The Comet's Curse by Dom Testa (reviewed by Amethyst Collins)

Every adult in the world is dying, and quickly. The human race is going to disappear. Is there anything that can be done?

This book takes place many years in the future, another apocalyptic story. A comet passed by the Earth, too close for comfort but far enough away that scientists believed we were safe. They were wrong. Once you turn 18 you become infected with a disease that will kill you. Some more quickly than others, but everyone is guaranteed an early demise. So what do we do? Well, in Testa’s world, we create a ship that will transport the smartest, healthiest, and most able teenagers to a planet in another galaxy, a planet that has the same basic design as Earth and the greatest chance for their survival.

This story is great because it goes back and forth between the teens flying in the ship and the background to how they got there. It ties past and present together, so the explanation parts do not slow down the events occurring. And it has mystery as someone tries to sabotage the ship and most likely bring the complete end to the human race.

I like this story because I like apocalyptic type stories, and I like science-fiction type stories. There is a hint of romance, great character development, an invented sport, and the most hilarious narrator you will ever read. His name is Roc, and he is a computer.

It’s one of the shorter stories, which means I finished it in one night and then stayed up for another hour and a half thinking about it. I love it when that happens… except when I have school the next day. So maybe you should wait until a weekend to check it out, because this is a story you will not want to have to put down.

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The Comet's Curse was the one of the recent book selection of our Teen Book Group. Our group discussion involved a live, online chat with the fantastic (and funny!) author, Dom Testa, who answered all our questions about the book and how he wrote it! Want to make sure you get to participate in the next book group and author chat? Ask for more info at the youth services desk about how you can join the next conversation.

Super-special-extra thanks to Amethyst for not just the review but also for being part of the book group!

Click here to check our catalog to see if The Comet's Curse or other titles in Dom's Galahad series are on the shelves.

Project 17 by Laurie Faria Stolarz (reviewed by Adam Sayre)

Would you venture into an abandoned mental hospital? At night? This is the premise of author Laurie Stolarz's book Project 17. Main character Derik LaPointe joins up with Liza, Mimi, Greta, Chet, and Tony to make an amateur movie for a contest. The group ventures to Danvers State Medical Hospital, in the middle of the night. With an appearance of the number 17 in a surprising number of places the kids find out a little more than they bargined for, about Danvers and themselves.
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Project 17 was the last book selection of our Teen Book Group. Our group discussion involved a live, online chat with the fantastic (and cool and kind!) author, Laurie Faria Stolarz, who answered all our questions about the book and how she wrote it! Want to make sure you get to participate in the next book group and author chat? Ask for more info at the youth services desk about how you can join the next conversation.

Super-special-extra thanks to Adam for not just the review but also for being part of the book group!

Click here to check our catalog to see if Project 17 is on the shelf.