Lynes, Jeanette.  The Factory Voice: A Novel.  Regina, SK: Coteau Books, 2009.  Print.

Audrey, Muriel, Ruby, and Florence have only one thing in common; they all work at a northwestern Ontario airplane factory.  With fugitives on the loose, sabotage occurring somewhere on the plant floor, and a reporter just itching to get the big story, something exciting is bound to happen!

I relished this novel.  I enjoyed both the lead female characters, as well as the minor male ones.  All of the characters were all well rounded, growing in depth and layers as the plot unravels.  To sum it up, “keep ‘em flying” Ms. Lynes!

Alsenea, Rajaa.  Girls of Riyadh.  Trans. by Rajaa Alsanea and Marilyn Booth.  New York:  Penguin, 2007.  Print.

Gamrah, Michelle, Sadeem, and Lamees are all typical Saudi Arabian young women; exploring their ideas of self identity, and hoping to marry a great man in the process.  Through broken hearts and hard deicisions, all four women grow to become stronger and  smarter while learning who they really are.

I enjoyed Girls of Riyadh; it offered a window into a society I know very little about.  Fiction is often a great way to explore and enter worlds so apart from my own.  I liked the format that the author chose as well.  It allowed the reader to get a better understanding of just how bold the author was writing about Saudi Arabia women.

Garth Nix.  Sabriel.  Revised Eos Ed.  HarperCollins, 2008.

Sent to Ancelstierre for her education, magical and otherwise, Sabriel only saw her father in person a few times a year.  Despite this, the two had a deep bond, and when her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing in the Old Kingdom, Sabriel feels that she must abandon her last semester of school in order to find him.  As she follows her father’s last known whereabouts, she is joined by an unusual spirit in the form of a cat, and a young man with magic of his own.

Although I read Lirael first, (I didn’t realize it was part of a trilogy when I picked it up) I felt compelled to go back and read the start of this amazing trilogy.  To me, fantasy has always dealt with magic, but in this book I was utterly impressed with the way the writing made magic seem normal and forced me to think about the dilemma placed upon the characters.  I found this book well worth the read.

Garth Nix.  Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr.  Revised Eos Ed.  HarperCollins, 2008.

Having felt like an outsider her entire life, Lirael jealously watches the other Clayr as they come of age and receive the Sight.  Soon however, the Sight is forgotten as her job as a Third Assistant Librarian opens doors to secrets she never imagined possible.  Secrets that will help her save the Old Kingdom;  a job she can only do with the help of the Disreputable Dog and her companion Sameth.

I read this book first, and loved it.  I loved both Sameth and Lireal’s characters, finding them both believable and likable.  I loved the description of the Clayr’s Glacier, and could picture it for months after I read it!  This book was by far, my favourite of the trilogy.

Garth Nix.  Abhorsen.  Revised Eos Ed.  HarperCollins, 2008.

The Abhorsen’s duty is to keep the dead remaining dead and the alive safe.  When the current Abhorsen is called away, Lirael and Sameth are left with the job of protecting the Old Kingdom from evils lurking within.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the other two.  I liked the way the characters came together, but I found that the way that it jumped around to character to character each chapter distracting.  I also found bits of it boring, as it had so much description that I found irrelevant to the plot.

Smith, Cynthia Leitich.  Tantalize.  Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick, 2008.  Print.

Quincie Morris is not your typical teenager.  Willed her parents restaurant, Quincie and her uncle have tried to make it into a successful business.  When her uncle’s girlfriend comes up with a business plan that includes a vampire theme, Quince has her doubts.  However, with the new head chef Henry Johnson, the restaurant seems deemed for success, and the only thing to distract Quincie is her uncertain feelings for her hybrid-werewolf best friend.

Based on the description “dark fantasy” and “dark romance” I had high expectations for this novel.  Back cover excerpts from Booklist, The Horn Book, and Kirkus, should have reaffirmed my anticipation for a good read.  Sadly disappointed, I found the characters to be so-so, with no decent secondary characters, the plot predicable, and the ending scattered and abrupt.  I would recommend leaving this novel on the shelf.

Powell, Julie.  Julie & Julia.  New York:  Black Bay Books, 2009.  Print.

