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Hunted: Book 3 — Whiteout, a mystery by Walter Sorrells
(grades 7 +)
This is a solid mystery choice, and I didn't even read the first two in the series. Chass has spent her entire life on the run with her mother. Kyle Van Epps is trying to kill them. Every time Chass's mother thinks that Kyle is close, she makes them move again. With every town comes a new name, a new "story" and a new start at a new school. This time, when they are in Minnesota during the biggest storm of the season - a white-out where you can barely see your hand in front of your face let alone know which direction you're heading - Chass discovers her music teacher shot dead in the snow near the school; and she is sure that the killer is there and sees her. Determined not to move to yet another town, Chass has decided that she has to solve the murder, prove it has nothing to do with Kyle Van Epps, and then they can stay in town for a while longer. But, it turns out this is Kyle Van Epps's hometown and he had a suspicious relationship with that music teacher years ago. Could this murderer be looking for Chass or her mother next? Are the teacher's murderer and Kyle Van Epps one in the same? Read this quick paced mystery to find out. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk
(grades 8 +)
This is a great book, with a misleading cover. Will Halpin is your basic fat deaf teenager who spends a whole lot of time online. He decided this year not to go back to the special deaf school, but to attend the local public high school instead. He relies on his fantastic lip reading skills to get him through. He becomes fast friends with a fellow nerd, Devon Smiley. Besides this, nothing else is going particularly well, but lucky for the reader, you can count on Will's observations and running commentary on the goings-ons to be quite entertaining. Devon and Will's relationship and "dialog," mostly via handhelds, although Devon is doing his best to learn sign language, is what makes this book a great read. However, adding to the books appeal, a little mystery is thrown in when Mr. Popular dies on a class trip to an old mine; and Devon knows the police suspect murder (his father is on the force) and has decided that he and Will will solve the case. I don't think that the cover quite reflects the vibe of the book. But read it anyway because you'll enjoy "my good man" HamburgerHalpin and Smiley_Man3ooo, a couple of regular sleuths. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne
(grades 6 +)
If you lived in a Shakespeare obessessed family with a genius younger sister you might spend your entire life mastering the art of blending in, too. Hamlet feels that she has been doing a pretty good job of it until she finds out that her seven year old sister will be attending school with her this year in order to catch up on some art requirements needed to attend college. As if this wasn't bad enough, her class is doing an intense study of Shakespeare and guess who's called up to be the guest lecturers? Her parents, of course. Not to mention the fact that her least favorite people are pretending to be her sister's friends just so they can cheat off of her; but her innocent sister won't even open her eyes to the fact that she is being used and will likely get hurt. Plus, her best friend since forever might have a crush on her - which would be terrible, they're like brother and sister! Now they can't just talk and be normal when she needs him most. This is a fun read about Hamlet's life in eigthth grade. I recommend this to middle school girls looking for light realistic fiction. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
(grades 7 +)
This book is so fantastic, and yet makes you feel a little bit ashamed that you just can't look away. You are engrossed in the Hunger Games just like everyone in Panem; and the Hunger Games are a horrific, horrific event. Panem is the new country that is born in what was formerly North America. There are 13 districts all controlled by the Capitol. There was an uprising once, but the Capitol won and doesn't want the districts to ever forget who is in control. That is why the Hunger Games are born. Every district must send two children - one boy and one girl - between the ages of 12 and 18 every year to participate in this highly publicized, anticipated and televised event. The game? Everyone is fighting to survive - the rules are kill or be killed - and the Games aren't over until everyone but one winner is dead. This year Katniss is going to the Games and you will follow her there and be on the edge of your seat reading this book until the last page…when you will immediately be running out to read the sequel. Not only is the plot engrossing, but the book is well written, the characters are well developed and my brief summary of what goes on barely scratches the surface… Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natlie Standiford
(grades 9 +)
