Hero by Mike Lupica

Hero by Mike Lupica.
Audience: Grades 6 and up

My Rating: 5* of 5

Summary: Fourteen-year-old Zach learns he has the same special abilities as his father, who was the president's globe-trotting troubleshooter until "the Bads" killed him, and now Zach must decide whether to use his powers in the same way at the risk of his own life.

Comments: Excellent origin story that leaves you eager for the next adventure! Even out of his sports element, Lupica still writes with a perfect blend of plot and character that propells you through the story [faster than a speeding bullet...sorry, can't resist].
Awards: Texas Bluebonnet list 2012-2013
Read-alikes: Hero by Perry Moore (Moore's is for a reader who can handle LGBT lit)

Ship Breaker by Bacigalupi (audio)

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi. Narrated by Joshua Swanson.

Audience: 12 and up
My Rating: 3* of 5

Summary: In America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota--and hopefully live to see another day. But when he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life.
Comments: In a nutshell: I prefer Hunger Games. Swanson's accents were ethnically confusing--I wonder if this was conscious choice or his lack of dialect prowess? While the first third of the story compelled me, the author's storytelling rhythm eventually bored me, as did his repetitive phrases: "blossomed with pain," etc. Richard Lopez: now there's a fascinating, utterly repulsive villain the likes of which I have not read in a while!
Awards: Printz award, National Book Award finalist
Read-alikes: Hunger Games by Collins

The Cabinet of Wonders (audio)

The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski, 2008. Narrated by Lorelei King.
Audience: Grades 4 through 7
My Rating: 3* of 5
Summary: Twelve-year-old Petra, accompanied by her magical tin spider, goes to Prague hoping to retrieve the enchanted eyes the Prince of Bohemia took from her father, and is aided in her quest by a Roma boy and his sister.

Comments: Pacing was off for me--too slow until the final few chapters when it seemed everything resolved in a hurry. The magical elements are well done and appealing. Well read by King.

Read-alikes: Kronos Chronicles series, Ella Enchanted by Levine, The Princess Academy by Hale

Awards: 2010-2011 Bluebonnet nominee

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce. 2010.

Audience: Grades 5-8, ages 10-14.

My Rating: 4*s of 5

Summary: Twelve-year-old Liam, who looks like he is thirty and is tired of being treated like he is older than he actually is, decides he is going to pose as the adult chaperone on the first spaceship to take civilians into space, but when he ends up in outer space with a group of kids and no adult supervision, he must think fast to make things right.

Comments: Another Cottrell Boyce winner. This one is so different from Millions that there is no need to compare. A rare juvenile book that is a positive portrait of a dad. Funny, warm, great dialogue, and fantastic views of space.

Awards:

Read-alikes: George's Secret Key to the Universe by Hawking

Hero by Perry Moore

Hero by Perry Moore. 2009.
Audience: Grades 8th and up; 13 and up (who can handle GLBT lit)
My Rating: 4*s of 5
Summary: The last thing in the world Thom Creed wants is to add to his father's pain, so he keeps secrets. Like that he has special powers. And that he's been asked to join the League - the very organization of superheroes that spurned his dad. But the most painful secret of all is one Thom can barely face himself: he's gay.

Comments: Overall a funny, entertaining, and engaging story that is highly original. Kind of a look at what the Incredibles family could become many years later. The concept is great--a budding superhero teen struggling with his missing mom, fallen superhero dad, his own new powers and the biggie--his homosexuality. Characters are appealing (Typhiod Larry, ha!) and there are many funny moments (huge laughs over The Lorax scene). There are a few bumps in the road execution-wise, especially with early action scenes. But any transgressions are easily forgiven as we root Thom on in the battlefields of hero-dom and looooove!

Awards:
Read-alikes: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies / Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies by Hartinger; How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater by Acito

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson (audio)

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson. 2007.

Audience: Grades 9th and up; 12 yrs. and up

My Rating: 3*s of 5

Summary: After finally getting noticed by someone other than school bullies and his ever-angry father, seventeen-year-old Tyler enjoys his tough new reputation and the attentions of a popular girl, but when life starts to go bad again. He must choose between transforming himself or giving in to his destructive thoughts.

Comments: The first half of this book absolutely worked for me. I was completely empathetic with Tyler and on the edge of my seat to know what would happen with Bethany. His feelings (eh-hem) for her are palpable (I wonder if guy readers would agree?). But when gears shift to other areas of focus, the story lost momentum for me. The drama amped up and seemed a bit over the top, but hey, what do I know about 17 year old boy-brains? I was glad at how things played out eventually, but would have stayed more glued to the story had the Bethany storyline remained a key player. Overall, an interesting male point of view equivalent to Speak.
Awards:

Read-alikes: Antsy books by Shusterman, Paper Towns by Green