Terrier

Terrier by Tamora Pierce, 2006 Random House

     Beka Cooper and her family moved from the Cesspool into the home of the Provost: commander of the Provost Guard, known as dogs, who keep the King's Peace in the capital, Corus. Beka shows, at a young age, her tendency toward Guardwork. When she is old enough the Lord Provost allows Bekka to join the Dogs.
     After a year of training Beka Cooper becomes a Puppy - trainee dog. To her surprise, Puppy Cooper is placed with two of the best Dogs in the city. Tunstall and Goodwin are veteran Dogs who not only care for their jobs, but also care for the justice and people in the Lower City.
     Soon two extensive cases come to their attention: the murder of nine diggers who mine in the basements of the Lower City for precious fire opals, and the kidnapping and murder of Roland Letz grandson. Letz is one of the city's most powerful "scales" known as Crookshank. He goes mad with his grandson's death and creates tension in the Underworld's Court of the Rogue allowing a foreigner, Rosto the Piper and his companions Aniki and Kora, a foothold in the unstable Underground.
     Beka admires the two women, but Rosto and his attentions make her uneasy. When push comes to shove, Beka is grateful for her new friends and the insight they bring. With more diggers turning up dead and with Beka's closest friend's husband, Crookshank's son, kidnapped next, the Lower City Dogs have their work cut out for them.
     The Puppy becomes a favorite among the lower City--not only for her past in the city, but for the tenacity which earns her the name Terrier. Beka Cooper learns to harness her talents and fights her fears to seek justice for citizens of Tortall, just as many of Pierce's heroines do.
     She is feisty and stubborn, but has her fears too. Readers who enjoy fantasy and historical fiction will find a relatable character. Terrier is more appropriate for mid-teen readers with some suggestive content.

Burned

Burned by Kristin and P.C. Cast, 2010 St. Martin's Press

   After Zoey battles Neferet and her soul shatters, Stark takes her to the Isle of Sgiach where his kinsman is the queen's guardian. Following a poem from Kramisha, Darius and Aphrodite team with Sgiach to determine what exactly it will take for Zoey to come back.
     Zoey lingers in the Otherworld mourning the loss of her ex-boyfriend Heath. Stark must become a Shaman to find Zoey, especially when she doesn't want to return. Zoey refuses to accept the portions of her soul back and has been trapped in the Otherworld unable to move either forward or backward.
     To get Stark into the Otherworld, even after he becomes a Shaman, takes a long and involved process of summoning one of the Bulls either of Darkness or Light. Stevie Rae and Rephiam mistake the white bull of Darkness for the harbinger of Light.
     When he is led by the White Bull of Darkness into the Otherworld Stark contacts Heath hoping to convince Zoey to return when Heath has moved beyond the Otherworld. Her fear of losing the people she loves is the impetus which brings Zoey back.
     The world Zoey comes back to has been forever changed by the argument between Light and Darkness. Stevie Rae is in Tulsa holding down the fort, the rest of the crew has traveled to the Isle of Sgiach to be with Zoey, all are still reeling from the confrontation in Venice. The group is picking up the pieces, the world of vampyres is constantly changing: Neferet claims she is the goddess Nyx and Kalona her consort Erebus.
     Though only teenagers Zoey, Stevie Rae and their friends are insistent that they can make a change in the world around them. The vampyres fledglings have always trusted have little to say when things are beyond their expectation. Zoey fights to maintain her faith in the people around her as they face life-changing challenges. Burned focuses more on Zoey's friends and what they'll do to keep her around. Their adventures are aimed at older teens who enjoy contemporary paranormal with a touch of romantic triangle.

The Clue in the Old Diary

The Clue in the Old Diary by Carolyn Keene, 1962 Grosset & Dunlap

     Nancy and the girls, Bess and George, are headed home from a carnival with Mrs. Swenson and her daughter when an elaborate estate beside the road bursts into flames. The young women hurry to confirm no one is trapped in the burning building and Nancy finds a diary on the ground.
     While emergency services arrive the girls see someone fleeing the estate and an attractive young man moves Nancy's car. At first Nancy is suspicious of Ned Nickerson, but after he helps her out of a jam Nancy and Ned form a regular acquaintance and sometimes relationship.
     Mrs. Swenson notes that her husband is missing, as is the owner of the estate. Nancy and her friends, along with the police investigators search out the answers to the mystery of the fire and the diary. Nancy's penchant for helping people in need leads her to another new friend in the seventh installment of the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories.

Messenger

Messenger by Lois Lowry, 2004 Houghton Mifflin

     After the events of Gathering Blue Lowry follows Matty when he leaves with Christopher. They settle in the healing Village where Christopher is the Seer. Jonas, originally introduced in The Giver, becomes Leader who manages the village and its altruistic members. Jonas and Gabe have found refuge from their dystopian hometown, just as many of the residents have escaped from hardship and injury.
     Several years after arriving, Matty strives to earn the name Messenger. His caring for the people of the Village begins to manifest in a gift of healing. When the people begin to make dangerous trades with Trademaster (a shadowy figure which trades elements of personality for what the trader most desires, wishes which never come into reality as planned).
     The Village begins to lose its identity and some even aim to close their sanctuary to outsiders. Matty goes in search of the Seer's daughter Kira before the city can close the borders. In his search for Kira's home (introduced in Gathering Blue) Matty finds his healing gift can be used to save the town from itself.
     Matty travels through the Forest, which has a sentience that reflects the health of the Village, it has become more and more dangerous of late. Returning to the Village with Kira the Forest begins to attack the two; Matty must decide what it will take to finish his task and whether his life is worth the changes he can affect.
     Lowry's tale gives more insight to the dangers Jonas and Gabe faced when they escaped in The Giver, and a future for the characters of Gathering Blue. The idea of a trade of inherent qualities for intangible, or even tangible goods is explored, along with the consequences to individuals and communities for such a trade. For readers who enjoyed the City of Ember and its sequels Messenger follows a post-apocalyptic world and its different developing societies.

Ink and Bone

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine, 2015 New American Library

     The year is 2025. The Great Library at Alexandria has survived the ages by amassing enough political, monetary and military power to escape kings and Popes and become the greatest power of the twenty-first century.
     Jess Brightwell is a young man from London, the son of a Black Market book smuggler, and lover of the written word. At nine years old he experiences an ink-licker who digests one of the oldest manuscripts known to man in front of the young bibliophile. At that moment Jess knows there is something more to the paper and leather Originals.
     At counterpoint to the Library and the thriving Black Market are the Burners; these men and women believe, like thinkers including Martin Luther, Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, knowledge should be at the hands of the individual. Burners seem like religious fanatics who burn both themselves and their journal - seen as the individual's only vestige of immortality. They become the sworn enemy of the Library and their control of information.
     The Library manages every aspect of daily life and the flow of information. Jess's father has trained his boys in the family business, Jess's training has focused on getting him into the Library as a Postulant (potential initiate) and when the time comes Jess goes up against the most brilliant minds of his generation for one of six placements with the Library.
     He values the Library and all it stands for, but when Jess discovers something which could change the world forever he also discovers something about the Library which changes his world irrevocably. Jess stands for what he believes with new friends Thomas, Kalila, Glaine, and Morgan and their instructors Christopher Wolfe and Niccolo Santi. Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not watching you.
     Dealing and controlling information is a pattern throughout the tale. When there doesn't seem to be a leak Jess and his new friends find themselves in danger based on information no one could have known. Danger and competition stalk the Postulants as their number shrinks, older teens and adults alike will find parallels between modern media and the fantasy of a world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived and evolved with society.