Banff Library Teen Site - Fiction Reviews

AGE: 14+
LOCATION: Y VIZ
GENRE: Science Fiction
RATED: *** Out of this world!
REVIEWER: Tonya, Banff Public Library staff

Jeremy Heere, high-school dork, decides to transform himself into one of the social elite by swallowing a "squip," an extreme bit of illegal nanotechnology in pill form. Once embedded in his brain, the squip coaches Jeremy on what to say and how to act, and soon he is hanging with the popular crowd and getting physical with the hottest girls. But the supercomputer’s technology is imperfect, malfunctioning when Jeremy takes Ecstasy at a party and leading Jeremy terribly off course. The squip puts a pop-culture face on to some genuine and serious issues. Male readers, especially, will identify with Jeremy, whose uncool voice and private hobbies ring very true.

AGE: 14+
LOCATION: Y AND
GENRE: Science Fiction
RATED: *** Out of this world!
REVIEWER: Tonya, Banff Public Library staff

What would happen if your "feed" was hacked? The feed is like an internet connection implanted right into your brain that's always on. In a strange and disturbing future world, teens travel to the Moon for spring break, live in stacked-up suburbs with an artificial sky, and are bombarded by a constant media blitz through their feed. You can "chat" to your friends without actually speaking while at School TM and watch the latest episode of your favourite show "Oh! Wow! Thing!" no matter where you are... unless you get hacked by renegade anti-consumer protesters. Which is exactly what happens to Titus and his group of "units." Can they take their minds off the latest trend for long enough to think about what's happening to them? Would you be able to think for yourself?

AGE: 14+
LOCATION: Y PAT, YA PB P, and on CD
GENRE: Science Fiction
RATED: ** Enterprising
REVIEWER: Tonya, Banff Public Library staff

Max’s five closest friends are like family; in fact, they’re all she’s got. So when the youngest of the group is kidnapped, 14 year old Max must take on the role of leader and head out to find her. This is an extremely unusual group of kids, though – they’ve been genetically engineered through experiments in a secret science lab, and they’re 98% human and 2 % bird! The group has since escaped their lab cages, but another group of genetically enhanced wolf-people has orders to track down and kill Max and her companions so that no one else will ever learn of their existence. Try this thrilling adventure and find out if the flock can save themselves. This is the first book in the Maximum Ride series.

AGE: 10+
LOCATION: Y LOW
GENRE: Science Fiction
RATED: *** Out of this world!
REVIEWER: Holly, Head Librarian, Banff Public Library

Set in a futuristic and "perfect" society where there is no poverty, no sickness, no crime and no unemployment, 12 year old Jonas is selected to be the community's "Receiver of Memories." Under the guidance of an old man known as the Giver, Jonas uncovers the frightening truth about his utopian world.

AGE: 10-15
LOCATION: J MAC
GENRE: Science Fiction
RATED: **Enterprising
REVIEWER: Tonya, Banff Public Library staff

14 year old Bobby Pendragon is smart and popular, but then a visit from his uncle changes his life. Bobby learns that he is a “Traveler” – someone who can ride through time and space. He also finds out that he is destined to save the world. No, not ours, but Denduron, which exists in an alternate dimension, and – yes, it must be saved immediately!

Denduron isn’t exactly a dream destination – it’s a territory inhabited by strange creatures, ruled by a magical tyrant, and plagued by a dangerous revolution. Bobby is forced to accept his role of savior or else he won’t ever see his family again. Traveling by “flumes” is just the beginning for Bobby, he also has to watch out for Quigs! The first book in the action-packed Pendragon series.

AGE: 12 - 16
LOCATION: Y DEV
GENRE: Science Fiction
RATED: *** Out of this world!
REVIEWER: Kate L., Grade 6 student

Will the police find out? Has your mother been murdered? Is your father under house arrest? Has your town banned you to read or write? That’s the life Marena is living in a new novel by James Devita. Her only friend is Dex, their only escape is their clubhouse and all they can do is watch as the police investigate.

