Three Books that Made Me Cry

This summer I read (and re-read) three books that made me cry. Read about them here at my Dashing and Bold Library blog.

Torn by David Massey

This is an interesting story and a welcome departure from all the dystopian YA books being published recently. It's the story of Elinor, a young British medic who is sent to a war zone in Afghanistan for her first military assignment. She immediately is placed on life-threatening patrols where at any moment her squad could be killed by insurgent explosive devices. She also very quickly is drawn into a mystery—why are Afghani children fighting against the British troops as well as the Taliban, and who is the mysterious girl with green eyes who appears whenever someone is in mortal danger? American Navy SEALS join the British troops and together they go deep into Afghanistan on a mission to find hidden weapons, investigate the warring children, and find a missing child. I liked Ellie and her British comrades and having a glimpse into the war in Afghanistan. The plot (and the romance) may have been a bit contrived, but it's a book that held my interest all the way through and I think some teens (8th grade and up) will enjoy.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

I'm sure this is going to be the hot book of the school year among 7th-12th graders. There are many dystopian novels coming out these days, and this one stands out. People my age remember the movie ET, when a cute little alien ended up stranded on earth. This alien invasion is nothing like that. The Others have swiftly wiped out most of the earth's human population without ever landing on earth or being seen. In the third wave most people died of an ebola-like disease, but sixteen-year-old Cassie and her father and brother survived. Now after the 4th wave, Cassie is on her own and she is convinced that it's the only way to survive. She doesn't choose companionship, but after being shot in the leg she is rescued by a young man named Evan. She's not sure whether to trust him or not, and she is determined to get well enough to set off toward the military compound that houses her younger brother, Sammy. There's lots of action, violence, and constant uncertainty about who is good and who is bad. This one keeps you on the edge of your seat. I definitely rank it up there with the two biggies of dystopian YA fiction, The Hunger Games and Divergent.