Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4) by Stephenie Meyer

Book four of the popular Twilight series starts where Eclipse left off. A wedding is in the works with the promise of immortality to come. Questions start to get answered from the very beginning, yet more questions arise as well. Where is Jacob; will Bella ever see him again? How are her parents reacting to the engagement? Will she get turned? How will she handle her first year? What will happen to the werewolf/vampire pact if she is turned? Will she kill anyone if she is turned? And will the Volturi be paying a visit anytime soon?

The description may seem short, but I did not want to give too much away for those who have not read it yet. I stayed up late to finish this one, but not because I was loving every minute. Instead, I wanted to see how this ended because I was amazed at what I was reading from the very beginning! I thought that the story line was absolutely ridiculous and way more mature then the previous books. Can middle school and early high school students even relate to Bella anymore? I couldn't and I am an adult. Her whiny nature was also starting to get to me, but I got a break from it. Those of you who have read the book know what I mean. I also felt that the level of sacrifice in this book was nothing compared to the previous three. Not that I wanted everyone to die, but sometimes a writer needs to sacrifice things for the story and to keep the characters consistent. I have many more complaints about this book, but I don't want to give too much away (not that you would believe me if I told you). This is one that can be skipped, though if you are a Twilight fan, you won't. Just don't read it twice. Instead pick up Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the 10th time. You'll thank me.

Gr. 9-12

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson is a bit of a loser. Getting kicked out of a different school year after year, because of fights, and having trouble with his studies, because of his ADHD and dyslexia, is a normal thing for him. Having a real jerk for a stepfather seems to be the icing on the miserable cake of his life. The only good things are his best (and only) friend Grover and his mom. She loves him and wants to protect him, but exactly what is she protecting him from? Percy finds out soon enough as a disaster forces him to spend the summer at Camp Half Blood; a camp for the children of the Greek gods and mortals! Percy learns a lot about his life in a short amount of time including the theft he supposedly made from the god Zeus! As Percy goes on his first incredibly dangerous, and possibly last mission, he is accompanied by Grover and Annabeth, friends, who are by his side, even though the prophet Oracle claims of betrayal and danger.

I just finished this book after staying up until 3am the night before. It was so good I did not want to put it down. This book has everything for all readers: action, questions, suspense, family issues, monsters, and powers. Don't be surprised if after reading this kids gain a healthy interest in learning about Greek mythology. With characters like the Furies, Medusa, satyr's, and wood nymphs curiosities should run rampant. This is the first of Percy's adventures, and book four has just come out. Make sure you have access to all in the series, because once you start you will not want to stop!
Gr. 5-9