Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment

A common theme of children's literature is a group of kids taking on the world with no help from parents or other adults. While the kids in this book have wings, special powers, and have had their DNA altered, they sort of reminded me of futuristic Boxcar Children. They are a family of six, headed by a 14-year-old girl named Max. When Angel, the youngest of their "flock," is kidnapped, they all return to The School to rescue her. From there they escape to New York City and along the way they face great danger and Max begins hearing a voice in her head telling her she was created to save the world. The appeal of this book is threefold—the action and adventure, the fascinating genetic experimenting going on, and the relationships between the kids in the flock. Several book reviews have pointed out that the kids in this book talk like adults and are not believable, and while somewhat true, it didn't make the book any less enjoyable. Sometimes you just have to suspend your disbelief and enjoy a good story. Thank you to Siena in the Unbound Book Club for finally convincing me to read this book.

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

Imagine you are a teenage girl with problems of your own (including the heartbreak that your father passed away last year) and your grieving mother decides to adopt a baby. Then imagine that the pregnant teenager carrying this baby moves in with your family while waiting for the baby to be born. This is what happens to Jill and she's not very nice to anyone—her mom, her boyfriend, Dylan, or Mandy, the unwanted pregnant teenager. The book alternates between Mandy and Jill's perspectives and readers see that both have good reasons for why they are the way they are. The question is, will they be able to overcome their own problems and make their new life together work? This is actually a kind of quiet book that delves into the minds of these two girls. Sara Zarr is a good writer and this is definitely worth reading.