I would imagine that everyone out there has heard of The Hunger Games, in some fashion. At least “I sure hear a lot about this, but I don’t know what it is.” You might know that the Hunger Games movie releases March 23. You might not know that it’s a wildly popular Young Adult series by Suzanne Collins, that has fans from tweens up through adults. You might not know that it’s dystopian literature. If you don’t know any of this, I’d suggest you brush up, because I think that this movie and these books are going to continue down their path of wild success, and you don’t want to be the last one in the know.

Keep reading my review at 5 Minutes for Mom, where you can enter to win a copy….

We live in a culture where confidently stating what you believe is often labeled as narrow-minded intolerance rather than as an expression of personal faith. Giovannetti maintains that “we must respect and tolerate those with whom we disagree. But we still get to disagree and say so.”

With that foundation laid, the author goes on to explore several of the basic tenets of Christianity, as well as the major opposing philosophies for each. In the chapters True and Know, he introduces the reader to concepts such as the principle of non-contradiction, modernism, and post-modernism, contrasting these with what Jesus taught about truth. He also looks at the differences between empiricism, rationalism, and faith, concluding that they all ultimately rest on faith: empiricism by faith in the senses, rationalism by faith in logical postulations, and Christianity by faith in God & His Word.

Other chapters focus on the issues of pain and suffering, the existence of evil, and the Bible as the inspired Word of God. Giovannetti even tackles topics such as sexual purity, eternal punishment in hell, and eternal reward in heaven. For each of these, he gives a clear picture of the various positions that exist outside of the Christian faith and discusses the resulting logical flaws or negative outcomes.

One thing I found so fascinating about this book is that it identifies so many of the ideas that I remember debating with my peers in high school and college without realizing someone else had thought of them first! In addition to a detailed study of how faith and logic work together to lead us to the God of love, Four Letter Words: Conversations on Faith’s Beauty and Logic also offers practical suggestions for young people on how to engage with those who are interested in a way that is both respectful and kind.

Bill is celebrating the new Kindle edition of Four Letter Words (for only $4.99) by traveling coast to coast over the next few weeks on this virtual book tour and hosting a great giveaway!

Click here to find out how you can win two gift certificates to Amazon (in the amount of $50 and $25) and free downloads of his yet-to-be-released title, Recession-Proof: Living a God-Blessed Life in a Messed Up World.

We also have a copy of this book to give away – US or Canada only. Just leave a comment below to be entered to win. We’ll announce the winner in our giveaway column on February 8th. Giveaway is closed.

• The winner of The Starlite Drive-in is #16, Marjorie
• The winners of Chasing Mona Lisa are #14 riTa and #18 Cyndi

.

Don’t miss a thing: Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed or video reviews on YouTube. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

Trish thanks Litfuse Publishing and Endurant Press for the review copy of this book. She blogs at In So Many Words.

The teens struggle with their feelings for each other, which they manage to articulate to themselves for the first time this holiday. Lucy is viewed with suspicion by Evan’s father (he worries she will distract Evan from his college goals), with mystification by her own father, and with worry by Evan’s mother and grandmother, who invite her in to play games with them and for Christmas dinner.

Winter Town is, in many ways, a coming-of-age novel. Evan has to decide how much he’ll let his father’s dreams of his future determine his choices, and how much credence to give his creative, quirky, geeky side that is what Lucy loves about him. Sometimes I’m frustrated with children’s and YA lit and movies that basically teach that everybody should be an artist and follow their dreams to economic destitution, but I was satisfied with how Evan reached his decisions and what those choices were.

Winter Town is told partly in graphic-novel form, with bold and blocky illustrations throughout. This fits the personalities of the protagonists, who for years have created comic strips together, and the pictures really add to the story’s feel. It’s an enjoyable read, even heart-warming, as you come to really care about Evan and Lucy. I would recommend it, especially for older teens with a creative, artistic side. (There are references to sex, drinking, and other elements that would make me caution those with younger teens or tweens.)

Elizabeth is all about following your dreams, especially when they lead to gainful employment. Read more at her blog Planet Nomad.

Unfortunately, the oldest boy of the current Goddess-incarnation, Ariadne’s brother, is disfigured, misformed, gigantic, mentally-simple, and as a result is viewed as a monster. Kept in rooms beneath the palace because he is a menace to others, his attempts at playing with other children have resulted in their deaths. From this has sprung the legend of the Minotaur. “It isn’t true what they say about my brother—that he ate those children,” begins the prologue. “He never did; he didn’t mean to even hurt them. He wept…”

Meanwhile, we turn to Theseus’ point of view. He’s grown up different from the other boys in his home town, and his mother claims he was sired by a god. One day he finds things left to him by his father—an old sword, a pair of sandals—and sets out to find the truth. When he discovers he is the son of the king of Athens, a man who looks bored and a new queen who looks murderous, he embellishes his adventures along the way. They in turn send him off to Krete, where he plots to overthrow the government, only to find out it’s not what he thought it was. It’s all too easy to see how fact can turn into myth.

