingly sensationalized tales of their struggles with the government, Ember and Chase are recognized and taken in by the Resistance—an underground organization working to systematically take down the government. At headquarters, all eyes are on the sniper, an anonymous assassin taking out FBR soldiers one by one. Rumors are flying about the sniper’s true identity, and Ember and Chase welcome the diversion….

Until the government posts its most-wanted list, and their number one suspect is Ember herself.

Orders are shoot to kill, and soldiers are cleared to fire on suspicion alone. Suddenly Ember can’t even step onto the street without fear of being recognized, and “laying low” is a joke. Even members of the Resistance are starting to look at her sideways.

With Chase urging her to run, Ember must decide: Go into hiding…or fight back?


Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1) by Kasie West
Publisher:  HarperTeen

From Goodreads:  Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.


 The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) by Richelle Mead
Publisher:   Razorbill

From Goodreads:  In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

The Gathering Dark by Christine Johnson
Publisher:  Simon Pulse

From Goodreads:  Keira’s hallucinating. First it’s a door hovering above the road; then it’s a tree in her living room. But with her parents fighting and her best friend not speaking to her, Keira can’t tell anyone about her breakdown.

Until she meets Walker. They have an electric connection, and somehow he can see the same shadowy images plaguing Keira.

But trusting Walker may be more dangerous than Keira could have ever imagined. The more she confides in him, the more intense—and frightening—her visions become. Because Walker is not what he appears to be. And neither are her visions.


  Arcadia Burns (Arkadien #2) by Kai Meyer
Publisher:     Balzer + Bray

From Goodreads:  Following the brutal deaths of her sister and aunt, Rosa Alcantara has become what she never thought possible: the very rich and very powerful head of the Alcantara clan. Saddled with this immense responsibility, Rosa must now conduct all business matters--legitimate and not--while negotiating among the greedy, bloodthirsty members of her own family. Not to mention convincing everyone that her blossoming relationship with enemy Alessandro Carnevare won't put the family business in danger.

But loving Alessandro comes at a price. As Rosa continues to fall for him, she discovers the dark secrets of his family's dealings and how they intersect with her own painful past. She wants to believe she can trust Alessandro, but they're so different: Alcantara and Carnevare, snake and panther. How can she love someone whose family wants her dead?

When Rosa and Alessandro uncover an ancient conspiracy intent on destroying both clans, they will do anything to stop it. Racing to put the pieces together, evading their relatives' murderous feud, and learning what it means to control the most influential families in all of Sicily--the two teens must risk everything to love each other and survive.


Sever (Chemical Garden #3) by Lauren De Stefano
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

From Goodreads:  With the clock ticking until the virus takes its toll, Rhine is desperate for answers. After enduring Vaughn’s worst, Rhine finds an unlikely ally in his brother, an eccentric inventor named Reed. She takes refuge in his dilapidated house, though the people she left behind refuse to stay in the past. While Gabriel haunts Rhine’s memories, Cecily is determined to be at Rhine’s side, even if Linden’s feelings are still caught between them.

Meanwhile, Rowan’s growing involvement in an underground resistance compels Rhine to reach him before he does something that cannot be undone. But what she discovers along the way has alarming implications for her future—and about the past her parents never had the chance to explain.


The Lives We Lost (Fallen World #2) by Megan Crewe
Publisher: Disney Hyperion

From Goodreads:  A deadly virus has destroyed Kaelyn’s small island community and spread beyond the quarantine. No one is safe. But when Kaelyn finds samples of a vaccine in her father's abandoned lab, she knows there must be someone, somewhere, who can replicate it. As Kaelyn and her friends head to the mainland, they encounter a world beyond recognition. It’s not only the “friendly flu” that’s a killer—there are people who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the vaccine. How much will Kaelyn risk for an unproven cure, when the search could either destroy those she loves or save the human race?

Dance of Shadows (Dance of Shadows #1) by Yelena Black     
Publisher:  Bloomsbury USA Childrens

From Goodreads:  Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .

Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . .

Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed . . .


Hattie Ever After (Hattie #2) by Kirby Larson
Publisher: Delacorte Press for Young Readers

From Goodreads:  fter leaving Uncle Chester's homestead claim, orphan Hattie Brooks throws a lasso around a new dream, even bigger than the Montana sky. She wants to be a reporter, knowing full well that a few pieces published in the Arlington News will not suffice. Real reporters must go to Grand Places, and do Grand Things, like Hattie's hero Nellie Bly. Another girl might be stymied by this, but Hattie has faced down a hungry wolf and stood up to a mob of angry men. Nothing can squash her desire to write for a big city newspaper. A letter and love token from Uncle Chester's old flame in San Francisco fuels that desire and Hattie jumps at the opportunity to get there by working as a seamstress for a traveling acting troupe. This could be her chance to solve the mystery of her "scoundrel" uncle and, in the process, help her learn more about herself. But Hattie must first tell Charlie that she will not join him in Seattle. Even though her heart approves of Charlie's plan for their marriage, her mind fears that saying yes to him would be saying no to herself. Hattie holds her own in the big city, literally pitching her way to a byline, and a career that could be even bigger than Nellie Bly's. But can making headlines compensate for the pain of betrayal and lost love? Hattie must dig deep to find her own true place in the world. Kirby Larson once again creates a lovingly written novel about the remarkable and resilient young orphan, Hattie Inez Brooks.

 The Mirrored Shard (Iron Codex #3) by Caitlin Kittredge
Publisher:  Delacorte Books for Young Readers

From Goodreads:  oife Grayson must face death to win back Dean—the love who was ripped from the Iron Lands of the living when he was shot in the arctic north. But getting to the Deadlands is something that Aoife can't do on her own. And if she can find a way there, Tremaine would surely never allow it. He has sworn to keep her in the Thorn Lands, the fairie home of her mother, Nerissa. But Aoife is determined to find her way out. And she has no trouble if that means she has to kill Tremain and his queen to do it.

Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian
Publisher:  Knopf Books for Young Readers

From Goodreads:  At Maquoit High School, Tom Bouchard has it made: captain and star of the soccer team, boyfriend to one of the prettiest, most popular girls, and third in his class, likely to have his pick of any college, if he ever bothers filling out his applications. But life in his idyllic small Maine town quickly gets turned upside down after the events of 9/11.

Enniston has become a “secondary migration” location for Somali refugees, who are seeking a better life after their country was destroyed by war—they can no longer go home. Tom hasn’t thought much about his Somali classmates until four of them join the soccer team, including Saeed. He comes out of nowhere on the field to make impossible shots, and suddenly the team is winning, dominating even; but when Saeed’s eligibility is questioned and Tom screws up in a big way, he’s left to grapple with a culture he doesn’t understand and take responsibility for his actions. Saeed and his family came out of nowhere and vanish just as quickly. And Tom may find himself going nowhere, too, if he doesn’t start trying to get somewhere.


Revel by Maurissa Guibord
Publisher:  Delacorte Books for Young Readers

From Goodreads:  There’s an island off the coast of Maine that’s not on any modern map.

Shrouded in mist and protected by a deadly reef, Trespass Island is home to a community of people who guard the island and its secrets from outsiders. Seventeen-year-old Delia grew up in Kansas, but has come here in search of her family and answers to her questions: Why didn’t her mother ever talk about Trespass Island? Why did she fear the open water? But Delia’s not welcome and soon finds herself enmeshed in a frightening and supernatural world where ancient Greek symbols adorn the buildings and secret ceremonies take place on the beach at night.

Sean Gunn, a handsome young lobsterman, befriends Delia and seems willing to risk his life to protect her. But it’s Jax, the coldly elusive young man she meets at the water’s edge, who finally makes Delia understand the real dangers of life on the island. Delia is going to have to fight to survive. Because there are monsters here. And no one ever leaves Trespass alive.
 
   

Mistle Child (The Undertaken #2) by Ari Berk
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster 

From Goodreads: Silas Umber has finally come into his own as the Undertaker of Lichport when a mysterious invitation calls him beyond the marshes to Arvale, the ancestral manor of the Umbers. There, his extended family endures, waiting for a living Undertaker to return and preside over the Door Doom, an archaic rite that grants a terrible power to summon and bind the dead in judgment.

As Silas assumes the mantle of Janus, the Watcher at the Threshold, deep below the earth in the catacombs and sunken towers, grim spirits grow restless at his arrival—hungry for freedom and eager for vengeance against a family with a long history of harsh judgments. Now, Silas must right an ancient wrong and accept that even a house of ghosts can be haunted by its past—for in matters of family, we are who we were.


