The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X  by James Patterson

Since he heard a bad alien kill his parents when he was only 3 years fold, Daniel X has been tracking bad aliens on earth. He’s finding them from the list his parents refused to give the alien who killed them. Daniel has learned his parents were alien hunters, and is beginning to suspect both his mother and father were aliens. Of course, that means Daniel would be an alien too! Now that he’s a teenager Daniel uses powers he’s been developing to keep up the hunt, but now Ergent Seth, the alien he’s looking for, sends messages that he’s coming after Daniel!

The action never stops in this adventure, all 92 chapters, some of which are only 1-1/2 pages long. The author, James Patterson, also writes the Maximum Ride series, and he promises more Daniel X adventures.

Review by Ms. Goldstein-Erickson

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson

This fast-paced action novel was originally written for an adult audience, but is the perfect Young Adult story.  It starts the reader off a year before the robot wars, what author Wilson calls the Zero Hour.  Basically this is the story of an artificial intelligence named Archos rebelling  and killing its creator Dr. Nicholas Wasserman.  Eventually Archos assumes control of all robotic intelligence, and directs them to kill all humans.  What we end up with is a bloody war, with cars running people over in the streets, robot servants ruthlessly  killing their owners, and the robots becoming “smarter” and developing new and more efficient machines to destroy their human enemies.

Something I especially liked about this book was its documentary style of storytelling.  The author narrates the action through the perspective of various characters, each with a different background and role to play in the continuing war.  Comac Wallace, originally a civilian but now the leader of the fearless Bright Boy squad, relates the story from the beginning, which is really the end of the war told as a sort of prologue to the action.  His authoritative voice leads the readers through the spell-binding story.  My other favorite narrator was the ten-year-old  Matilda Perez, a congresswoman’s daughter who realizes something is wrong when her Baby-Comes- Alive doll wakes up in her toy box and tries to convince the girl to get her mother to come home for the weekend instead of helping implement the robot defense act.

I highly recommend this title to readers looking for an engaging action story, science fiction fans, readers who liked the zombie book World War Z, and readers who enjoy losing themselves in a great story.

Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach

Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach

Sixteen-year-old Felton can’t figure out what’s going on with his body.  He can never get enough to eat, and yet never feels full.  He’s sprouting hair in places he’d rather not even think about. And, he’s outgrowing his clothes so fast he doesn’t have any jeans that are even close to long enough.  To add to all this, suddenly he can run “stupid fast,” and the track and football team coaches are eyeing him to try out.  Due to his crazy meditation attempts in his younger days, he’s been known as Squirrel Nut since elementary school.  But things might be changing as the jocks start to find his ability to run “fast like a donkey” valuable to their teams.

His home life isn’t much calmer; his mom can only be called a retrograde hippie.    When he was only five, Felton found his dad’s dead body hanging by one of the beams in the garage.  Although Felton and his younger brother barely remember their professor father, their mom has burned all his belongings in an effort to start fresh.  Partly due to his strange family, Felton has been bullied by the other students and only has one good friend Gus, who is gone for the summer.  Now that Felton has to take over Gus’ newpaper delivery route, he sees a beautiful girl his age playing piano at the crack of dawn as he makes his paper deliveries.  And she doesn’t know he’s viewed as smelly, hairy squirrel nut by the kids at school;  and their romance begins.

This book surprised me by being so readable.  I know young men will love it because it speaks to sports and all the physical and mental changes boys go through as they become men.  I think girls will also enjoy it’s exploration of growing up differently from the rest of the crowd.  I highly recommend this book to all teen readers as a fast and engaging read.

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

This is one of those dystopian books that while full of interesting characters and non-stop action, also looks at some pretty deep questions. First the story–Two identical space ships are traveling to create a New Earth, after mankind has pretty much destroyed our planet.  Our two main characters, Waverly and Kiernan are the most important teenagers aboard the Empyrean, Waverly because she’s the oldest girl and Kiernan because he is expected to succeed Captain Jones when he steps down.  Each ship is completely self-supporting, including the ability to grow fresh livestock and food.  Although they left Earth at different times, they are expected to eventually reach New Earth together.  Then the most shocking event occurs: the New Horizon appears outside the portal windows, and sends a shuttle to land on the Empyrean, despite Captain Jones’ direct orders not to do so.  Before they know what’s happening, all the young girls have been either “saved” or kidnapped depending on who they believe, and are taken aboard the New Horizon, split up from the friends and families.  Evidently, the women aboard the New Horizon have been unable to conceive children, and are hoping the girls from their sister ship will be their salvation. Let’s just say that life gets chaotic and unpredictable, both the the girls onboard the New Horizon and the boys and remaining families on the Empyrean.

