Just received some book reviews on a couple of 2014 favorites.  Read on!
MORTAL HEART by Robin LaFevers.  New York:  Houghton Mifflin, 2014. 441p. ISBN:
978-0-547-62840-0 hc. 17.99. Gr. 8-12   YA FIC

Annith is a handmaiden of Death. She has served and trained in his convent for her entire life. When she learns that she is being groomed as a Seeress, Annith decides to sneak away and forge her own path to serve Death. During her travels, she meets up with others from her convent,and learns many secrets related to the kingdom and convent that she serves. Will these secrets change her life forever, and will Annith be able to follow her heart, save her kingdom, her convent, and have a chance at love? Mortal Heart is book number 3 in the "His Fair Assassin" series that includes GRAVE MERCY, DARK TRIUMPH, and COURTING DARKNESS.  The fifth book in the series will be published in 2020.
Melissa Coyne, Reader, Munising Public Library

LOVE IS THE DRUG by Alaya Johnson.  New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2014. 335p.  ISBN: 978-0-545-41781-5 hc. $17.99.    Gr. 9-12  YA FIC

Emily Bird is a brilliant student at a private boarding school in Washington DC. She is living an ideal life, until she wakes up in a hospital several days after attending a party with her boyfriend. She cannot remember anything that happened to her between the party and waking up. The world has changed, and there is a deadly flu epidemic sweeping the world.  Emily must piece together what happened to her, what her scientist parents are working on, and what she may unwittingly know about this outbreak. With the help of her drug-dealing friend, Coffee, Emily must piece all the clues
together, save her family, and save herself from the government agent who is stalking her.
Melissa Coyne, Reader, Munising Public Library

SOMETIMES YOU FLY by Katherine Applegate. Illus. by Jennifer Black Reinhardt.  Boston:  Clarion Books, 2018.  ISBN 978-0547633909 hc. $17.99    Gr. K-2    E PIC

Applegate takes readers on a journey from their first birthday all the way to graduation with three-word teasers.  The phrase, "before the friend..." is accompanied by a picture of one boy sitting alone which turns into a picture of good friends as you turn the page.  A young girl struggling with words in a book "before the know..." turns into an avid reader telling stories to her stuffed animals at bedtime.  The phrasing changes toward the end of the book with words of encouragement that there are failures on the road to success.  Parents will like this book as much as their children do.  Much of the appeal is in the illustrations which echo the work of Stephen Gammell, a Caldecott winner who illustrated SONG AND DANCE MAN by Karen Ackerman (1988) and THE RELATIVES CAME by Cynthis Rylant (1985).
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI

EYES & SPIES: How You’re Tracked and Why You Should Know by Tanya Lloyd Kyi. Illus. by Belle Wuthrich. Berkeley, CA:  Annick Press, 2017.  135p.  ISBN 978-155451911-8 hc. $22.95    Gr. 5-12    YA 323.448 KY

This book covers electronic privacy concerns because of computers and online programs that access our personal data and transmit it to other electronic sources.  We’re on camera at home, at the store, in the restaurant, and at school.  We willingly give our own information to social media sites and online accounts every day.  The information is condensed into 135 pages, presented with tables and graphs that are easy to understand.  Many chapters include “The Creepy Line” which features true life examples of topics such as hidden surveillance, cyberbullying, invasion of privacy, and gathering data from social media accounts.  There’s a complete bibliography and index at the back of the book to help check facts and read more about cyber topics.

Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI

MIDNIGHT AT THE ELECTRIC by Jodi Lynn Anderson.  New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2017.  257p.  ISBN: 9780062393548 hc. $17.99   Gr. 9-12    YA FIC

In this science fiction story that takes place in 2065, characters and historic events are connected over the span of 115 years.  Adri Ortiz is one of the smartest, most driven people on the planet and that's how she became a candidate for the Mars program.  Her only flaw seems to be a reluctance to socialize.  That could be attributed to the loss of her parents at an early age and the absence of any family members....until now.  While waiting for her launch date into space, Adri has been sent to an aged cousin, Lily, who lives on a a Kansas farm near the government colonization center where Adri will be training.  While helping Lily clean out closets, Adri finds a bundle of mysterious letters written by Lenore in England at the end of World War I in 1919 and a diary written by Catherine who resided on this very same Kansas farm during the Dust Bowl in 1934.  The common thread between all the female characters is their willingness to follow their dreams, even if it means traveling to new states, new countries, or a new planet.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI 

DOWN BY THE RIVER by Andrew Weiner. Illus. by April Chu.  New York: Abrams Books, 2018.  32p.  ISBN 978-14197-22936 hc. $17.99    Gr. K-3     E PIC
The basics of fly-fishing are covered in this fact-filled story about Art's day of fly fishing with his mother and grandfather.  They start the day with a checklist of food and equipment needed for their trip to the trout stream.  Art's mother is quite an expert, and snags a rainbow trout on her first try.  With coaching by his grandfather, Art uses good fishing technique and catches a brown trout of his own.  It's a gentle story of family tradition and nature conservation joined together by the sport of fly fishing.  The end pages are beautifully illustrated with a variety of flies such as "Zonker," "Copper John Jig," "Rattlin' Baitfish" and many more - each designed to catch different kinds of fish.  There's also an illustrated section titled "About Fly fishing" and one about the clothing needed for a safe fishing trip.  This book will inspire readers to find out more about fish and fishing.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI