Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman, 2010.

Audience: Grades 7-12

My Rating: 5* of 5

Summary: Bronte: There's a reason why Brewster can't have friends—why he can't care about too many people. Because when he cares about you, things start to happen. Impossible things that can't be explained. I know, because they're happening to me.
Comments: While Unwind may have some of Shusterman's best writing, Bruiser is his best novel to date. Multiple voices are written masterfully, the suspense sets in quickly and does not relent, characters are interesting and worth following...in short, everything works and works very well. All told, Shusterman uses a super-human character to show the best, worst, and always flawed faces of humanity.

Awards: 2011 Lone Star list

Read-alikes: If I Stay by Foreman, Unwind by Shusterman, Hero by Moore

Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Reckless by Cornelia Funke, 2010.
Audience: Grades 5-8
My Rating: 4.5* of 5
Summary: Jacob and Will Reckless have looked out for each other ever since their father disappeared, but when Jacob discovers a magical mirror that transports him to a warring world populated by witches, giants, and ogres, he keeps it to himself until Will follows him one day, with dire consequences.

Comments: I reluctantly picked this one up as I have read a few Funke titles and didn't love them. Reckless, however, is a different story. The allure of the magic mirror as a portal to the dark underbelly of Grimm's fairy tale world quickly drew me in. The relationships are surprisingly grown up and realistically reflect the complications of romance, family, and loyalty (though nothing is inappropriate for middle/high school readers). What's missing from Reckless is the dense, over told story (a la Inkheart) that has always turned me off of Funke. Instead, there is a tantalizing sense of negative space left to the reader's imagining and future Reckless adventures to fill.

Read-alikes: The Grimm Legacy