Charismatic and full of spice, Julie Powell did not define herself by her dull (and often underappreciated) job as a secretary, but felt unable to do anything about it.  Reminiscent of her days as a child covertly flipping through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julie decided to spend one year of her life cooking every recipe in Mastering…and found herself in the process.

Fresh and humorous, Julie & Julia was a pleasure to read.  Through her documented successes (and of course, failures) Julie Powell has taken a legend and brought her to a whole new generation; one who is now able to appreciate the life and works of Julia Child.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation.  Nelson Mandela: The Authorized Comic Book.  New York:  W.W. Norton & Co., 2009.  Print.

Nelson Mandela: The Authorized Comic Book is an engaging biography and history of the struggles and triumphs faced by Mandela in South Africa in the past ninety years.  Published originally as eight short comics geared to reach the younger readers of South Africa, this compiled resource is a must have for any middle or high school library world wide.  It includes both an index, a list of key reference works consulted, and a opening message from Mandela.

Although the names of many of Mandela’s contemporaries, as well as some of the abbreviations, may be confusing to younger readers or those unfamiliar with the culture, the book is well worth pursuing.  It is beautifully illustrated with amazing attention to detail and expression.  I would suggest this book to not only young adults, but to all people interested in learning more about Nelson Mandela’s life and the story he has to tell.

Gardner, Sally.  I, Coriander.  London:  Orion, 2006.

Coriander is at a loss when her father decides to remarry after the death of her mother.  Soon though, her father is wanted for treason as London undergoes political upheaval, and Coriander must fight for survival under her evil stepmothers eye.

Set in mid-seventeenth century London, I Coriander is a dark fairytale written  with plenty of historical detail.  Overall, I liked the novel, but there were a few plot gaps that made me turn back to make sure that I didn’t miss a page.

Stratton, Allan.  Chanda’s Wars.  Toronto:  HarperTrophyCanada, 2008.

Chanda and her younger siblings are still struggling with the death of their mother, and to make things even worse, Chanda is haunted by recurring nightmares filled with death and destruction.  Soon she realizes that the only way to put a stop to the nightmares is to visit her estranged family; her grandparents who disowned her mother.  Soon through, Chanda is fighting for survival as civil war tears apart her country, and her only hope is to trust an ornery young tracker with a history of his own.

Chanda’s Wars is a touching novel depicting problems that many young people in our world face.  Not a traditional love story, but definitely descriptive of a girls love for her family and her country.  It was well written with exceptional characters, and plot twists that a reader just doesn’t see coming.  I would recommend this book to young adults and adults alike.

Keyes, Marian.  Sushi for Beginners.  Toronto:  Penguin, 2001.

When Lisa Edwards is transferred from her high profile job as an editor in London to the booming metropolis of Dublin and as the editor of a new magazine, she thinks her life might as well be over.  However, her heart slowly warms to the city as she realizes that there are more important things to life than just work.

Ashling Kennedy’s social life has never quite gotten over the loss of her boyfriend.  Stuck in a rut in a job with no future, and stuck with friends that don’t seem to get her anywhere, Ashling is looking for something different.  When a job opening comes up at a new magazine in town, she jumps at the opportunity.

Sushi for Beginners is like reading a novel written by a beginner.  With drivel dialogue, and very few characters with any depth, I would suggest you leave this book on the shelf and pick up another book worthy of your reading time.

Jinks, Catherine.  Evil Genius.  New York:  Harcourt, 2007.

Cadel Piggott’s world is turned upside down when his therapist informs hims that nothing in his life is as it seems.  His parents aren’t really his parents, his father is a renowned criminal in jail for multiple crimes, and his soon to be ex-therapist is really the Chancellor at Axis Institute; a school of deception, destruction and organic distortion.

Fast paced, and electrically humorous, Evil Genius offers readers a glimpse into the world of Cadel Piggott, a computer genius teenager who has a problem relating to anything without a circuit board.  I really enjoyed this book, and found it to be a refreshing change from other young adult books with a good versus evil theme.  Catherine Jinks will keep you guessing right until the end, with more plot twists than a Dan Brown novel, and more realistic main characters to boot.