Poison

Poison by Bridget Zinn, 2014 Hyperion Books

     Kyra is sixteen years old and on the run after she tries to kill the crown princess. She's a highly skilled and very gifted potions master but life in hiding is not her preferred state of affairs. No one seems to understand that Kyra had a reason - a very good reason - for trying to kill the heir apparent, so now she's avoiding the King's Army and trying to regroup and save her kingdom.
     Leading the hunt is Kyra's ex-boyfriend, Hal. He is also a skilled potion master, though thankfully not as good as Kyra. When she tried to murder Princess Ariana Hal followed along with the rest of the court to hunt her down and continues trying to keep her from finishing the job.
     In escaping from Hal and the King's Army Kyra runs across a magic pig and inept adventurer who help her along the way. Fred and his dog help against the usual dangers: goblins, thieves, and witches - even surviving the threat of being eaten. But they're no help against the attraction Kyra feels for her companion.
     She doesn't let her charming, if sometimes bumbling, companion distract from the quest at hand: find and kill the princess. Kyra is relentless and the reader discovers the reason behind her single-mindedness in a flashy conclusion.
     Poison is a fantasy of spunk and snark with a strong female lead. Kyra does experience romance in the traditional fairytale mold, though she refuses to allow it to subvert her plans. This is a fun read for young teens and Zinn's only novel as she succumbed to colon cancer prior to the novel's release.

The Outsiders

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, 1967 Viking Press

     Ponyboy Curtis lives with his two older brothers in the lower-class east side of town. The three boys are orphans and part of a street gang calling themselves the Greasers. Ponyboy's oldest brother Darry took responsibility for him and their middle brother called Sodapop when their parents were killed in a car accident. 

     Walking home, one day, Ponyboy is attacked by members of the Socs--Socials from the uptown, west-side of their Oklahoma town--who threaten his life. The Greasers come to the fourteen-year-old's rescue: Johnny, Dally, Steve, Two-bit, and Ponyboy's two brothers. After a scuffle the two groups separate. 

     The Socs and Greasers clash again when Ponyboy and Johnny run into a couple of the Soc girls and, later, their boyfriends. The clash ends with Ponyboy regaining consciousness next to a beaten Johnny and Soc corpse. Fearing for their lives Ponyboy and Johnny escape to a nearby town where they hide out in an abandoned church. 

     Johnny and Ponyboy have a change of heart, but before they can face the music at home they discover schoolchildren in the abandoned church which has caught fire. Again, Ponyboy passes out; when he wakes he, Johnny, and Dally are in the hospital. They check out to partake in a rumble between the Socs and Greasers which has lasting consequences. 

     The Outsiders is a classic tale about teenagers struggling to make their way in a world that doesn't care about their potential, only their choices. Teen readers can relate to the boys' struggles in a story aimed at readers the same age as the characters: mid- to late-teens with violence and moral challenges Ponyboy must face on his way through trial and tribulation. 

City of Ships

City of Ships by Mary Hoffman, 2010 Bloomsbury

    Most of her friends have become withdrawn over the last few months when Isabel finds a small pouch of mosaic stones. The tesserae transport her into Classe, a coastal town in Talia. 

     Isabel befriends the prosperous merchant and secret Stravagante, Flavia. The kind woman helps Isabel find her feet and connect with other Stravagante both in Talia and at home in England. 

     As she's getting used to nightly adventures, Isabel discovers her beloved Classe is under threat from the Gate People and their fleet. While she is shadowed by her twin brother at home, in Classe she has purpose and feels important. She helps Flavia prepare for the coming invasion, but her plans are thrown out of sync when her brother, Charlie, takes her talisman and accidentally stravigates too. 

     Charlie is caught in the invasion and Isabel faces the chance that her plans in Classe will fail and her secret will be revealed putting her adventures on indefinite hold. But her new friends from school help Charlie see that Isabel and the people of Classe have much to do to save their beloved city from attack - both by land and sea. 

