Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore

Generally, the point of reincarnation is to achieve enlightenment, being reborn over and over to gain enlightenment. Milo, the oldest soul on the planet, has given up on pursuing perfection and instead spends his time between lives with Death, who prefers to be called Suzie. After Milo’s 9,995^th life, he learns he only has 5 more tries to live a perfect life and join the Oversoul or he will be cast into the nothingness. Poore expertly weaves Milo’s last five lives with flashbacks of past lives (including the time he was a cricket) and the complicated tale of his (after)life with Suzie. With all of his imperfections on display, Milo is a relatable everyman who shows us younger souls how hard it is to be truly perfect. Readers will laugh heartily and also be touched by the love Milo and Suzie fight so hard to hold onto.

Poore wins the reader over quickly with his witty yet poignant writing, and takes them on a ride they won't soon forget! This absolutely wonderful and inventive tale about love and death (aka Suzie) is reminiscent of the work of fellow oddballs Terry Pratchett and Tom Robbins but Poore tells it with a voice all his own.

- Portia

Odd Child Out by Gilly MacMillan

Noah Sadler and Abdi Mahad are best friends. Noah has terminal cancer and comes from a privileged white family.  Abdi is a black Muslim Somalian refugee. Both are fifteen years of age, smart as they come, and at the same time they are very different. But that didn't matter to them.

One night, an unexpected incident brought the police in. Noah is in the hospital, unconscious, and Abdi is shocked to silence. So how will they ever find out what really happened that night  when neither of them are talking? It is difficult to imagine these boys doing anything out of the ordinary.

This is my first book by Gilly MacMillan, and I was impressed.  This novel speaks to us of social and political issues. The descriptions and the characters are very good; you can easily visualize the scenes and detect the emotions of each character, which were mostly fear, loss, and questioning. I must admit that I did shed a few tears at the end of the book. 

The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks

Waking up to a nightmare, knowing you have been kidnapped and have no idea where your captor has placed you. This is the situation main character, Linus, finds himself in after living as a teenage vagrant for a while. He is alone and stuck inside what seems to be a basement or bunker with the only way out being an elevator that can only be controlled from the outside. The Bunker Diary was filled with suspense and mystery that drives you to read until the end.

Always being a fan of mysteries and thrillers, I was intrigued when I read the description for this book. I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did and figured it would be a book with a happy ending and similar to other books I have read in the same genre, but I was pleasantly surprised. This story was well-written and made me feel the fear of not knowing where you are or even why you were taken. 

It all starts with a stupid mistake. Linus knew that he should not help that blind man and felt that something was off, but he reluctantly continues on. As he goes to help the blind man, he is drugged and kidnapped and put into a bunker by himself. He is only given a diary and able to get few supplies by writing and list and leaving it on the elevator. One by one, more people start to arrive until each room in the bunker is filled. Different ages, genders, and races, this strange mix of people cannot figure out who took them, why they are down there, or if there is a possibility of escape.

The characters were all interesting and you definitely felt more sympathy for some than others. Linus is a strong character who proves he is wise beyond his years and takes care of most of the people in the bunker and is constantly trying to figure an escape. The ending of this book was unexpected and slightly frustrating but I felt it was the perfect way to end the story. If you are a fan of mystery, thriller, crime, or suspense novels, check out The Bunker Diary from the teen room today.

-Lauren

Bang by Barry Lyga

One of my favorite authors of young adult literature has always been Barry Lyga. I have enjoyed every book of his that I have read and his stories have a habit of consuming my life until they are finished so I was ecstatic when Bang arrived on my desk a couple months ago. Yet again, Barry Lyga has provided me with a powerful, well-written and unique story that I recommend to older teens and adults.  

This emotional roller coaster begins with the main character, Sebastian, discussing his younger sister and why there are no traces of her around the house. No photos of his sister can be found around the house, no girl clothes in the laundry baskets, no baby dolls strewn about after being played with because she was killed when she was four months old by a pistol. A pistol that was used by Sebastian.

