The House of the Scorpion - Nancy Farmer

...He rambled on about his youth in Aztlan. It was called Mexico when he was a boy, he said. He came from a place called Durango. “People from Durango are called alacránes - scorpions - because there are so many of them scurrying around. When I made my first million, I took that as my name: Matteo Alacrán. It’s your name too.”Matt smiled, well pleased that he shared something with El Patrón.

Opium is a country that lies on the outskirts of the United States, it is part of what used to be Mexico. It is a country that has been sealed off from the rest of the world by a very powerful drug baron, El Patrón. House of the Scorpion focuses on a little boy called Matt. It follows his horrific childhood and flows into his interesting adolescence. He begins to find out everything there is to know about the drug kings empire, including just how shut off it is from the rest of the world. One of the most fascinating things about the book setting is that Opium’s technology has been partially halted. Opium has been kept 100 years in the past, while the rest of the world has evolved and developed. Matt makes some fascinating discoveries about himself and his home as the book advances. (Read The Lord of Opium, the sequel that begins 12 hours after the end of this one).

http://www.nancyfarmerwebsite.com/

The Immortal Rules - Julie Kagawa

When I woke up, I knew I was in hell. My whole body was on fire, or at least it felt that way, through I couldn't see the flames. It was dark, and a light rain was falling from the sky, which I found strange for hell. Then a dark figure loomed over me, jet-black eyes boring into mine, and I thought I knew him from. . . somewhere. Hadn't I met him before. . . ? “Can you hear me?” His voice was familiar, too, low and calm. I opened my mouth to reply, but only a choked gurgle escaped. What was wrong with me? It felt as if my mouth and throat were clogged with warm mud.     “Don’t try to speak.” The soothing voice broke through my agony and confusion. “Listen to me, human, You’re dying. The damage the rabbids did to your body is extreme. You have only a few minutes left in this world.” He leaned closer, face intense. “Do you understand what I'm telling you?”

The Red Lung virus was threatening to wipe out humanity so a Master vampire offered up other vampires to scientists in an attempt to save the world. The plan backfired and instead humans became cattle that were kept in gated communities run by Master vampires.

Allie lives in the Fringe, with a group of kids who are Unregistered citizens just like her. They don’t show up every month for bloodletting like the rest of the registered humans and so they go hungry. Allie lives each day as it comes, days are spent finding food to keep from starving and nights are spent hiding inside in fear of the vampires who stalk the night looking for humans to feed from. When she is desperate enough, Allie goes beyond the Outer Wall and into the ruins to scavenge. One day she is hungry enough to risk running into the rabids that live there, she ventures out and discovers a treasure trove, at the cost of her life.

Faced with the prospect of dying Allie chooses to live and is reborn as a vampire. She learns the ways of her new life from her sire until she is run out of town and must learn to live on her own. For the first time in her life, Allie finds herself cast out of New Covington and in search of a new home. She stumbles upon a group of wondering humans whom she joins and decides to attempt to play along and pretend to be human. The one thing her sire warned her of was starving herself because the longer she puts off feeding the closer she gets to madness and losing her self control.

Another fascinating look at a post-apocalyptic world where vampires rule and humans are no longer in charge. An interesting cast of characters, worth a read just for their interactions alone.

http://juliekagawa.com/wordpress/

The Giver - Lois Lowry

“Jonas has been selected to be our next Receiver of Memory.”

The Giver is book one in the quartet series. Jonas has lived in the community all his life, it is the only way of life he knows. Children are born, then raised for the first year of their lives in the Nurturing Centre. Each year on the same day the entire community attend a ceremony, the newchildren are named and assigned to a family unit. Then there are ceremonies for the children for the twos, threes, fours all the way up to twelves - every child shares this same ‘birthday’. The twelves have a special ceremony where they are given their life assignments. From there they begin the career they will fulfil within the community. If they want to, they can apply to be issued a spouse, married couples can then apply to have children assigned. Family units are only assigned one female and one male, occasionally if a child is lost they may be issued with a replacement child. When they grow old they move to the house of old. If people fail to follow the rules in The Rule Book, or fail to fit in, they are sent released, never to return to the community again.

Jonas is an Eleven, and although he doesn't yet know it, he can see “beyond”.  When he attends the Ceremony of the twelve and isn't given an assignment Jonas is devastated. Then the community is told that Jonas has been chosen to be the next Receiver of Memory. Jonas faces a long and harrowing journey as he meets the Giver and starts to receive memories.

A fantastic book for older children/teens that will make them think about the society they live in and the things they take for granted every day. A dystopian tale set in a strange community where animals like bears are imaginary things and things like rain and war mean have no meaning. A good book to get children thinking about control, would we be better off if we were controlled and our lives planned for us. It will also make them think about the troubles we carry in society and history and if society would be better if we hid them away and forgot they happened.

http://www.loislowry.com/

Unwind - Neal Shusterman

The Bill of LifeThe Second Civil War also known as “The Heartland War,” was a long and bloody conflict fought over a single issue.To end the war, a set of constitutional amendments known as “The Bill of Life” was passed.It satisfied both the Pro-life and the Pro-choice armies.The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touchedfrom the moment of conception until a child reachesthe age of thirteen.However, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent maychoose to retroactively “abort” a child . . .. . . on the condition that the child’s life doesn't “technically” end.The process by which a child is both terminated and yet kept aliveis called “unwinding.”Unwinding is now a common, and accepted practice in society.

Unwind is the first book in the Unwind dystology (there is also an ebook titled Unstrung which follows Lev on his adventures between books 1 and 2). The three main characters all find themselves heading to be unwound, all of them are being unwound for very different reasons: Connor gets into too many fights at school and his grades are appalling., his parents have signed the papers and he is going to be sent to be unwound. When he discovers the unwind order he decides he has to make a run for it, despite knowing the juvey-cops will do everything in their power to track him down. Connors life as an AWOL rewind takes a sharp turn when he collides with Levi and Risa on the side of a motorway. Levi, all dressed in white, is a tithe, the tenth child in his family, he has the honour and blessing of being created primarily for unwinding. Risa is a ward of the state, abandoned as a baby she has been raised in a state home, when she doesn't make the cut for top of her year she is sent to be rewound to prevent overcrowding. Their journey takes them to Happy Jack Harvest Camp and The Graveyard.

A fantastic book and great start to an intriguing series. The idea of doing away with abortion and introducing unwinding is terrifying. There is a chapter in the book which is chilling, it might have no affect on those unfamiliar with the characters and unwinding process. But for those with buy in, the scene and process of unwinding lingers in your mind, way past the finish of the book. Not many books haunt you before they have ended, I highly recommend this book, not just because it makes you question your own beliefs and morals but also because of the unique way it includes different perspectives and media.

For your ease and peace of mind, there are a variety of harvest camps to choose from. Each facility is privately owned, state licensed, and federally funded by your tax dollars. Regardless of the site you choose, you can feel confident that your Unwind will receive the finest possible care from our board-certified staff as they make their transition to a divided state. -From The Parents’ Unwinding Handbook

http://www.storyman.com/