Beatrice's family is moving to a new University town...again, to follow her father's career. On day one at her new tiny high school - where everyone has known everyone else since they were in kindergarten - she meets Anne: a typical gossipy somewhat-friendly somewhat-superficial girl, and she figures that's who she'll tag around with for this final year before she escapes to college. However, she quickly meets Ghost Boy, or Jonah and everything changes. Jonah hasn't really talked to anyone since 3rd grade and it was as if he wasn't even there - thus the Ghost nickname. Jonah and Bea click somehow and form a deep friendship cemented over listening to the same call in radio show all night long. It turns out Jonah has serious issues and that Bea is the only person who has brought him happiness in a very long time. Meanwhile, Bea's mother is going through some sort of mental breakdown that you learn just enough about to be intrigued by, but is then not fleshed out enough to be satisfying, and is finally completely randomly resolved. It is almost as if a whole other novel on the mother was in the author's mind but was never fully shared with the reader. I expected to enjoy this book a lot more than I did…I found the late night radio show dialog to be random, interrupting the flow, and not engaging (however, I could completely see these same sections being another reader's favorite parts). That being said, the book is well written and explores a unique friendship with many "discussable" opportunities. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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Swim the Fly by Don Calame
(grades 9 +)
I couldn't help but laugh along with this book all the way to its satisfying conclusion. That being said, it did feel a little bit like I was reading a cheezy teen movie -- it's just that it was a really good one. Matt and his two best friends have a single goal for the summer: to see a girl (a real, live, in person girl) naked. Meanwhile, a new hot girl joins their swim team and Matt signs up to swim the butterfly in the final match of the season to impress her. The only problem is that Matt can't swim one lap of the fly without needing a long rest. And so goes the summer with Matt training to swim and the boys strategizing to meet their goal -- both complete with hilarious attempts. All the while, Matt lives with his grandfather who has a summer goal of his own: to date the neighbor whose husband just died; and he drags Matt in on his antics starting right from the funeral. This is good for high school age boys who like funny realistic fiction; and for high school girls who want a little insight into the teenage male brain (of course, as a girl myself, I'm guessing...but I just have a feeling...) Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
(grades 9 +)
When I started reading this book, I didn't realize that it was a collection of three short stories (or three quite long stories or very short novels is more like how they felt). The first story was so engaging that I hated for it to end and was worried that the next story wouldn't pull me in – but, I shouldn't have worried because the next story and the third story pulled me in just the same. The stories bring you into worlds where humans must make deals with the devils -- souls and happiness in the balance. Teenage girls are at the center of each story – all of them trying to lead to regular lives while their families harbor dreadful secrets that make them anything but "normal." In the first story we meet a girl who longs to be noticed and popular when she finally meets a gorgeous boy who likes HER and when he offers her everything that her grandmother warned her about her entire life, she's not sure she cares…In the second story, a deal is made in Hell to save the lives of hundreds of children in exchange for a curse on one baby born who must not ever make a sound, for her voice will kills anyone that hears it. We meet this girl when she is grown, yearning to sing, and beginning to doubt if the curse is real…In the final story a mother has managed to hide a dreadful past from her daughter but her daughter turns 17 and wakes up to the sounds of howling wolves, one of her eyes a different color, and memories that aren't her own and both of them are suddenly on the run with the past revealed and horrors of the future before them… I would only recommend this to high school kids and wish that the title was better…also, in this proof copy it looks like there are plans for extensive artwork that I am not sure are necessary, but obviously cannot judge since they aren’t there yet. However, from someone who found Twilight to go on too long and be annoyingly predictable (Dare I admit this? And I only read the first one…), these tales are anything but. I definitely recommend this to teens looking for that “horror-meets-fantasy-meets-romance” experience. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
(grades 7 +)
I was very disappointed with this newest book by one of my favorite YA authors. In fact, had I not been away with only this one book (and finally some time to read!) - I'm not sure I would have finished it. Alas, since I did continue on, I ultimately got somewhat absorbed in Auden's story and rode it to its somewhat satisfying conclusion. It is the summer after Auden's senior year, and she decides to live for once (rather than study and drink coffee nonstop) by going to spend the summer at her dad's beach town. She winds up having to navigate through feelings about her family, how it might be to actually have some girlfriends, and even a real relationship with a boy - these are all firsts for her. I wish the story was more engaging and that the writing was better. If you normally read Dessen, you can skip this one -- and if you have never read Dessen before, start with something else. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
(grades 7 +)
This book was an absolute pleasure to read from beginning to end. This is the summer that Belly turns sixteen and it takes place where every summer of her life has taken place, at the her mother’s best friend’s beach house. Belly and Steven, her older brother, have been spending the summer at this beach house with their mom and Susanna and her two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah, since…forever. The four kids have an intimate closeness that has only grown deeper over the years; however, