“The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane,” by Polly Horvath

“The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane,” by Polly Horvath is the story of two girls who build a plane out of broken pieces that they collect.

When a train accident leaves Meline and Jocelyn parentless, the two teenage cousins must go live with their eccentric uncle on his private island. Uncle Marten’s unusual island was once used as a training place for pilots and the shattered pieces of wrecked airplanes can be found hidden in the brush. When Meline and Jocelyn decide to rebuild one of the planes it turns into a project with more consequences than they originally intended. Read the rest »

“Frannie in Pieces,” by Delia Ephron

“Frannie in Pieces,” by Delia Ephron is the story of a fifteen year old girl who is suffering from the loss of her father.

When fourteen year old Frannie finds her father’s dead body the shocking discovery changes her view of the world. Suddenly she fears death and feels that the world around her is full of danger. The first paragraph of the story introduces Frannie and one of her phobias:

“Do you know what it says on a tube of toothpaste? In small print? You have to read the small print because they never tell you anything scary in large print. Large print is what they want you to see. Read the rest »

“First Light,” by Rebecca Stead

“First Light,” by Rebecca Stead is a debut science fiction novel about a group of people living far beneath the ice of Greenland.

The science fiction story has two main characters whose enthralling story will pull the reader through 328 pages of mystery, and action.

For Peter the opportunity to travel to Greenland with his parents is a dream come true. Not only will he get to skip school for six weeks, but now he finally has a chance to share in the adventures that his father experiences day to day in his job as a scientist that studies glaciers and global warming. But once he and his parents arrive in Greenland, Peter starts to get the uncomfortable feeling that perhaps his parents had a hidden agenda in their trip. Read the rest »