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The Lost Boys of Sudan were often in the news during the civil war that took place in that region from about 1983 to 2002.  Their plights captured the attention of Americans (like myself) who simply could not imagine how these children managed to survive so much violence and bloodshed in such a parched, unforgiving landscape.  After hearing the story of Salva Dut, a real Lost Boy, Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park decided his experience needed to be shared.  A Long Walk to Water is the memorable, based-on-a-true-story result.   

The book focuses on two 11-year-old children, whose tales take place almost 20 years apart—Salva and a fictional girl named Nya.  Nya (in 1985) is a poor girl from the Nuer tribe, whose household chores involve fetching water for her family from a faraway pond.  Every day, she walks to the source, fills a container with the life-sustaining liquid, and trudges back home balancing the full bucket on her head.  She empties it into jars, then repeats the journey.  Nya spends all day, every day, walking to and from the pond.  Salva (in 2008) is the son of a village judge.  When he's not in school, he helps his father take care of the family's cattle.  He's a member of the Dinka tribe, enemies of the Nuers.  When rebel fighters burst into his school with guns, Salva hides in the bush.  Thus begins his long, terrifying march through Sudan, Ethiopia, and eventually to safety at a refugee camp in Kenya.

A Long Walk to Water is a slim, spare novel.  Nonetheless, it tells a vivid, moving tale that manages to be both harrowing and hopeful.  Salva's courage and resilience are testaments to the power of human beings to overcome even the most desperate of circumstances.  The fact that he gives back so powerfully (see Water for South Sudan: Drilling Holes, Transforming Lives) proves that love really does conquer all.  His is a powerful, important story that will open eyes and touch hearts.  I highly recommend the read.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate)

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Ever since the gruesome nature of her father's work was brought to light six years ago, Juliet Moreau has been careful to keep her head down.  The 16-year-old spends her hours working as a maid at a research hospital in London, going to church every week, and trying to forget she ever knew a man named Henri Moreau.  He's dead.  He, as well as the terrible research he purportedly engaged in, is better left forgotten.

Juliet has (almost) succeeded in putting her father out of her mind when she discovers that the rumors of his demise have been exaggerated.  According to Montgomery James, an old friend of Juliet's who is now her father's assistant, Henri is very much alive.  Refusing to be abandoned by her father once again, Juliet insists on accompanying Montgomery to the remote island where he lives and works.  What she finds there is a horror show of walking, talking experiments.  Repulsed and fascinated in equal measure, Juliet knows she has to leave the awful place before she becomes her father's willing accomplice.  But escaping the monsters on the island isn't so easy, especially when the most terrifying one of all might just be your own flesh and blood.

I've never read H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau, but I know enough of the story to be creeped out by it.  Not that that stopped me from picking up The Madman's Daughter, a spin-off of the sci fi classic.  On the contrary—it made me even more eager to give the debut novel by Megan Shepherd a go.  Shepherd's version is a shivery Gothic tale full of mystery, suspense and, of course, scary monsters.  As Juliet discovers the truth behind her father's experiments, the reader can't help asking moral questions that are just as relevant today as they were in 1896, when Wells published The Island of Dr. Moreau.  All these things made the story appealing to me.  Not so palatable was the annoying love triangle between Juliet, Montgomery and a stowaway named Edward Prince.  Our heroine's irritating fickleness drove me mad, making her a less likable character, even though it's probably the only time she acts like a typical 16-year-old girl.  All in all, then, I found The Madman's Daughter engrossing and enjoyable.  Not my absolute favorite, but not bad either.

(Readalikes:  The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells; also, The Madman's Daughter's sequels, Her Dark Curiosity and A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd)

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It's been three years since Leilani moved to the Big Island with her family and Hawaii still doesn't feel like home.  Being hapa (half-Hawaiian, half-white) has a lot to do with it.  As does her epilepsy, a condition that marks her as even more different than her peers.  It's only while she's surfing the wild blue waves that 16-year-old Lei feels completely at peace with herself and her surroundings.  

