(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Each time February 29th rolls around, something amazing happens in the Bailey household.  At exactly 4:23 p.m., members of the family who have reached 12 years old since last Leap Year, get their super powers.  Rafter Bailey, now 13, has been waiting anxiously to find out what amazing super skill will be bestowed upon him.  Will he get super speed, super strength, super flying ability?  The suspense is killing him!  He needs a truly awesome power to best his rival, super-supervillain Juanita Johnson.  What will it be?

When Rafter finally gets his power, excitement is not his first reaction.  Try shock, disappointment, disbelief and abject humiliation.  What's he supposed to do with his "amazing" new ability to light matches on polyester?  How will that help him in a battle against Juanita, who can shoot flames from her hands?  At least Rafter's not alone—his younger brother, Benny, is now the (not so) proud owner of a "super" power that allows him to turn his innie belly button into an outie.  What exactly are the Bailey brothers supposed to do with the lamest powers in the history of ever?

As tension grows between the Baileys and their arch nemeses, the Johnsons, Rafter's useless super power becomes even more embarrassing.  He can't help his family using his dumb polyester pyrotechnics.  When push comes to shove, he'll have to decide what it really means to be a hero—and a villain.  With the help of the one person he didn't think he'd ever be able to count on, Rafter might finally be able to prove that he, too, is super.  Well, almost.

Almost Super, a debut middle grade novel by Marion Jensen, is just as cute as it sounds.  It's fun, it's upbeat, it's quirky, it's humorous.  The book's a quick, easy read that will leave a smile on your face, no matter how old (or young) you are.  Even reluctant readers should find it engaging and non-threatening.  That being said, the story doesn't offer a lot of substance.  It teaches some good lessons, sure, but there's just not tons going on beneath the surface with this one.  Overall, it's an enjoyable read, if not a really memorable one.  

(Readalikes:  I can't think of any books, but Almost Super reminds me of movies like The Incredibles, The Adventures of Food Boy, and Sky High)

Grade:  

  

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Magnolia is a proper princess—prim and perfect.  At least that's what everyone thinks.  But behind her frilly pink dresses and sparkly tiara lies a super-secret identity.  No one can know about her alter-ego, especially not the ultra-nosy Duchess Wigtower.  So, when the monster alarm on Princess Magnolia's glitter stone ring goes off while she and the Duchess are sipping hot chocolate and nibbling scones, Magnolia panics.  Does she dare leave her meddling guest in the castle alone?  What if Duchess Wigtower discovers the secrets hidden in Magnolia's broom closet?  Will it mean the end of the Princess in Black's heroic, goat-saving adventures?  Will Princess Magnolia have to be prim and proper all the time?  Gasp!  To save herself from a fate worse than death, she'll have to fight a monster, protect a life, and return home in time to fool the nosy Duchess.  It's a tall order, even for the fastest, most courageous of superheroes.  Is the Princess in Black up to the task? 

As you can probably tell, The Princess in Black—a new middle grade adventure from Shannon and Dean Hale (illustrated by LeUyen Pham)—oozes charm.  It's light, it's fun, it's empowering, it's delightful.  Seriously, what's not to love?  I dare you not to smile through the whole book.  It's impossible, I tell you.  My 6-year-old daughter and I highly recommend this adorable tale from a husband-and-wife team who know how to spin a story just right.  

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

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The Princess in Black from the generous folks at Candlewick Press.  Thank you!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Paranoia comes with the territory in Aislynn Brosna's family.  Moving constantly, scanning the driveway for any sign of "the enemy," reporting suspicious characters—all par for the course.  As much as Aislynn loves her dad and older brother (despite their irritating, obsessive, overprotective quirks), the high school junior just wants a normal life.  Not the perpetual watch-guarding that's become even more stringent since her mother died eight months ago in a car accident (that Aislynn's father, naturally, believes was caused by the always invisible "enemy").  The Brosna's recent arrival in Chandler, Arizona, marks the perfect time for Aislynn to re-invent herself as a totally normal girl with a completely average family.  Now that the ultra-hot Dane Breckenridge is paying Aislynn a little attention, it's especially important that no one know what kind of crazy lives behind the Brosna's front door.

Aislynn's laughed off her dad's warnings about "the enemy" for so long, she's shocked when she discovers the truth: her family really is being hunted.  Before she can even begin to comprehend the fact that she's part of an ancient tribe of Set-worshiping Egyptians engaged in a perpetual battle against the evil Horusians, she's, once again, on the run.  So much for normal.  As Aislynn learns astonishing facts about herself and her family, she begins to realize just how much danger she's really in.  Fighting for her own survival only becomes more complicated as she engages in a struggle between two halves of herself.  Will she make it out of this confusing war alive?  And what about her dream of a normal life?  Does it have any chance of coming true now that Aislynn knows what she really is?

