In this futuristic novel, young Andrew Wiggin is singled out from a young age as different. He is a child of great ability; those in charge, as well as jealous peers, notice. Because of this, he is ostracized and targeted -- this hardens young Ender and prepares him for battle in Battle School. Here, he is forced to prove himself against all odds.
Overall, the book was a fast-paced, interesting read. It kept me engaged and was fun and easy to follow, but also had plenty of plot twists.
When Grace is called to work in the Big House from the slave cabins, her family warns her to keep her eyes down and watch her mouth, or there could be disastrous consequences. But she makes a grave mistake, and she and her family must flee deep into the dangerous woods, braving slave patrollers, deadly wild animals, and the uncertainty that they will ever be free.
This is a book of ideas. A slight character story overlaid on a world of big ideas. Amusingly sad; sadly amusing. Consider, for instance, its beginning:
Sexual Responsibility is boring.
It isn't Ms. Brody's fault. She's a good teacher. She switches channels at appropriate moments, tases students who need tasing--zizzz-ZAAPPP!--and she only once got stuck in the garbage can beside her teaching station. She was a teeny bit weepy that day, but no drunker than normal . . .
Fifteen year old Aya has learned to hide from the men who hunt females, then auction off their breeding rights to the highest bidder. She has avoided capture and lived freely with a rag tag group of women in the mountains. But when she is caught by businessmen on a hunting trip, she must learn to fight to survive in a whole new way.
In Ponyboy’s world, there are only 2 kinds of people: greasers and socs. A soc has money, power, and privilege, and can get away with practically anything. But a greaser always lives on the outside, and needs to watch his back if he doesn’t want to get beat up by a group of socs. Ponyboy is a greaser, and has always been proud of it, and fights against gangs of socs to help his fellow greasers.
Abigail Rook has just arrived in New Fiddleham in 1892 and she needs a job. She soon meets R.F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained. She has a gift for noticing important details which makes her perfect for the position as his assistant. They quickly find themselves in the midst of a thrilling new case, a serial killer is on the loose. The police are sure it is an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is convinced it is a nonhuman creature that the police deny even exists.
Sherlock Holmes is known for his keen intellect and astute powers of observation -- in this YA spinoff, Andrew Lane explores the adventures of Sherlock's youth and how he came to be the detective we all know and love.
When Jacob’s grandfather is brutally killed, it sends him to a remote island in Wales to cope with his loss and learn about his grandfather’s childhood there. He soon finds the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s home for peculiar children. He discovers while exploring the ancient hallways and rooms, that these children might have been dangerous and quarantined in the middle of nowhere for a reason. He also finds that even though they all died when a bomb hit the home during the war, they could impossibly be still alive.
Claire Goldsmith just wants a break. She has gone through struggle after struggle after struggle. So when her dad "falls over sideways" during a stroke, Claire just about loses it. Out of nowhere she is pushed down a road filled with tears, flying spaghetti and snappy brothers. Not to mention bullies and scary teachers at school. As Claire maneuvers her way down this twisted road she learns more about herself than thought possible.