This book is full of enough twists and turns to satisfy even the most reluctant readers.  The action sequences are clearly detailed and easy to visualize. The characterizations are vivid and complex, with the main characters having both flaws and strengths to make them feel realistic.

As I said at the beginning of the review, this book also looks at some deeper issues, such as pollution, birth control, abortion and religion.  It is not heavy-handed, but probes these topics in a way to encourage readers to look at their own beliefs.

I highly recommend this book to all young adult readers.  It is engaging, fast-paced and realistic, perfect for anyone looking for a good title.

Running Man by Stephen King

Running Man by Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman

If you like action-oriented dystopian titles, this is the book for you!!!  King starts the plot rolling on the first page, and doesn’t let the readers breathe until they are done with the book.  Set in the near future, this book depicts a society when the rich and poor are even more disparate than they are today.  At twenty-eight, Ben Richards already feels like an old man.  He hasn’t worked steadily for years after protesting that the radiation shields used in the factory where he worked were basically useless; all the men were becoming sterile despite their use.  To his great sadness, his wife feels forced by their circumstances to support them through prostitution.  Add to this the fact that their baby is sick with the flu and may die because the poor have no healthcare.

The government keeps the poor placated with Free-Vee, television full of vicious reality games where the contestants may actually have a chance to win money.  The show “Treadmill to Bucks” only accepts terminally ill patients whose task it is to stay on the treadmill, earning $10 for each minute they are able to stay alive.  Bonus questions are involved that might win the contestant extra cash, or speed up  the treadmill up, depending on the player’s correct/wrong answer.  Needless to say, many contestants were carried off dead on a rubber stretcher.  Desperate to get enough money for a real doctor, Ben applies and is accepted for the biggest game show, “Running Man.”  The object of the contest is to remain free, even though an elite police force is hunting you down, and the public is paid to report sightings of you.

What I especially liked about this book is that even though it was written in 1982, it is still politically even more relevant today, with the gap between the super rich and the rest of us growing daily.  While King doesn’t harp on political ideology, Ben some of the other main characters make it clear that the Free-Vee Network and government in general are oppressing the general population severely, making it nearly impossible for them to survive.

I highly recommend this title to dysptopia and Stephen King fans, and anyone looking for an action-packed, gripping novel.  WARNING:  Do not read the prologue, as it gives away major plot points that will ruin to story for you!

Straight Outta East Oakland by Harry Louis Williams II

Straight Outta East Oakland by Harry Louis Williams II

First off, this didn’t feel like the typical urban drama because the main character, Firstborn Walker, is a studious young man who just makes some really bad decisions.  He’s from East Oakland and has been accepted to a prestigious (fictitious) private college in Berkeley.  The only catch is he has to come up with 20% of his first year’s tuition in order to qualify to get the rest of his costs (tuition, books and dorm) paid for for his entire time there.  What makes this especially tricky is that he’s about to be evicted from his rented room and can’t find any type of job, no matter how hard he looks.  Out of desperation, what he finally decides to do is go along with his childhood friend Drama and sell marijuana until he can save up the money he needs to start school in the fall.  What are the odds that his plan will work out, or that this naive bookworm will even survive?

This book captured and kept my interest more than many urban dramas.  It felt authentic without glorifying the drugs and violence, while at the same time telling a suspenseful story.  Sometimes the writer does become a little preachy about the “black man’s plight in the hood,” but I think these are messages that especially need to be heard by readers of this particular genre.  I would recommend this to fans and urban drama and Bay Area urban teens and young adults.

We also own the sequel to this book, Straight Outta East Oakland 2, Trapped on the Track.