You may have noticed that I have a love/hate relationship with Janette Rallison.  Not the woman herself because she is as warm and generous as she could possibly be.  I mean with her books.  As much as I adore Rallison's Godmother series, I just can't get on board with her YA sci fi/fantasy novels.  I appreciate the fact that she's trying to branch out, try other genres, but in my opinion, these newer books are just ... meh.  Son of War, Daughter of Chaos, Rallison's newest, is no exception.  It has some bright spots, for sure, but overall, it feels too flat, too long, and way, way too Twilight.  Rallison's novels are all infused with her trademark wit and this one definitely has some of that familiar sparkle.  I also like that the whole Setite/Horusian world/war has depth to it, making it feel more real (true, the explanatory passages often get long and boring, but still).  My biggest problem with the novel, I think, is that not only did I not really care about the ancient war, but I also didn't understand its sudden urgency.  And while the characters are likable, they just didn't really speak to me.  Overall, then, Son of War, Daughter of Chaos was just an okay read for me.  If there are sequels coming, I won't bother reading them.

In happier news, My Fairly Dangerous Godmother, the third installment in Rallison's series about an adorkable fairy godmother-in-training, came out a couple months ago.  Squee!  I haven't read it yet, but I will.  Soon.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan and the Twilight series [Twilight; New Moon; Eclipse; Breaking Dawn; by Stephenie Meyer)

Grade:

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Close your eyes and think.  Hard.  What's the oldest memory you have?  Is it of learning to read in kindergarten?  Riding high on your father's shoulders as a toddler?  Being rocked to sleep when you were still small enough to be cradled in your mother's arms?  What if you could remember all those things and more?  What if you, in fact, never forgot anything?  What if you had perfect recall of every moment of your life, from the time you slid out of your mother's womb until the minute you left this earth?  Would it be a blessing?  Or a curse?

As a Mementi, one of only 15,000 genetically-enhanced humans, Genesis "Gena" Lee can do exactly that.  With the help of the Link beads she wears on her body, the 17-year-old can access every memory she's ever made.  In exacting detail.  This ability makes the Mementi smarter, more capable, better than their Populace counterparts.  At least, that's what they believe.  Seeking to even the score, the ever-increasing population of average humans is constantly looking for ways to compete with the Mementi.  One of them, the so-called Link Thief, has resorted to stealing memory beads.  No one knows exactly why he does it or where he will strike next.  But he has every Mementi in Havendale on edge.  Stolen memories can mean confusion, anxiety, even total erasure of a person's past—and thus, their future.

Gena considers herself lucky to have all her memories intact until an encounter with a Populace boy makes her wonder.  Kalan Fox says she knows him, insists they've been working together to capture the Link Thief.  Only Gena has no memory of Kalan at all.  Could she be more of a victim than she thought?  What has gone wrong with her always perfect recollection?  And, most importantly, who is Genesis Lee without her memories?  Is she anyone at all?

Ruminating on the mysteries of the mind always makes for a fascinating journey.  Memory is an especially intriguing topic—one I have found even more interesting after a recent visit with my 100-year-old grandmother (who passed away a few weeks later).  The way she could shift from perfect recall to total blankness in the space of a five-minute conversation was just ... bizarre.  Considering that, it's no wonder I find the premise of The Unhappening of Genesis Lee, a debut novel by Shallee McArthur, so compelling.  The world she creates is beguiling in all its potential and complexity.  While some of its rules seemed confusing, even contradictory, I found Mementi society undeniably entrancing.  Plot-wise, though, the novel is a little scattered.  It's tense and exciting, for sure, just not as tight as it could have been.  Likewise, McArthur's characters felt pretty flat to me.  I just didn't care about them all that much.  What kept me reading, I think, was really the food for thought brought up by The Unhappening of Genesis Lee (although it contains spoilers, the Reader's Guide to this book provides an excellent summary of these deep, fascinating questions).  While the plot/characters/dialogue, etc. felt a little ho-hum, the premise and questions asked in the novel ultimately made it a worthwhile read for me.  

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

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence and intense situations

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-copy of The Unhappening of Genesis Lee from the generous folks at Sky Pony Press to facilitate my work as a judge for the Association for Mormon Letters Awards.  Thank you!