Notes from Ghost Town by Kate Ellison
Publisher:  Egmont USA

From Goodreads:  They say first love never dies...

From critically acclaimed author Kate Ellison comes a heartbreaking mystery of mental illness, unspoken love, and murder. When sixteen-year-old artist Olivia Tithe is visited by the ghost of her first love, Lucas Stern, it’s only through scattered images and notes left behind that she can unravel the mystery of his death.

There’s a catch: Olivia has gone colorblind, and there’s a good chance she’s losing her mind completely—just like her mother did. How else to explain seeing (and falling in love all over again with) someone who isn’t really there?

With the murder trial looming just nine days away, Olivia must follow her heart to the truth, no matter how painful. It’s the only way she can save herself.


Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
Publisher:  Philomel Books

From Goodreads:  It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.

Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.


An Infidel in Paradise by S.J. Laidlaw
Publisher:  Tundra Books

From Goodreads:  Set in Pakistan, this is the story of a teen girl living with her mother and siblings in a diplomatic compound. As if getting used to another new country and set of customs and friends isn't enough, she must cope with an increasingly tense political situation that becomes dangerous with alarming speed. Her life and those of her sister and brother depend on her resourcefulness and the unexpected help of an enigmatic Muslim classmate.


Mercy (Mercy #1) by Rebecca Lim
Publisher: HarperCollins

From Goodreads:  There's something very wrong with me. I can't remember who I am or how old I am, or even how I got here. All I know is that when I wake up, I could be any one. It is always this way. There's nothing I can keep with me that will stay. It's made me adaptable. I must always re-establish ties. I must tread carefully or give myself away. I must survive.

Mercy doesn't realise it yet, but as she journeys into the darkest places of the human soul, she discovers that she is one of the celestial host exiled with fallen angel, Lucifer. Now she must atone for taking his side. To find her own way back to heaven, Mercy must help a series of humans in crisis and keep the unwary from getting caught up in the games that angels play. Ultimately she must choose between her immortal companion, Lucifer, and a human boy who risks everything for her love.
 
       

Friday, February 8, 2013

Mira Grant Novellas

So, if you haven't read the NEWSFLESH series by Mira Grant, you are seriously missing out.  Here's what we have:

FEED (#1) - yes, zombies, but mainly political intrigue

DEADLINE (#2) - zombies, but more background and medical intrigue

BLACKOUT (#3) - zombies, more political and medical intrigue, plain craziness.  Oh! and cloning!

Mira Grant is a genius!  THEN, she adds these little novellas to give you even more background that you desperately crave.  Amazing.  Here they are:


Countdown (#0.5)
Publisher: Orbit
Publish Date:  August 1, 2011
ISBN# 978-0316204484


Here we meet:
Dr. Kellis - the guy who created a possible cure for important diseases
Amanda Amberlee - preparing for prom
The idiots responsible for the whole thing imploding
The journalist who broke the story
 This is just background - stark facts.


Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box 
Publisher: Orbit
Publish Date:  April 11, 2011
ISBN# 978-0316194969


Six friends have been playing a game for years on Friday nights.  They take turns figuring out how the world will end and present their scenario.  The girl that started the game (well, the woman now) has been absent the last three weeks.  Now she's sent a tape recording of her scenario.  Only this time, it's not JUST a scenario.


San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats
Publisher:  Orbit
Publish Date:  July 11, 2012
No ISBN#


The San Diego ComicCon is getting ready to start, but many visitors won't make it out after they pick up their badges.

Mahir gets an interview with a survivor of the 2014 ComicCon outbreak. She tells her story mixed in with pieces of 'factual' pieces that were uploaded by people inside the Con.  A heartwrenching story.


Fed (#1.5)
Publisher:  Orbit
Publish Date:  May 16, 2012
No ISBN#


An alternate ending to FEED (#1).  Happy?  Not really.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Beautiful Redemption (Beautiful Creatures #4) by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Redemption (Beautiful Creatures #4) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publish Date:  October 23, 2012
Pages:  451
ISBN# 978-0316123532




Ok, so first, the cover.  This series has had a lot of doorways, stairs and hallways.  This one intrigued me...I assumed we were going somewhere new and boy, did we!  I was a little put off at first, I thought the book was moving awfully slow, but it just kept getting better and better.

All I can really say is that THIS is how a finale for a series should be.  I had two chapters left and thought 'Ok, all the important stuff has happened, this is just tidying up, I'll read it before work.'  Twenty minutes later, I sat with tears streaming down my face. Darn you, Kami and Margaret!!!!

