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Sulan Hom's got everything.  At least compared to most people in San Francisco.  Once upon a time (so her parents say), the city was a flourishing metropolis, filled with happy, well-fed people.  Now, it's a crumbling refugee camp packed to the brim with the starving and desperate.  Vicious gangs patrol the streets.  The Anti-American League, a bloodthirsty terrorist group, bombs targets regularly, destroying food shipments and educational institutions—anything to bring the bankrupt U.S. to its knees.  In the midst of such chaos, the Homs are lucky to have their own apartment, tiny though it may be, in a building protected by armed guards.  They're lucky to get food on a regular basis, lucky to have a life that's as secure as it can be in times like these.  Sixteen-year-old Sulan even gets to attend a virtual high school, the most prestigious one in existence, a place for up-and-coming geniuses like herself.  

Sulan should feel safe, but she doesn't.  Spending all of her time trapped in an apartment building hasn't taught her any street smarts.  Outside, she would be completely vulnerable, as helpless as a kitten.  Although she's more like her scientist father, what Sulan really wants is to be like her mother, a tough ex-mercenary.  Li Yuan refuses to teach her, insisting that the only thing Sulan needs to be concentrating on is her studies.  As Anti-American League violence grows, Sulan knows she can't wait any longer.  She has to learn to fight.  And she will.  No matter what her parents say.

But training in a virtual landscape is different than battling enemies in the real world.  When her family's move to a corporate compound goes horribly wrong, Sulan's new-found survival skills will be put to the test.  A very real, very serious, very deadly test.  With her life on the line, Sulan will use every weapon (literal and figurative) in her arsenal to fight for the things that matter most—family, friendship and fealty to her dying country.    

Sulan (Episode 1: The League), the first book in a new "dystopunk" (dystopian+cyberpunk) YA series by Camille Picott, took me completely by surprise.  To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this unassuming, self-published novel.  Then I starting reading and, before I knew it, I couldn't stop.  Sulan is an imaginative, fast-paced story that's not just well-written, but well-plotted and well-populated with intriguing characters.  Seriously, I couldn't swipe through screens fast enough to see what was going to happen next.  Is it a flawless novel?  Nope, but guess what?  It's a thoroughly engrossing and entertaining one.  Even better, it's super cheap (just $3.49 on Kindle or Nook), so there's really no reason not to read it.  Trust me, you won't be sorry you did.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't really think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:  B

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG-13 for language (no F-bombs), violence and very mild sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-copy of Sulan (Episode 1: The League) from the generous Camille Picott via Premiere Virtual Author Book Tours.  

    

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August Pullman's got a face that makes small children scream in fright.  Even adults can't stop themselves from reacting to it—they gasp, wince, stare or turn away in disgust.  The 10-year-old tries not to take offense.  After all, he knows what he looks like.  He does.  But he also knows that on the inside he's just an ordinary kid.  If others could look past his facial deformities and get to know him, they'd see there's more to August than just his Elephant Man exterior.

Because of all his health problems, August has never attended public school.  Until now.  He's nervous about starting 5th grade, even though the principal at Beecher Prep assures him all will be well.  Can August convince his new classmates to give him a chance?  Or will they, like everyone else, fail to see anything but his Halloween mask of a face?  

Wonder, a debut middle grade novel by R.J. Palacio, has been lauded all over the book blogosphere for its graceful prose and touching message.  It deserves the praise.  It absolutely does.  Wonder is an important book, one that teaches kindness and empathy without feeling too heavy-handed.  Heartwarming and hopeful, it's the kind of book that needs to be read by every child.  The story didn't blow me away like it did other reviewers, but it definitely spoke to me.  As it will, no doubt, to you.    

(Readalikes:  Reminded me a little of The Encyclopedia of Me by Karen Rivers; Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult; Butter by Erin Jade Lange; and The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux)

Grade:  B+

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for depictions of underage smoking and subject matter that is more suitable for older middle graders

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find 

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At 423 lbs., "Butter" can barely move without fighting for breath.  Waddling down the hallways of his ritzy Scottsdale, Arizona, high school is just plain torture—not because his classmates tease him, but because they don't.  Even the bullies feel sorry for him now.  He's too pathetic to warrant a glance from them, let alone from a thin, beautiful girl like Anna McGinn.  Sure, Butter can pour his heart out to her online (as long as Anna continues to believe he's the cool, confident "SaxMan," anyway), but in real life?  Not a chance.  She'd probably throw up if she knew that Butter, the blob who sits behind her in English class, has the hots for her.

