"Including Alice" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

In the book Includign Alice Alice's dad marries her old teacher Silvia Summers. Alice is happy until her dad and Silvia leave on thier honey moon without saying goodbye. Alice is left with her aunt. Wher her dad and Silvia finnaly get home things change, some for the better.

I woudl give this book 4 out of 5 stars and recomend you read it.

"Death By Bikini" by Linda Gerber

Death by bikini is a book about a girl named Aphra who lives on an island with her father. Her father owns a resort so Aphra works there. When some agents and villans started to come to the resort things started to get weird. Aphra strtes to fall in love with the son of a family that has been running from the law. People are injured, including Aphras father and finally things get sorted out and all is well again.

After reading this book I would give it 3 1/2 stars out of 5 and recomnd that you read it to.

"Sister Wife" by Shelley Hrdlitschka

Born in raised within the strict precepts of a religious movement in the isolated community of Unity, Celeste has been rasied with the idea that polygamy, and complete and total obedience to the man of the family, is the only way a woman will be allowed into heaven. As she approaches her own assignment as wife to an older man, Celeste, at the age of fifteen, is struggling to accept her destiny. Her questioning attitude becomes a problem to the community when she is seen breaking a taboo by becoming close to Jon, another teenager who has his own doubts about a future in Unity. An arranged marriage is quickly scheduled, and Celeste must quickly act to decide her future.

Although life in polygamous communities might seem like a bizarre twist of religious convention to most freedom-loving readers of our culture, Hrdlitschka skirts any question of the legitimacy of these sects by examining the community of Unity from several different viewpoints, including those of a outsider who found security in the community, and Celeste's sister who is fully committed to the life. The reader is left to fully understand Celeste's decisions and motivations. This compelling study of people whose individualities are never allowed to develop is a page-turner!

Rated FIVe out of FIVE stars.

"The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This companion novel to "Life As We Knew It" tells the story of the fight for survival after a global catastrophe from the viewpoint of 17-year-old Alex Morales. Unlike the small-town heroine of "Life", Alex is a native New Yorker whose life changes dramatically after the moon is pushed out of its orbit due to an asteroid collision. Millions of lives are immediately lost to tsunamis, flooding, weather changes, and electrical disruption, and the dismal forecast of any improvement in services or food supply are not lost on Alex, who is immediately thrust into caregiver to his two younger sisters.

Alex continually wrestles with his faith and morals as he struggles to survive and provide food, heat, and security to his family. Pfeffer unscrolls the horrors of a civilization's collapse slowly, though, making each new disruption to Alex's "normal" life even more powerful. It will not be easy to forget the nightmarish implications of "body shopping", for example. The reader, along with Alex and his sisters, find optimism for the future perhaps the hardest ideal to have faith in when faced with the day-to-day struggles to survive.

Rated FIVE out of FIVE stars.

"Living Dead Girl" by Elizabeth Scott

This book should be issued with a first aid kit of upset-stomach relief, tissues, and heart medication, as the reader is immediately plunged, along with the main character Alice, into her nightmare world spent as the kidnap victim of her captor Ray. Since she was snatched at the age of ten, Alice is forced to spend her days as the victim of mental, physical, and sexual abuse by the monster who controls every aspect of her life. Now that she is fifteen, Alice comes to realize that Ray is planning to supplement his "family", and Alice must join him in his plans to find the right girl.

Reminiscent of "Such a Pretty Girl" by Laura Weiss, this book, although gripping and unforgettable, pushes the boundaries of content for young adult fiction. The descriptions of the abuses suffered by Alice, although not explicit, leave no doubt to the horrors the character is experiencing. I often had to just put the book down to escape the revulsion felt by the powerful and gripping story. The ending is unforgettable.

For mature readers only, I'd rate this FIVE out of FIVE stars. If you have any doubts about your maturity level (and I'm not talking about your reading level), please wait to read this novel.

"Shift" by Jennifer Bradbury

During the summer before his freshman year at college, Chris decides to bike cross-country with his best friend Win. Near the end of their journey, Win disappears and Chris is left to return home alone. Now, back at school, Chris now must deal with the investigator, hired by Win's controlling and powerful father, who is intent on discovering Win's whereabouts.

As Chris reflects on the summer with Win, it becomes clearer to Chris that the journey was a deeper one than a mere cross-country bike ride. Chris must explore the a more mature meaning of friendship, family, and loyalty, and decide the appropriate actions that will affect the destinies of all involved parties.

In her debut novel, Bradbury writes like an expert in the world of long-distance biking (as well she should, as she herself has accomplished a cross-country trek). She also brings an authentic voice to the lives of mature adolescents. With every page, the reader is brought along on Chris' and Win's journey, sharing their flat tires, pranks, convenience store dinners, and conversations. The characters' actions ring true to their motivations. I was sorry to see this journey end with the last page - the characters were so alive to me I felt they might be biking up my driveway any minute! I look forward to Bradbury's next novel.

"Beneath My Mother's Feet" by Amjed Qamar

Nazia is a Indian schoolgirl devoted to her mother and the life her mother has planned for her - to be married later this year (her fourteenth) and become a dutiful wife and daughter-in-law in her new family. Nazia's life, however, takes a sudden turn when her working class family is suddenly plunged into poverty upon the loss of her father's job. A plummeting drop in pride and social standing follows as Nazia and her younger siblings must follow their mother into housekeeping (and living in a shack on the grounds) for a wealthier woman.

Nazia is determined to rise from poverty, and even begins to question marrying her bethrothed, but to do so means doing the unimaginable - breaking from the sacrificial duty expected of her from her mother and family. Will she be able to risk all in her quest for a better life?

The tale of Nazia and her family makes one realize that a life free from having to daily find food, shelter, and a measure of safety are not to be taken for granted. A book is a success when it makes me wonder how would I measure up if I were placed in the position of Nazia. How would one not only survive but thrive, imagining a life that has not before been part of your imagination? One is left to compare one's own hopes and dreams with the ones of the characters in this novel.

Rated FOUR out of FIVE stars.