Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

In the sequel to the hugely popular The Hunger Games (2008), Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, having won the annual Games, are now rich and famous. They are seen as a threat to the Capitol, their unusual manner of winning an act of rebellion that could inspire uprisings throughout Panem. Knowing her life is in danger, Katniss considers escaping with her family and friends but instead reluctantly assumes the role of a rebel. Collins weaves in enough background for this novel to stand alone, but it will be a far richer experience for those who have read the first installment and come to love Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch and the rest of the desperate residents of this dystopia. A cliffhanger will leave readers clamoring for volume three!
I would definitely recommend the series! Lots of action, suspense and a splash of romance. This will appeal to many a reader! There is some violence, but overall, not bad.

 

House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Matt has been raised in a house by himself.  The only other human being that he has seen is his nanny.  He watches tv and knows that there are other people out there- but in his home all of the windows and doors are nailed shut.  One day Matt sees children playing outside of his house.  He breaks through a window, climbs a chair, and jumps out onto the broken glass of the window.  The children carry him back to their house where a doctor looks at Matt’s wounds.  The doctor sees that Matt has markings on the bottom of his foot- marking him as a clone.  But clones are less than dogs, so how does Matt have intelligence?  Who’s clone is he?  And how will he survive in a world where clones are less than nothing?  Read House of the Scorpion to find out.  

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

In the tradition of the Giver, Collins has written a novel based on a US of the future where 12 districts are controlled by reality based TV.  Two tributes are chosen yearly to compete in the Hunger Games, which feature glamourous opening ceremonies, sponsorship, training, personal interviews and end in a fight to the death.  District 12 tributes have attracted interest, as Katniss has taken the place of her younger sister, and Peeta has proclaimed his love for Katniss. Brutality characterizes these games. Can humanity survive in this hostile setting?

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Seventeen year-old Jenna has just
awoken from a year-long coma. She is
recovering from a terrible traffic accident
and can remember nothing about her
old life. Her parents have moved her
across the country, and show her old
movies of her childhood in attempt to
revive her memory. As Jenna starts to
remember, questions arise.
Why is her grandmother so hostile to her?
Who is this new Jenna Fox?

Silver Ship and the Sea by Brenda Cooper

The Silver Ship and the Sea by Brenda Cooper

  Great young adult reading novel. The story takes place on the colony planet of   Fremont where a group of settlers from Earth have settled. The planet itself is violent both geologically and meteorologically, and that makes life hard on the colonists. The original settlers of Fremont chose to live there to escape the growing trend of humans to become altered. Altered humans who have become genetically enhanced also chose Fremont for their home after the first group of colonists wasn’t heard from. The two groups fought a war that resulted in most of the Altereds either fleeing of dying. Six children of the Altereds were adopted/imprisoned by the normal human settlement. Those children are now coming of age and want their rights and history to be recognized. Due to the brutal nature of the first war the colonists are hesitant to allow them much freedom. The colonists however have become somewhat dependant on the Atereds to help maintain the precarious balance on Fremont. Without revealing the outcome I’ll say that even the six6 altered teenagers are split on what role they should play in the future of the colony.

Overall it was a good read and an adventurous world building effort.