This series had it all - romance and love, mysteries, good vs. evil, morals, bad parenting, good parenting, everything.  I certainly hope as Kami and Margaret move on, that they remember how they started and keep moving up!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Delirium (Delirium #1) by Lauren Oliver

Delirium (Delirium #1) by Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date:  February 7, 2012
Pages: 441
ISBN# 978-0061726835


Love is seen as a disease.  It makes you act goofy and take chances.  Everyone is afraid of it and everyone undergoes a brain surgery to prevent 'catching' it.  The surgery happens when you're 18, after a series of tests to see how you're currently doing.  It's called 'Delirium'.

Lena's mother had the surgery several times, but couldn't be cured.  She finally committed suicide.  Lena's grown up looked down upon and feeling disgraced.  She can't wait to be cured.

The writing is excellent, I was on an emotional rollercoaster!  Lena is a great character.  She goes from being biddable to being a rebel.  It's not a quick change, but an honest one.

Alex - the love interest.  A bit more grown-up, but he finds it hard to say no to Lena.

Hana - Lena's best friend. First Lena thinks they're drifting apart, only to find that they're just as strong as ever.

The only thing that bothered me is that there's a lot of talk about this 'cure', but I think it would have been scarier to know exactly what is done.  Maybe in the next book.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Crewel (Crewel World #1) by Gennifer Albin

Crewel (Crewel World #1) by Gennifer Albin
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publish Date:  October 16, 2012
Pages: 368
ISBN# 978-0374316419


Girls are tested at age sixteen to see if they know how to weave the fabric of reality.  Adelice's parents know she can do it, they've trained her NOT to do it.  But during her testing she slips up and they see that she knows.  She's taken by force to become a Spinner.

This is a really interesting world and you do have to pay attention.  The story delves into the stories of the Three Fates.  Women are also looked at as second class citizens and expected to always look perfect in hells and makeup.  Boys and girls are kept separate.

Adelice starts out as a fairly simple girl, doing exactly what she's told, until she learns her way around and becomes a bit more devious.

There's a bit of a love triangle, but it seems to resolve itself.  Jost and Erik are really different (of course) but seem to tolerate each other.

I'm interested in seeing where this series goes.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Books Out This Week: February 4-10, 2013

February 5th

Perfect Scoundrels (Heist Society #3) by Ally Carter
Publisher: Hyperion Books

From Goodreads:  Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the fifth were born to lead completely different lives: Kat comes from a long, proud line of loveable criminal masterminds, while Hale is the scion of one of the most seemingly perfect dynasties in the world. If their families have one thing in common, it’s that they both know how to stay under the radar while getting—or stealing—whatever they want.

No matter the risk, the Bishops can always be counted on, but in Hale’s family, all bets are off when money is on the line. When Hale unexpectedly inherits his grandmother’s billion dollar corporation, he quickly learns that there’s no place for Kat and their old heists in his new role. But Kat won’t let him go that easily, especially after she gets tipped off that his grandmother’s will might have been altered in an elaborate con to steal the company’s fortune. So instead of being the heir—this time, Hale might be the mark.

Forced to keep a level head as she and her crew fight for one of their own, Kat comes up with an ambitious and far-reaching plan that only the Bishop family would dare attempt. To pull it off, Kat is prepared to do the impossible, but first, she has to decide if she’s willing to save her boyfriend’s company if it means losing the boy.


Homeland (Little Brother #2) by Cory Doctorow
Publisher: Tor Teen

From Goodreads:  In Cory Doctorow’s wildly successful Little Brother, young Marcus Yallow was arbitrarily detained and brutalized by the government in the wake of a terrorist attack on San Francisco—an experience that led him to become a leader of the whole movement of technologically clued-in teenagers, fighting back against the tyrannical security state.

A few years later, California's economy collapses, but Marcus’s hacktivist past lands him a job as webmaster for a crusading politician who promises reform. Soon his onetime girlfriend Masha emerges from the political underground to gift him with a thumbdrive containing a Wikileaks-style cable-dump of hard evidence of corporate and governmental perfidy. It’s incendiary stuff—and if Masha goes missing, Marcus is supposed to release it to the world. Then Marcus sees Masha being kidnapped by the same government agents who detained and tortured Marcus years earlier.