Solitary: Escape From Furnace #2 by Alexander Gordon Smith

Solitary: Escape From Furnace #2 by Alexander Gordon Smith

Book one in this series ends with the cliffhanger of Alex trying to escape the Furnace Penitentiary by jumping into a raging river that he hopes flows to the surface.Unfortunately, it doesn’t and Alex and his surviving friend Zee are caught by the warden and his black-suited, demonic guards, and sentenced to 30 days in solitary confinement.  The real kicker is that no one has survived and kept his sanity for longer than seven days in these tiny, underground quarters.   To his shock, Alex finds out that he and Zee are not the only survivors beneath the prison.  In addition to the flesh-eating giant rats, three boys have also made their way into the subterranean caverns, and pin their hopes on Alex to help them escape.

If you can believe it, this book is even more graphic and gruesome than the first one and fans will be thrilled.  The pace is just as fast, jumping quickly from one harrowing escape to the next.  I recommend this book to fans of the first installment, Darren Shan addicts and all teen horror fans.  We also have multiple copies of the third and fourth titles in this series.

         

Hold Me Closer Necromancer by Lish McBride

Hold Me Closer Necromancer by Lish McBride

What I loved about this title is that it’s a book about demons, werewolves, etc. that doesn’t take itself too seriously. In fact, at times it downright funny! Sam flips burgers at Plumpy’s with his best friend Ramon, the new kid Frank and a hottie named Brooke. A college drop out, Sam’s a little frustrated with life, but can at least afford his own tiny apartment, even though his financial aid got cut off when he left school. Big changes happen for him and his friends when they’re playing an innocent hockey game on their break in the burger joint’s parking lot. They smash the taillight of a classic Mercedes, and when the driver returns, Sam realizes rather quickly that he is in for some serious trouble. Before the night is over, he’s had himself beat-up so badly he should have been put in the hospital, and discovered that the reason he’s never quite fit in is that he’s a Necromancer: he can raise the dead. That’s what the “crazy classic shiny car guy” was referring to with all those bizarre questions at Plumpy’s. Douglas Montgomery is evidently an extremely powerful necromancer, and is giving Sam a week to decide if the teenager wants to join him or be killed.

Before the week is even up, Sam finds himself kidnapped and imprisoned in a cell with the most beautiful girl (or perhaps a werewolf…) he has ever seen.  He, his family, the gorgeous Tia and her “pack,” and and his group of ragtag friends have to figure out how to escape, before Douglas runs out of patience and does away with both of the kids.

I enjoyed this book.  Sherman Alexie (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian) called it a SCARY funny for OR a FUNNY scary book and I completely agree.  I would encourage readers looking for something light or humorous to give this title a shot.

Here’s a video book trailer you can watch from home:

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

While not as amazing as the first book in this series, Incarceron, this follow-up title picks up right where readers left Finn and Claudia in thier quest to find Sapphique and somehow balance the dark, prison world of Incarceron with the opulent kingdom Outside ruled now by the merciless Queen.  Finn and Claudia continue to try to prove that he is the true heir to the throne, but suddenly an impostor appears, who seems much more suited to life Outside, so much so that even Claudia finds herself wondering.  Inside Incarceron, Finn’s oath brother Keiro and their friend Attia are trying to find Sapphique’s glove, claimed to be magical which will help them escape the prison.  Finn has promised to come back to rescue them, but it’s been months and they are beginning to believe he is enjoying a rich and carefree life outside and has abandoned his old friends.  Lots of fast-paced adventure ensues, but I found myself not being as engaged with this book as I was the first one.

I recommend this title to readers of the first book in the series, Science Fiction fans and dystopia fans.

Ashes

Ashes by Ilsa J. Blick

This gripping book will not allow you to set it down.  Really.  While trying to  run away from her incurable brain cancer, seventeen-year-old Alex survives a series of electromagnetic pulses that end up killing off most of humanity.  She’s gone off into a national park alone to spread the ashes of her dead parents, and try to make some sort of peace with herself about dying.  She ends up with two traveling companions who are also alone from different circumstances–a bratty eight-year-old girl called Ellie and a young soldier named Tom.  This makeshift family will have to face the “changed,” humans left alive after the Pulse but who have been transformed into flesh-eating zombies.

This was an amazing book.  It’s action-packed plot will keep readers up late at night trying to find out what happens next.  Bick ‘s twist on the usual zombie story makes the story unusual, but similar enough to other apocalyptic stories like The Walking Dead  and  Forest of Hands and Teeth to easily please horror fans.  I recommend this to readers looking for an exciting thriller, zombie fans and horror fans.

