ARC Review: The Merman and the Moon Forgotten - Kevin McGill

A copy was provided by the author
in exchange for
an honest review

The Merman and the Moon Forgotten by Kevin McGill

Series: Nikolas & Company #1

Genre: Middle Grade, steampunk, science fiction

Published on March 31, 2012

Published by Aero Studios

Pages: 203

SYNOPSIS

Life on Earth has advanced quite far; now people can live forever, drive hover-cars, and have robots to take care of them. But for Nick, life on Earth is anything but relaxing and convenient. Just when he thinks he can't take it anymore, he starts to hear a mysterious female voice: The Rones lie about their true intent. They enter the city of Huron at the peril of us all. 

Review: Ripper - Stefan Petrucha

Ripper by Stefan Petrucha
Genre: YA, historical fiction, mystery, steampunk
Published on March 1, 2012
Published by Philomel
Pages: 427
Read From: 3.22.12 - 3.22.12











SYNOPSIS

Carver Young dreams of becoming a detective, despite growing up in an orphanage with only crime novels and his lock-picking ability to encourage him. Yet when he is adopted by Detective Hawking of the world-famous Pinkerton Agency, Carver not only gets the chance to find his biological father but finds himself smack in the middle of a real-life investigation: tracking down a vicious serial killer who has thrown New York City into utter panic. 

Review: Dragonswood - Janet Lee Carey

Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey

Series: Wilde Island Chronicles #2

Genre: YA, fantasy

Published on January 5, 2012

Published by Dial

Pages: 407

Read From: 3.18.12 - 3.21.12

SYNOPSIS

Wilde Island is in an uproar over the recent death of its king. The uneasy pact between dragons, fairies, and humans is fraying and the royal witch hunter begins a vengeful quest to hunt down girls with fire in their hearts and sparks in their soul. 

Review: Threads and Flames - Esther Friesner

Threads and Flames by Esther Friesner
Genre: YA, historical fiction
Published on November 24, 2010
Published by Viking Juvenile
Pages: 390












SYNOPSIS

It's 1910, and Raisa has just traveled alone from a small Polish shtetl all the way to New York City. She is enthralled, overwhelmed, and even frightened, especially when she discovers that her sister has disappeared and she must now fend for herself. How do you survive in a foreign land without a job, a place to live, or a command of the native language? 

Review: Incarceron - Catherine Fisher

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Series: Incarceron #1

Genre: YA, dystopian, futuristic

Published on January 26, 2010

Published by Dial

Pages: 442

Read From: 3.8.12 - 3.10.12

SYNOPSIS

Incarceron is a prison unlike any other: Its inmates live not only in cells, but also in metal forests, dilapidated cities, and unbounded wilderness. The prison has been sealed for centuries, and only one man, legend says, has ever escaped. 

Review: Goliath - Scott Westerfeld

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
Series: Leviathan #3
Genre: YA, alternate history, steampunk
Published on September 20, 2011
Published by Simon Pulse
Pages: 545
Read From: 3.4.12 - 3.8.12










SYNOPSIS

Alek and Deryn are aboard the Leviathan when the ship is ordered to pick up an unusual passenger. This brilliant/maniacal inventor claims to have a weapon called Goliath that can end the war. But whose side is he really on? 

Lots and Lots and Lots of Books!

Winter Quarter is over, and as a reward for getting through my penultimate set of classes (only one quarter left!!), I treated myself to a major buying spree at Powell's City of Books - my ultimate favorite new-and-used bookstore. I had $200 dollars in my pocket, and all of it went to books.

Review: The Traitor in the Tunnel - Y. S. Lee

The Traitor in the Tunnel by Y. S. Lee

Series: The Agency #3

Genre: YA, historical fiction, mystery

Published on February 28, 2012

Published by Candlewick Press

Pages: 373

Read From: 3.2.12 - 3.4.12

SYNOPSIS

Queen Victoria has a problem: there's a petty thief at work in Buckingham Palace. Charged with discretion, the Agency assigns quick-witted Mary Quinn to the case. Posing as a domestic in the royal household and fending off the attentions of a feckless Prince of Wales are challenge enough, but when the prince witnesses a murder in an opium den - and scandal threatens the royal family - Mary learns that the accused killer may be someone very close to her. 

Review: The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Genre: Middle Grade, historical fiction, mystery
Published on April 1, 2007
Published by Scholastic
Pages: 534
Read From: 3.2.12 - 3.2.12











SYNOPSIS

Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks - like the gears of the clocks he keeps - with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth

Review: The Aviary - Kathleen O'Dell

The Aviary by Kathleen O'Dell
Genre: Middle Grade, historical fantasy, mystery
Published on September 12, 2011
Published by Knopf
Pages: 337












SYNOPSIS

The Glendoveer mansion was once the magnificent home of a famous magician and illusionist. But now it is crumbling and nearly closed down - home only to the magician's aging widow, a cage full of exotic birds, a cook, a housekeeper, and the housekeeper's eleven-year-old daughter, Clara. 

Review: Unclaimed Heart - Kim Wilkins

Unclaimed Heart by Kim Wilkins
Genre: YA, historical fiction, romance
Published on July 9, 2009
Published by Razorbill
Pages: 320
Read From: 2.27.12 - 2.29.12










SYNOPSIS

In 18th century Britain, what a young lady wants isn't always what she gets - unless she's willing to pay a price. 

Constance has it all - except the one thing she wants most: her mother. So she sneaks aboard her father's merchant ship, defying all rules and - more importantly - betraying her father's invaluable trust. What she doesn't expect to find is Alexandre, a handsome stowaway with a sinister past. 

Review: Brooklyn Rose - Ann Rinaldi

Brooklyn Rose by Ann Rinaldi

Genre: YA, historical fiction, romance

Published on January 1, 2005

Published by HMH Books

Pages: 219

Read From: 2.26.12 - 2.27.12

SYNOPSIS

It's 1900 - the dawn of a new century - and never in her wildest dreams did fifteen-year-old Rose Frampton think she'd leave behind her family arid home on the peaceful shores of her island plantation in South Carolina. . . .especially not to live with a new husband in the North. 

Review: Messenger - Lois Lowry

Messenger by Lois Lowry
Series: The Giver Quarter #3
Genre: YA, dystopian
Published on August 22, 2006
Published by Delacorte Press
Pages: 169
Read From: 2.25.12 - 2.26.12










SYNOPSIS

Six years earlier, Matty had come to Village as a scrappy and devious little boy. Back then, he liked to call himself "the Fiercest of the Fierce," but since that time, Matty had grown almost into a man under the care of Seer, a blind man whose special sight had earned him the name. Now Matty hopes that he will soon be given his true name, and he hopes it will be Messenger. But strange changes are taking place in Village. Once a utopian

Review: Dragon Slippers - Jessica Day George

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

Series: Dragon Slippers #1

Genre: Middle Grade, fantasy

Published on March 20, 2007

Published by Bloomsbury

Pages: 324

Read From: 2.24.12 - 2.25.12

SYNOPSIS

Many stories tell of damsels in distress who are rescued from the clutches of fire-breathing dragons by knights in shining armor and swept off to live happily ever after. Unfortunately, this is not one of those stories.

Review: Operation Storm City - Joshua Mowll

Operation Storm City by Joshua Mowll
Series: Guild of Specialists #3
Genre: Middle Grade, adventure, steampunk
Published on May 12, 2009
Published by Candlewick Press
Pages: 288











SYNOPSIS

Sinkiang Desert, China 

Deep in the Desert of Death, forces converge in the race to find Ur-Can - the fabled Storm City. Becca and Doug, brother and sister, are desperate to reach the lost city and discover their parents' fate, but enemies, old and

Review: The Magician's Elephant - Kate DiCamillo

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
Genre: Middle Grade, whimsy
Published on September 8, 2009
Published by Candlewick Press
Pages: 201
Read From: 2.11.12 - 2.12.12











SYNOPSIS

When a fortuneteller's tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions that he needs to ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her? 

Review: Anya's War - Andrea Alban

Anya's War by Andrea Alban

Genre: YA, historical fiction

Published on February 1, 2011

Published by Feiwel & Friends

Pages: 208

Read From: 2.11.12 - 2.11.12

SYNOPSIS

It is the eve of World War II. Anya Rosen and her family have left their home in Odessa for Shanghai, believing it will be a safe haven. At first, Anya's life in Shanghai is privileged and relatively carefree: She has crushes on boys, fights with her mother, and longs to defy expectations just like her hero, Amelia Earhart. 

Review: March Toward the Thunder - Joseph Bruchac

March Toward the Thunder by Joseph Bruchac
Genre: YA, historical fiction
Published on May 1, 2008
Published by Dial
Pages: 304












SYNOPSIS

Louis Nolette is not American or Irish; he's an Abenaki Indian from Canada. He's also just fifteen years old. But none of this stops him from joining the Fighting 69th, the Irish Brigade known for its courage and ferocity in battle, during the final years of the Civil War. Louis feels compelled to join

Review: Ashes of Roses - Mary Jane Auch

Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch

Genre: YA, historical fiction

Published on May 1, 2002

Published by Henry Holt and Co.

Pages: 256

Read From: 2.8.12 - 2.10.12

SYNOPSIS

When sixteen-year-old Rose Nolan arrives on Ellis Island in 1911, she sees before her a land of opportunities. But after part of her family is sent back to Ireland, unable to set foot on American soil, Rose is left to fend for herself and her younger sister. Even so, Rose's will to succeed overpowers her feelings of homesickness, and before long she throws herself into the hard-knock life of factory work.