I absolutely loved this book because it was suspenseful and I couldn’t put it down. This was one of the best books I’ve ever read and I would read it again. Read this wonderful book of twists, turns, and things you would never expect.

AGE: 10 - 14
LOCATION: J PAU
GENRE: Science Fiction
RATED: ** Enterprising
REVIEWER: Tonya, Banff Public Library staff

So, you open your school locker to find out that you're the brunt of another time travel joke -- why else would a medieval corpse be hanging in your locker one minute and have disappeared (well, all but the stench!) the next minute when you try to show your buddy?! Dorso and his friend Frank have discovered a big problem in their fast-paced, futuristic world. Why else would they (as well as disgusting, ancient stuff -- like a mammoth!) suddenly and unexpectedly start travelling through time? The boys decide they have got to find out who is messing with the time continuum. If they don't, the time hackers might destroy the world as the guys know it -- meaning that they might cease to exist! If you enjoy computer games, you will have a blast reading this funny adventure-filled book.

AGE: 12 - 16
LOCATION: Y WES
GENRE: Science Fiction
RATED: ** Enterprising
REVIEWER: Tonya, Banff Public Library staff

This is a thought-provoking look at an unattractive future, playing on every teen’s desire to look as good as everybody else. In this alternate future, at age 16, a compulsory operation erases all physical differences and makes everyone pretty by conforming to an ideal standard of beauty. The “New Pretties” are then free to play and party, while the younger “Uglies” enviously look on.

A daring Ugly named Tally Youngblood finds herself in trouble with the menacing Department of Special Circumstances. Of course she wants to be pretty but, since her best friend ran away to a rumored rebel settlement of unmanageable Uglies, Tally has been troubled. The authorities give her an impossible choice: either Tally betrays the rebels by revealing their location, or she will never be allowed to become a Pretty. Cool toys like hoverboards and bungee jackets make Tally’s subsequent adventures survivable – and fun! This is the first book in a breathless and exciting series.