Butter has tried to slim down, he really has.  He's gone on special diets, attended fat camp every summer, even starved himself to lose the weight.  Nothing works.  After he humiliates himself at school one day, he's officially ready to give up—not just on dieting, but on life.  Butter creates a blog, announcing to the world that he's planning to eat himself to death on December 31st.  And he's going to do it live on the Internet.  He's prepared to tell anyone who asks that it's all just a big joke, even though the thought of dying sounds more tantalizing by the day.  Then, something weird happens:  the in-crowd at Scottsdale High starts swarming around Butter.  They're not there to talk him out of his impending suicide, they're clamoring for all the macabre details of Butter's death plan.  Suddenly, bizarrely, he's the most popular guy on campus.  And, just as suddenly, he's not so sure about the suicide thing.  He knows that wimping out of his big plan will cost him all of his new-found friends, but, then again, how can he kill himself when he's just discovering what it feels like to truly live?  With everyone gleefully counting down the days until his death, Butter must make the biggest decision he's ever faced in his 16 years on planet Earth—live or die.  

With a premise as shocking as that one, you just know Butter (available September 18, 2012), a debut novel by Arizona journalist Erin Jade Lange, is going to be one of those disturbing, no-holds-barred kind of stories.  And it is.  It's also sensitive, thought-provoking and, ultimately, empowering.  Anyone who's ever struggled to accept themselves as they are (and, really, who hasn't?) will sympathize with Butter.  He's funny, talented and self-deprecating—the kind of person everyone would love, if only they could look past the extra pounds to see the kid beneath the fat.  The fact that our hero is contemplating suicide (an act I find unforgivably selfish) does diminish him as a character for me, especially since the decision to kill himself seems to pop up out of nowhere.  Still, I devoured Butter's story, as anxious as anyone to find out what he'd do in the end.  I had a few issues with the novel (of course I did).  Overall, though, I enjoyed this modern take on the old dying-to-fit-in story.  It offers a little something different—and I like that.       

(Readalikes:  a little bit like Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher) 

Grade:  B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  R for strong language and depictions of underrage drinking

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of Butter from the generous folks at Bloomsbury Children's Books via Netgalley.  Thank you!

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Tink Aaron-Martin's got some time to kill.  That's the thing about being grounded—it's a vast, endless ocean of empty hours, minutes and seconds.  What's a 12-year-old aspiring writer to do?  Why, create her own encyclopedia, of course!  Starting with Aa (a type of lava) and ending with Zoo (of course), Tink takes the reader through the alphabetized story of her life.  She tackles brothers (she has 2), parents (2, although it might as well be none thanks to the long hours they work), her brother's autism ("Let's talk about this endlessly!  By which I mean, let's not"), her BFF (who's smarter, prettier, funnier than Tink and maybe, too mature to hang out with her anymore), and a new friend (a blue-haired skateboarder named Kai, who is of no interest to Tink—none at all).  Mostly, though, it's a story about growing up, because that's what Tink does during the "weirdest, most wonderful summer of my life."

There's not a lot of plot going on in The Encyclopedia of Me by Karen Rivers, which makes it a difficult book to describe.  Still, it's an entertaining read, with a clever format, a lovable heroine and some poignant thoughts on friendship, family and finding oneself.  Although the snark sometimes feels overdone, Tink's narration is what makes the novel so fun.  She's a funny girl, full of all the angst and insecurity that comes with being almost 13.  I appreciate the fact that Tink's bi-racial, although there's little else that's really unique about her or her story.  All and all, I wanted more from The Encyclopedia of Me, especially in the way of plot.  It's a fun read, but one that wanders rather aimlessly and doesn't leave much of an impact.

(Readalikes:  Nothing comes to mind.  Any ideas?)

Grade:  C+

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG; Because the book talks a little bit about puberty and has some kissing in it, it would probably be most appropriate for children ages 11 and above

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The Encyclopedia of Me from the generous folks at Scholastic.  Thank you!