The Night Strangers

 The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian  378 pages

Summary from publisher: In a dusty corner of a basement in a rambling Victorian house in northern New Hampshire, a door has long been sealed shut with 39 six-inch-long carriage bolts. 

           
The home's new owners are Chip and Emily Linton and their twin ten-year-old daughters. Together they hope to rebuild their lives there after Chip, an airline pilot, has to ditch his 70-seat regional jet in Lake Champlain after double engine failure. Unlike the Miracle on the Hudson, however, most of the passengers aboard Flight 1611 die on impact or drown. The body count? Thirty-nine - a coincidence not lost on Chip when he discovers the number of bolts in that basement door. Meanwhile, Emily finds herself wondering about the women in this sparsely populated White Mountain village - self-proclaimed herbalists - and their interest in her fifth-grade daughters. Are the women mad? Or is it her husband, in the wake of the tragedy, whose grip on sanity has become desperately tenuous?   

And here's what I thought: I have read other books by this author that I enjoyed, and I liked this one --- although not as much as some of the others, admittedly. This is a ghost story combined with a creepy haunted-house seeming story, combined with herbal lore. The characters are interesting and I liked that sometimes, I couldn't quite tell if they were reliable narrators or not. It's clear that something is wrong with Chip, since he seems to be seeing and hearing dead people. And some of the women in the town definitely seem to be hiding something --- are they witches? Maybe just weird women? I liked some of the elements of the story, although I sometimes became a little impatient with some of the characters. And, there were some surprises here -- and I was definitely surprised by the ending and had expected something different.  

Tyler Johnson Was Here

Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles, 299 pages

“When Marvin Johnson's twin, Tyler, goes to a party, Marvin decides to tag along to keep an eye on his brother. But what starts as harmless fun turns into a shooting, followed by a police raid.
The next day, Tyler has gone missing, and it's up to Marvin to find him. But when Tyler is found dead, a video leaked online tells an even more chilling story: Tyler has been shot and killed by a police officer. Terrified as his mother unravels and mourning a brother who is now a hashtag, Marvin must learn what justice and freedom really mean. Tyler Johnson Was Here is a powerful and moving portrait of youth and family that speaks to the serious issues of today--from gun control to the Black Lives Matter movement.”  This was an excellent story about the problems of race and police violence in the community.  I would highly recommend it for teens who like realistic fiction and books about current issues.

Unwanteds

Unwanteds by Lisa McMann, 390 pages

“In a society that purges thirteen-year-olds who are creative, identical twins Aaron and Alex are separated, one to attend University while the other, supposedly Eliminated, finds himself in a wondrous place where youths hone their abilities and learn magic.” This was a pretty good book.  I felt like the characters could have had a little more depth and despite the length, some of the scenes seemed abrupt to me.  Overall though, the story was good and the pacing was mostly good as well.  I think that kids who like science fiction, fantasy, and dystopian stories will like it.

Makoons

Makoons by Louise Erdrich, 156 pages

“Named for the Ojibwe word for little bear, Makoons and his twin, Chickadee, have traveled with their family to the Great Plains of 1860s Dakota Territory. There they must learn to become buffalo hunters and once again help their people make a home in a new land. But Makoons has had a vision that foretells great challenges -- challenges that his family may not be able to overcome.” This series contains plenty of adventure and a lot of fun but heartache as well.  These are good for kids who like historical fiction and have an interest in Native American history especially.

The Upside of Unrequited

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli, 340 pages

Molly really wants to fall in love.  She’s had crushes on 26 guys, and never done anything about any of them.  Now her twin sister has a girlfriend, her cousin has a boyfriend, and her best friend has had a boyfriend since eighth grade.  Molly feels like she’s falling behind everyone else and that she’s too inadequate and overweight to ever find love.  Then she meets Hipster Will and Middle Earth Reid in rapid succession.  Will is super cute but Reid is cute too and makes her laugh.  Molly isn’t sure how she feels about either of them but feels certain that neither of them could possibly like her.  Despite the plot sounding like a cheesy romance novel, this book was amazing.  It really explored the feelings that many girls have about being inadequate, not just regarding relationships, but family, friends, and life.  I loved this book and would definitely give it to any teens looking for realistic fiction, although it would be a better book for girls.

The Cemetery Boys

The Cemetery Boys by Heather Brewer, 273 pages

"When Stephen's dad says they're moving, Stephen knows it's pointless to argue. They're broke from paying Mom's hospital bills, and now the only option left is to live with Stephen's grandmother in Spencer, a backward small town that's like something out of The Twilight Zone. Population: 814.  Stephen's summer starts looking up when he meets punk girl Cara and her charismatic twin brother, Devon. With Cara, he feels safe and understood--and yeah, okay, she's totally hot. In Devon and his group, he sees a chance at making real friends. Only, as the summer presses on, and harmless nights hanging out in the cemetery take a darker turn, Stephen starts to suspect that Devon is less a friend than a leader. And he might be leading them to a very sinister end. . . ."  I haven't liked all of Brewer's books.  I actually really dislike the Vladimir Tod series, although I understand why the teens like it.  However, I really liked this book. It was a great horror book for teens and I definitely plan to read Brewer's works going forward.

The Fire Sermon

The Fire Sermon by Francesca Haig
370 Pages
"Four hundred years in the future, the Earth has turned primitive following a nuclear fire that has laid waste to civilization and nature. Though the radiation fallout has ended, for some unknowable reason every person is born with a twin. Of each pair, one is an Alpha-physically perfect in every way; and the other an Omega-burdened with deformity, small or large. With the Council ruling an apartheid-like society, Omegas are branded and ostracized while the Alphas have gathered the world's sparse resources for themselves. Though proclaiming their superiority, for all their effort Alphas cannot escape one harsh fact: Whenever one twin dies, so does the other. Cass is a rare Omega, one burdened with psychic foresight. While her twin, Zach, gains power on the Alpha Council, she dares to dream the most dangerous dream of all: equality. For daring to envision a world in which Alphas and Omegas live side-by-side as equals, both the Council and the Resistance have her in their sights."

