Anderson's: Fever: 1793

There is nothing more horrific than that which has actually happened. Laurie Halse Anderson relates the details of Philadelphia's yellow fever plague of 1793 through the eyes of a fictional teenager Matilda Cook who is forced to grow up before her time in her novel Fever: 1793. The blood-sucking villain she faces is more terrifying than any fictional vampire or werewolf. Her villain actually exists to this day and made a ghost town out of the largest city in the United States. Is it possible for this villain, or another one like it to strike the United States again? Do we know enough to protect ourselves, not only from the villain itself but from what follows after such a disaster? Matilda finds the courage to defend her family and home from robbers and murderers. This novel may cause today's teenagers to question what they are prepared to do in the face of extreme and sudden adversity.

Avi's: Crispin: At the Edge of the World

Picking up on the same day where The Cross of Lead ended, At the Edge of the World has Bear and Crispin running from their enemies determined to find a place where they can live in peace. Along the way a new member is added to their small family. Avi is able to build some suspense in this volume of the series; however, very little, if any, mystery is present. The once jovial and endearing Bear is either unconscious, melancholic, or privately introspective throughout causing a loss of some of the original appeal. All in all this edition seems merely like an addition and not its own fully realized novel.

13

James Howe presents a collection of 13 writings on being 13 by 13 authors/writing teams of teen fiction, perhaps for anyone who is 13, is almost 13, or was ever fortunate or unfortunate enough to have been 13 in 13: Thirteen Stories that Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen. This brilliant requiem for childhood may cause a bit of laughter and misty eyes as poignant moments are shared in quality prose and one short poem on a wide array of themes and styles. Each author shares brief recollections of turning 13 at the end of their piece. Particularly notable in style and substance is Howe's own offering about a bar mitzvah which suddenly goes wonderfully and meaningfully awry.