Those That Wake by Jesse Karp

Mal is a fighter not just with his fists, but with all he has against what life throws at him: an abusive mother and a string of foster parents. Mal has learned endurance. Laura appears to be set for success: her loving family, grade point average, AP class schedule and extensive volunteerism appear to have her poised to attend one of the best colleges. They have nothing in common, until….. Laura is arrested by homeland security for “harassing” her parents who now have no memory of her. Mal’s brother goes missing and Mal is attacked while investigating the trail. Both wake up together with three others in a strange, confined space.  

As events unfold everything seems to hinge on the mysterious building hiding in plain sight in Midtown Manhattan. Unless someone physically points it out, the building is beyond view almost as if one forgot to notice it. The building houses an equally mysterious man in a suit who sends runners and secret packages out into the city. On the 32 floor of this building is an impossibly large room that contains nothing but doors. Doors that lead inexplicably into different places: the boiler room in a basement, a hospital hallway, doors that all seem to lead into buildings and places not physically connected to this one. Ever-present in this building is the stomach churning fear, especially of the top floor. What lies there? What is the mystery of this building and this man? What have they done to Laura’s family and Mal’s brother? Why is everything (cell phones, mirrors, tables) breaking around Laura and Mal? Is there a connection to the dome looming high in everyone’s vision, a remnant of the Big Black power failure?

Those That Wake is part of the growing collection of books that look into the future and show us a possible truth. Those That Wake uses the experiences of Laura and Mal to look at the growth and power of corporate marketing schemes, the power of technology to dull us to everything around us, and what makes us human. With some dramatic sequences, and air of mystery readers will be propelled along. The question of whether Mal and Laura can survive is compelling. The question of who will be turned against them next and who is the biggest threat is equally compelling. The question readers will be left to contemplate is this: “What’s a human life really worth beyond the capacity to be a consumer?”  

Related Titles Worth Considering:

If you liked the dual nature of Those That Wake, as it alternated between Mal and Laura in a dystopia where technology bends reality into the shape of something far more sinister, you may want to try Incarceron by Catherine Fisher.

If you like the commentary on technology, corporations, consumerism and their invasiveness in modern life, you may want to try Little Brother by Cory Doctorow and Feed by M.T. Anderson.

The Poison Eaters and Other Stories by Holly Black

Sometimes you don't want a long story in which to get lost. Sometimes, you are up to your armpits in alligators, or new classes, or soccer practice or any one of a hundred other things. Sometimes what you need is a taste. A story just long enough to remind you of the feel and flavor of great stories, but not enough that you feel committed or competition for your time. The Poison Eaters is such a book. 

By turns, the Poison Eaters is dark, urban fantasy and brand new takes on some old favorite tales. A collection of stories: we witness the dark turning of a newly bitten vampire, an eating contest with the devil for control of souls and a suffering dog; a boy who becomes a werewolf. Perhaps my favorite is "Paper Cuts Scissors" in which a young woman fights with her boyfriend and then writes herself into a book and disappears. He then goes to library school to discover a way to retrieve her from the book. Anyone who loves books will find that one a difficult one to overlook. But the best of the collection is the "Night Market". Tomasa's sister, Eva, has been bewitched and sickened by the love of an elf. Tomasa takes enormous risks to save her sister. But in the end discovers more about herself, beauty and love than she had ever expected. 

If you'd like other books like this one, try Lips Touch Three Times by Laini Taylor. A collection of three fantasy short stories. Less romantic than the title may imply, this collection of short stories leaves one to wonder. What would it be like for a goblin to take on a wondrous human form only to entice and devour one's soul? Could one balance the greed of hell's destruction? Could one save lives to balance those stolen by chance or destiny? What if humanity wasn't the most powerful of creatures? What would it be like if humans were merely pets to more powerful beings in the universe? Read Laini Taylor's Lips Touch Three Times to find out.  