The first of a planned trilogy this book would be very popular with new adults and leaves a lot of room for further development.  It does drag a bit here and there and one drawback I found was the unsure voice of the protagonist, as if the author couldn't quite decide what direction to take her. 

I’ll Give You The Sun

I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson, 371 pages

This story is told alternately by twins Noah and Jude.  Noah’s story is told from their 13 year old perspective, giving the background for Jude’s current story at 16.  Although they were inseparable at one time now they barely speak.  Jude was accepted into an exclusive art school when she wasn’t sure she even wanted to go.  Noah, on the other hand, was desperate to be accepted there but wasn’t.  All of this is mixed in with their parent’s separation and their mother’s accidental death, along with Noah recognizing that he is gay, but immediately hiding it from nearly everyone.  By the end of the story, all of the reasons for the twins’ heartaches are revealed and while I thought some parts were obvious, I had a few surprises at the end.  I thought that it was a really good coming of age story that a lot of teens could relate to.

Crossover

Crossover by Kwame Alexander, 237 pages

This is a novel told in verse about two basketball players.  Jordan and Josh, or JB and Filthy, as they are known, are twins and phenomenal on the court.  They are best friends until JB meets a cute new girl in school and their friendship starts to become frayed.  Filthy is jealous but doesn’t want to admit it and JB is obsessed with his girl and has been spending less time at home with his brother, and less time playing ball too.  Add into the mix the worry that their father may be ill and the situation could become explosive.  This was a great book that will probably have a lot of appeal for teen boys.

The Thirteenth Tale

The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield, 406 pages

This is a very lovely work of fiction that I can see especially appealing for book clubs.  Vida Winter is England's most beloved writer- but also its most secretive.  No one knows her history and everyone wants to know what her "thirteenth tale" was- a story allegedly left out of a volume published with only 12 stories.  So it's surprising when Margaret Lea is approached about writing Ms. Winter's biography- why now?  And will the renowned story teller and weaver of fiction actually tell the truth?  I had some trouble getting drawn in, but once there, I had trouble putting it down. 

Crossover

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, 237 pages

Josh and Jordon Bell are twin basketball phenoms playing with each other and against each other in that way of siblings.  There is not much more I can add to what has already been said about this Coretta Scott King Honor and Newbery Medal winning title.   Read it. It is good.  Strike that, it is breath-taking.  It is a novel written in verse about families, brothers and basketball.  It is one part coming-of-age and one part vocabulary lesson and one part stunningly well-constructed highly structured novel that will appeal to a lot of middle and high school students.   The plot is strong, and the characters feel real.  And the climax at the end.  Well, it's heartbreaking, real and honest.
 

Teen Spirit

Teen Spirit by Francesca Lia Block             234 pages

Julie’s life has been pretty decent.  She doesn’t have a lot of friends, but she, her mother, and her grandmother have always been close, and Julie has always felt like that was enough.  When her grandmother dies, everything starts to fall apart.  A week later her mother loses her job and reveals that they are about to lose their house.  They are forced to move to a small apartment and her mother seems to retreat into her own world, leaving Julie feeling completely alone.  She makes one friend at her new school, Clark.  Clark is kind of odd, but really nice.  They become study partners and Julie tells him a little of her story.  One night, she asks him to help her try to contact her grandmother’s spirit.  Julie feels like she is close, but she can’t break through.  Clark reluctantly agrees, and they do contact a spirit, but it isn’t Julie’s grandmother.  It seems they have contacted a more malevolent spirit and Julie and Clark have to figure out how to fix things before the spirit can do irreparable harm.  A good, supernatural, love story, lots of teen fans of ghost stories and romances will like this.

Sea of Shadows

Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong
 406 Pages


Moria and Ashyn are twin sisters who at birth are marked to be the Keeper and the Seeker of Edgewood in this new series by Armstrong.  Each year they are tasked with quieting the souls of the damned, but this year things go terribly wrong and the twins and their animal companions find themselves fighting to remain alive.

This wasn't a great book, the pace was slow and the characters one-dimensional.  I would judge the book to be a miss by Armstrong.

Styxx

Styxx by Sherrilyn Kenyon  

837 pages

Having read Acheron, where I was first introduced to the character of Styxx, it was interesting to read his story.  Because they were twins, and the first half of the book, Acheron, focuses on his human life, as does the first part of Styxx, some of the story is the same, but since each is told from the perspective of the main character, the stories end up being very different, especially since the twins were separated when they were seven years old.  Although we find out about some of the abuse Acheron endured, we also get to see how much abuse Styxx also endured.  The story moves pretty quickly and is pretty typical of Kenyon’s style, lots of violence, some sex, and a little humor thrown in.  Based loosely on Greek, Egyptian, And Atlantean mythology, fans of her other books should like this addition.

The Fallout

The Fallout by S. A. Bodeen, 328 pages

In this incredible sequel to The Compound, Eli and his brothers and sisters are finally free; free of their father, and free from the delusion of nuclear war, and free from the shelter their father kept them in for the past six years.  Best of all, Eli is reunited with his twin, Eddy.  But adjusting to life outside after being trapped for so long is difficult.  Their father’s assistant, Phil, who helped keep them trapped is in charge of the family company.  Worst of all, people seem to be following the family and keeping tabs on them.  Is this just idle curiosity or something more sinister?