Review of Brain Jack, by Brian Falkner

Brain Jack is a book set 20 years or so in future America, where video game addiction has become a serious epidemic and most are outlawed. Sam is the main protagonist in the story, a teenage boy with a talent for hacking. Him and his friend Fargas get their hands on some new technology called nervegear, which allows you to control an interface using your mind. Sam is recruited by the CDD, (cyber defense division) to fight cyber terrorists. During his first few days working at the CDD sam and his new friends dodge, tyler, and vienna find a new threat that endangers the entire world. I really enjoyed reading this book because it used really casual language and had elements of comedy spread out. You got the sense that the book didn't take itself too seriously, in the best sort of way. Alongside that it touched on some very interesting ideas about what is real. I would recommend this book for someone who enjoys action novels with casual language.

~ Reviewed by Jason C.

The List, by Siobhan Vivian

October is National Bullying Prevention Month  and there are many, many books that deal with bullying and its repercussions in high school. At its heart, bullying is about an imbalance of power, and the results of that imbalance is creatively explored in The List, by Siobhan Vivian. Every year at Mount Washington High School, an anonymous list is posted listing the prettiest and the ugliest girl in each class. No one knows who is responsible or exactly how the choice is made, but once the list is public, everyone views the girls selected through a new lens of admiration or disgust.
The List alternates focus between each of the eight girls on this year's list and how they react. Not all the "ugly" girls are loveless outcasts or even ugly, and some of the "pretty" girls find their inclusion to be a curse. As the year progresses, the school (students, teachers and especially those directly impacted by the List) begins to examine whether the List is a damaging tradition that must be abolished or whether the girls chosen have somehow brought it on themselves. An element of mystery, interesting character perspectives and a briskly entertaining writing style make this a quick and engaging read that leaves a lot to think about afterwards.

If I Was Your Girl, by Meredith Russo

Amanda is the new girl in a small-town high school, and she comes in facing the same problems as

all new kids. Will she make friends? Will she fit in? Will she find love? But Amanda comes with an additional secret -- until recently, she was a boy named Andrew. As she lives her true self for the first time, finding a group of girls she connects to and starting to build a relationship with handsome Grant, Amanda also struggles with how much, if any, of her own story to reveal.
The structure and flow of this book is really engaging. It alternates between Amanda's current experiences at her new school and flashbacks to her past -- her struggle since childhood with her gender identity, her family's reaction, and her transition and challenges. One of the hardest parts of reading this story is how quickly and easily she fits in at her new school. When the reader gets Andrew's experience of always being on the outside, along with ominous foreshadowing of how quickly her new life could crumble in the face of intolerance, there's a bit of dread as we anticipate what's likely in store for Amanda. This is not a tragedy by any means, but there is definitely heartbreak along the way.
The author's note at the end is also valuable. Meredith Russo is also transgender, and speaks frankly about how Amanda's experience are her own and might be very different for other transgender teens and adults. Overall a moving and excellent read.

The Emperor of Any Place, by Tim Wynne-Jones

Evan's father dies unexpectedly with a hand-bound yellow book open on his desk, which starts a series of events that completely changes Evan's life. With no family left, Evan's grandfather, a former Marine and a lifelong military man comes to live with him after a lifetime of estrangement. Evan's dad skipped out on the draft for the Vietnam War and his father, Griff, never forgave him. Evan and Griff's relationship is rocky, and more so after Evan begins to read the mysterious book his father was reading when he died. The book is a diary of a Japanese soldier, marooned on an island during WWII, and Griff plays a role in mysterious circumstances.

The book alternates between present day (Evan's dad's death, conflicts with Griff) and the events taking place in the diary during WWII. Mysteries unfold in both storylines, which can make the book occasionally infuriating -- there are lots of cliffhangers between chapters that make you want to flip ahead -- but overall this book is totally engrossing and a quick, enjoyable, thought-provoking read.