Marcus can leak the archive Masha gave him—but he can’t admit to being the leaker, because that will cost his employer the election. He’s surrounded by friends who remember what he did a few years ago and regard him as a hacker hero. He can’t even attend a demonstration without being dragged onstage and handed a mike. He’s not at all sure that just dumping the archive onto the Internet, before he’s gone through its millions of words, is the right thing to do.

Meanwhile, people are beginning to shadow him, people who look like they’re used to inflicting pain until they get the answers they want. 


  The Whole Stupid Way We Are by N. Griffin
Publisher: Atheneum Books

From Goodreads:  It’s Maine. It’s winter. And it’s FREEZING STINKIN’ COLD! Dinah is wildly worried about her best friend, Skint. He won’t wear a coat. Refuses to wear a coat. It’s twelve degrees out, and he won’t wear a coat. So Dinah’s going to figure out how to help. That’s what Dinah does—she helps. But she’s too busy trying to help to notice that sometimes, she’s doing more harm than good. Seeing the trees instead of the forest? That’s Dinah.

And Skint isn’t going to be the one to tell her. He’s got his own problems. He’s worried about a little boy whose dad won’t let him visit his mom. He’s worried about an elderly couple in a too-cold house down the street.

But the wedge between what drives Dinah and what concerns Skint is wide enough for a big old slab of ice. Because Skint’s own father is in trouble. Because Skint’s mother refuses to ask for help even though she’s at her breaking point. And because Dinah might just decide to…help. She thinks she’s cracking through a sheet of ice, but what’s actually there is an entire iceberg.


 Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School #1)
Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

From Goodreads:  It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to finishing school.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.


  Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
Publisher:   Roaring Brook Press

From Goodreads:  Have you ever had the feeling that you've lived another life? Been somewhere that has felt totally familiar, even though you've never been there before, or felt that you know someone well, even though you are meeting them for the first time? It happens. In 2073 on the remote and secretive island of Blessed, where rumour has it that no one ages and no children are born, a visiting journalist, Eric Seven, and a young local woman known as Merle are ritually slain. Their deaths echo a moment ten centuries before, when, in the dark of the moon, a king was slain, tragically torn from his queen. Their souls search to be reunited, and as mother and son, artist and child, forbidden lovers, victims of a vampire they come close to finding what they've lost. In a novel comprising seven parts, each influenced by a moon - the flower moon, the harvest moon, the hunter's moon, the blood moon - this is the story of Eric and Merle whose souls have been searching for each other since their untimely parting.

City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster
Publisher:  HarperTeen

From Goodreads:  Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a child. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the isolated estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins. Nisha makes her way as Matron’s assistant, her closest companions the mysterious cats that trail her shadow. Only when she begins a forbidden flirtation with the city’s handsome young courier does she let herself imagine a life outside the walls. Until one by one, girls around her start to die.

 Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer
Publisher:  Fiewel and Friends

From Goodreads:  Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.


 Cross My Heart, Hope to Die (Lying Game #5) by Sara Shepard
Publisher:  HarperTeen

From Goodreads:  When I died two months ago, my killer told my twin sister to become me—or else. Now Emma has it down to a T. She tosses her hair with the signature Sutton Mercer flip and can lead a Lying Game prank with the best of them. She’s even repairing my relationship with my adoptive family. The only thing she hasn’t done is solve my murder.

Then our birth mother, the woman who abandoned us, showed up in Tucson. Emma hasn’t seen Becky in twelve years, but Becky recognizes Emma immediately—as Emma. Is it a mother’s intuition . . . or does Becky know I’m already gone?


Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Taherah Mafi
Publisher:  HarperCollins

From Goodreads:  Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.
 

Hysteria by Megan Miranda
Publisher:  Walker Childrens

From Goodreads:  Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can't remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn't charged. But Mallory still feels Brian's presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past.But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others.

  The Colossus Rises (Seven Wonders #1) by Peter Lerangis and Mike Reagan
Publisher:   HarperCollins

From Goodreads:  One Boy

Jack McKinley is an ordinary kid with an extraordinary problem. In a few months, he’s going to die.

One Mission

Jack needs to find seven magic loculi that, when combined, have the power to cure him.

One Problem

The loculi are the relics of a lost civilization and haven’t been seen in thousands of years.

