Lone Star Reviews!

Antsy Does Time by Neal Shusterman is a fantastic story starting Antsy (an unfortunate by unique nickname for Anthony, a Catholic boy living in Brooklyn).  Antsy is going about his normal Thanksgiving Day routine of watching the Macy parade when his normal world comes to a screeching halt.  His friend Gunnar announces, rather nonchalantly that he his dying from a rather sudden and equally unknown disease called Pulmonary Monoxic Systemia.  Forced with the grown up reality of dying, Antsy decides to start a time drive for his friend Gunnar.  Suddenly a personal decision becomes a school wide phenomena that effects not only his social standing at school, but also his dating life.  Read to learn more . . . .


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 The Great Wide Sea by M. H. Herlong- Ben and his brothers have barely begun to mourn their mother's death when his father makes a stunning announcement.  They are selling their house, buying a sailboat, and will spend the next year sailing around the Bahamas.  Ben's father stubbornly continues with his plan in spite of his son's protests. 

Convinced that his father doesn't care about his wishes, Ben's frustration evolves into hatred.  Then one night, his father disappears from the boat leaving Ben to take care of his brothers and leaving his feelings for his father unresolved.
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 Unwind by Neal Shusterman- This futuristic novel is set in the United States following the second civil war over abortion.  The war came to an end following the passage of a law making abortion illegal, but late term abortion legal through the process called "unwinding."  Between the ages of 13 and 18, parents can legally sign up their child for unwinding, the process by which all parts of the body are divided and remain living in other bodies.  Follow the 3 main characters: Connor, who is slated for unwinding because he is a "trouble" child; Risa, who is being unwound to raise money for the orphanage who raised her; and Lev, who is being tithed, sacrificial unwinding for the "good of humanity."

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 Suck it up by Brian Meehl- Morning McCobb is no ordinary vampire.  He is a vegetarian vampire and a member of the "International Vampire League."  League vampires are what you would call reformed vampires.  They do not drink human blood, only animal blood.  They don't even kill animals, animals are merely farmed for their blood.  The IVL vampires are seeking to re-enter human society as a minority group and Morning has just been selected to be the vampire to do it.  Join morning on his quest for vampire equality in this hilarious book that doesn't "suck."

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Gym Candy by Carl Deuker- Mick Johnson probably received his first football lesson in the womb. Even if this seems impossible, I am sure it was attempted anyways.  Mick's father was a champion high school and college football player, an he expected no less of his equally talented son.  For Mick, merely doing well was not enough, Mick had to be the unquestioned best at football. And Mick would do ANYTHING to be the best.  Read on to find out what lengths he will go to and the consequences of his choices.

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The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer- For Alex, Wednesday started out like any other day.  He was at work waiting tables at the neighborhood pizzeria in NYC, when an asteroid hit the moon bringing it closer to earth. This collision set of a chain reaction of events including tidal waves, earthquakes, floods, and volcano eruptions all over the world.  On top of everything, Alex's mother never returned from work at the hospital, his father never returned from the funeral in Puerto Rico, and he hasn't heard from his brother Carlos, who is in the Marines.  Although only 17, Alex is now the "man of the house" and must do everything he can to keep his two sisters alive!

Before any of this occurred Carlos had attended Vincent de Paul, an exclusive Catholic School, where he is a scholarship student.  Somehow, being a minority Hispanic student at an school full of preppy, rich kids, no longer seemed to be his biggest problem.

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 The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd stars brother and sister Ted and Kat.  They are both anxious and excited to meet their cousin Salim for the first time.  Wanting to impress their slightly older and definitely cooler cousin, Ted and Kat take Salim to the London Eye, a giant ferris wheel that allows visitors to see the city of london from a birds- eye view.  While waiting in line for tickets to the London Eye, a stranger offers Salim a free ticket claiming he has a fear of heights.  Kat and Ted wait for their cousin when the ride is over.  Ted is sure he did not see Salim get off.  Where did he go?

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 The adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson.  Jenna Fox woke up from a year and a half coma 2 weeks ago.  She is recovering from her accident at a remarkable rate.  She regains the ability to walk and speak in mere days.  But she has no idea who she is.  Join Jenna on the search for her identity and the secrets from her past.

