Vox is a dystopian novel that tells the chilling story of a society that has literally silenced women. For Dr. Jean McClellan, a linguist who studied the neurological impact of language, find this to be a nightmare situation. She is forced to watch her own daughter silenced during crucial developmental stages.

This book challenges the status quo. It shows the dangers of a society dominated by white, Christian, males who want to limit anyone else. It specifically shows how women are considered less in our society. While it is an extreme dystopian version of this view, it hits very close to home. I am an educated female working higher education. I personally was experiencing my own "silencing" at a time when I read this book. I found this book to be more than enjoyment, it was empowering. It talks about hard truths. You can see this just by looking through the reviews for the book.

Vox was written very vividly. I felt connected at all times. The characters were multi-dimensional and real. The writing was good as well. The writing could have been a little better, however I did not feel it was lacking. It is more that I could see Dalcher continuing to grow as an author.

Space Opera is humor science fiction in the tradition of Douglas Adams. I have not read good humor science fiction in a while, so it was a very exciting read. However, I found the novel to be a bit too modeled after Adams without enough variation in the ridiculous, to the point where you could easily predict the ridiculous. Doesn't that go against the point?

Unlike most novels, I enjoyed the beginning of Space Opera much more than the ending. The ending was extremely expected and then weirdly done - and not the good kind of weird. There is one aspect of the book, which I cannot explain without spoilers, that happened on nearly the last page of the novel. I feel it would have been better to have done it about midway. I knew it was going to happen from about the third chapter and waiting for it, and waiting for it, kind of ruined part of the story.

There are also parts of the story that the author held back with only spoilers. It almost seems like she couldn't decide what happened to a character, then half way through she decided. Instead of going back and reworking it into the beginning she just kept it as is.

Wildcard is the second, and final, book in the Warcross series. I loved Warcross. It is high on my most favorite books I read this year, and I gave it five stars. That is not something I do often. Most books are just not great, Warcross was great.

Wildcard is a good novel, but not as good as Warcross. It would be easy to judge it harshly because of what it could have lived up to. Yet, it was still a good novel. Part of the book dragged a little, and there were parts of the plot that had me rolling my eyes. However, overall it showed that humans are complex beings. Nothing in the world is black and white.

In the acknowledgements Lu mentioned that Wildcard did not write as easily as Warcross did. I think this, ultimately, is what came through. It is not that Wildcard is not a great novel. It was just not as smooth as Warcross was. It was not able to live up to it's predecessor. I plan to reread Warcross (next year at some point) and after I will reread Wildcard. I am looking forward to the reread. I have a feeling that Wildcard will be more enjoyable the second time around. I think knowing what is happening will allow me to enjoy it in the moment more.

Purchased in Hardcover.

Lightning Girl is different. When she was in second grade she was struck by lightning and developed servant syndrome. She is really good with numbers, I mean genius level good. It just comes with a few quirks, like compulsive behaviors. At the age of 12 Lightning Girl has her GED, and a perfect score on the math section of the SATs. However, she has not left the house in weeks. Her grandmother is worried, so her grand solution is to enroll her in Middle School.

Middle School is hard enough, let alone for a genius trying to bide her time until her grandmother lets her out. There are a lot of ups and downs, and typical challenges of middle school. It would be easy for any girl who is different to find a way to relate to Lightning Girl, especially girls who like math and have behaviors that are different then their peers.

In reality, the concept behind Lightning Girl's unique abilities is kind of absurd. It is like a middle school fantasy explaining away their own uniqueness and exaggerating it to make them a bit extra special. That is why it works. I really enjoyed the ending, I was a bit hesitant to see how it would end, but I think McAnulty closed it up perfectly. I really enjoyed the book, and stayed up late to finish it. I would have loved this novel in middle school, even more than I do now.

Bob is a cute story about a girl who realizes that she forgot about her “imaginary friend.” Upon finding him again, in the closet of her grandmother’s house, she attempts to determine where he came from. The novel is a quest for her to find where he belongs.

While the story is cute, it is also a little scattered. It seems to go from one place to the next and has some massive plot holes. Overal I was entertained but not awed by the book.

The Night Diary tells about the split of Pakastan from India after India was granted its freedom from England. It is told from the perspective of a girl about the age of twelve. Orphaned at birth Nisha has her father, grandfather, twin brother, and a hired cook that is her best friend. She also has a secret. Her brother and her are half Muslim and half Hindu. When the country is divided her family has to leaver behind their home and travel across the border to the new India.

The novel is beautifully written. It is described in a way that is perfect for a middle school audience. It is emotionally captivating, informative, relatable, all without being too overwhelming and graphic. As the author says, in the back of the book, some journeys were easier and others were harder. Many people lost their life during this time. The author's note was a great addition to put this one story in perspective.

As an adult I appreciated Hiranandani sharing a story based upon her own family. It is a part of history that I personally had not thought about, and knew almost nothing about. This book would be a great addition to any reader's list as well as many classrooms.

When Tyler's blocks are knocked over he is not sure how he feels or how to express his feeling. Animals come in and tell Tyler what he should do, and when he does not respond they walk away. Except for the bunny that sits with him until Tyler is ready to talk. Then Tyler does all the things the animals had suggested to express his emotions. Up until the last part it was a cute book. Except not all the ways of expressing emotions were the best idea. Then the book, and Tyler, pull themselves together again and Tyler decides to try again.

The pictures are cute, the boy and animals with no or minimal background. The topic is relevant to the age group.

Read in ebook from Library.

Hello Lighthouse is a children's picture book that tells the story of a man who moves into the lighthouse. During his time there he meets his wife, has a baby, and looses his job. The lighthouse is given a modern day bulb that does not need tending. The man and his family moves to the mainland and watches the lighthouse from afar.

The pictures are beautiful and it tells a story, however I am not sure if a picture book was the best format for this story. It just seems so depressing. It was not something I would have read to my children when they were younger. I am not entirely sure what the message to take away from the book is. It seems kind of depressing to me. That everything a man devoted to a lighthouse was taken away by technology.

Read as an ebook from the library.

Ocean Meets Sky is a beautiful picture book. While the story may not be the focus, I actually remember none of the dialog, the pictures are amazing. For this reason alone I rated it what it is. The words do complement the pictures, and do provide a plot. It is just that the beauty of the book is really in the illustrations. I loved the play of colors and the imagination in each picture.