The Shadow Society by Marie Rukoski

Darcy Jones is a social outcast as far as everyone in her Lakebrook Illinois high school is concerned. But Darcy comes from a mysterious background. She was abandoned at age five outside of a Chicago firehouse with no recollection of any memories before that event and has been passed down time and time again to new foster parents. One day at Darcy's school a mysterious new stranger named Conn shows up, claiming to be a student and like many others, Darcy is intrigued with him. When assigned an English project with him, she learns so much more of him than she ever expected. She is taken to a whole new world in another dimension that branched off of a great historic event in Chicago's history: the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Here, she learns of a new species of beings called Shades who have the incredible ability to become invisible to the human eye but leave one trace of their presence: a shadow. But, these beings are labeled by society as heartless terrorists that use their abilities to concoct chaos and destruction and, for the most part, the shade population is exactly that. Upon learning she is a shade, Darcy is presented with a deal from The Interdimensional Bureau of Investigation to spy on her own kind and in return be allowed to return home. Through her experiences from inside the Shadow Society she is able to gain information to feed to the IBI and slowly learns the truth of her past and dares to risk everything she loves to save the human race from another Chicago tragedy.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Seraphina Dombegh is the daughter of Claude Dombegh, who is the main adviser and lawyer that made Comonot's Treaty. A treaty, that was signed 40 years ago by Ardmagar Comonot(leader of dragonkind) and Queen Lavonda, which have kept peace between dragons and humans alike. Seraphina Dombegh, is looked upon in high regard, but has a secret of her own. Her secret, being that her mother, was a dragon, who died in child birth. Seraphina is half-dragon and half-human, though there is peace between these two races, this act is illegal and frowned upon. For many years of her life, this fact was hidden from Seraphina, until she started to grow scales on her arms and back. Now, Seraphina has to hide her true identity and is watched over by her uncle(on her mother's side), Orma. Seraphina is assistant music mistress at the palace and has a talent for music, which is very uncommon for dragons. Having a life at the palace, is difficult, with hiding her secret. However, a few days before the arrival of Ardmagar Comonot to the palace(to celebrate the annual signing of the treaty), Prince Rufus, first heir to the throne, is murdered. As the mystery of the murder unravels and as Seraphina prepares for Comonot's arrival, as well as keeping her secret, Seraphia will have to call upon a few friends to help her, along with a dangerous love interest, to save Comonot's treaty and perhaps Ardmagar Comonot himself.

Moonbird by Phillip Hoose

B95 (AKA “Moonbird”) is an amazing survivor of the subspecies rufa. He was first tagged in the year 1995, when he was thought to be around three years old. Rufa typically travel around 18,000 miles a year, and B95 has flown over 325,000 miles in his lifetime. He goes between Rio Grande, Delaware Beach, and his breeding grounds in Arctic Canada. B95 has beaten all of the odds; rufa’s numbers have been decreasing a little more each year. This is most likely attributed to humans, B95’s greatest predator. Humans have been destroying the areas where rufa like to stay, and more importantly, humans have been greatly reducing one of the rufa’s most important food sources: horseshoe crabs. Horseshoe crabs contain LAL, a lifesaving element in their blood that prevents them from getting infections. Unfortunately, it’s not just the crabs that find this LAL useful; humans have been finding it useful as well. Despite all of the adversity, B95 has survived. He is the oldest known surviving Red Knot there is. He provides the perfect example of adaptation; he’s survived all of the challenges he has been handed. He has had some help, though, because many scientists (and ordinary people alike) have come together to save the rufa Red Knots.

Nation by Terry Pratchett

Mau is a young island boy on the verge of passing his "test" to become a man in the eyes of his people. Suddenly, he has everything he knows wiped out by a giant wave. Stranded on his island, Mau discovers he is not alone when a girl from the other side of the world named Daphne appears - the only survivor of a shipwreck. The two struggle with communication issues as well as survival while Daphne awaits rescue. Suddenly, more and more people begin showing up and Mau is thrust into being a leader and keeping these people protected from the natural dangers of the island and a rowdy band of pirates looking to take over.

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

        Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay is two different stories in one. It focuses on the Holocaust and tells all the conditions and prejudice the Jewish along with many other groups faced.


           One set in Paris of July of 1942.  There was a roundup taking place that intended to kill off the entire Jewish population.  The book then focuses in Sarah Starynski, a ten-year-old girl who was arrested during this roundup along with her entire family except her younger brother Michel, who she-assuming she would be back to rescue him- hid him in a secret cupboard, and took the key to the cupboard with her. The story then moves on to tell about a journalist named Julia Jarmond who in 2002 is asked to write about this roundup which is called the Vel’d’Hiv’ roundup.  When Julia was researching the roundup, she came across Sarah's story and becomes fascinated by the intriguing story.  I was taken along as I learned Sarah's sad, emotional story as Julia did. I learned that Sarah and her family had been sent to a concentration camp and learned about the holocaust and the terrible conditions.  The story told all the hardships and problems the family faced.  In the end, Sarah and her family were finally taken to Auschwitz where they were executed.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

          This book was interesting to me because it wasn't typical.  It takes place during world war two, and one of the main characters end s up being captured b the Gestapo.  The introduction started off by the narrator saying she was a coward, which contradicts the typical main character hero.  She is a British spy prisoner to the Gestapo, and the story shows what she writes to them as her  confession chosen opposing being tortured and executed.  She writes everything she knows everyday about the one topic her capturers give her: British secret missions.  What drew me in about this story is that I almost thought the narrator, whose code name is Verity, was insane.  I thought this while reading because she is spilling her guts to the German and giving them all the information she can, while she herself says that she will be shot no matter if she says a word or if she refuses.  While Verity explains how she got to be where she is now, she ends up telling her best friend Maddie's story rather than her own.  Maddie was a girl who loved planes, and her awe drove her to learn to fly.  She was the pilot flying Verity on her mission to France.  While on their way, the two friends crash landed and while Maddie somehow got left, Verity was captured by the German. 

           Verity tells her friend's story and how they met.  I learned to know the characters as Maddie being a unique girl who although shy at times wasn't afraid to be herself, and chased her dreams, and Verity as someone who actually has a lot of loyalty to her loved ones.  She is young, attractive, and very intelligent, not afraid.  The two are unlikely friends, definitely reinforcing the "opposites attract" theory.
          However, I learned that Maddie had been killed during the crash landing of the plane, and I wondered if Verity going on about her friend was her way of denial.  But as the story went on, I realized that there was a method to Verity's madness.  Verity tells the Gestapo next how she even got to France in the first place, how she was a spy. 
           The book was split into two parts and the second was told by Maddie's point of view and tells what happened in the plane. She explains how the plane crashed, how she was left there, and how Verity tried to escape.