“Kizzy wanted to be a woman who would dive off the prow of a sailboat into the sea … and who could dance a tango, lazily stroke a leopard with her bare foot, freeze an enemy’s blood with her eyes. Make promises she couldn’t possibly keep, and then shift the world to keep them. She wanted to write memoirs and autograph them at a tiny bookshop in Rome, with a line of admirers snaking down a pink-lit alley. She wanted … to ruin someone, trade in esoteric knowledge, watch strangers as coolly as a cat. She wanted to be inscrutable, have a drink named after her, a love song written for her, and a handsome adventurer’s small airplane, champagne-christened Kizzy, which would vanish one day in a windstorm in Arabia so that she would have to mount a rescue operation involving camels, and wear an indigo veil against the stinging sand, just like the nomads. Kizzy wanted.”

Exposed by Kimberly Marcus

16 year old Liz’s guilt hangs heavily after her fight with her forever best friend Kate. Liz said some ugly things at their monthly sleepover and went upstairs to bed, leaving Kate alone on the couch. In the morning, Kate had already gone home. Liz has apologized but Kate continues to avoid her. She’s sorry. Isn’t that enough? Then the rumors begin. Liz hears that her college age brother, Mike, and Kate had sex. Did Kate want to? Did Mike force her? Who should she believe?  Her older brother who bought her first camera, emboldened her through scary Halloweens when she was small, the brother she loves or her forever-best, the friend she has cherished since kindergarten. Charges are filed, the trial looms, people talk, her mother won’t. Through it all Liz is caught in the web of opinion and criticism, the most intense often her own.  

“But Most of All

I hate myself

because if I’d kept

my big mouth shut

there would have been no fight

no reason for me to go upstairs

and leave her

alone.”

Written in verse so descriptive even those who hate to read will be mesmerized by this book.

“’It wasn’t a big fight!’ I yell

as guilt spreads its wings like a falcon,

talons clawing at my gut,

digging in”

You will read Exposed in one stretched, aching heartbeat waiting for the resolution. Liz’s voice is true to the difficulty of the situation. How should the trial resolve? What can be hoped for in a situation like this?  Less intense and more approachable than other titles focused on date rape. Exposed views the situation from Liz’s unique third party perspective: neither the victim, nor the accused but close to both. Exposed explores the collateral damage of choices. How disasters in our life can devastate those we love.

Date rape is the focus of other titles you might want to read as well. Chris Lynch's Inexcusable and Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak both approach the date rape topic from a different perspective.   

After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn

If The Incredibles was told from Violet’s perspective. Only, she was 25 and had no super powers, it might look like After the Golden Age. Celia has struggled for years to come to terms with her superhero parents. Unfortunately, she feels largely like a failure since she has no super powers of her own. Celia has lived her whole life in the shadow of her fantastical, crime fighting, super power wielding parents. After a particularly shameful incident in high school involving their arch nemesis: the Destructor, Celia went to college, became an accountant and put all of it behind her. Her now quiet day to day life interrupted only by regular kidnapping on the part of local villains who target her knowing her family's reputation. Celia is drawn back into the family business when the Destructor is arrested and faces trial. The Prosecution brings in Celia to examine all of his financial records. Her past relationship with the Destructor, her complicated relationship with her parents, and the very real feeling of being on stage as the whole community watches the embarrassment of her life play out all feel much like high school drama set on a much larger stage. 

You may remember Carrie Vaughn from an earlier post regarding Steel. After the Golden Age, is published as "adult" rather than "young adult" literature. Don't be fooled, you will still love it.  Celia's struggle to be her own person and live a successful life outside the enormous shadow of her parents will ring true. Her struggle to demystify the romantic possibilities with Mark the police chief and Arthur Mentis, the mind reading hero who has always stood steadfast and true to her, will resonate with all ages of readers. After the Golden Age is a little campy, a little tongue in cheek humor, and a lot of opportunity for Celia to spread her wings and become the hero we average, ordinary humans seek to be everyday. Sure to be a hit in the style of YALSA's Alex Awards, After the Golden Age has a little bit of everything: mystery, romance, action and adventure. What really happened in the laboratory all those years ago? How many super heroes lurk in Commerce City? Who really gets to claim Celia's heart: the heartthrob son of the Mayor or the the long time family friend who has championed her all these years? Can you fight crime and save the city with nothing more super than your abilities as a forensic accountant? Read After the Golden Age to find out.   

