The Girl in the White Van by April Henry

 The Girl in the White Van by April Henry-224 pages

I read "The Girl I Used to Be" by April Henry previously and it was a good read, so I bought this when it was released. I am reading it now as part of this month's challenge. This was also a good read with a good ending. Savannah Taylor is kidnapped by a man in a white van after Kung Fu class one night. She's a teenager who lives with her mom and Tim, her mom's boyfriend. Savannah is taken to a remote place and placed captive in an old RV with another teenage girl named Jenny Dowd, who was kidnapped and brought to the RV ten months ago. Savannah and Jenny plot their escape, but their kidnapper, who insists they call him Sir, and his vicious dog, Rex are formidable obstacles. Will they escape? I like that this story is told from many perspectives, such as both Jenny and Savannah and their parents/family and friends. 

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry (audiobook)-224 pages in print (depending on which edition)

I watched the recent movie with Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, and others, so I decided to listen to the audiobook since it is this month's challenge and it is a fairly short one. I wanted to know how the movie and the book were alike and different. The community and the way it is operated reminds me of many satirical, dystopian futuristic novels I have read and movies I have watched, such as 1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Equilibrium (film), Gattaca (film), and etc. The Giver has some elements from each of the aforementioned movies and books. Sameness and not truly feeling anything is what the community values and that would be scary in reality. If everyone was the same, then it would be very boring and terrible. Additionally, the climate is controlled and there is no snow, no sun, no emotion based on weather. Books and films such as this make one (me, at least) think critically about life and living. I really enjoyed listening to this and it has peaked my interest in reading the rest of the series and in re-watching the movie, although I have a feeling that I will not/do not like the movie as well as the book.

Room - Emma Donaghue

Room - Emma Donaghue - 352 pages

So, this book doesn't have aliens, an apocalypse, space travel, or a horror show of any kind outside of human indecency.  Jack, five years old and born into captivity, narrates his experience in Room.  It's an 11x11 foot shed in the backyard of Old Nick, the man who kidnapped Jack's Ma seven years ago, but it's Jack's whole world.  To him, it seems like a big one, but Jack is growing up and his Ma is desperate for both of them to escape.

Masterminds by Gordon Korman

Masterminds by Gordon Korman - 323 pages

Serenity is the perfect town.  There's no crime.  Everyone is wealthy.  Life is wonderful.  Or is it?  When Eli finds a note from his best friend who was sent away from town saying some of the kids are special, he starts to wonder.  It will take him and four of his friends to discover what Serenity is truly like.

I listened to this book on audio and absolutely loved it.  It was a great adventure and suspense story for kids.  The audio was wonderful in that each of the five kids are narrated by a different person.  The stories weave together.  While the book could end with the ending given, I think it's obvious that there will be a second book dealing with the repercussions from the adventures in the first book.

Pandora Hearts, v.21 by Jun Mochizuki

Pandora Hearts, v.21 by Jun Mochizuki - 201 pages

This volume continues the story as Oz, Alice and Gil escaped from Pandora.  It also gives some insight into the motivations of Duke Barma.

The problem with reading manga series that are still being written is that you have to wait so long between volumes.  I tore through reading the first 20 volumes as they had already been published.  However, I had to wait for this volume.  So it took me a while to remember exactly what all had happened.  There are a lot of twists and turns among the multitude of characters in this series.  So while I enjoyed this volume, it did take a bit more to get into the story this time.

Possessions, v.1: Unclean Getaway by Ray Fawkes

Possessions, v.1: Unclean Getaway by Ray Fawkes - 80 pages

Gurgazon the Unclean is the cutest demon ever seen.  She looks like a five year old girl.  She's been captured and she desperately wants to escape.  And so starts the plans.

I picked this up based on the cover.  I thought it was extremely cute.  However, I did not care for the book at all.  I found the characters annoying.  The story and illustrations did not live up to my expectations.