Rebel Angels

by Libba Bray. New York: Dleacorte Press, c. 2005, pbk. 548 pages. ISBN 978-0-385-73341-0

Second book in the Gemma Doyle trilogy. It is near Christmastime and Gemma and her friends are looking forward to time away from Spence Academy. But their time of celebration is clouded by the dangers brought on by Gemma's recent actions in the Realms. Now the magic is loose and many are after its power. It is now up to Gemma to find the Temple and bind the magic to restore order to the Realms. But who can she trust when so many thirst for the power?

This book is a must read for fans of the first book, A Great and Terrible Beauty. Not only is this book full of mystery and fantasy, but Bray also gives the reader an opportunity to ponder racism, classism and the roles of women in Victorian England.

Gender Blender

Title: Gender Blender
Author: Blake Nelson
Publication Date: 2006
Number of Pages: 182
Genre: Young Adult Fiction (age 10 &up)
Geographical Setting: Seattle, Washington
Time period: mid-late 2000s
Series: N/A

Plot: At George Wilson Middle School something very unlikely and very inconvenient has happened. Tom Witherspoon and Emma Baker have switched bodies! And now they are about to learn how hard it is to be a girl and to be a boy.

Subject Headings: gender roles, middle school

Appeal: Balanced perspective of the trials and tribulations of both boys and girls experiences in the middle school years. Events of puberty and physical development are presented.

If you liked Gender Blender, you might enjoy: Terence Blacker’s Boy2Girl. James Howe’s The Misfits.