Here’s a fan-made video trailer you can watch from home:

Trapped by Michael Northrop

Trapped by Michael Northrop

When the snow starts in the morning at the beginning of second period, Scotty Weems doesn’t think much about it. He’s more concerned with the opening home game of basketball season that night, since he’s a sophomore on varsity.  By third period, when the snow is getting heavier, students and teachers start paying more attention. Scotty’s best friend Pete is hoping for early dismissal because of the storm, but their friend Jason asks them to stay after school to help with his go-kart shop project, saying his father will pick them up. Even after early dismissal is announced, they decide to stay, since they’ll have the shop to themselves to work on the cart.  When Les Goddard, known as a thug and psycho, finds them in the shop, they all go to the hall where the only teacher is waiting with the seven students who are still there. No one’s cell phones and the only pay phone won’t work because of the storm, so they wait and watch the storm cover everything, including the roads. After the teacher goes for help, the seven students are left alone. Just when they think it won’t get worse, the power goes off.  As they try to work together to stay warm, they keep hoping someone will come. By the second day, with the storm still going, they realize they’re on their own. Scotty narrates how they try to find food and organize themselves, even as there’s no sign of any help coming.

Scotty narrates the details of their urgent situation, even as they try to stay hopeful in the face of serious and dangerous conditions.

Review by Ms. Goldstein-Erickson

Here’s a student-created video you can watch from school or home:

Angry Young Man by Chris Lynch

Angry Young Man by Chris Lynch

Xan (Alexander) is an unusual kid who just doesn’t fit in anywhere.  He’s moody, way too sensitive and possibly depressed.  He’s dropped out of high school, and spends his days in the room he shares with his older brother Robert or taking long walks in their hometown.  They boys’ single mom is doing her best to raise them, but the bill collector who keeps stalking his is about to drive Xan to his limit.  The story is told from Robert’s perspective, who the readers discover hasn’t always been the best big brother.  He can barely remember not coming to Xan’s rescue when kids relentlessly harassed him in middle school, but cares about Xan in his own way.  This slim book is a character study of what might happen when a young person is an outsider without anyone to really talk to.  It might remind readers of students who have gone on shooting sprees at Columbine High and other schools throughout the country.  When Xan makes some friends in a community college class on social change that he is sitting in on, he is drawn to the violence their charismatic leader suggests as a method of protest.  “It is not because he is stupid or weak-minded,” Robert says. “It is because he cares so much, and because he wants, so much, to belong.”  Here Xan finally gets Robert’s undivided attention, and the two brothers must work together to try to make the most moral choice as well as the safest one.

I liked this book a lot, as I do most of Lynch’s books.  He has a way of seeing into the psyches of teenaged boys that feel honest and realistic.  I recommend this to all young adults, especially those who like Chris Lynch titles or are interested in what it feels like to be an outsider.

Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry

Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry

As the sequel to Rot & Ruin, this book picks up where that one left off.  Benny, Nix, Lilah, Morgie and Chong are training with Benny’s brother Tom as zombie hunters and survivalists for their trip into the ruin.  They are planning to go east to look for the jet they all saw during the destruction of Game Land the previous year.

“The jet, and all that it symbolized, was a big silent monster that had followed them around since they’d returned last September. The jet meant leaving, something that Nix and Benny were going to do, and Chong and Morgie were not.  Tom called it a ‘trip.’ suggesting that tyehy would eventually teurn, but Benny knew that Nix had no intention of ever returning to Mountainside…Once they left, though, he was pretty sure that their road trip was going to be permanent.”

While this book was not as satisfying as Rot & Ruin, it was a decent second novel in a series.  I was a little disappointed about the direction the plot took (no spoilers here!), but still enjoyed the story and can’t wait for the next book.  What  really appreciated was that Maberry gave enough exposition about the first book to help readers remember what had happened.  This also sets up readers who didn’t read Rot & Ruin, which is a great opportunity.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

World War Z by Max Brooks

Zombie fans will adore this book, as it’s an account of the recent fictitious  zombie war told through first-hand accounts of those who experienced it up close and personal.  Those who enjoyed Brooks’ tongue in cheek Zombie Survival Guide (2003) will find this volume a good companion to it.  The narrator works for a government commission and has collected accounts from various participants in the devastating zombie war.  Each “chapter” of the book is an interview with another person, some of whom are essential, like the Chinese doctor who treated “patient zero,” the first case of zombie infection.  Other chapter feature the stories of lesser-known people, but whose perspective fleshes (pardon the pun) out the whole picture for the readers.