Tracy Barrett’s retelling of the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur is inspired. She looks dispassionately at where the myth could have sprung form, and comes up with a plausible origin. She even comes up with a new twist on the story of Medueus, who famously killed her own children. Along the way, she includes plenty of historic settings and glimpses into ancient religions. I found Dark of the Moon really well-done. It has wide appeal—anyone who enjoys a well-told tale, not only those interested in myths and legends or history, will like it. I highly recommend it.

“It was a good book—nicely told and very interesting,” says Ilsa, 14. “I liked how creative it was, and I liked seeing things from a different point of view. I liked the character of Ariadne, and how she dealt with conflicts in her life.”

Tracy Barrett is also the author of King of Ithaka, an imaginative retelling of the Odyssey from the point of view of Odysseus’ son Telemachos. I hope she continues to bring her outlook and fresh perspective to bear on other myths and legends; I look forward to reading more from her.

Elizabeth loves books that offer a fresh look at old tales. Read more at her blog Planet Nomad.

The ONLY reason I got this audiobook was because it was by Maureen Johnson, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed her Suite Scarlett books. The blurb of this book said it was funny, so I trusted that somehow Jack the Ripper and foggy ghostly looking covers could be enjoyable in a funny way.

And it was!

Basically it’s a boarding school story. Rory is a New Orleans’ girl whose parents are living in Bath, so she opts to go to boarding school in London. She deals with the culture clash, Alpha girls, and everything you’d expect in the midst of some murders that are committed in the area, emulating Jack the Ripper.

A quick look at the description made me think that part of the story actually took place in 1888, but it doesn’t. It’s a contemporary story with a mostly realistic setting. That is, until the murder is captured on camera — or NOT captured, as the case may be. How can that be? I won’t spoil the plot twist, except to say that some paranormal elements come into play.

There’s a lot of humor, some romance, and some paranormal suspense. A great mix.

This is the start of the “Shades of London” series, but this novel stands fully on its own. I’m not sure where it will go next, but I do hope that some of the characters return.

AUDIO NOTES: This was well-read by Nicola Barber. It was pretty understated, and her British/New Orleans accents weren’t all spot on, but I enjoyed listening to it.

Jennifer Donovan loves listening to stories as much as she likes reading them. Audiobooks make her happy. She blogs at Snapshot.

Markus Zusak won awards for The Book Thief, but years before that book’s release he wrote 3 short novels about Cameron and Ruben Wolfe, teenage brothers from a working class family. After several years out of print, those novels are available in one collection, called Underdogs. The first of the three, The Underdogs, establishes the characters but doesn’t have much of a plot. But the first person narration by younger brother Cam is intelligent and insightful and his view of the world around him more than makes up for the lack of anything happening. Things get going in Fighting Ruben Wolfe, a title with multiple meanings, where Cam and Rube get involved in a fight club of sorts. In the final book, Getting the Girl, Cam falls for one of Rube’s many girlfriends, but realizes his brother is the most important person in his life. Each of the books take place during winter, a year separating each of the events chronicled by Cam, and the cold and dreary setting sets the tone for the books. Cameron grows up, both physically and emotionally, and Zusak’s writing also evolved, with Getting the Girl the best of the three books.

The reviews for The Eleventh Plague and iBoy were written by Elizabeth’s 16-year-old son, Elliot.

The Eleventh Plague The only life Stephen Quinn has ever known has been that of a forager. He and his father live in the ruins of North America, hunting, gathering and trading whatever they can to survive. After his father is injured, Stephen needs help which he finds in a small community of people trying to survive as well. Stephen learns many new things which he has previously had no experience with, things such as school and baseball, etc. But some in the community are suspicious of Stephen, thinking he is a spy for another community a little ways away. These two communities harbor a strong distrust for each other, which soon leads to war after Stephen and a friend play a prank on the strict community leaders, and make them think that the other side is responsible. The elders hire mercenaries to wipe them out, but the people of the community won’t back the elders or mercenaries and attack them. The other community arrives prepared for battle but winds up helping the people fight off the mercenaries. This book, placed in the ruins of nuclear war, sends a clear message, that though humans are capable of great evil, they are also capable of good. This is a great book for anyone who likes to read. Good plot and storyline.

