Tucker Feye had been living in Hopewell County ever since he was born with his father, a reverend, and his mother, but suddenly, during his thirteenth year, while his father was working on the roof he fell off and vanished! Where could he have gone? Later that day, Tucker’s father came walking home as if nothing had gone amiss, except that he looked worn by time and had with him a little girl named Lahlia. At that point, life for Tucker became more ominous: since his return, his father disregarded his religion and abruptly stopped believing in God; his mother slowly succumbed to madness which progressed into a form of autism; and then his father told him that he and Tucker’s mother were leaving for an indefinite time period. Could Tucker’s life become any more paranormal?

Once he moved in with his uncle Kosh, Tucker began to hypothesize where his parents had gone and how he could get to them. One possibility was the invisible, disk-shaped rift above his house –he had seen his dad fall through it once before, after all. Soon enough he discovered a similar rift above Kosh’s barn! Could these disks be the reason for his dad’s eerie disappearance? Could they be the path Tucker takes to retrieve his lost family? As Pete Hautman weaves this novel, time is no longer a constant, it is a manipulative.

Hautman has written an intriguing genesis to his Klaatu Diskos Trilogy. I absolutely adored the book and its abstruseness; he wrote it so that it is a constant page-turner. The Obsidian Blade, although quizzical to an extent, will be loved by those who often utilize the full capacity of their brain and exercise focus. Also, because of the immense amount of content, there is a huge space to be filled in by the imagination. To all bibliophiles or anyone just looking for an enjoyable, enticing read, I would whole-heartedly recommend The Obsidian Blade.

Reviewed by Sahad

Publication Date: April 10, 2012

Dead to You is a fast-paced, suspenseful, and page-turning Young Adult novel written by the New York Times best-selling author Lisa McMann. The book starts off with a 16 year-old boy named Ethan finally finding his family after the 9 years he has been gone. At age 7 Ethan was abducted from his driveway, and a search has been going on for the last nine years. Now that he is back at home in the town of Belleville, everyone begins to ask questions about his abduction. These memories -- or anything about his childhood, really, -- are irrevocable. Rest assured for him, everything is slowly turning back to normal, but he is hiding something. What is preventing Ethan de Wilde from recollecting all these memories? Tensions in his family between siblings and parents are becoming more and more progressive, and suspicion becomes nigh unbearable for Ethan. Something ominous from his past is slowly being revealed, and it’s going to cost him.

An amazing quality about Lisa McMann (also the author of the best-selling Wake Trilogy) is how convincingly she is able to write in a teenager’s everyday vernacular, but also how true to life the events in her realistic fiction novel are. Dead to You is a very fast-paced novel, never monotonous or stationary, always moving. One after another, events occur that cause things to happen: whether it is tensions in the family, an exuberant love life, or hurtful statements from those you love. However, McMann always leaves something better looming around the corner, until the ultimate ending. If you enjoy suspense, mystery, and engaging reads, this book is the one for you.

Reviewed by Sahad

Expected Publication Date: February 7, 2012

YAC (Youth Advisory Council), is a bunch of Calgary youth who volunteer to help shape teen services at CPL through sharing their ideas, time and talents. They have started reviewing ARCs (Advance Reading Copies) of books and we are pleased to publish them here. So... stay tuned for more reviews from YAC.

Everything You Need To Survive the Apocalypse is the first novel written by Lucas Klauss. The story is very extreme and out of this world, but I found myself relating to it. It’s a book about the everyday life, issues, and conflicts of a teenage boy--with a unique twist.

It starts off with the protagonist, Phillip, falling in love with a girl at first sight. He gets invited to go to church by this girl, Rebekah. He realizes that Rebekah is a very strong Christian believer and the only way to spend time with her is to go to church. To achieve this, Phillip has to go behind his father’s back who happens to be a strong atheist. Later he begins to question his reasons for getting involved in church.

I recommend this book for anyone who likes to reflect because it makes the readers question what is right and wrong. The novel has a lot of information, rules, and opinions about Christianity, so be sure you’re okay with that. Although there are many parts on Christianity in the book, there is also a relationship conflict with family and friends and the book can relate to many different readers. The protagonist understands that friendships can be broken just as fast as they are made, and that love is complicated and the best anyone can do is try. All in all, the book is great for pleasure reading and for critical thinking.

Reviewed by Harshini

Expected Publication Date: January 3, 2012

YAC (Youth Advisory Council), is a bunch of Calgary youth who volunteer to help shape teen services at CPL through sharing their ideas, time and talents. They have started reviewing ARCs (Advance Reading Copies) of books and we are pleased to publish them here. So...stay tuned for more reviews from YAC.