Spell Number 2: Unidentified

Rae Mariz enters school with her science fiction Unidentified. Where everything is monitored and everyone is expected to become entertainment for the rest of the world. At school.
Once a mall, the Game is where students perform for the sponsors, corporations that use the Game to create new fads in the real world, and choose brands, the popular students, to make their products stand out more. Main character Katey, aka Kid goes along with the reason the sponsors created until anti-corporates, or the Unidentified, make a scene by throwing a dummy down from a railing.
Kid is simply one of the many students that play the Game, and even at the end there was no clear reason why the main character would be her. She doesn't join the Unidentified, she isn't the only one who knows of both existences and never cared about either side of the extreme coin.
While the cover creates a sense of intrigue similar to the Bar Code Tattoo, the story inside lacks the flair. Kid and her two friends created a band, but when we are introduced to the story, the third member, Ari keeps flaking out on the group as she rushes to become a brand, but continues to appear in the story, for a reason I cannot understand. It seems the word friend doesn't mean much in this story.
When the plot added the Unidentified, they stood out to the point it was unnatural. If this were Mariz's objective, then the execution was lacking. There was no smooth transaction for adding them into the plot, and the only time Kid ever talked, well they talked plenty, but in a useful manner, was far to the end.
There was a number of unnecessary characters such as knowing the names of the brands, or what they represented that the number o
f names to memorize becomes a hindrance. There were times that I even forgot Kid, let alone her real name.
Oh, and the ever common cliche of being a girl with multiple guys that like you. Mariz focused on how Kid felt, naturally since she's the main character, but not enough on the other end to actually result in the how the book ended.

Dan's picks #10 Insignia

In a dystopian world wars are fought not with humans but with drones against drones in space. These drones are controlled remotely by the most talented and intuitive individuals of each country. The plot line follows Thomas Raines, a child genius of sorts who dominates in video games but comes from a broken and uneven childhood. He supports him and his father by hustling people with video games. It is through this activity that he is recruited for a mysterious and elite program run by the government. At the Pentagonal Spire they are trained with the hopes of becoming a sought after combatant in these intergalactic wars. He adjusts to his new life as a trainee, but soon finds out that his adventure will be much dynamic than he could have ever hoped for.

As a review for all three books in this series and for this book in particular I have to say these books are really quality. I have read quite a few books this year and insignia is definitely my favorite in the Sci-Fi category. It really hits all the nails on the head for me; the seamless and exciting integration of technology, the great portrayal of relatable protagonist, and a eerily realistic dystopian future filled with corporations and greed. Honestly when I read this book I read it for 3 hours straight without putting it down. Out of the series the 1st and 3rd were my favorite but the 2nd is still a solid read. If you enjoy books like "Ender's Game" or "The Maze Runner" or "Ready Player One", then I definitely would recommend investing some time in this book. 

Common Sense--You are Missed

It, unfortunately, appears that common sense isn’t so common anymore in certain novels.

As a realist--and somewhat of a pessimist--I have realized that certain decisions made by YA heroines are eyebrow-raising at best. These books are quite good when first reading them; however, retrospection (where heart-pounding anticipation is replaced with logic) ruined some (at first glance) smart heroines.

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Like honestly, when a guy attempted (premeditated) murder on her childhood best friend--the “sibling I never had” type--the logical explanation is to not hate him forever, but to risk her life by playing espionage for his safety and freedom. She can think of no better solution: she will not avenge her permanently-psychologically-scarred friend/sibling and will instead love him with all her heart. Would she commit treason for him? She did, got caught, was punished, and doesn’t regret it. And oh boy, how dare her best friend want to cut off all communications with her after [the friend] found out that she was fraternizing with [the friend’s] killer.

For a so-called smart strategist, she doesn’t seem all that smart. Or that guy is really hot…

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Another example is a princess who was arranged to marry an enemy kingdom’s prince to form an alliance for the much needed benefits for her kingdom. However, she is not down with the idea of marrying someone who could possibly be an old man or a guy who blindly follows his daddy’s orders. So, she decides to run away the day before her marriage ceremony. For (another) smart heroine, she doesn’t know how to compare numbers--hell, computers can do that better than she can (and they only understand 0s and 1s). Let’s compare: thousands of people’s happiness or personal happiness? Let’s screw over the kingdom and run off to some nondescript village!

If her inability to do preschool math wasn’t bad enough, at this nondescript village where she is supposed to keep a low profile and work hard to survive, she decides to play that game. You know the game where the character struggles to choose between Hot-Guy #1 and Hot-(But-In-A-Different-Way)-Guy #2 whilst making both hot guys fall head over heels for her. She was amazing at that game: would’ve earned a gold medal if it was featured in the Olympics. At least The Olympics is entertaining. She ultimately forgets her previous plans and her priorities.

Would marrying an old man or a sissy for the benefit of one’s country be really that bad?

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It’s not like both these heroines are complete dummies in their respective books; they actually do some really smart and praiseworthy things. It just so happens that some of their decisions are not so smart; theoretically, the good and bad decisions cancel each other out, making both of them “average” instead of “smart”.

Clearly, Hormones + Boy(s) = Temporary(?) Idiocy.