After skipping a week of Friday Reads to celebrate my good news, I'm back to recommend two more books you might enjoy! The Only Thing to Fear is by my fellow YA Buccaneer Caroline Tung Richmond. We All Looked Up is by my fellow Fearless Fifteener Tommy Wallach. Both are awesome people as well as being awesome authors, and I'm thrilled to share their books here.
The Only Thing to Fear is a sci-fi alternate history. The premise: the Nazis genetically engineered super-soldiers that helped them win World War II. In the present day, the former U.S. is divided into territories run by the Axis powers. Sixteen-year-old Zara is a half-Japanese, half-American living in the Nazi-controlled Eastern territories. With her mixed heritage, she's viewed as lower than low by the German upper class she serves. But she's hiding something: not only is she connected to the Resistance that wants to overthrow the Nazis, she has a power of her own that could help turn the tide. This book was a fast read, moving from the day-to-day struggles of living in the Nazi regime to all-out rebellion in under 300 pages. Once the sparks of revolution ignite, it's hard to put this book down. Yay, Caroline!
Tommy Wallach's We All Looked Up is a different kind of page-turner. It's about four teens whose very different lives intersect when an asteroid threatens to destroy the earth in two months. In short, it's The Breakfast Club set at the end of the world. What I loved about this book was how rich and real each teen's response to the looming apocalypse was. Learning that the earth has a 66.6% chance of ceasing to exist makes some people jump at opportunities they'd never dared to pursue, while others fall victim to truly terrible decisions. Friendships and romances are formed and break apart. Dreams are realized. Lives are changed. I hope that doesn't sound vague or trite, because this book is not either of those things. It's moving and surprising, even as it hurtles toward some inevitable conclusions. Definitely recommend!
What have you been reading lately? :)
~Kathryn