Tales of the Madman Underground - John Barnes

Before I Start the review - an Apology. I have left it a while between reading the book and the review, so this is going to be short and sweet, and unfortunately my memory of the story is not as great as i would have liked.

This is a coming of age story, about a teenager struggling to fit into his own skin and grow up. A little bit of a strange kid, with a troubled background. His dad died when he was younger and his mum is an alcoholic. This is a bit of an emotional mixed bag of a story.  Barnes writes with a very witty point of view, mixed in with a sadness and pity for the kid, and with the kid having great grit and determination.

Lost At Sea - Brian O'Malley

Raleigh doesn't have a soul. A cat stole it - or at least that's what she tells people - or at least that's what she would tell people if she told people anything. But that would mean talking to people, and the mere thought of social interaction is terrifying. How did such a shy teenage girl end up in a car with three of her hooligan classmates on a cross-country road trip? Being forced to interact with kids her own age is a new and alarming proposition for Raleigh, but maybe it's just what she needs - or maybe it can help her find what she needs - or maybe it can help her to realize that what she needs has been with her all along.

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before - and survival, for her, is second nature. "The Hunger Games" is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever...

The Emerald Altas - John Stephens

NB: I am reading an un-proofed first edition printing of this book.

They were taken from their beds one frozen night, when the world was covered in snow. The silhouette of a tall, thin man has haunted Kate ever since. Ten years on, Kate, Michael and Emma have grown up in a string of miserable orphanages, and all memories of their parents have faded to a blur. Arriving at Cambridge Falls, the children quickly realise there is something different about this place - and Kate feels sure she has seen the dark, crooked house before. As they explore, they discover an old, empty leather book. The moment they touch it, an ancient magical prophecy is set irrevocably in motion, and the children are thrown into a dangerous alternate reality of dark enchantments and terrifying monsters. Only they can prevent the terrible event that will ruin Cambridge Falls - and stop the world from falling into complete devastation.

Across The Universe - Beth Revis

Amy has left the life she loves for a world 300 years away Trapped in space and frozen in time, Amy is bound for a new planet. But fifty years before she's due to arrive, she is violently woken, the victim of an attempted murder. Now Amy's lost on board and nothing makes sense - she's never felt so alone. Yet someone is waiting for her. He wants to protect her; and more if she'll let him. But who can she trust amidst the secrets and lies? A killer is out there - and Amy has nowhere to hide...

North World x3 - Lars Brown

The first two books of the North World series are the story of Conrad, who is young lad fighting mythical beasts to save the world.  The third book is a collection of short stories, connected to the characters of the first two books.

I Am Number Four - Pittacus Lore

John Smith is not your average teenager. He regularly moves from small town to small town. He changes his name and identity. He does not put down roots. He cannot tell anyone who or what he really is. If he stops moving those who hunt him will find and kill him. But you can't run forever. So when he stops in Paradise, Ohio, John decides to try and settle down. To fit in. And for the first time he makes some real friends. People he cares about - and who care about him. Never in John's short life has there been space for friendship, or even love. But it's just a matter of time before John's secret is revealed. He was once one of nine. Three of them have been killed. John is Number Four. He knows that he is next...

How To Ditch Your Fairy - Justine Larbalestier

Everyone has their own fairy. Charlie has a parking fairy, useless, especially for a teen who doesn't like cars.  She wants to get rid of her useless fairy and exchange it for a better one.  Rochelle has a shopping fairy, which ensures she always has lovely clothes at bargain prices, and Steffi's fairy ensures he doesn't get into trouble.  However Charlie has to be careful what she wishes for....

Un Lun Dun - China Mieville

 Zanna and Deeba notice something strange is amiss on the streets of London, and after investigating they find a secret entrance to another world.  Here all the lost and broken things of london end up, and some of the people too.  But when they arrive they realise that Un Lun Dun is at war, theirs a dangerous smog, words are alive, theirs a jungle in one of the houses and the giraffes are carnivorous.  Maybe their is a reason they were enticed to Un Lun Dun, and maybe they are the only ones who can save it.

Luxe and Rumours - Anne Godbersen

 The Luxe Series (First two books out of four), follows a group of young girls in the late 19th century, who fall in Love with eligible bachelors and get up to all sorts of mischief on the way.  In the first book we meet Elizabeth who is betrothed to marry Henry (who both Elizabeth and Henry are in Love with other people), and her friends and family.  A week before the wedding Elizabeth is declared dead....

In the Second book, we continue finding out about Elizabeths family and friends, and what happened to them following her mysterious disappearance.

Liar - Justine Larbalestier

Liar is the story of a teen girl, Micah, who just can't stop lying.  She lies about her sex, she lies about her boyfriend, she lies about her dad, and lies about her life.  When her boyfriend winds up dead, she needs to stop lying and confront what really happened. That is if she hasn't lied so much that she can't remember the truth anymore.

Why Read - It was a new teen fiction book in the library I work in and it looked interesting.

Memoirs Of A Teenage Amnesiac - Gabrielle Zevin

When Naomi wakes up in a hospital bed, she has no recollection of what has happened, nor in fact can she remember the last four years.  She doesn't remember her parents are divorced, who her friends are, or who her boyfriend is.  She begins to patch together the fragments of her life and discover a whole new, and different Naomi than the one she left behind.

Matched - Ally Condie

On her seventeenth birthday Cassia meets her match. Society Dictates that he is her perfect partner for life.  In her world, Officials decide who people love, how many children they have, where they will work, what they eat and when they die.  But when Cassia falls in love with another boy her whole world begins to unravel.