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Diamond Willow by Helen Frost is about a girl named Willow and her beloved dog Roxy.  Diamond willow is set in a small native american village in remote Alaska.  Willow loves nothing more than spending time sledding with Roxy and the other dogs in her families pack.  When an accident nearly blinds Roxy, Willow goes to extremes to save her only to discover that her close friendship with her dog is even deeper that she could ever imagine.

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The possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas is about an Italian-American girl named Antonia who wants to be a (living) saint.  Not that she is a goody-goody or anything.  Antonia is simply driven to help the vatican come up with new saints that will more specifically help those in need.  Like the patron saint of first kiss and kissing.  Very funny book that also includes tips for how to make a Catholic school uniform look "hotter"! 

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The Compound by S. A. Bodeen- After news of a nuclear missile is heading for his hometown, Eli at first felt lucky that he was his father's son, a billionaire has built a safe haven underground for his family to wait out the nuclear holocaust.  Unlucky, that his grandmother and twin brother did not.  Eli's father was the builder, organizer, and decision maker in the compound and Eli doesn't question his father decisions.  Until one day when Eli catches his father in a lie, the compound feels less like a haven and more like a prison.
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The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner.  This is an engaging story set at the beginning of the French Revolution in France.  The main character Yann, has the unique ability of throwing his voice and sometimes reading minds.  His mysterious abilities and exotic looks stem from the murky and scandalous gypsy heritage. Yann knew the instant he met Sido, the tragic heiress, that he would do anything to save her. 


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How to be NOT Popular by Jennifer Ziegler is is my first lone star book for the summer! It was a great read. Maggie is moving, AGAIN! This time her hippie parents are dragging her off to the capital of Texas. Away from her friends and more importantly her boyfriend, who could be the ONE. Because this will likely be a temporary high school, Maggie decides that instead of trying to be popular, she will do everything in her power to be UNPOPULAR. Read this book to see if her plan works!







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Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix is the first installment in the new series, "The Missing." The story begins with an unlikely mystery. On her first day working for the airline, Sky Trails, Angela is already terrified of loosing her job when a plane appears out of nowhere at an airport gate that should have been empty. This would have been strange enough, but upon further investigation, Angela discovers that the plane is entirely empty, except for 36 infants occupying individual seats on the plane. Thirteen years later, an adopted boy named Jonah receives an anonymous letter informing him that he is "one of the missing." His new friend Chip receives the same letter, on the same day. Except, Chip is not adopted, or is he?



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Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor. Addie life is far from normal. She lives with her mom or "Mommers" as she calls her in their new home, a faded yellow trailerhome. Recently separated from her step father and two half sisters, Addie striving for normalcy. Achingly true to life! Highly recommended to all who strive for "normal."

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Airman by Erin Colfer is about a boy named Connor who was born flying, literally! He was born in a flying ball on at the World's Fair in Paris in 1878. Ever since then, Connor has vigorously per sued his dreams of building the world's first powered flying machine. If only he hadn't been falsely accused of plotting to kill the beloved King Nicholas and imprisoned in the dreaded diamond mines!










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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is the first book in the series "Hunger Games." 16 year old Katniss has learned how to survive in harsh nation of Panem on the land formerly known as the United States. Seventy years ago, an uprising of the people failed to overthrow the nation of Panem resulting in an even stricter laws designed to break the people's will. To commemorate Panem's victory over the rebels, the annual Hunger Games is held. Teh Hunger Games take 2 adolecents from each of the twelve districts to fight to the death. The participants are chosen by lottery, one boy and one girl.

Katniss has single-handedly fed her sister ever since her father passed away. How will Katniss protect her little sister when she is selected for the Hunger Games?



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Evolution, Me, & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande is about a girl named Mena entering her first day of high school only all of her old friends HATE her. And why? She won't tell us yet, but there are hints.

1. the incident involved a letter she wrote to a boy named Denny
2. all of her former friends are from church
3. she is banned from church
4. if she had the chance, she would do it again

On top of all of this drama, Mena's former friends have decided to boycott learning Evolution in Biology class because it clashes with their beliefs in Creationism. Normally, Mena herself may have participated in their protests, but she is no longer a part of her church group. Now Mena has to decide what she believes on her own.


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