Book Reviews Young Adult Fiction

Sara Martinez just wanted to do the right thing when she hacked the New York City foster care system to expose her corrupt foster parents. Instead of a medal, she is facing years in juvenile detention and a strict ban on using computers. Just when all hope seems lost, a mysterious British spy named Mother swoops in, offering her a totally different path: a place in a highly secret MI6 agency. Sara is whisked away to a hidden base in Scotland, where she joins the City Spies, a brilliant team of five kids gathered from around the globe. While attending a local boarding school, they master explosives, sleight of hand, and breaking and entering, allowing them to infiltrate places adults simply cannot reach. Before she knows it, Sara is dangling from buildings and hacking rival computer networks at a youth summit in Paris, racing to stop a dangerous villain.

The scent of kerosene is your perfume, and the roaring flames are your greatest achievement. As a fireman in a chillingly controlled future, your job is not to put out fires. Your job is to start them. Books are strictly forbidden, blamed for spreading dangerous ideas and causing unhappiness. When someone is caught hiding a library, you are the one who arrives with the Mechanical Hound and a flamethrower to reduce their precious pages to gray ashes. You have never questioned the system or the empty, screen filled life you share with your distant wife. Then you meet a teenage neighbor named Clarisse. She does not care about the giant interactive televisions or the endless fast paced distractions. Instead, she asks you simple, terrifying questions about the world, nature, and your own happiness. Suddenly, the unquestioning loyalty you once felt to your profession begins to crumble. You start to wonder what secrets are hidden in the books you destroy, leading you to commit the ultimate crime of reading one yourself. In a society where independent thought is illegal, your sudden awakening makes you a target for the very government you once proudly served.

Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when his small plane suddenly crashes into the remote Canadian wilderness. The pilot is dead, and Brian is completely alone. You will feel his intense fear and hunger as he realizes that his survival depends entirely on his own wits. His only tool is a small hatchet his mother gave him as a parting gift. For fifty-four grueling days, you will learn alongside Brian as he figures out how to build a shelter, start a fire, and hunt for food. Beyond the physical challenges, he must also find a way to navigate the emotional pain of his parents' recent divorce. This thrilling, iconic classic is the ultimate test of human endurance.

Starr Carter is a teenager who lives in two different worlds. At home, she is part of a close-knit community, but at school, she attends a fancy prep school far away. Everything changes one night when Starr witnesses a terrible event: her childhood best friend, Khalil, is shot by a police officer. Khalil was unarmed, and his death quickly becomes a huge news story, causing protests and strong feelings everywhere. Starr is the only one who knows exactly what happened, but speaking out is incredibly difficult and dangerous. Some people want her to stay silent, while others pressure her to tell her truth. Her decision could affect her family, her friends, and her entire community. This powerful story explores what it means to find your voice and stand up for what is right, even when it's scary and difficult.

Ketterdam is a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price. Nobody knows this better than Kaz Brekker, a brilliant and ruthless criminal prodigy. When Kaz is offered the chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams, he knows he cannot pull it off alone. To breach an impenetrable fortress, he assembles a crew of dangerous outcasts. His team includes a convict thirsting for revenge, a sharpshooter who cannot walk away from a wager, a runaway with a privileged past, a deadly spy known as the Wraith, and a Heartrender using magic to survive the slums. Together, these six outcasts must attempt the impossible. They are the only thing standing between the world and total destruction. That is, if they manage not to kill each other before the heist even begins. Join a crew of unforgettable rogues in an epic tale of betrayal, cunning, and survival.

In the bustling, futuristic streets of New Beijing, a deadly plague is sweeping through the crowded markets. Cinder is a gifted mechanic, but as a cyborg, she is treated as a second-class citizen and constantly blamed by her cruel stepmother for everything that goes wrong. Her quiet life of repairs and survival is completely upended when the handsome Prince Kai walks into her shop, dragging her right into the center of a massive intergalactic conflict. Hovering above the Earth, a ruthless and powerful Lunar queen is waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Caught between a forbidden attraction and an overwhelming sense of duty, you will watch as Cinder uncovers startling secrets about her own erased past. To protect the future of her entire world, she must embrace the very technology that makes her an outcast. This thrilling, inventive story transforms a classic fairy tale into a high-stakes cyberpunk adventure you will not be able to put down.