If you loved either of Carrie Vaughn's books, you may want to check her website out and look for other titles you might enjoy.

How I Stole Johnny Depp’s Alien Girlfriend by Gary Ghislain

 ….Speaking of Pirates of the Caribbean leads us naturally to Johnny Depp which leads us to How I Stole Johnny Depp’s Alien Girlfriend. The cover looks like you are in for a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy kind of ride. Don’t be fooled. 99% of the action happens here on Earth. The Traveler has come here looking for her chosen one. Zelda is a Traveler from Vahalal. A beautiful Amazonian type woman who kicks butt clad only in skimpy bikinis, Zelda doesn’t swim because all the bodies of water on her planet would boil flesh. Zelda has never tasted ice cream. She has Space Splashed here seeking her chosen one, who coincidentally appears to be Johnny Depp. Her body is covered not with beautiful tribal tattoos but as she explains them “biological markings that show who I am and what I’ve done.” She will know her chosen one when she samples his DNA through kissing. Just wait until you find out how she transfers the key to Vahalal him.

14 year old David Gershwin’s dad is a famous psychologist working in a farmhouse outside of Paris. His newest patient is violent, determined, hot and handcuffed to furniture in his office when David meets her. David can’t help but be fascinated by her. Everything about her: from her green eyes to her Amazonian build to her deadly aim with anything passing as a weapon intrigue him. In his quest to continue to be around her, even after he is sent away to live with his cold, distant, fashionable divorce attorney mother, David gets sucked into Zelda’s quest to find her chosen one. The whole time David desperately wished to be her chosen one, even though it is impossible. Their madcap adventure will involve a visit to a juvenile detention center, attack by dogs, a road trip through France, a burning gas station, gustative biochemistry, and an audience in an abandoned school that now serves as home and headquarters to the other failed Travelers (who now live on earth some for hundreds of years) and Valks (pledged to help the Travelers and having forsaken children in the service of Zook and fighting).

How I Stole Johnny Depp's Alien Girlfriend is a wild, kooky ride that will encourage you to laugh out loud. What more could you expect from a book called How I Stole Johnny Depp’s Alien Girlfriend?   

Steel by Carrie Vaugh

If you feel marooned in a sea of high drama and disturbing dystopian fiction, look to Carrie Vaugh’s Steel to throw you an action adventure life line. If you have reached the part of your summer where you just want a good adventure full of pirates, swashbuckling adventure and heroism, this is your book.

After coming in fourth and just missing the opportunity to compete in the National Fencing Championships, Jill is frustrated and wondering if she should even continue training. Her family takes advantage of the break in the schedule to vacation in the Bahamas. While walking on the beach, 16 year old Jill finds a mysterious sword shard. With this broken sword piece in her pocket, a tourist boat cruise runs into foul weather and puts Jill over the side and into the ocean. When she surfaces it is in the 18^th century. Pulled from the ocean by a crew of pirates, Jill joins their adventure under the leadership of their captain, Marjory Cooper. Jill’s training as a fencer comes in handy as she makes her way among real pirates of the Caribbean. Jill becomes entangled in a pirate feud between Marjory and Blane, an evil pirate up to no good. A cursed sword with supernatural powers leads to cruel secrets. The danger of the more nasty pirates is balanced by the sweet kind, smile of Henry, who teaches Jill the ways of being a pirate on the ship Diana. Steel is a great adventure full of interesting characters set against the backdrop of Caribbean piracy in the 1700’s.