Lockdown: Escape From Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith

Lockdown: Escape From Furnace  by Alexander Gordon Smith

If you’re looking for a fast-paced, hang on to the edge of your seat, scary and exciting book,  Lockdown is the title for you!  In simple, straight-forward prose, Smith tells the story of Alex, who is framed for the murder of his best friend and sent to the Furnace Penitentiary on a life sentence without parole.  Ever since teenaged gangsters went on killing rampage over what it now known as Summer of Slaughter, there has been a zero tolerance policy on youth crime.  When they built the maximum security, underground Furnace prison, the television news shows were full of shocking and fear-inducing pictures.  Even though Alex was a petty thief, he never believed he could end up there.

It turns out the Furnace is so much worse than anyone could imagine.  The boys are fed slop that’s made out of blended garbage.  The black-suited, giant-sized guards are incomparably cruel, willing to kill an inmate rather than put up with defiant attitudes.  There are huge skinless dogs, who when let loose on the inmates act like rabid animals before they eat the boy for lunch.  And the gangs…let’s just say that what they can no longer do the people outside the  prison they do with gusto inside the the unaffiliated inmates.  Worst of all are the seemingly inhuman creature with gas masks sewn to their faces who come out every so often at night and point to cells to select prisoners for some type of unspeakable experiments.

Alex knows he won’t last long, but somehow devises an escape plan with two of his fellow inmates.  Little does he know that it may cost him everything to execute the plan and try to leave the Furnace behind.  This is a great choice for teen readers, especially those who claim to have never read a “good” book but love action movies and video games.

The writer will be visiting Berkeley High  in February.  We’ll be inviting classes to come hear him talk.  Watch here for more news!

Watch this video book trailer from home:

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

This is so different from most post-apocalyptic stories that I’ve read that I hesitate to put it in the same category.  Readers meet Benny Imura as the story begins, about to turn fifteen and desperately in need of a job so the community doesn’t cut his food rations.  After First Night, the zombie apocalypse, the world as we know it ended.  Benny’s mom and dad were both killed, and he now lives with his older brother Tom.  Although Tom is a zombie hunter, Benny considers him a coward because he doesn’t act like the two hunters that hang around the general store sharing “war stories” about their hunting adventures.  He also has an inkling of a memory about Tom abandoning their mom and dad during the First Night, but even though it’s fuzzy, he’s sure Tom could have done more to save them.  Benny and his close friend Chong apply for all the easy jobs they know about: locksmith apprentice, fence tester (for the fence that keeps the zombies out of Mountainside), fence technicians, and lots of more gruesome jobs having to do with completely dead zombie bodies. (Just imagine what  pit thrower might do, for example.)  Chong is able to find a job as a spotter (sort of like a forest ranger only watching for zom’s instead of fires)  but Benny can’t find anything he’s willing to do.  Out of desperation, he finally asks his brother Tom to take him on as an apprentice.  Can I just say that what he sees outside in the unprotected Rot & Ruin changes the way Benny looks at life, zombies and his brother Tom?  The last half of the book is an action-packed adventure that involves saving Benny’s possible girlfriend Nix, rescuing some kidnapped children, and perhaps even changing the course of humankind.

I can’t say enough how much I enjoyed this book.  Even though I love zombie and horror books, this book offers readers so much more than that.  It made me think about the difference between life and afterlife, what constitutes a “good” person, what makes something heroic.  I highly recommend this to all readers, both teens and adults.

The Long Walk by Stephen King

The Long Walk by Stephen King

This book tells the story of what happens to Ray Garraty when he volunteers and is selected the the Long Walk, which takes place each May 1.  In this national sport in the United States of the near future, one hundred teenaged boys walk at at least four miles per hour until the only one left standing is declared the winner.  As they stop, collapse or drop below the minimum speed, they get three warnings then are shot dead through the head by the soldiers who ride along near them in all-terrain vehicles.  Naturally the event is televised, and crowds line the road when the walkers are near towns and cities.

