The Body in the Woods, by April Henry

I am a huge April Henry fan, and love the way her books captivate even my most reluctant of students. The Body in the Woods was a little different to me than her other novels, but I still loved it. The most striking difference between this novel and her others, to me, was that it was a little bit "harder" if you will: it looked at more in-depth at some ugly, real-life issues, like the "homeless scene", drugs, etc. It seemed to present a really accurate depiction of these things, but did come off as a little more YA than her previous novels.


Anyway, The Body in the Woods is about three teenagers, Ruby, Alexis, and Nick, who are a part of Portland's Search and Rescue (SAR) team. They're called out of class one day to participate in a routine investigation for a handicapped adult male who's gone missing in a park. However, their experience turns out to be anything but routine when they stumble upon a dead body.

Their involvement in the case should be minimal, but the three (especially Ruby) are convinced that there's something the police are missing. They're not convinced when the police make an arrest in the case, and vow to continue looking and find the truth. But, will they get so close to the case and the murderer that they endanger themselves?

What I love about April Henry's writing is that it keeps you guessing and is fast-paced; that's what my students love about it as well, and this novel continued that trend.

Champion, by Marie Lu

I can't believe the Legend series is over! I've had a love-hate relationship with this series; didn't really like the first book, Legend, but loved Prodigy. Champion did not disappoint and had plenty of plot twists, which I've come to expect from Lu.

The last book in the trilogy finds June and Day in the midst of an attempt by the Colonies to overthrow the Republic. The plague that began in the Republic has spread to the Colonies and they're seeking revenge. The Colonies say that the only way they'll back down is if they're given a cure for the plague - this knowledge lies in Day's brother, Eden, who's been infected with the plague. But Day is hesitant to let the Republic experiment with his brother any more June realizes that things in the Republic are not as easy as they may have seemed, and she and Anden (the Elector) travel to Antarctica in hopes of garnering their support. While there, she realizes just how far behind the Republic is. In Antarctica, all people have virtual chips that record how many 'points' they have and what 'level' they're on. You can gain points by doing nice things for people, and lose points when you break a rule. Points and levels determine what sort of job you wind up with. Anyway, the Republic is ultimately able to save itself, but not in the way I'd imagined. The journey is action-packed and kept me on my toes!

Champion was an excellent end to the series! Sometimes I feel like final books leave too many loose ends untied, or just don't give closure, but Champion certainly did all of that. I can't wait to see what's next from Marie Lu.

Overall, Champion seemed a little more YA than the other books in the series - a little more risque. There's a scene in which June and Day are intimate, which I wasn't really expecting. It wasn't a big deal though, I think kids would probably just glide over it without thinking anything of it.