iBoy is a really great book. It’s got a good plot and a fun idea to write about. Tom Harvey wakes up from a coma to find parts of an iPhone lodged in his brain, and that his best friend has been raped. He soon discovers that he can do everything an iPhone can do and more. He can hear all calls, look at all messages, etc. He can access any part of the internet whenever he wants. He decided to punish the gang that raped Lucy. He gets back at them in many ways–he beats them up, gets them in trouble with their gang bosses, etc. This is a very intriguing novel and had me hooked quite quickly; I finished it within 24 hrs of starting it. It has a good story line and the characters are well developed. The book is narrated in the first person, which gives the reader a deeper understanding of Harvey’s conflict. He struggles with what he should do with his power. He is unsure how far to go, who to tell, etc. He struggles with taking things that aren’t his from the internet, even though it is for a good cause, and he knows the people can spare it. When his grandmother needs money, he takes £1 from each of the 15,000 most richest people in the UK. They aren’t going to miss £1, but the money is not his. Once again this is a great book, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Scholastic has graciously provided a prize package for one (1) winner, consisting of copies of Underdogs, iBoy and The Eleventh Plague, along with a $50 Visa Cash Card! Leave a comment below to enter, and the winner will be announced on December 28. The Giveaway is closed.

Though this giveaway ends after Christmas, these would make great gifts for teenage boys looking for new material. Girls would enjoy them too.

• The winner of The Unexpected Miss Bennet is #19 Beth C.
• The winner of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever is #31 Sara.

Don’t miss a thing: Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed or video reviews on YouTube. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

Nancy is stockpiling lists of middle grade and YA books for boys. She writes about her 2 boys, books and life in Colorado at Life With My Boys and Books..

Protagonist Mal has had a tough life so far, and unfortunately, he doesn’t feel that he has anyone to whom he can turn for support. Not that he would seek it out, though, for he has experienced abandonment from the people he trusted the most, and though he won’t articulate it, he is not willing to take that risk with anyone else. Mal’s adolescent angst is heightened by his personal experiences, which are more extreme than what is experienced by most teenagers, but the sentiment remains accessible and understandable to anyone who has ever been sixteen.

Add to this an extraterrestrial angle, and the story really gets going. I realize how cheesy that sounds, but I was impressed with the manner in which this odd plot line was presented. Mal believes he was abducted by aliens a few years ago, yet another aspect of his life that he can never talk about with anyone else. Or, maybe not. Soon, Mal meets someone who may understand his belief more than anyone else ever could. Readers will be rooting for Mal to find some peace through a connection with another, even if the possibilities, both earthbound and otherwise, surprise him the most.

First Day on Earth makes for a quick read, but a lot of punch is packed in this slim volume, and it may be just the book to suggest if you’ve got a YA reader in your life.

Though it’s been many, many years since Dawn qualified as a YA herself, she’s got a son who’s rapidly approaching this age bracket, so she’s gotta start boning up on the literature in this genre. Her own take on the world can be found on her blog, my thoughts exactly.

Paintings from the Cave: Three Novellas isn’t just three novellas. The fourth story is author Gary Paulsen’s, who in the intro talks about his own upbringing in a “bad home” and how he was saved by art and dogs. He also shares about a particular visit he made as an author to some underprivileged kids.

Then he invites us into the fictional world — that is now given a lot of credibility — of Jake, Jojo, and Jamie and Erik.

This is worth the price for Jake’s story alone, told “In the Man with Iron Heads.” Jake “J” is always on the run, staying out of sight of the drug-dealing thug Blade who will either recruit him, blackmail him, or hurt or kill him. One day he is looking out of his run-down apartment’s building into one across the sidewalk and sees a man who seems to be working on some heads, and Jake is fascinated by the progress. J and Bill’s paths end up intersecting, and I’ll say no more about it, except that this is and extremely powerful story.

In the third story “Erik’s Rules,” Jamie and his brother also cross paths with someone who takes an interest in them. Greg and Jamie meet at the dog run, where Greg admires Jamie’s sketches.

“Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Girl” doesn’t have any caring adults in her life, but she does have her dogs, and she and her dogs are able to help someone else in need.

I’ve purposefully left the details sparse, since good stories such as these are most appreciated if you just let them unfold.

This is a book that any adult who has a heart for lost kids should read.

The publisher rates this book as 10 and up, but I think that 12 is more in line, unless of course these 10-year-olds are like Jake, Jojo, and Jamie, in which case the realities presented here won’t seem shocking or innocence-shattering as they would if my own suburban daughter had read them in 5th grade. Teen pregnancy, rape (sort of implied), drug-addiction, murder, homelessness, child-abuse are some of the mature topics broached. It’s shared in a completely appropriate way, not meant to be provocative, but just a part of the sad reality of these kids’ lives.

Highly recommended.

AUDIO NOTES: This is narrated by all-star audio voices such as Kevin R. Free, Nick Podehl, Sarah Grace and Jim Bond. I would have enjoyed reading this book, but hearing such personal stories that are so different from my own upbringing — giving them a voice — made even more of an impact, I think.

Jennifer Donovan enjoys reading novels and memoirs such as this because it moves her out of her comfort zone. She blogs at Snapshot.