Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

SYNOPSIS:  Cammie and the other Gallagher Girls are back, this time facing a bigger threat than ever.  While helping her father's campaign for Vice President, Macey is attacked, with Cammie by her side.   Cammie and her friends are determined to protect her, through all the twists and turns, and no matter how deadly the consequences.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  Although I'm not a huge fan of the colloquial dialogue in this series, I can see it being fun and entertaining to teenage readers.  However, this book has more violence and danger than the others in the series, so I would caution younger readers against it.

AUDIENCE:  Teens

RATING:  PG with Violence

STARS:  1 1/2

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  Princess Diaries, The Agency

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

SYNOPSIS:  Tris's story continues in this conclusion to the Divergent Series.  The story picks up right where it left off, with the reveal of Edith Prior's message.  Tris decides to get out of the compound, no matter what it takes.  What she finds there, however, turns her life upside down.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  Frankly, this book was a bit of a let-down for me.  I was expecting more from it, and it felt like it fell short, in my opinion.  As far as content goes, there is some more sensuality, violence and language again in this book.  I'm tempted to recommend skipping this book and the rest of the series.  At the very least, I would only recommend it to older readers due to the content.

AUDIENCE:  Young Adults

RATING:  PG13 for Sensuality, Language, and Violence

STARS:  1 1/2

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Genius Squad by Catherine Jinks

SYNOPSIS:  Cadel's troubles are far from over, even with Prosper English in jail, and the Axis Institute disbanded.  He is placed in a foster home with a budding criminal, and a spoiled brat, and has only very limited access to a computer, or to his best friend Sonja.  Although his social worker and the detective assigned to his case mean well, they can't stop underestimating Prosper English, and Cadel doesn't feel safe.  When a couple of adults approach Sonja and Cadel in hopes of getting them to join their "Genius Squad" in order to take down GenoME, Cadel leaps at a chance to change his dismal life.  However, he soon begins to wonder if it is a change for the better, or a change for the worse.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  Although the book can be a bit dry in places, and definitely has some language content issues, for the most part, I thought this book was an exciting, worthwhile read.  I would only recommend it to older readers, however, due to the language and some crude references.

AUDIENCE:  Teens and Young Adults

RATING:  PG13 for Language and Crude References

STARS:  2

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  Artemis Fowl, The 39 Clues

Jinx by Meg Cabot

SYNOPSIS:  Jean has always been unlucky, so unlucky, in fact, her family all call her "Jinx."  So she's not surprised at all when she has to move in with her uncle and aunt to escape a troubled past in Iowa.  While in New York, however, she realizes things aren't always as they seem, and her bad luck may actually be something good in disguise.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  I checked this out on audiobook because I thought the plot might have potential.  However, it was pretty typical Cabot, in that there was a simplistic, predictable storyline, with colloquial storytelling, and some crude jokes and sexual references.  There was also some language, and references to drug use, and occult practices.  I don't think I'd recommend this one.

AUDIENCE:  Young Adults

RATING:  PG13 for Sexual References, Language, and Drug References

STARS:  1

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