And this ones for the girls - Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Ok so if Mudville was for the boys. Shiver is for the girls. I had been hearing a lot of buzz about Shiver from other book bloggers. So much so that I made a special trip to Barnes and Noble just to get it. It was well worth it! In short, this is a love story. I'm not real big on pure love stories but this is a love story with a twist. Grace and Sam began caring for each other 6 years ago, but they never spoke. Now they are together but they are living on borrowed time; time that is running out. The fight against time was what kept me reading. I had to see how, or if, they were able to win in the end.

What I liked best: how the story switched back and forth from Sam and Grace's viewpoints. This allows the reader to gain a better understanding of each character and in turn begin to care about them both. That is important because a good book for me has characters that I care about and characters that become real. Sam and Grace became real. I could imagine them as people I might know. I felt the frustration and fear and happiness they felt. It was not difficult to believe in them and their story. Now that the book is over, I miss them!

I also liked the quietness of this book. Sometimes it felt like it was almost told in a whisper. As if speaking too loud would break the spell. In hushed tones Maggie Stiefvater created a world full of description that pulled you in and let you become a part of it. A good example of this is when Sam takes Grace to a candy shop and has her close her eyes and smell. The description of what she smells followed by the description of their time there is perfect. It was a quiet scene that pulled the read straight into that place and brought it all quietly alive. This happens again and again up until the last scene.

Grade A-

Lexile 740

Similar books: Twilight and Need

PS - forgot! My daughter's name is Maggie so of course I thought the author rocked from the beginning :)