Conspiracy 365: January by Gabrielle Lord

On New Year's Eve, Australian teenager Cal is chased down the street by a staggering, sick man with a deadly warning that the recent death of Cal's father wasn't a strange illness, but murder. "They killed him. They will kill you too." He tells Cal that he must try to survive the next 365 days. Soon enough, strange events—a boating accident that appears to be sabotage, a break-in, and a mysterious call from a nurse who cared for Cal's dad—raise his suspicions even more. When he investigates a package his uncle Rafe has hidden away, he quickly gets drawn into a conspiracy involving his family, mysterious drawings, and violent kidnappers, and finds himself on the run from the police. Hurled into a life as a fugitive, the 15-year-old is isolated and alone. Hunted by the law and ruthless criminals, Cal must somehow uncover the truth about his father's mysterious death and a history-changing secret. Who can he turn to, who can he trust, when the whole world seems to want him dead? The clock is ticking. Any second could be his last. Readers should be warned that, true to the nature of the planned series, each book ends very much on a cliffhanger.

January is an excellent start to the series.  This quick moving, engaging action-mystery draws in the reader from the first page and keeps up the action and questions right to the last page.  I was immediately drawn to  Callum and his strong character.  Lord has deftly made the family someone the reader cares about and Callum someone to cheer for. Adding to the idea of our hero needing to survive 365 days, the book starts at page 185 and counts down to page 1, just as Callum begins to count down the days he still has to make it through.  As part of a 12 book series, this first volume thrusts its audience into the life of the young fugitive and leaves them wanting more.  I highly recommend this book for middle school and up.  It would be good for reluctant readers because of its quick action and thiller contents, but also because it is not a difficult read.  The continuing story would also encourage further reading to see how the story plays out.  Since the entire 12 parts are already out, no one will lose interest from having to wait for the next installment.

source: conspiracy365.org

Gender Blender by Blake Nelson

I picked up this book thinking it might be a fun introduction for middle schools discussing gender roles and challenging the societal expectations of gender.  What I found instead was a light variation on Freaky Friday. 

Emma:Wants Jeff Matthews to notice her.
Hates sexist boys.
Wonders when she’ll get her period.
Tom:
Must avoid looking like a wuss.
Must deal with his blended family.
Must get a chance with Kelly A.
Then something freaky happens: Emma and Tom switch bodies. And until they can find a remedy:
Emma:
Can’t believe she has a . . . thingie.
Hates mean girls.
Finds out secondhand that her period has arrived.
Tom:
Must learn to put on a bra.
Must deal with an overachieving family.
Must not be alone with Jeff Matthews.

 The description on the back of the book should have been a clue as to how this novel was handled.  

Sixth graders, Emma and Tom, used to be friends but drifted apart as they got older. Emma now tries to balance her high grades, piano lessons, gymnastics team and volunteer work while being a part of the popular mean-girl, boy crazy/boy hating clique.  Tom loves baseball, barely tolerates school and hangs out with boys whose main aspirations are to insult girls and brag about their social prowess. After being assigned a gender comparison project and fighting all the time, Emma and Tom somehow switch bodies.  While searching for a way to switch back they must experience life as the other gender.

The author starts to identify the daily pressures that both genders face from parents, peers, society and themselves.  The concept of gender expectations was lightly touched on but quickly fell way to the behaviours of the "mean girl" and "tough jock" stereotypes.  I think setup for a more meaningful story was there but somehow even the characters got caught up in repetitive and inane conversations.There is a lack of focus in the story allowing it to skim over deeper issues the main characters Tom and Emma have in their lives.  Emma faces high expectations academically and in extra curriculars from her family, over-scheduling and loving but controlled home life.  Tom has to deal with an absent father, a distracted mother and a lack of any expectation for success from home or school. Both appear to have friends that are neither supportive or seemingly present outside of the school hallways.  With the exception of a few moments between each of the mothers and their body-switched children, this book lacked characters that explored beyond the immediate situation of how Tom would survive Emma's piano lesson or if Emma would be able to pull off baseball tryouts.  There was a missed opportunity for all characters to grow during the story, learn from the experience and come away with more than the 'discovery' that peers judge each other on superficial terms. Tom and Emma are both experiencing the changes of puberty and switching physical bodies could have provided a chance for the author to explore a better understanding of themselves and each other and how gender can be a factor in so many aspects of life. Throwing in the odd statement for challenging gender roles, such as boys don't cry or girls are not good at team sports, doesn't serve much purpose unless the characters experience such downfalls and allow the reader share a connection or offer some room to form an opinion. This felt more like an outline for a good story that was never fleshed out and simply left as jumble of stock characters that barely made it to the page.

Seeing Cinderella by Jenni Lundquist

Calliope Meadow Anderson wishes her life could be more of a fairy tale—just like the stories she writes. Her best friend, Ellen, is acting weird, her parent's marriage is falling apart, and to top things off, she found out she needs hideously large and geeky glasses.

But Callie soon learns they aren't just any glasses—they are magical and let her read people's thoughts. For the first time ever she's answering all the questions right in math class, and gets a glimpse of what goes through people's minds all day, including what Ellen—and her longtime crush—really think of her.

As if dealing with these crazy glasses weren't enough, Callie tries out for the lead in her school's production of Cinderella and actually gets the part. Instead, Callie chooses to let Ellen have the lead and be Ellen's understudy—just like she has done for their entire friendship.

Add in a new girl who has something to hide, a secret admirer, a best friend stealer who isn't what she seems, and Callie's year just went from ordinary to extraordinary.

Can this supporting actress learn to be a leading lady in her own life? Or is she destined to stay in the background forever—even with her super-freaky-magic glasses?

This is a fun, quirky tale that lets the reader try out a superpower we have all wanted, or thought we wanted, at one time or another.  What do people really think?  Would you really want to know?  Would you want someone else to be able to see what YOU really think?  How would it change things?  Is it better not to know?   I liked the way Lundquist explored Callie's awkwardness and uncertainty.  We've all been that age and even as we grow up, we all still have those moments and thoughts that cause us to cringe inside with embarrassment and self doubt.  Without becoming preachy, Seeing Cinderella travels a path of evolving friendships, learning to trust and seeing what is truly in front of you.  I recommend this book for any middle grade girl who is navigating her way through the daily changes going to school, growing up, life and family throws at her.