Fantastic Reads for Upcoming Freshman
Reviews by Melissa Oxborrow

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[June 10, 2015]  The titles below are some of my favorites found on the Lincoln Community High School reading list for entering freshman. Come in now and browse titles from the list and get started on some exciting summer reading!

Steelheart
by Brandon Sanderson, c2013


David is focused to the point of desperation. Focused on revenge…

It’s been ten years since Calamity came and endowed certain people with life-changing powers. These “super humans” are called Epics, but their power has corrupted them and they’ve taken over the world. The Reckoners are a group of undercover assassins, collecting information to try and find each Epic’s weakness and then taking them down. David’s father was killed an Epic with a fearsome reputation and no known weakness, but David knows he can bleed. And if he can bleed, he’s not immortal. And if he’s mortal, David will track him down and with or without the help of the Reckoners---he will kill him.

This book is like an action film in book form, complete with wonderfully developed characters and thought-provoking themes. David is a likeable character that you alternately want to hug or shake. The twists and turns will keep readers turning pages compulsively and have them begging for the rest of the trilogy. Will David find Steelheart’s weakness? Will he be able to destroy Steelheart? And if he does, will he find peace? Guys and girls alike, grades 7 and up, will love this action-packed novel.

Between Shades of Gray
by Ruta Sepetys, c2011


Readers that enjoy historical fiction, especially set during the time period of World War II, will be drawn into this heart-breaking novel based on the true story of the author’s relatives.

Lina is a fifteen year old girl living in Lithuania whose life is about to be changed forever. Soviet police break into her home and drag her, her mother and her younger brother to a filthy train with other “criminals” destined for frigid Siberia. Under Stalin’s orders they are detained at a work camp digging for beets and trying to eke out an existence in the direst of conditions.

Lina stays sane with a plan to use her talent for art to create visual clues that will hopefully make their way to the prison camp where her father is held. She is desperate to give him some way to find them when the war is over. In a place and at a time where every freedom has been taken away, this act of defiance helps her hold on to hope for a future.

This harrowing chapter in world history is told in gritty detail and is an inspiring tale of love and courage. Lina’s story and that of her mother and brother will stay with readers long after they turn the last page. It’s a great pick for grades 7 and up.

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Legend
by Marie Lu, c2011


Lovers of the Hunger Games and Divergent series will salivate over the Legend trilogy. Day is fifteen and already the Republic’s most wanted criminal and the prime suspect for a high profile murder. June is the Republic’s top military prodigy whose loyalty will be tested when she finds out the truth of her brother’s death. They have nothing, and yet everything in common. What will happen when they come together? The Republic will never be the same…

This is a story of secrets and the corrupting influence of absolute power, but it is also the story of a boy and a girl and the lengths they will go to find the truth, no matter the cost. Told from June and Day’s viewpoints, readers get an intimate glimpse of each character. Filled with action and romance, Legend is a top choice for guys and girls alike, grades 7 and up.

Rot & Ruin
by Jonathan Maberry, c2010


I am not into zombies---movies or books, and I was reluctant to pick up this title, but I had teens that were rabid to read it, so I had to give it a try. The setting is America, after the zombie plague has spread far and wide. Benny Imura is fifteen and needs to get a job before his rations are cut, so when all else fails he ends up apprenticing to his older brother Tom, a zombie hunter, or as Tom likes to call himself a “closure specialist”. Benny figures only Tom could make killing zombies boring. But Benny is about to learn some important lessons---about who his brother really is, what it means to truly be human and that the real monsters aren’t always who you think they are.

There is plenty of action and violence in this story (although not gratuitous, considering the subject matter), but ultimately it is about the characters, their relationships, and the ultimate meaning of courage---and love. It’s a super-fast read and the beginning of a series, ideal for reluctant readers, especially guys, grades 9 and up.

To check out these books, please come see us at the Lincoln Public Library, 725 Pekin Street.

[By MELISSA OXBORROW, Lincoln Public Library District]

 

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