This Star Won't Go Out

I challenge anyone to read this story and get to the end without shedding a tear. The forward by Jon Green, author of "The Fault in Our Stars" introduces us to Esther Earl and how the author met her. She later become the inspiration for the character Hazel in the "Fault in Our Stars". However, while Esther and the fictional character Hazel, share the fact that both have thyroid cancer, Esther's story is all her own. Reading this book, gives us a rare glimpse into her diary entries, her stories and art and also the letters and stories people share about Esther. Her parents share their own thoughts and parts of the blog that they contributed to during their daughter's illness. It is the online community though, that Esther is a part of and the friendships made there, that are really eye opening. We often think of online associations as fragile and not 'real' but the connections that Esther made and the online communities she helped nurture are as real as any you will ever experience. I felt privileged to have read this book and to know her story.

The Bear by Claire Cameron

This novel, written for adults, would be perfectly fine for older teen readers. The story is told in the voice of five year old Anna who struggles to escape with her younger brother when her parents are mortally wounded in a bear attack at their campsite. You will be right there with Anna and her brother "Stick" in this harrowing tale of survival.

Breathe by Sarah Crossan

   
                This sequel to Breathe has characters you care about and being told in the voices of Bea, Quinn, Ronan and Alina we hear each of their stories. The story picks up when the Grove has been destroyed as well as the trees that were a hope of bringing oxygen levels back to normal on the planet. The survivors flee to Sequoia, another sanctuary of the resistance. What they find however is far worse than any sanctuary that they could have imagined.                                                                                                                                                                                   

The Kill Order by James Dashner

 Read this prequel to the Maze Runner series by James Dashner and find out how sun flares hit the earth and this series of survival began. Not only are Earth's remaining inhabitants having to deal with this environmental tragedy but then a disease that leads to lunacy takes hold. Meet Mark and Trina and see how they negotiate this horrific landscape and the events that lead to the formation of WICKED and plans that are even more devastating than the initial planet devastation.

The Shade of the Moon

While not as strong as other books in the "Life as We Know It" series, this book still challenges us to think about a time when the world has changed and one must adapt with it to survive. Told through the eyes of Jon Evans, who now lives with his step-mother and brother in a protected enclave, we see a world that has become stratified between those that live within and without the protected society. In fact there are words for these residents, clavers, lucky enough to live in this society and grubs who live without or work as servants in the claver's households. Jon does grow and change as the book progresses and the pace of the book quickens. It was a satisfying read and you grow to care about these characters.

Breathe by Sarah Crossan

Enjoyed this YA dystopian novel, set in a world where oxygen is a prized commodity and even the domes where most of the population lives, being able to have access to it is critical. Quinn, whose family is one of society's elite and Bea, his classmate whose family is the opposite, set out on a trip outside into the Outlands with only a limited supply of oxygen. This excursion turns far more dangerous when a mysterious girl named Alina joins their group, when she is actually escaping from Breathe, the organization that supplies oxygen-rich air to everyone. What they find outside in the Outlands changes all their perception and challenges their lives. The sequel, Resist is out now as well.

Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau

This is the second book in the "Testing Series" and Cia Vale has passed the 'Testing', a way this society set in a dystopian universe, selects students from their colonies to attend the University and be a part of rebuilding what was once the United States. What Cia discovers though, is attending the University, is just as arduous as the testing with danger lurking around every corner. Nothing is what is seems, no one can be trusted and failure (or being redirected) can cost you your life.