MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins

The third and final book in the HUNGER GAMES series does not disappoint.  As the book opens, we find Katniss living in District 13 with her family.  Few people survived the destruction of her home District 12, but among them are Gale and Haymitch.  Peeta is being held captive in the Capitol.  Katniss, dubbed the "Mockingjay", finds herself forced into the roll of symbol of the rebellion.  But Katniss soon struggles to see the difference between the "rebel" and the "oppressor".

This final book is once again filled with good characters, lots of action, and enough ambiguity to make it interesting.  A very satisfying ending to a quality trilogy.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Mary has heard about the ocean from her mother and wonders it is still out there. She remember the one picture of the ocean but really doubts its existence. She and her brother Jed try to protect their mother from seeing their father as one of the unconsecrated but one day while her mother is watching the fence, she gets too close and is bitten. Her mother joins the world of the unconsecrated forcing Mary to live with the Sisterhood (those who always know what is best). While there she starts to learn the secrets of the sisterhood and also helps Travis her true love return to health. She is actually supposed to marry Travis's brother Harry and Travis will marry her best friend Cassandra. But then one day the fence is breached the unconsecrated enter the village trying to kill the living. Mary, her brother Jed and his wife, Travis, Harry and Cassandra manage to survive and start to follow the fence to find what is beyond the forest of hands and teeth in hopes of surviving.

The best book of my 2010 summer reading. The suspense grabbed me right away and lasted until the end. I can't wait to read the next book.

LEGACY by Tom Sniegoski

What if you discovered that the father you never knew is actually a superhero?  Eighteen-year-old Lucas leads a pretty normal life with his mother in a small town. But his life changes when his mother is killed during an attack on the trailer park where they live.  Lucas's life then becomes anything but "normal".  He learns that the father he never knew is actually billionaire Clayton Hartwell...and Clayton Hartwell is actually "The Raptor", a superhero vigilante who protects innocents from evil. But The Raptor is ill and worries about what will happen when he is no longer around.  So he decides to train his son Lucas to become the next Raptor.  Lucas soon discovers that lines between "good" and "evil" are sometimes blurred and realizes that his father crosses those lines.

I was surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did.  It definitely resembles the Batman story, but good characters and surprising plot twists make it work. 

PROMISE ME by Harlan Coben

Myron Bolitar overhears two high school senior girls talk about drinking and driving.  He cares for both of these girls:  one is the daughter of his best friends, the other is the daughter of the woman he is now dating.  He's not quite sure how to handle this information so makes a promise to them.  They can call him at anytime day or night, and he will give them a ride and not tell their parents.  Soon, he receives one of these calls from Aimee, the daughter of his best friends.  Myron picks her up in downtown NYC.  But instead of going home, Aimee insists that she be dropped off at a friend's house instead.  Myron reluctantly agrees.  But no friend lives where he left Aimee, and when Aimee turns up missing, Myron finds himself a suspect in her disappearance.  Myron promises Aimee's parents that he will find her.  Myron soon learns that another girl from Aimee's high school disappeared a couple of months earlier, and people assume she ran away.  But Myron wonders if the two events are related.

A good action-packed, mystery and suspense story.

WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson

Lia and Cassie had been best friends and both struggled with anorexia.  But their friendship ended quite a while before Cassie's death.  So why did Cassie try to call Lia over 20 times the night she died?   And why did Lia refuse to pick up the phone even after she listened to the messages Cassie left?  Lia has been able to convince her mother, father, and step-mother that she is OK.  But she's not.

Written by the author of SPEAK, this lyrical, heart-wrenching book gives us a glimpse into the pain that produces self-destruction.

Angry Management by Chris Crutcher

Chris Crutcher uses characters from previous books for these three short stories. He intertwines all three stories and yes they do focus on anger. The first story focuses on Sarah Byrnes (one of my favorite characters) and Angus Bethune. These two connect and together they search for Sarah's mom. (Sarah's mom did NOT stop Sarah's dad from pushing her face into the potbelly stove.) The second story focuses on Montana West who takes on the school board so she can print her article(s) in the school newspaper. Montana is not one to avoid controversial topics. In addition, her father is the president of the school board. The final story deals with prejudice and it is very tragic for Marcus James.