Taken by Edward Bloor

Edward Bloor's books are always well-written and imaginative in a way that appeals to their target readers, and Taken is no different. In 2036, society is much different- the gap between economic classes is vast and people with money are forced to live behind gates and arm themselves and their servants for protection. In a way that shows just how directly this book is influenced by modern society, reliable medical care is notoriously difficult to come by. Rich people have qualified doctors at their service, while in the poor neighborhoods, anybody can open a clinic and call themselves a doctor, even with no medical equipment, and charge whatever they want.

At the opening of the story, Charity awakes to find that she has been "taken" and is being held for ransom. Being taken is a common way for the lower class to make money, and the kidnappings generally go off without a hitch. Children are taught at school to go along with their kidnappers and that the ordeal will be over within 24 hours, when the parents pay money and get their kids back. So Charity starts out basically unconcerned and is confident that her father will pay the ransom and get her back easily. As the story unfolds though, and alternate between the present and flashbacks, she begins to piece together unsettling details that lead her to believe she may be in over head. The flashbacks also serve to describe the world as it is in 2036, and while kids are basically the same as they are now, everything around them is different.

Eventually scenes of high drama lead to a surprising but satisfying conclusion, as the reader has the chance to think about ways in which our society has led to that of Charity's.

Tangerine will always be my favorite book by Bloor, but Taken was a very interesting story that would especially appeal to middle school age readers.

Town Boy by Lat

This book, the sequel to Kampung Boy, was even funnier even though it lost the charm of the country setting. The main character Mat has begun attending school in town, Ipoh, and his daily adventures are related through words and pictures. It's the 1960s so all the boys walk around with a classic rock and roll swagger that Lat portrays perfectly through nothing more than a series of lines.

The boys all think they're so cool and original, and Lat draws them all standing in a line outside the cinema, each with the exact same rebellious pose which isn't quite so rebellious when it's ten boys lined up, with the only difference between them all their height.

The book spans Mat's teen years and many of the things that befall him during that time. He spends a lot of time in school learning many different subjects, and because he is now in town , there are people with very different backgrounds than himself, especially Frankie, his soon to be best friend who is Chinese. There is of course a beautiful girl that everyone in town likes, and who Mat actually gets the courage to invite to a movie one day. One of the funniest scenes is when the boys are doing this required run for school, which includes crossing the river, and Mat and his friend decide to use the forbidden bridge. Unfortunately, they are ambushed by the principal at the other end and punished. Anecdotes like this would be interesting even if only written on words, but Lat's drawings make the scenes so much richer and even more entertaining.The book spans Mat's teen years and many of the things that befall him during that time. He spends a lot of time in school learning many different subjects, and because he is now in town , there are people with very different backgrounds than himself, especially Frankie, his soon to be best friend who is Chinese. There is of course a beautiful girl that everyone in town likes, and who Mat actually gets the courage to invite to a movie one day. One of the funniest scenes is when the boys are doing this required run for school, which includes crossing the river, and Mat and his friend decide to use the forbidden bridge. Unfortunately, they are ambushed by the principal at the other end and punished. Anecdotes like this would be enjoyable even if only written in words, but Lat's drawings make the scenes so much richer and even more entertaining.

What Happened to Cass McBride? by Gail Giles

This book was quite short and super quick to read, but I enjoyed plowing through it. Up until the end at least.

It's told from the perspective of two teenagers- Kyle Kirby and Cass McBride, and alternates chapters between their two points of view. It turns out that Kyle's younger brother David has recently committed suicide and he holds the popular social butterfly Cass to blame. He comes up with what he considers a fitting punishment, and as the drama unfolds through the narrative, police detectives are working to uncover exactly what happened before it's too late.

Throughout the course of the story, both of the main characters reveal more about themselves and their motivations than they intend to, and it seems that they both have reasons for behaving the way they do.

This was a good story throughout, but I was quite disappointed by the ending. I felt it took what could have been a greater book about serious issues and turned it into an episode of Without a Trace, and sort of made light of the serious actions and consequences of the story.