		Science Fiction Be More Chill - Vizzini, Ned AGE: 14+ LOCATION: Y VIZ GENRE: Science Fiction RATED: * Out of this world! REVIEWER: Tonya, Banff Public Library staff Jeremy Heere, high-school dork, decides to transform himself into one of the social elite by swallowing a "squip," an extreme bit of illegal nanotechnology in pill form. Once embedded in his brain, the squip coaches Jeremy on what to say and how to act, and soon he is hanging with the popular crowd and getting physical with the hottest girls. But the supercomputer’s technology is imperfect, malfunctioning when Jeremy takes Ecstasy at a party and leading Jeremy terribly off course. The squip puts a pop-culture face on to some genuine and serious issues. Male readers, especially, will identify with Jeremy, whose uncool voice and private hobbies ring very true. Feed - Anderson, M. T. AGE: 14+ LOCATION: Y AND GENRE: Science Fiction RATED: * Out of this world! REVIEWER: Tonya, Banff Public Library staff What would happen if your "feed" was hacked? The feed is like an internet connection implanted right into your brain that's always on. In a strange and disturbing future world, teens travel to the Moon for spring break, live in stacked-up suburbs with an artificial sky, and are bombarded by a constant media blitz through their feed. You can "chat" to your friends without actually speaking while at School TM and watch the latest episode of your favourite show "Oh! Wow! Thing!" no matter where you are... unless you get hacked by renegade anti-consumer protesters. Which is exactly what happens to Titus and his group of "units." Can they take their minds off the latest trend for long enough to think about what's happening to them? Would you be able to think for yourself? Maximum Ride: The angel experiment - Patterson, James AGE: 14+ LOCATION: Y PAT, YA PB P, and on CD GENRE: Science Fiction RATED: ** Enterprising REVIEWER: Tonya, Banff Public Library staff Max’s five closest friends are like family; in fact, they’re all she’s got. So when the youngest of the group is kidnapped, 14 year old Max must take on the role of leader and head out to find her. This is an extremely unusual group of kids, though – they’ve been genetically engineered through experiments in a secret science lab, and they’re 98% human and 2 % bird! The group has since escaped their lab cages, but another group of genetically enhanced wolf-people has orders to track down and kill Max and her companions so that no one else will ever learn of their existence. Try this thrilling adventure and find out if the flock can save themselves. This is the first book in the Maximum Ride series. The Giver - Lowry, Lois AGE: 10+ LOCATION: Y LOW GENRE: Science Fiction RATED: * Out of this world! REVIEWER: Holly, Head Librarian, Banff Public Library Set in a futuristic and "perfect" society where there is no poverty, no sickness, no crime and no unemployment, 12 year old Jonas is selected to be the community's "Receiver of Memories." Under the guidance of an old man known as the Giver, Jonas uncovers the frightening truth about his utopian world. The Merchant of Death - Machale, D. J. AGE: 10-15 LOCATION: J MAC GENRE: Science Fiction RATED: Enterprising REVIEWER: Tonya, Banff Public Library staff 14 year old Bobby Pendragon is smart and popular, but then a visit from his uncle changes his life. Bobby learns that he is a “Traveler” – someone who can ride through time and space. He also finds out that he is destined to save the world. No, not ours, but Denduron, which exists in an alternate dimension, and – yes, it must be saved immediately! Denduron isn’t exactly a dream destination – it’s a territory inhabited by strange creatures, ruled by a magical tyrant, and plagued by a dangerous revolution. Bobby is forced to accept his role of savior or else he won’t ever see his family again. Traveling by “flumes” is just the beginning for Bobby, he also has to watch out for Quigs! The first book in the action-packed Pendragon series. The Silenced - Devita, James AGE: 12 - 16 LOCATION: Y DEV GENRE: Science Fiction RATED: * Out of this world! REVIEWER: Kate L., Grade 6 student Will the police find out? Has your mother been murdered? Is your father under house arrest? Has your town banned you to read or write? That’s the life Marena is living in a new novel by James Devita. Her only friend is Dex, their only escape is their clubhouse and all they can do is watch as the police investigate. I absolutely loved this book because it was suspenseful and I couldn’t put it down. This was one of the best books I’ve ever read and I would read it again. Read this wonderful book of twists, turns, and things you would never expect. The Time Hackers - Paulsen, Gary AGE: 10 - 14 LOCATION: J PAU GENRE: Science Fiction RATED: Enterprising REVIEWER: Tonya, Banff Public Library staff So, you open your school locker to find out that you're the brunt of another time travel joke -- why else would a medieval corpse be hanging in your locker one minute and have disappeared (well, all but the stench!) the next minute when you try to show your buddy?! Dorso and his friend Frank have discovered a big problem in their fast-paced, futuristic world. Why else would they (as well as disgusting, ancient stuff -- like a mammoth!) suddenly and unexpectedly start travelling through time? The boys decide they have got to find out who is messing with the time continuum. If they don't, the time hackers might destroy the world as the guys know it -- meaning that they might cease to exist! If you enjoy computer games, you will have a blast reading this funny adventure-filled book. The Uglies - Westerfeld, Scott AGE: 12 - 16 LOCATION: Y WES GENRE: Science Fiction RATED: ** Enterprising REVIEWER: Tonya, Banff Public Library staff This is a thought-provoking look at an unattractive future, playing on every teen’s desire to look as good as everybody else. In this alternate future, at age 16, a compulsory operation erases all physical differences and makes everyone pretty by conforming to an ideal standard of beauty. The “New Pretties” are then free to play and party, while the younger “Uglies” enviously look on. A daring Ugly named Tally Youngblood finds herself in trouble with the menacing Department of Special Circumstances. Of course she wants to be pretty but, since her best friend ran away to a rumored rebel settlement of unmanageable Uglies, Tally has been troubled. The authorities give her an impossible choice: either Tally betrays the rebels by revealing their location, or she will never be allowed to become a Pretty. Cool toys like hoverboards and bungee jackets make Tally’s subsequent adventures survivable – and fun! This is the first book in a breathless and exciting series.		Vampire High by Douglas Rees Stuff for Your Space by Ellen Warwick Harry Houdini by Vicki Cobb


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