Traitor by Andy McNab

This adventure book is definitely a young adult book for those in grade 6 and above. The main character, Danny Watts, is a 17-year-old who tries to enlist in the Army. He is rejected and told it is because of his grandfather. It is explained to him that his grandfather was a traitor and because of that Danny cannot be trusted.

Danny, furious, vows to find his grandfather and make him suffer for Danny's rejection. What follows is Danny trying to find his grandfather while being followed by those in the Army who counted on that and want to find his grandfather also.

Andy makes friends with Elena, a computer genius, who helps him with the technology he needs throughout the series of four books. The sequels, Payback, Avenger and Meltdown are all equally fascinating and hard to put down.

Andy McNab spent his career in British Special Ops and the book is full of authentic details about the military and interesting spy information. I found the books hard to put down and could hardly wait to get the sequels.

These books are a must read for those who enjoyed Alex Rider when they were younger.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I greatly enjoyed this book. The main character is just so likable, you want to know what happens to him.

In spite of being raised by ghosts, Bod is polite, honest, generous, and can greet someone in appropriate language for any century. Very handy when meeting spirits from different years in history, but confusing unless you have a good mastery of the English language.

Good versus evil, love and loss, and some scary parts make this a wonderful read. Because of the language (sophisticated, not bad), I would recommend this for 6th grade and up.

Note: I enjoyed this book much more than the raved-about Coraline. I think this book has much more depth and character development.

The Roar by Emma Clayton

The Roar, by Emma Clayton, is a book I couldn't put down. It takes place in the future in a world without animals. Everyone lives behind a concrete wall build to keep out the plague-crazed animals. The world outside the wall is dry and barren and dangerous because of the plague virus.

Because the whole world is living behind a wall in the northern hemisphere, there is not enough space for everyone. No one is allowed to have children for 30 years, and the poorer people must live in a dark, damp layer while the rich live above and get fresh air and sunlight.

The contrast between the haves and the have-nots is well developed and could lead to a classroom discussion about class structure in different cultures, including this futuristic one.

Into this world we meet Mika, whose twin sister disappeared a year ago. Mika refuses to believe she is dead--he would KNOW if she were--and decided to find her. He must first discover THE SECRET.

The story is told in alternating voices--both Mika and his sister's. There-- I told you that his sister IS still alive. But that's not giving anything away. Read it to find out if they ever get together and what secret she knows--to her peril.

This book grabs you from the first page. I just want to know when the sequel will be out. Also, strangely, it seems to have been published in paperback in UK before hardcover.