The Hotel Under the Sand
Kage Baker
Ship-wrecked and alone, Emma finds a young man – a ghost – named Winston who tells her the story of his life as a Bell Captain at the Grand Wenlocke Hotel. This was a very special hotel, erected by a very special wealthy family of Wenlockes, inside of which time stopped for its guests. A four-day stay in real time could truly become a four-month vacation, so the guests were always very happy. But one day, the Storm of the Equinox set upon the island and buried the entire Grand Wenlocke deep in sand. As the fates would have it, the Storm of the Equinox came again that very night, uncovering the Grand Wenlocke for Emma and Winston to re-discover! The re-Grand Opening of the Hotel drew the attention of many strange characters, including a sailor (looking very much like a pirate) called Captain Jack Doubloon, who is in possession of a slip of paper, passed down from his grandfather, which told of a treasure within the Grand Wenlocke. The unlikely assortment of young Emma, Winston, Mrs. Beet, and Captain Doubloon set out to solve the riddles necessary to uncover the treasure, and along the way they run into Masterman Wentlocke, a very young runaway, as well as the evil uncle chasing after him.
Treasure or no treasure, Emma and Winston and their crew uncover just how extraordinary the Grand Wenlocke is, especially when filled with friendship and family. This unique story is recommended to most young readers — its originality is refreshing without being confusing, and moments of tenderness are made all the more touching as they are balanced out by swashbuckling adventure.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind (Book 1 of the Gifted series)
Marilyn Kaye
Amanda Beeson isn’t an average teenager. As far as she’s concerned, She’s WAY better than average. She’s the “it girl” at Meadowbrook Middle School, with the most stylish clothes, parents who bow to her every whim, and a circle of girlfriends that everyone obviously wants to be part of. And Amanda certainly doesn’t jeopardize her popularity status by being nice. She’s “mean girl” extraordinaire, more often than not going out of her way to say something negative about her classmates. The twist is . . . Amanda is mean as a way to protect herself. Literally. Once Amanda starts to feel pity (oh no!) for someone, she momentarily winds up in their body, living their experiences, feeling their emotions. It’s terrifying and it’s painful, and Amanda will avoid it at all costs.
When she wakes up one morning as classmate Tracey Devon — a loser — she truly discovers that she has no control over her “gift.” She doesn’t know how to stop being Tracey. There’s no way uber-cool Amanda can live like this! What if someone finds out who she really is?! Amanda’s interest is peeked by Tracey’s “gifted classes,” a small class of students who seemingly have nothing in common. But the more Amanda learns about them, the more horrified she becomes — how crazy are these special kids? How crazy is Tracey? And — ohmygoodness — how crazy is she?! Recommended for pre-teen and teen girls looking for some drama with their mystery.
Finnikin of the Rock
Melina Marchetta
Following the “five days of the unspeakable,” Finnikin holds onto the memories of afternoons spent with his friend Prince Balthazar and Balthazar’s cousin, Lucian . . . friends who have been lost to him in the destruction of their country. But when Finnikin is summoned to meet with Evanjalin, a young woman who claims that Balthazar is still alive and that Finnikin must travel with her to find him, he’s both afraid of and drawn to this adventure. Finnikin doesn’t know if he can believe that his homeland can be put back together, fearing that disappointment would destroy him too. And yet, the belief in the survival of the Prince disallows him to refuse the journey.
Evanjalin turns out to not be who Finnikin believes her to be . . . but will she lead him to destruction or to a new level of life? There is a lot to this story and the plot moves slowly, deliberately, and solidly for the majority of the book; it is not until the end where the pace picks up rapidly, unceasingly, and unrelentingly, making for a heart-pounding and ultimately extraordinarily successful story. By the end of this one, you’ll know the characters almost as well as they might know themselves.
Melina Marchetta is a Printz Award-winning author, so of course she’s worth checking out. This is her first fantasy novel. Recommended to high school readers looking for a good solid book and willing to put in the time it takes to get to the fantastic finish.
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