Shades of Doon

Shades of Doon by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon, 2015 Blink

     Veronica Welling has committed herself to enjoying life. With the help of her best friend McKenna Reid and her fiance Jamie MacCrae, Vee throws herself into enjoying every moment. When Kenna and Vee are yanked back into the modern world they find themselves back home - McKenna in Chicago and Veronica at her mom's house.
     Without money or clothes the girls are stranded, without their cell phones they are unaware the other is been dragged out of Doon. When Kenna manages to make contact the girls team up and work to find a way back home.
     In the meantime Vee must deal with her high school tormentor. Stephanie appears to enjoy trying to take Veronica down a peg: using a disliked nickname, belittling her, reminding her that Vee's boyfriend cheated with Stephanie. At a class function - something between prom and a class reunion - Veronica finally puts her tormentor in her place with Jamie's support.
     Friendship and teamwork, and the MacCrae brothers, lead the two young women back home to Doon. They hope to discover how the Witch of Doon ejected them from the country and prevent it from happening again. Teenaged readers will identify with the girls' struggle through modern high school politics, even after high school. Shades of Doon continues the story of two young women who have found where they belong through the relationships which support them both independently and together.

Scarlet

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer, 2013 Feiwel & Friends

     Scarlet Benoit is worried when her grandmother goes missing: it isn't like Madame Michelle Benoit to just vanish - especially without her ID chip or a bag. Scarlet has contacted the local authorities but they are hesitant to search for someone who doesn't want to be found.
     Counter to her personal problems, Scarlet is stunned when a young cyborg girl is imprisoned in New Beijing for attempting to assassinate the Lunar Queen Levana. The girl is barely sixteen and already a felon - and Scarlet has a hard time agreeing with the citizens of Rieux when they're happy to hand Linh Cinder over for certain execution
. When Scarlet's outburst begins a brawl at the local tavern a shy street fighter stands up for her. When the young man dogs her steps Scarlet discovers Wolf isn't exactly safe, but he is certainly fascinating.
     Meanwhile Cinder escapes from prison with a little help from the Emperor's personal doctor, Dr. Erland, and an American deserter calling himself Captain. Carswell Thorne believes he's Earth's gift to women and enjoys trying to catch Cinder's eye, but when the young woman finally reveals her somewhat relationship with the new emperor Thorne limits his participation to helping her escape New Beijing and tagging along for an adventure.
     Off-planet Thorne is little more than an annoyance while Cinder tries to come to terms with her true identity and the bio-electric gift that comes with it. The only clue to how Cinder became the adopted daughter of an Asian inventor is Michelle Benoit. Between avoiding the agencies searching the globe for her and managing her lunar gift Cinder aims for France and the Benoit farm.
     Scarlet and Wolf, in turn, head to Paris to search for Scarlet's grandmother at the den of a wolf-like gang. Arriving late, Scarlet discovers the man she believed she could trust has been a leader among the ranks of the very gang holding Madame Benoit hostage.
     Cinder and Scarlet's paths meet and converge when Levana forces Kai, Emperor of New Beijing, to either marry the Lunar Queen or face global warfare. Can the two young women come to terms with their changing circumstances long enough to save Earth from the Lunar Invasion?
     Scarlet takes elements from the story of Little Red Riding Hood and incorporates the into futuristic world where cyborgs are an accepted part of life and humans have lived on the moon long enough to evolve into a separate race. This is a teen novel with some mature elements including animalistic violence.

The Sign of the Twisted Candles

The Sign of the Twisted Candles by Carolyn Keene, 1959 Grosset & Dunlap

     Nancy Drew and her two friends, Bess and George, are stopped by a fallen tree and meets elderly Asa Sidney. Mr. Sidney lives isolated in an old mansion turned roadside inn with only the caretaker, his wife, and their adopted daughter Carol Wipple.
     They share afternoon tea and Nancy discovers Mr. Sidney is a distant relative of Bess and George. When the old man dies and Carol is named as his major heir a family feud creates a rift between Nancy and her friends. To resolve the issue with her friends Nancy must discover why Carol is named benefactress of such a large portion of the estate while the factions of Mr. Sidney's family fight over his money.
   Nancy must use all her diplomacy to maintain her friendships with the girls, while also finding the truth around the relationship between Asa Sidney and Carol Wipple. A straightforward investigation appropriate for readers who enjoy an uncomplicated mystery.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston, 2016 Dutton Books for Young Readers

     Cheerleading is the only sport worth anything at Palermo Heights High School and it means to world to Hermione Winters and her best friend Polly Oliver. The two friends kick off senior year with cheer camp - where they act as co-captains and the year looks to be off to a stellar start.
     Camp goes well, things get a little tense between Hermione and her boyfriend, Leon, but they figure it out. The last night of camp all the cheerleaders, male and female, attend a dance - pretty much a supervised party.
     At the dance Hermione spends time with her friends, but when she suddenly wakes up in the hospital all she can think is that an entire twelve hours of her life is gone. Polly is the one who tells her - someone slipped something in Hermione's drink at the party and raped her.
     Back at home Hermione has become "that raped girl" and their small town doesn't know how to handle her trauma, and Hermione isn't going to give her townsfolk an easy way out. Hermione continues to be cheer captain, she continues to focus on her friendships, she pushes herself through the examinations and the procedures  involved in the criminal investigation, she continues to focus on what she's always wanted and try to work through the trauma of her experience.
     Exit, Pursued by a Bear is the story of how we should deal with sexual assault and a story of friendship in changing lives. Polly and Hermione have always known they will make decisions at the end of Senior Year which will take them in their own directions, but Hermione's experience reminds the girls they will still need each other for life's sudden events. Parents may want to pre-read the book prior to allowing younger readers free rein.

Superior Saturday

Superior Saturday by Garth Nix, 2008 Scholastic Books

     When Arthur returns from his grapple with Lady Friday he discovers Saturday has unleashed the human army on his hometown. With five keys in his possession Arthur is over halfway to  being an immortal Denizen of the House. He leaves Leaf in the human world to sort out his home and hurries back into the Lower House where Nothing is on the verge of destroying everything.
     Arthur goes into the Great Coal Mine where he is partially protected by the sorcery around the Old One. The Old One provides cryptic direction, but Arthur doesn't fully understand it. He makes his way into the Citadel hoping to strike at Saturday before she has a chance to summon the sorcery she has been amassing in preparation for the Will's escape and the appearance of the Rightful Heir.
     Saturday has plans to reach Sunday's realm in the Incomparable Gardens and hopes to slow the growth by destroying the Lower House with Nothing. The Will, in the form of Dame Primus, urges Arthur to return with the final two keys before there is nothing left of the Lower and Middle House. The young man, along with several old friends, travels into the Upper House where Saturday has begun her assault on the Incomparable Gardens.
     The tale ends on a cliffhanger as the battle rages between portions of the Upper House. Saturday and Sunday, their portions of the Will, and their Keys are the last obstacle between Arthur and his place as Rightful Heir. Back at home Leaf calls to Arthur as all appears lost. The story is written for middle grade readers, though those who enjoyed the preceding books will enjoy this penultimate book of the series.