Seven Wonders

Because they’re hidden in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The thrills begin in The Colossus Rises, the first installment in the epic seven-book adventure series Seven Wonders, from master storyteller and bestselling 39 Clues series author Peter Lerangis. 


 The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding
Publisher:  Entangled Teen

From Goodreads:  Things I know about Reece Malcolm:

1. She graduated from New York University.
2. She lives in or near Los Angeles.
3. Since her first novel was released, she’s been on the New York Times bestseller list every week.
4. She likes strong coffee and bourbon.
5. She’s my mother.

Devan knows very little about Reece Malcolm, until the day her father dies and she’s shipped off to live with the mother she’s never met. All she has is a list of notebook entries that doesn’t add up to much.

L.A. offers a whole new world to Devan—a performing arts school allows her to pursue her passion for show choir and musicals, a new circle of friends helps to draw her out of her shell, and an intriguing boy opens up possibilities for her first love.

But then the Reece Malcolm list gets a surprising new entry. Now that Devan is so close to having it all, can she handle the possibility of losing everything?


February 7th

  The Ruining by Anna Collomore
Publisher:  Razorbill

From Goodreads:  Annie Phillips is thrilled to leave her past behind and begin a shiny new life on Belvedere Island, as a nanny for the picture-perfect Cohen family. In no time at all, she falls in love with the Cohens, especially with Libby, the beautiful young matriarch of the family. Life is better than she ever imagined. She even finds romance with the boy next door.

All too soon cracks appear in Annie's seemingly perfect world. She's blamed for mistakes she doesn't remember making. Her bedroom door comes unhinged, and she feels like she's always being watched. Libby, who once felt like a big sister, is suddenly cold and unforgiving. As she struggles to keep up with the demands of her new life, Annie's fear gives way to frightening hallucinations. Is she tumbling into madness, or is something sinister at play?


 Time with Leo by John Bliss
Publisher:  GemmaMedia

From Goodreads:  A boy, just 15, through no effort of his own, travels back in time to the late 15th century, where he meets Leonardo da Vinci. Because the universe bends back on itself, time streams overlap, and he just happens to be in the right place at the right time. Or the wrong one. Da Vinci, in addition to being an artist, was an early futurist, who drew designs for the first airplane, helicopter, submarine, and on and on. Who better to design a time machine to get the boy home?  Not a great student, our time-traveler is hooked on natural science as he gets to know Leonardo. Meanwhile, da Vinci is fascinated by the stuff in the backpack – what’s that bag of Funyuns?

There's plenty of intrigue along the way. Leonardo da Vinci's patron is a Borgia who wants to keep someone from the future, with all his knowledge, deep in the past. Since time travel depends on being at the right place when the time streams intersect, the final scene reveals a breathless dash to the proper place with the Borgias in hot pursuit.


  Trafficked by Kim Purcell
Publisher:  Viking Juvenile

From Goodreads:  A 17-year-old Moldovan girl whose parents have been killed is brought to the United States to work as a slave for a family in Los Angeles.

Hannah believes she’s being brought from Moldova to Los Angeles to become a nanny for a Russian family. But her American dream quickly spirals into a nightmare. The Platonovs force Hannah to work sixteen-hour days, won’t let her leave the house, and seem to have a lot of secrets—from Hannah and from each other.

Stranded in a foreign land with false documents, no money, and nobody who can help her, Hannah must find a way to save herself from her new status as a modern-day slave or risk losing the one thing she has left: her life.


  Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne
Publisher:  GP Putnam's Sons

From Goodreads:  hen sixteen-year-old Faye arrives at Holbrook Academy, she doesn't expect to find herself exactly where she needs to be. After years of strange waking visions and nightmares, her only comfort the bones of dead animals, Faye is afraid she's going crazy. Fast.

But her first night at Holbrook, she feels strangely connected to the school and the island it sits on, like she's come home. She's even made her first real friends, but odd things keep happening to them. Every morning they wake on the floors of their dorm rooms with their hands stained red.

Faye knows she's the reason, but what does it all mean? The handsome Kel tries to help her unravel the mystery, but Faye is certain she can't trust him; in fact, he may be trying to kill her - and the rest of the world too.


February 8th

Dancing in the Dark by Robyn Bavati
Publisher:  Flux

From Goodreads: Ditty was born to dance, but she was also born Jewish. When her strictly religious parents won't let her take ballet lessons, Ditty starts to dance in secret. But for how long can she keep her two worlds apart? And at what cost?