By Ella

​The Notorious Scarlett and Browne is the sequel to The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne, and the second book in an ongoing series. 

Look out--there are spoilers ahead for book one!

For Albert Browne, life is just beginning to get interesting. After spending his life stuck indoors, courtesy of the Faith House's oppressive views on his ability to read minds, he's finally escaped, thanks to Scarlett McCain, a far more experienced outlaw with a sharp tongue and a quick wit. All in all, leading a life of crime is all he could've hoped for and more: he gets to see the world and follow Scarlett on all sorts of interesting adventures. And with his magical skills and Scarlett's clever plans, they're yet to find a stronghold that can outwit them. 

Of course, there are some downsides...such as the nefarious criminal organization pursuing them, who is somehow connected to Scarlett's past. And the Faith House operative, with powers to rival Albert's own, who keeps popping up when least expected. And, of course, a messy ultimatum: either Scarlett and Albert break into a dangerously secure facility, or their friends will get eaten by owls. They might be the land's most infamous outlaws, but even they will be hard-pressed to handle everything before their time is up. 

And if they fail? Well, then, the story of the notorious Scarlett and Browne might just be over. 

The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne was one of my favorite books last year, and its sequel lived up to even my highest expectations. Stroud's writing is focused and clever, full of evocative descriptions and turns of phrase--plus an impeccable dose of humor--while keeping the story flying at an impossibly quick pace. I love the setting, as before; a futuristic, post-apocalyptic Britain governed by an organization of corrupt Faith Houses, it's utterly unlike anything I've read before, in the best possible way. The dynamic between Scarlett and Browne is truly brilliant. Full of humor and panache, their exploits are clever and all-absorbing, and although the happy, naive character contrasted with the snarky realist is a relationship I've seen many times before, Stroud makes it not just fresh but hilarious, too. And I'd be remiss not to mention the other characters in this book, particularly Mallory, whose arc/development was one of my favorite parts of the story. If you like audiobooks, this one's also extremely well-read! I highly recommend The Notorious Scarlett and Browne to readers ages ten and up looking for a quirky, fast-paced adventure with an intricate plot and spectacular characters. 

By Ella

Jam knows there are no monsters left in Lucille. She knows this because everyone knows this, because all the terrible people who liked hurting everyone else were killed in the revolution that took them out of power in the government and in jobs and in homes, and freed everyone from their selfishness and cruelty.

That hasn’t kept her from wondering what monsters really looked like, though, if they had horns and claws or looked no different from her parents or her best friend, Redemption. People don’t like to talk about the monsters anymore, don’t want to dwell on a time everyone knows is over. But Jam imagines that they looked just like any other person. That that was why they stayed in power for so long.

When a creature made of horns and claws climbs out of one of Jam’s mother’s paintings, it certainly looks like a monster. But instead, Pet—for that is the creature’s name—is hunting one, a monster that has slipped through Lucille’s cracks and lives among them. Among them, and in Redemption’s house, no less.

Jam doesn’t want to believe it. After all, who wants to believe in monsters? It’s far prettier to believe that all the monsters are gone, just like she’s always been taught. It’s far easier to look away from the wrongs that could be happening, just underneath her nose.

But Pet won’t let her look away anymore. And the only thing more difficult than realizing that there still are monsters is daring to look them in the eye.

​Pet is truly incredible. Powerful, succinct, and layered despite its relatively low page count, I’ve wanted to read this book for years, and it didn’t disappoint. There are few authors who can pull off such a deep, philosophical story without ever feeling preachy or contrived, but Emezi does it effortlessly, weaving a story as profound as it is profoundly unique. They take familiar tropes—dystopia/utopia, monsters and angels—and turns them into something as unfamiliar and jarringly powerful as Pet itself. The humanity of the characters—even Pet, who is anything but human—grants Pet even more depth, and the conflicts and worldviews they each present help weave Lucille into a world that is devastatingly believable, one where everyone would rather believe in the world’s good than see the monsters lurking among them. At once a searing critique of forgetting and complacency and a challenge to the hideous monsters we’ve all been taught to believe in, Pet is a perfect read for book groups or anyone who wants to see their own beliefs challenged, and dare to, as Pet tells Jam, truly see the world for what it is. I highly recommend Pet to readers ages thirteen and up, particularly those who enjoy books that defy easy boxes or have a queernormative society. 

​By Ella

Scarlett McCain might go by a different name for every bank she robs, but it's no accident that whether Jane Oakley, Jenny Blackwood, or some other name entirely is plastered across the papers, the red-haired outlaw never ends up behind bars. Whether she's sneaking in under the cover of dark or walking brazenly into the bank manager's office in broad daylight, Scarlett always has a plan, and she's quick enough on her feet that if that doesn't work out, well, she'll just think up a new one. Sure, it's not always easy, but challenges make life more interesting, and everyone besides Scarlett is too afraid of the Wilds that surround the handful of Surviving Towns that she never gets pursued very far.

That is, not until now, when she picks up an optimistic, oblivious boy named Albert Browne from the ruins of a bus crash. Scarlett isn't one for sentimentality--she's survived this long by working alone and moving fast--but she grudgingly agrees to guide Albert to the nearest town.

But what she expected to just be a brief few days before heading out on her next job turn into much more when they're pursued deep into the Wilds after her latest job, and not by the usual unmotivated pack of guards and dogs that she'd expect from the bank she'd robbed. No, these are hardcore, trained hunters who are more than a match even for Scarlett's wit and inginuity. And as they race to outrun their pursuers and the things they aren't telling each other, Scarlett begins to ask herself: what if they aren't looking for her, after all? What if, instead, they're looking for...Albert?

Set in a futuristic, fractured version of modern Britain, The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne is an action-packed, remarkable, and funny story which I absolutely loved. If the opening sentences aren't enough to pull you in, the first chapter surely will; Jonathan Stroud (also the author of the excellent fantasy novel The Amulet of Samarkand, among others) makes Scarlett so improbably relatable and funny, and her narrative so perfectly poised and unique, that I found this book quite simply irresistible. Scarlett and Albert are in many ways polar opposites--Scarlett alert, driven, and sarcastic, and Albert dreamy, hopeful, and oblivious--and so they bounce off each other in a way which feels gratifying and authentic in every possible way, in addition to being absolutely hilarious. When written down, neither of their personalities seem so revolutionary, but the way Stroud pulls them off is, and at no point did my interest lag with them driving the story. The mix of clever twists, action, adventure, and the unusual details of the settings together make the story move quickly and completely absorb the reader, and it's carried wonderfully throughout the book. I highly recommend The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne to readers ages ten and up looking for an awesome and brilliant adventure story.

By Contributing Reviewer Abby E, age 11

Renegades, by Marissa Meyer is a wonderful fantasy with romance, secret identities, crazy powers, revenge and justice. A girl, a boy, thrilling adventures, what more could you want? Although on different sides in this battle, the work together and become friends. In this spellbinding tale you enter Nova and Adrian's world of prodigies. With heroes and villains you won't want to put the book down. and when you're done reading it you'll be clawing for the next book.

​Note from Super Kitty and Piranha T: We love this book (and series) too!