Bang tells the story of a young man who is struggling with the loss of a sibling and with being responsible for her death. Although he was just a small child himself, Sebastian feels guilty and it encapsulates his entire existence. It was difficult to read the story as Sebastian and see how depressing his life was and the thoughts that ran through his mind while dealing with the aftermath of the tragedy. How would you face your mother every single day knowing that you killed her baby? How could you accept her love and not feel horrible for what you took from her? Does she secretly hate you? These were all questions I had while thinking about his situation.

When Aneesa moves into town, Sebastian finally finds a new friend and she brings a new sense of purpose into his life by helping him make Youtube videos about making different kinds of pizza. Just when things seem to be looking up for Sebastian, the story heads into a different direction and leads to an unexpected ending that left me in tears. This story begins and ends with a bang.

Recommended for fans of Barry Lyga, young adult literature or realistic and contemporary fiction.

-Lauren

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary Schmidt

I have loved all of Gary Schmidt's previous works and was thrilled to see that he wrote a new teen novel. Orbiting Jupiter held up to my expectations and is a beautiful, well-written story of a 14 year old boy, Joseph, as told by 12 year old Jack.

Jack and his parents are a very happy, close family that live on a farm. One day they are asked to take in a troubled young man that has recently been released from a juvenile detention center after the attempted murder of his teacher.

Jack is told by everyone, except his parents, to stay away from Joseph, as they can't see beyond his past mistakes. Immediately upon entering the home, Jack and his parents treat Joseph as part of the family and never judge him for the heinous crime that he committed. Slowly, Joseph begins to open up to the family and they learn his incredible and sad story.

When Joseph was 13, he fell in love with a young girl and they ended up having a daughter named Jupiter. He is desperate to find and meet his infant daughter despite the girl's parents being insistent on Joseph never finding his her.

After spending time with Jack and his parents, Joseph begins to believe he can have a happy future. When he finally gains confidence in himself, he is confronted by his terrible history which leads to an emotional and intense ending.

-Lauren

Unforgettable: A Son, a Mother, and the Lessons of a Lifetime by Scott Simon

In July 2013, Scott Simon was vacationing with his family when he received a call from his mother, Patricia Lyons Simon Newman Gelbin. Instead of joining them in California as planned, she had been admitted to the ICU in Chicago and wasn’t getting answers from the staff about her condition. After days of getting nowhere on the phone with hospital staff, Simon flies to Chicago to be at his mother’s side and talk to the doctors in person. He arrives to find her hooked up to oxygen and with a grim prognosis.

Unwilling to leave his mother, Simon spends the next week at his mother’s bedside, even sleeping on the floor of her hospital room. During this time, he tweeted messages to his 1.2 million Twitter followers, celebrating his mother during the last days of her extraordinary life. This book is an expansion on those tweets, telling the story of a remarkable woman who was funny, gracious, and kind to those around her even as she was lying in a hospital bed hooked up to countless machines.

While this story would have been touching in the hands of a lesser author, Scott Simon, an award winning journalist and host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday, is able to tell a story rich with emotion and life. Unforgettable is equally thoughtful, funny, and heart wrenching, a story of a son and a mother who have been through the ups and downs of life together and come out strong. This is evident even in the short tweets that begin each chapter, such as “I tell my mother, ‘You’ll never stop teaching me.’ She said, ‘Well don’t blame me for everything.’” and “I just realized: she once had to let me go into the big wide world. Now I have to let her go the same way.”

Unforgettable is a book that touches the heart and will stay on the mind for days after it's finished. For fans of Simon’s radio show, the audiobook version is a special treat.

Touching Heaven

Touching Heaven, by Leanne Hadley, is a sweet and touching account of actual real stories of terminally ill children and their encounter with a loving heavenly Father!

While Hadley served as a chaplain at a children's hospital, she came to know and love the seriously ill children she served.  She shares with us their faith and as well as their personal encounters with a God who proves He is ever present with the suffering and with the children!

This is an uplifting book and a special read for those who may have a loved one dealing with a terminal disease. Or if you are struggling as to if there is a here-after or questioning is their really a loving God when such innocent children suffer so, this book is for you! The faith of these children and their very unique stories of receiving peace before passing on to eternity will bless you and those you share these special God-encounters with.  Short and delightful!