LEVIATHAN by Scott Westerfeld

It's 1914 and Europe is on the brink of war.  But the alternative world created by the author depicts the nations, the weapons, and the politics in a different way than we normally think about WWI.  Alek, teenage prince of the Austro-Hungarian empire, is thrust into the middle of things when his parents are assassinated, an event that brings about the war (both in our world and the world of this novel).  World powers are divided into the Darwinists and the Clankers.  Darwinists, lead by England, use fabricated animals as their weapons and transportation.  The Clankers, lead by Germany and Austria, use mechanical steam-driven contraptions.  The reader follows Alek (a Clanker) and Deryn, a girl who pretends to be a boy to join England's Darwinist air troops.  They both end up on the Leviathan, a living entity of an airship that includes a whale, birds, bats, and countless other creatures that make it function.

The story and setting of the novel are intriguing, but what really sets this book apart are its illustrations.  The end pages alone are worth a look as the familiar map of Europe is divided into Clankers, Darwinists, and Neutrals.  The black and white drawings throughout the book help us understand the strange machines and events as they are described. 

SOLACE OF THE ROAD by Siobhan Dowd

Holly Hogan has recently been placed in a foster home after spending years in a group home in London.  When Holly was seven, her mother left her, but Holly is sure she didn't mean to and that her mother intends for Holly to join her in Ireland.  When Holly discovers a blond wig in her foster mother's closet, Holly decides to travel to Ireland to find her mother.  When she wears the wig, she looks several years older and calls herself "Solace"--a name that seems to give her strength.  Her journey toward Ireland, involving trains, buses, and hitchhiking, also takes her to a clearer understanding of her situation and the people she knows.

A powerful book, Holly/ Solace is an intriguing character trying to figure out her place in life.

ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKS WHERE THE MOTHER DIES by Sonya Sones

Ruby's mother died, so Ruby must leave Boston, her best friend Lizzie and her boyfriend Ray, and move to Hollywood to live with her father whom she has never really met.  Even more complicated is the fact that her father is Whip Logan, a huge movie star.  Ruby tells us her story through verse, through emails to Lizzie and Ray, and even emails to her dead mother.

A quick read, this novel in verse presents Ruby as she struggles with her grief.  She liked her old life and doesn't want to start a new one, but realizes that she has no choice in the matter.   I liked the fact that her father is presented as someone who truly loves her and wants to be a part of her life, but doesn't always know what he should do to help her.  Ruby and her father stumble a bit as they try to figure out their relationship.

WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW by Sonya Sones

Sophie, like most teenage girls, spends time considering her relationships with her boyfriend, her two best friends, and her parents.  This novel in verse gives us Sophie's thoughts and feelings as she questions her feelings for cute, popular Dylan and finds "love" in an unexpected place.  Also complicating her life is her parents' strained marriage, her mother's depression, and the awkwardness that sometimes comes from being Jewish in a predominantly non-Jewish community.

A quick read, Sones realistically captures the feelings of a teenage girl who struggles, but is strong enough and honest enough to act on her feelings.

LIVING DEAD GIRL by Elizabeth Scott

When Alice was 10 years old and on a field trip with her class, Ray took her.  He threatened to kill her parents if she told anyone.  So Alice and Ray live together, pretending to be father and daughter.  It is now 5 years later, and despite near starvation, Alice no longer looks like a little girl.  So Ray decides that Alice will help him get another little girl to take her place. 

Told through the character of Alice, this is a rather disturbing novel about child abduction and sexual abuse.  

WINTER AND NIGHT by S. J. Rozan

In the middle of the night, private investigator Bill Smith receives a call from the NY police department that his 15-year-old nephew Gary was picked up by the police.   Smith gets Gary out of jail, and they both return to Smith's apartment.  As Smith tries to understand why Gary ran away from home, Gary breaks a window and runs away from Smith.  Smith then travels to Gary's hometown to talk to Gary's mother and father.  As he continues to search for Gary, he uncovers some secrets about Gary's hometown that many of the people in the town would rather not have uncovered.  When a girl that Gary knew turns up murdered, Smith is afraid that his nephew may be in more trouble than he originally suspected.

A good mystery and suspense story.