Not quite as good as the original but still enjoyable.

Just as good as the original.

So good and so important.

Noah's mom and dad pick him up one day at school, and tell him that he is now going to go by Jonah, and that they are leaving immediately for the German Democratic Republic (GDR), also known as East Germany. He has no time to say goodbye to his friends. Additionally, his birth date has been changed, and his parents' names too. Why is the move so sudden? Why so secret? Can he speak German clearly enough with his stutter? When Noah gets to the GDR, he makes one friend Claudia (which comes out sounding like Cloud). This book was an interesting look at the period when the Wall was about to come down. I loved the secret files at the end, which provided historical context at the end of each chapter.

Maia Finley is an Effigy, one of four girls who defend the world against phantoms that want to kill us all. She is a huge fan girl about the Effigies but not so sure she wants to be one, especially as she is the Effigy of Fire and her whole family died in one not too long ago. Overall I liked this a lot as an introductory story. It's got diversity that seems natural and I love kickass female characters. There are things I wish had been fleshed out more in the book--when did the phantoms come? How is power transferred? Why is it only young women? But I am sure those will be addressed in books to come. I also thought it had a pretty weak conclusion after a thrilling climax. A promising start.

A good continuing book with a cliffhanger ending.

Not my favorite Nielsen book, but an interesting story about how our fear of diseases can cause us to separate ourselves into groups. I loved reading about Ani and Weevil, although I wasn't necessarily sure the romantic moments were necessary (few as they were). I also thought the ending was a little too neat, but I suppose if you can't have unrealistic happy endings in fantasy, then when can you?

I believe this series should be required reading in every high school. Lewis's story is so important, especially as we seem determined to forget the past 50-75 years and repeat history. It is heartbreaking for me to see the hope and joy Rep. Lewis feels at Obama's inauguration and to speculate what he feels now. They say that freedom is a constant struggle. Let's keep fighting.

If you're looking for a book to introduce John Lewis to your children, pick up this one. It is a gorgeously illustrated picture book biography of the man, concentrating on his time taking care of his family's flock of chickens. You see shadows of the man he will become. A short author's note at the end explains the inspiration.

I am not usually one for survival-in-the-wilderness stories, but I did like this one. Two boys, Chris and Frank, have to survive in the Alaskan wilderness without much training and also without liking each other.