Then, the unthinkable happens.  While Lei and her dad are in Oahu for an experimental epilepsy treatment, electronics fail.  Amid the confusion, they learn the world's being pummeled by tsunamis and other "natural" disasters.  Driven by panic and fear, people all over Honolulu are scrambling to get off the island, or at least stockpile as much food and water as they can.  Riots, looting and gang warfare takes over the streets.  Above it all, a strange new starscape fills the sky with an ominous warning—things have changed.  Drastically.

All Lei and her dad want is to get home.  With all the chaos, it's likely Lei's mother, grandfather and younger sister are already dead.  Still, they have to know.  Thus begins a hellish journey from Oahu to the Big Island.  Fraught with danger at every turn, it's a nightmare trip that may ultimately end in disappointment.  Or worse.  As Lei fights her way across the islands, she finally begins to understand her unique connection to her mother's native land—and the part she may play in saving it.  

Loaded with Hawaiian culture and folklore, The Islands at the End of the World by Austin Aslan offers a fresh take on a common theme.  Although the tale as a whole isn't all that new and different, the atmospheric setting definitely makes this one stand out.  Add in sympathetic characters with a compelling story goal, an action-packed plot, an exciting sci fi twist, and you've got yourself an entertaining YA thriller.  The Islands at the End of the World will appeal to anyone who loves disaster/dystopian novels, but craves something a little bit different.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other YA disaster/dystopian novels, although no specific titles are coming to mind.)

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If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (no F-bombs), violence, blood/gore, scary images, and depictions of illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

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The pure blue light emanating from Bruno Nazaire's hand ensures that he will always lead a life of privilege and prosperity.  Once he passes his high school exams, the 16-year-old will be well on his way to becoming a prestigious fire surgeon like his father.  With good looks, fierce rugby skills, and loads of natural charm, Bruno has it made.  Until a young boy tricks him into giving it all away.  

As Bruno's blue life force fades into a more common color, he finds himself on the outside of the world he's always known.  Almost overnight, his fate has changed completely.  No longer welcome in the elite part of the city, he stumbles through the grittier sections of Télesphore looking for the child who stole his future.  Bent on revenge, Bruno's not prepared for the truth behind the kid's actions or the reality of the lives he—and others whose palms glow with lesser colors—live.  As much as Bruno longs to return to his charmed life, he's beginning to question the fairness of his society's strict caste system.  Especially when he falls for a beautiful girl whose color is so inferior to his that it's dangerous for them to be seen in each other's company, let alone imagine a future together.  

With the king's soldiers hot on his trail, Bruno must decide who he really is and what he really wants.  For the first time in his life, his fate lies in his own hands.  Will he choose to return to the glory he once knew or risk everything to help the very people he's always thought were beneath his notice?  Fence-sitting is not an option.  Either choice may lead to his death.  How far will Bruno go to save himself and the people he loves?

I agreed to read An Uncommon Blue, a debut novel by R.C. Hancock, because the premise sounded intriguing.  I kept reading it because the story grabbed my attention and refused to let go.  While the fast-paced, action-packed plot will pull in even reluctant readers, it's the humor and heart of the novel that really captured me.  Although I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the book's writing, I do have to admit to finding Hancock's world-building a bit shoddy.  The rules of his magical land often seemed contradictory and confusing.  Interesting, yes, just not always logical.  I enjoyed the intensity of An Uncommon Blue, but I think a little bit slower start would have gone a long way toward creating a more convincing setting as well as stronger, more impacting relationships between the characters.  All in all, though, I quite enjoyed this one.  The twist at the end didn't surprise me too much, but I'm still anxious to see where it will lead.  An Uncommon Blue is the first installment in a planned series—I, for one, am looking forward to Book Two.    

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

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence and mild sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of An Uncommon Blue from R.C. Hancock via the generous folks at Cedar Fort.  Thank you!