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Left alone and nearly penniless in nineteenth century London when her parents are killed in a carriage accident, fictional heroine Liza Hastings is fortunate to secure a position as maid to Princess Victoria at Kensington Palace. She quickly learns of the nefarious schemes of Victoria's mother and her secretary, Lord Conroy, as they seek to obtain control of Victoria when she inherits the crown. By forging alliances with a street child and an enterprising newspaperman, Liza is able to assist the princess and save herself as well in a story that is skillfully interwoven with the events which really happened. In the lengthy author's note which concludes the book, MacColl unravels her additions and provides follow-up information on the many historical events and characters she introduces in the novel. Readers will be encouraged to obtain biographies of Victoria to secure an even greater appreciation of the eighteen-year-old girl who became England's longest reigning queen. This will appeal to historical fiction fans ages 12 - 17. 
Fans of Matilda Bone and The Midwife's Apprentice will appreciate the author's latest historical fiction novel set in Elizabethan London. Crippled Meggy Swan had lived in the countryside with her sharp-tongued, tavern-running mother and doting grandmother. But after her grandmother's death, her alchemist father calls for his child to join him in order to become his apprentice. That he is disappointed to find his child is a girl is an understatement. With her father preoccupied with attempts to change metals into gold, and to find the elixir for immortality, Meggy abruptly finds herself "wabbling" through dirty London without anyone to help her, and with only her goose for affection. She quickly gains the attention of Roger, a young boy who previously attended her father, though she never speaks nicely to him or treats him well. And her goose is soon abandoned, left to live with others after her father threatens to eat it. But the ending is hopeful when Meggy thwarts a dangerous plot with a bit of ingenuity, and good-fortune comes to Roger and some of her other new-found friends.
Janis Joplin, long a staple of top 100 lists of rock and blues musicians, remains fascinating not only for her amazing vocal abilities and raw charisma, but also for her complicated personality and life. Ann Angel, a long-time fan, gives readers an honest portrait, complete with all of Janis’ contradictions. Janis was a restless Texas girl who loved to paint and didn’t fit in during high school. She would drive for hours with a carful of older guys in the Texas country side late at night, singing along with the radio. This is when Janis first discovered her voice. From these beginnings, the book chronicles her early career and rise to fame during her short 27 years. Angel shows the many facets of Janis, from painful insecurity and desire for complete freedom, to heavy drug and alcohol use, to her devotion and loyalty towards those closest to her. The book opens with a warm tribute to Janis written by a friend and band member, and finishes with a timeline of her life and an extensive list of notes. The book is strong on historical context, helping the reader to understand the times that Janis was living in and its influence on her. More than sixty photos enhance the text. The only thing missing was a CD of her music, though the bibliography offers links to not only hear but see Janis in action. This book won the 2011 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults.
Set in a dystopian future where oil is gone and climate change has flooded the major coastal cities of the US, Nailer works as a ship breaker. He’s on a team with other teens, all who are still small enough to crawl through the ducts of abandoned oil tankers, stripping out copper wire and other valuable metals. At the end of the day, he returns to a hut in his Gulf Coast community where he runs the daily risk of a beating from his drug-addicted father. Things change for Nailer, when after a hurricane, he discovers a wrecked luxury clipper ship with a beautiful rich girl on board, who appears to be dying. Nailer is faced with a decision: salvage the ship, or save the girl? This book is exciting, fast-moving, and relentlessly dark. In the opening scenes, where Nailer is working as a ship breaker, the danger and claustrophobia makes for harrowing reading, while many other scenes are equally gripping. The characters in the book, save a few wonderful exceptions, are brutal, abusive, and evil, driven by desperation and greed. The world created in this story includes primitive sacrificial religion, child labor, the sale of body parts, monumental class divides, and extreme poverty. Underage drinking, violence, and widespread drug abuse, as well as veiled references to prostitution, make this book most appropriate for grades 9 and up. This book is the winner of the 2011 Printz Award for Excellence for Young Adult Literature.
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