The Ninja Reviews... Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, second book in The Hunger Games trilogy

Were you trapped by The Hunger Games? Then feel yourself burn for Catching Fire...

Katniss and Peeta made a mistake. Sure they were able to both stay alive, making Hunger Games history last year. But their rule breaking, particularly on Katniss' part, has brought down the hard fist of the Capitol upon them. Even President Snow has made threats to Katniss, mainly centering around killing her family and friends...friends that seem to shut her out. Gale reveals his true feelings for Katniss while seemingly pushing her away, confusing her even more, as Peeta keeps his distance while reminding her she is everything to him.

All Katniss wants to do is escape into the woods, but with the Capitol threatening all she holds dear, she must figure out how to make things right. While she tries to undo what she did to win the Hunger Games, Katniss and her mockingjay pin become symbols of small rebellions that are rippling through the districts in Panem. The Capitol is not happy with these small acts of defiance, putting more pressure on Katniss.

In an attempt to appease the President, Katniss must find a way to convince him and the rest of Panem that she is still blissfully in love and on the fast track to happily-ever-after with Peeta. As hard as she tries, Katniss' tendency to wear her true emotions on her sleeve doesn't convince the President of her affection. As the 75th annual Hunger Games begins, there is devastating news in the form of the Quarter Quell, which happens every 25 years in the Hunger Games. Katniss must decide what is most important and what is worth fighting for.

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I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advanced copy of Catching Fire from one of our librarians who went to BookExpo America. The actual novel doesn't come out until September 1, 2009. This gives all of you plenty of time to read The Hunger Games, which I heartily recommend for anyone: guy or girl, teen or adult, romance or sci-fi lover. The Hunger Games is, as one of my coworkers put it, crazy addicting. I have to say that book two, Catching Fire, is just as obsession worthy. If you want to find out more about The Hunger Games then read The Ninja Review of it.

The Ninja Reviews... When the Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton

This is a double review highlighting a discussion between the awesome Ninja Jenny (NJ) and the fantastic Ninja Amy (NA). This book is out June 11, 2009.

NJ: When the Whistle Blows is a book that lets us look into a small window of Jimmy Cannon’s life. We see every All Hallow’s Eve from 1943 to 1949, showing Jimmy the boy concerned with scare tactics in the school graveyard growing up into Jimmy the man, concerned with the future of his life, college, his family, and better knowing himself. The book is full of adventure and pure-heartedness. Jimmy will be a character many young, teenage boys will relate to!

NA: I think my favorite thing about this book is how each chapter is a different year in Jimmy’s life. It’s not a very long book, but you still get to see so much of Jimmy’s life and how he changes and the people around him change. Also, I was surprised by how much humor there is in the story. There were a lot more funny parts than I expected.

NJ: Yes, there was quite a bit of humor! Author Fran Slayton wrote Jimmy as a very well rounded character. With a book that includes launching rotten cabbages at cars, how can you not expect humor!? But I think the real subject here is true living. Glances into Jimmy's life also show us how the town of Rowlesburg grows and suffers through new train technology. There are multiple levels working in this book, though not a single one would turn off a reader. The various aspects of the book just draw the reader in further to town life and Jimmy's experiences of laughter, love, and loss.

NA: Loved the bit about the cabbages, and also the bit where a certain group tried to make sure all the kids would be able to make it to the first day of hunting season. There are definitely many layers to this book, which means a lot of different types of readers will enjoy it. If you want humor, it's there. If you want history, it's there. If you want mystery, that's there, too. And I think I should mention that for people like myself who don't usually enjoy historical novels, this book is a good one to try because you don't get bogged down with all the usual historical novel type details. This is a book that, like you said, is about true living. It's about the people and the community, and that's what really makes a great story.

Fran Cannon Slayton's When the Whistle Blows is an excellent historical book that gives the reader a peek into a small West Virginia Train town. Jimmy is a likable character that shows his maturity with each passing chapter. Full of comedy, bits of mystery, loss, and triumph, this book is bound to attract young male readers.

Recommended for middle school ages (especially boys) and any young adult reader that loves a glimpse of history through the eyes of a believable teen character.

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The Ninja Reviews...The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in a fundamentalist community with three mothers, 20 siblings, and only one father. Her isolation and strict religion have forced her to burn books and turn away from anything outside her compound. Though her entire community is under the scrutiny of the Prophet, Kyra is a secret patron of the Mobile Library on Wheels and opens up her once small world into one that incorporates everything from Anne of Green Gables to Harry Potter. She also meets with one of the teenage boys in her compound with the hopes that one day he will choose her for a wife, instead of having the choice made for her. Instead the Prophet decrees that Kyra will be the seventh wife of her sixty-year-old uncle. Her family desperately seeks to change these circumstances but threats are made and the stakes for her refusal are too high a cost. The decision Kyra is faced with will change her life and her family's life forever.

This is the kind of novel that a person can easily read in one sitting, it is that gripping. Teenage readers will easily relate to Kyra's feelings of longing and independence, but they will also be curious about Kyra's conservative, fundamentalist lifestyle.

Recommended for all teens. Will be available in May 2009.

The Ninja Reviews...The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Coming March 10, 2009!

Mary lives in a village - an island in the middle of a forest - ruled by the Sisterhood, protected by the Guardians, and in a perpetual state of fear. The fence that surrounds her village keeps out the constant and always present terror: the Unconsecrated - flesh-eating undead who constantly throw themselves at the chain-length fences, driven mad by an insatiable hunger. The Sisterhood, the religious sect that maintains order in the village, is in charge of the survival, and submission, of everyone enclosed in the fence. But the passion in Mary cannot be contained, and she cannot get the stories her mother tells her about the ocean out of her head as she desperately tries to keep herself from being married off to a man she doesn't love.

Then, suddenly, the fences are breached and Mary, along with a small group of survivors, must make their way through a gated path that travels deeply into the Forest of Hands and Teeth and into a world they have never known. Mary's passion and desire constantly battles the edicts of submission that have been instilled in her heart. She is a quick and courageous character, and her genuine emotions of love and wonder keep her close to the reader's heart. Though the plot loses some steam near the end of the novel, readers will stay perched on the edge of their seat until the very last word.

This book kept me completely engrossed from page one. I even dreamt one night that I was in the Forest of Hands and Teeth with the Unconsecrated chasing me! Though Ryan leaves some minor questions unanswered, the entire novel is completely compelling and will keep the reader completely engrossed until the very end. The ending seems a little less nile-biting then the rest of the book, but even so, the moment I closed the book I realized I had been holding my breath the whole time I had been reading.