By Piranha T.
 
Lucy Callahan doesn’t remember the day she was struck by lightning, but it’s changed her life forever. It gave her extraordinary math skills, and because of them, her grandmother has homeschooled her ever since. But even though she’s ready for collage at age twelve, her grandmother sets her a task which Lucy soon learns can’t be solved with numbers and equations: she must complete a year of middle school. There, Lucy finds friends, enemies, and adventure. She may be a math genius, but can she solve a problem not made of numbers, one she never imagined she’d have to face?
 
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl is a funny, quick read. Lucy is a fun, sympathetic character who feels like a real person. For any kid ages nine and up looking for an amusing, entertaining book, I’d recommend The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl.
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By Super Kitty

​Sixteen-year-old Alina Starkov seems ordinary in every way, no different than any of the others orphaned from the Fold and drafted into the Ravkan army. But when she discovers that she possesses an unbelievable power, one heard of only in legend, everything changes. She is brought to the royal court, leaving her best friend Mal and the only world she has ever known behind as she trains with the strange and powerful Darkling, who believes she is key to winning the war and destroying an evil which has haunted Ravka for generations.

This is one of those books which I just couldn’t stop reading. Alina is a great character, and the world she is part of is incredibly well developed and interesting. This is the first book in the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, all of which are complex, engrossing, and really, really good. An excellent read for fans of high fantasy and vivid characters, I would recommend Shadow and Bone for ages 13+.

Note: After reading Shadow and Bone, we read some of Leigh Bardugo's other books set in the same world, which include Six of Crows and The Language of Thorns. 

By Piranha T.

In the otherworldly land of Nedarra, packs of dairnes, creatures similar to both dogs and humans, used to roam the forests and the hills. But it has been a long time since they were so plentiful. Many creatures have disappeared over the years, and the remaining dairnes can’t help but wonder: what if they are next?

Young dairne Byx has always been small, always been the last for everything. Everyone thinks that, if danger strikes, she would be the first to die. But instead, she outlives the others of her pack when hunters attack. Searching for the truth of old legends about others of her kind, she strikes out on her own.

Yet she won’t be on her own for long. Byx is joined by an assortment of companions; a wobbyk named Tobble who is loyal to his word; Khara, a girl disguised as a boy to succeed in life; and a felivet who, though not at first, Byx slowly grows to trust. Together, they travel over land and sea, seek aid with those not altogether trustworthy, and sometimes fight to continue their journey. Byx learns that perhaps the death of her family wasn’t the only of its kind—and perhaps, it was the last.
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The Last was a delicious, exciting read. All of the characters were appealing and different, each species with its own customs and ways of living. Everyone was distinct and often intriguing. Part of what made it interesting was because it was from the point of view of a non-human main character. Byx’s take on the world was different and often amusing. It was also interesting, however, because in many fantasy books, a certain species or group in a certain species are the villains. In The Last, however, it was the king and his followers—humans—who were the ones who Byx learned were the enemies. Although there were also good human characters, this was one of the reasons that this book stood out to me as particularly excellent. Katherine Applegate didn’t dismiss a certain species as evil or villainous—instead, in doing this, she showed that there were good and bad people in every group. I would highly recommend The Last to readers ages ten and up.

By Super Kitty

The emperor of Camellion, it is said, is the worst ruler in the history of the land. He’s spoiled, selfish, and doesn’t have the faintest idea of how to lead an empire—nor does he have any intention of learning. To make matters worse, he is nearly of age to rule, and will gain full power in a few days’ time. He needs to be taught a lesson. And fast.

Begonia, a dairymaid from the country, doesn’t know anything about the shortcomings of her exalted ruler. She has enough to deal with without worrying about things like that—her cow has disappeared (again) and she has to find her as soon as possible. However, when two ancestor spirits decide to take matters with the emperor into their own hands, things start to get out of control, and Begonia seems to be the only one who can stop it. To save the empire and set things to rights, she sets off on a journey which will cross paths with a strange collection of characters, including a self-proclaimed Finder of Things That Are Lost, a peculiar—and incredibly rude—stranger, a stubborn cow, a suspicious circus owner, plotting lords, and an eight-foot ostrich. But even with her new friends to help her, is Begonia bold enough to face unnamed dangers to stop the injustices in her land?  Or has she taken on much more than she bargained for?

I liked this book for a lot of reasons. It was amusing, captivating, and most of all fun. A cast of quirky characters and usurping villains, not to mention a very determined ostrich, brought the story to life, and various escapes and twists kept it entertaining and original. I would highly recommend it for ages seven and up, or for any readers looking for a light but satisfying new read.

​A big thank you to Julie Berry, for sending us a review copy of her book!