Up All Night

Up All Night is an anthology of work from some of today's best authors. The stories all cover different topics and characters, but they all revolve around the characters discovering something about themselves or the world around them--late at night.

Peter Abrahams' story "Phase 2" tells the story of a family waiting for their father to return home to begin "Phase 2" of their lives.

Libba Bray's story "Not Just for Breakfast Anymore" is the story of Maggie and her friends, on their way to a concert and Maggie's attempts at hiding her father's secret life.

David Levithan's "The Vulnerable Hours" portrays a wide cast of teens, all at crossroads in their life, and how the hours between midnight and dawn are powerful at revealing strengths and weaknesses.

"Orange Alert" by Patricia McCormick is the first person narrative of a 15-year old girl wanting her driver's license and the freedom being away from an abusive step father and an ignorant mother.

"Superman Is Dead" by Sarah Weeks is a story within a story--the main character is telling his friend the story he wrote for an English project while his mother is gone and he's babysitting his brother. His story reflects his real life--something he would like to be away from.

Gene Luen Yang's "The Motherless One" is a manga depiction of a monkey who learns he has no mother, and the search to find out why.

Ever by Gail Carson Levine

As with Levine's other books, Ever takes a fairytale and turns it on its head.

Kezi is a young girl living with her family. They are a devote family, praying to their god Admat and following his laws. But one day, Kezi's mother becomes sick. Kezi's father, in an attempt to cure his wife, promises to kill the first person who congratulates him on his wife's recovery in a sacrifice to Admat. In their world, an oath is no longer valid after three days, so after Kezi's mother becomes well, the family lives in fear as to who will congratulate her father.

Olus is a young god from another country, fascinated with humans. He has longed for a friend his whole life, but he never imagines he'd fall in love with Kezi. As he watches their life, he becomes more infatuated with her, even daring to introduce himself and save her at one point. When fate intervenes, Olus is determined the two of them can overcome destiny to write their own.

This tale is told in both Kezi and Olus' point of view. Each chapter alternates, but the story is powerful and amusing.

Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio tells the story of Evelyn Ryan and her family, told by her daughter. The family of 12 never had much in the way of money or possessions, but they had a mother determined to make their life meaningful. Evelyn entered as many contests as she could, writing jingles, rhymes, and poems to bring in money to feed and clothe her growing household. She won large and small contests, sometimes earning $1 for her writing, sometimes trips and cars, all sold to bring money into their simple lifestyle.

Terry Ryan, Evelyn's sixth child, tells the story of their life growing up with an amazing woman--a woman all the children call their hero for everything she did to make their lives happy. Evelyn, as reported by Ryan, took every situation life threw at her in stride, with confidence and optimism that things would work out. Raising 10 children practically on her own, she struggled and sacrificed to keep their house together. This is the true story of one amazing woman's life, and the impact she made on her children and their community.

A fantastic read. The subject matter seems depressing, but the book is written in love and humor. Many laugh-out-loud moments throughout, especially when reading the limericks, jingles, and rhymes Evelyn came up with to win. This non-fiction reads like fiction.

The Market by J.M. Steele

Kate is a senior at Millbank High School, and not happy with her life, but content. Then she finds out that every senior girl is ranked online through a system called the Millbank Social Stock Market, and becomes obsessed. She's number 71 of 140 girls.

So Kate and her friends Dev and Cal get together to change her stock. They change her image and she changes her attitude in the last few weeks of high school to see what they can do to change her stock. They also join the stock market--at $500 a pop--to invest in her. The winner gets $25,000, and they're hoping they can accomplish that.

This is not your typical chick lit book, however. There is a sort of happy ending, but not the typical-girl-wins-guy-and-everyone-is-happy ending. However, this is a very interesting story and ending.

Mad Kestrel by Misty Massey

Kestrel has had a hard life. Her parents were murdered when she was four, and she has been on the run since then. Having magical Promise in her world ensures a quick trip to the Danisoba--one that you never return from.

But Kestrel has one more talent. Water nullifies magic--all except hers. In order to stay safe, she became a pirate, hiding her secret from the crew and living under the protection of her captain. Until he is arrested for a crime he didn't actually commit. Now with the threat of his hanging over her head, Kestrel embarks on a daring mission that will reveal her abilities to her enemies and her friends. She must try to save the captain and the king without falling victim to those who hunt her for their own reasons.

The ending of this novel wrapped up a bit too quickly, but the story itself was action-packed and well described. An interesting tale of a strong young woman determined to make her own destiny.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Earth has been taken over by aliens who call themselves souls. They take over human bodies (the organism that effects the environment the most) and live out their life in that guise.

Wanderer, one of the most experienced souls, has requested an adult body, almost unheard of in her day. Adults are the more difficult to control, as they have been influenced by outside forces for longer than children. As one of the strongest souls in their society, Wanderer is expected to use her new body to find the hidden pockets of resistance and help make Earth more peaceful.

What no one expects is that Melanie is very much alive in her own body. Shunted off to the side by Wanderer's soul, Melanie clutches on to her very being--unwilling or unable to let go completely. As she and Wanderer spend more time together, however, Wanderer begins to understand the complexities behind human existence. Forced to see the evil nature of her own species through the eyes of the very organisms she has been trained to discard, Wanderer cannot resist Melanie's pull to find her family and help them survive.

Even though this book is primarily science fiction, it has appeal across all genres as it examines what it means to be human. There are definitely some slower parts to the novel--Meyer has written three teen novels--this is her first adult attempt. The examination of what makes us human, and what can still be admired about our own species is a nice change from everyday life.

Lavinia by Ursula Le Guin

Lavinia tells the story of Lavinia, a young woman in the early days of Italy. She is the foretold wife of Aeneas, one of the survivors of the Trojan War. Virgil spoke of her in his epic poem, The Aeneid, but she had no voice.

Le Guin has corrected that error and tells Lavinia's story in her own voice. Lavinia is the daughter of a king, and must choose between a horde of suitors all wanting her lands and her wealth. Lavinia, however, knows there is a foreigner coming for her, one from a distant land. She knows this because she has been visited by someone she calls 'the poet'--Virgil. After speaking with her, Virgil wishes he had corrected his story when he had the chance.

Lavinia's story is a story of love, passion, politics, religion, and the strength of a young woman determined to decide her own fate.