Writing as Richard Bachman, Stephen King feels a lot darker and more bleak as a writer.  The repetitiveness of the walking and the jibes between the contestants became a little slow for me a s a reader, but the book was voted as one of the favorite teen novels by the American Library Association published between 1966 and 2000.  I recommend this to horror buffs and Stephen King fans.

Here’s a fan-made book trailer you can watch from home:

The Plague by Michael Grant

The Plague by Michael Grant (Gone #4)

This fourth installment of Grant’s Gone series, following the addictive Gone, Hunger and Lies.  Fans of the series will not be disappointed in this new title.   Sam and friends and Caine and his crew are alive and well, and still fighting against each other.  The overarching plot theme in this book is a terrible flu which is killing off the kids on the mainland, one even Lana the healer is unable to cure.  Readers learn right at the beginning the evil power the book calls Darkness is alive and well, and still living deep in the old, abandoned mine.  An this time, Darkness has made its way into Little Pete’s brain.  No good will come of this, as you can imagine.

This book is as gripping and as action-packed as its predecessors.  I wish there had been a little more review of the past books in the beginning, so help readers remember or clue in new readers.  A lot of plot points and important characterization has occurred and new and continuing readers alike would benefit from some type of synopsis in a prologue.  Despite this very minor flaw, I found this book to be great fun and recommend it to all teen readers.

The Unidentified by Rae Mariz

The Unidentified by Rae Mariz

Taking our corporate culture to a frightening conclusion, this book’s protagonist Kid goes to high school in a converted shopping mall.  There are no teachers, but the students learn by playing various games and moving up through the levels.  They each have an “intouch” device, which is like an super iPhone, that keeps track of everything they do and everywhere they go in “The Game,” as school is now called.  Social networking is also constant, with the kids always aware of the what the people the “follow” are doing, wearing, eating, playing, etc.  The whole time, corporate sponsors are watching the teenagers, developing new products and signing them to endorsement contracts, the ultimate prize for many of them.  Kid knows something is off about this whole system,but it’s not like she has any choice in the matter.  The plot gets really interesting when a fringe group calling themselves the Unidentified host an anti-corporation prank, that captures Kid’s attention.  While trying to figure out who they are and what they believe in, she is noticed by one of the larger corporations and “branded,” becoming a trendspotter for their development team.  The story also involves a love triangle, but that is almost an aside,taking the back seat to the themes of loss of identity, corporate influence and loss of privacy.

I recommend this book to readers who like dystopias, social networking, futuristic stories and science fiction.  It’s a fast read and certainly reflects the directions our culture seems to be taking.

Here’s a video book trailer you can watch from home:

The Compound by S. A. Bodeen

The Compound by S. A. Bodeen

Fifteen-year-old Eli has been in an isolated, underground bunker since the nuclear war hit Earth six years ago.  His millionaire father had always been paranoid about a nuclear holocaust, and the multimillionaire spent years secretly building the shelter.  When the bomb hit, Eli’s twin brother Eddy and their grandmother didn’t make it to the bunker on time, and ended up dying in the nuclear holocaust.  Eli has never gotten over the guilt of feeling this was his fault, and has become increasingly isolated and hostile towards his parents and two sisters during the past six years.  Even though Eli’s father seemed to have planned meticulously for their supplies to last for the fifteen years it would take for the outside air to be safe to breathe again, certain supplies seem to be running low.  And Eli’s father has been planning some gruesome, if not depraved methods for them to be able to survive the next nine years.  Eli, his mother and his sisters are beginning to wonder if they are better off in this “prison” than they would be taking their chances with the nuclear fallout.

I found this book to be really interesting, if not somewhat bleak.  Even though the main character Eli is extremely unsympathetic, readers will find themselves rooting for him as he tries to make sense of the inconsistencies he begins to discover in his father’s behavior and planning.  Although the ending will not come as a complete surprise to careful readers, it was satisfying and definitely worth readers’ time.  I recommend this book to teens looking for a fast, compelling read, science fiction and suspense fans, and readers who enjoyed Bodeen’s other book, The Gardener.