fiction Archives - Page 604 of 666

August 2, 2016July 30, 2016

The Girl in A Coma

thegirlinacoma
The Girl in A Coma
by John Moss (Author)

Booktalk: Allison Briscoe is your average fifteen-year-old-until someone tries to kill her. Shot in the head, her doctors and family think she is in a coma, but in fact, though she cannot move, she can think, she can hear, and she can dream.

Each night, Allison lives vicariously through her pioneer ancestors, experiencing their adventures through their eyes. First, she enters the world of Rebecca Haun, a fifteen-year-old rebel who lived in Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War. To prove a friend innocent of murder, Rebecca betrays her Mennonite beliefs and joins the Women’s Brigade with George Washington’s rag-tag army at Valley Forge.

And each day, Allison struggles to find a way to show her family that she is awake-a goal that becomes increasingly desperate when she realizes that whoever shot her has come back to finish the job.

Snippet: During the day, nurses and doctors come and go. The cleaning staff comes in, The lights must be on and the curtains are pulled back. At night, the door is closed and the curtains are drawn. I can tell by the muffled sounds, by the stillness of the air. I’m pretty much on my own in the dark.

Except for my visitor. He’s in the dark, too. So, is he just listening? That’s creepy. It really is. I wonder if he’ll be back again. They haven’t removed the bandages. I’d know if they had. I wonder if he’s waiting to kill me. If so, why wait?

July 26, 2016July 20, 2016

Property of the State: The Legend of Joey

propertyofthestate
Property of the State: The Legend of Joey
by Bill Cameron (Author)

Booktalk: Joey Getchie has been property of the state longer than he was in parental custody. But he’s a survivor, and he has a Plan: graduate high school and get out of the foster care system before it eats him alive. He bonds with Trisha, another foster, who seems to have lucked out when it comes to foster parents. A false accusation leads to a physical clash with his foster father, so Joey flees to Huntzel Manor, where he works part time. He takes up unauthorized residence and keeps a low profile, hoping to avoid attention. But attention arrives in the worst possible way: a classmate is seriously injured in a hit and run accident, and Joey becomes the focus of the investigation. Why shouldn’t he be? He had a violent confrontation with the same classmate just last year. And of course, he’s a kid with a criminal record. Except of course, he isn’t.

Snippet: “Joey?” Mrs. Petty’s voice is calm, as always. I realize I’m staring at the photo of Mr. Cooper. He looks more at home in the saddle than he does behind his desk. I turn to Mrs. Perry.

“What?”

“The computer?”

“What about it?”

They exchange a look. I’ve missed something.

“No laptop, one month. You need to hand it over.”

In my arms, my backpack gathers sudden weight.