     Much like Italy's Ravenna, Classe has a deep connection with the art of mosaic. The beauty draws Isabel as the drama and political instability give her purpose. With one more member of their Stravagante club the teens begin to notice a pattern in who is chosen. The mystery of how and why remain unsolved, but their mission in Talia continues. 

     City of Ships is the fifth in the Stravaganza series following City of Secrets and preceding City of Swords. Classe has a new element: International trade; and the Di Chimi family have opened a door they cannot hope to close alone. Teen and young adult readers will enjoy this story independently or as an installment in the series. 

A Girl to Love

A Girl to Love by Betty Neels, 1982 Harlequin Romance

     For several years Sadie Gillard had cared for her invalid grandmother, and when her grandmother dies Saide is left with nothing to her name. Her grandmother has mortgaged the house to pay for their lives and the cottage must be sold to pay the debts. Sadie makes plans to find a job as a mother's help or household help to make a living.
     The cottage is sold to a television writer who uses the cottage as a writing retreat. Sadie's solicitor secures the position of housekeeper for her allowing the young woman to live and work in her own home. The man is a widower with two small daughters. Mr. Oliver Trentham brings his daughters to the cottage Sadie is concerned the girls are too quiet and fearful of their father. The girls' governess, Miss Murch, does not approve of Sadie or how she interacts with Anna and Julie, and Miss Murch strives to paint Sadie in the worst possible light.
     Mr. Trentham notices that his daughters are not as he imagines children should be and catches Miss Murch as she plots to Sadie's face. Mr. Trenham releases Miss Murch from her position and Sadie takes on the role of governess in addition to her housekeeping.
     Sadie falls for the two children and joins them when the little family goes back to London. In London, Mr. Trentham takes the advice of his daughters and dates "pretty ladies" to find a new wife. Sadie discovers feelings she wasn't expecting and the dates begin to rankle.
     In true Betty fashion, the story is a sweet old-fashioned romance suitable for readers of all ages. Trentham is a television writer and somewhat neglectful father and Sadie is the answer to their unasked question.

Made to Last

Made to Last by Melissa Tagg, 2013 Bethany House Publishing

    Miranda Woodruff has been running a home improvement show for three seasons, but the network has mentioned there are no guarantees of a fourth - despite being halfway through filming. Randi's manager and her show's producer suggest they solve a mystery the show has been hinting at since its beginning. Randi is reluctant to provide a face to the husband she mentions because there is no husband.
     She had met the man she nearly married on a mission trip to Brazil. Robbie was a leader in the team working to build houses for locals and the relationship between Randi and Robbie progressed until Robbie proposed as they prepared to return to the United States. Miranda struggles to reconcile their relationship with her faith and eventually her fiancee leaves and Randi throws herself into the show. Randi's manager and the show's producer convince her that a replacement husband to show her fans will be the perfect stunt to convince the network to keep the production running. They find Blaze Hunziker to play her husband.
     Blaze has his own demons but agrees to help the woman and, hopefully, her show. Randi is blind-sided when a national gossip magazine reporter is scheduled to follow her every moment through this tumultuous time. While Miranda can handle the over-the-top personality Blaze brings, it is Matthew's calm and quiet observations which get under her skin.
     Trying to maintain the facade she's built on her show for the last three seasons, Randi allows Matthew to see her commitment to her community and a struggling faith. At pressure from the show's producer and her manager, Randi continues to pretend a relationship with Blaze while getting to know Matthew and show him her high-mountain life. The two develop a friendship which threatens to become something more despite her supposed marriage.
     When the real Robbie reappears and threatens the whole charade, just as everything seems set. The tension of having the real man who inspired so much feeling back is compounded when the reporter is brought in on the secret. Though the relationship between Blaze and Randi was revealed as fiction turned to real friendship, Robbie's return jeopardizes even the possibility of something between Matthew and Randi.
     The facade crumbles around her and the media discovers Miranda's secret. But she is worried about what her fans will think and how her friends and family will deal with the years of lies. In a romance which centers around the myth of Randi's marriage and keeping her secret, her Christian faith and hopes for the future drive her decisions. Followed by Blaze's quest for forever, Made to Last is a story of forbidden love, which may not be so ruinous when the dust settles.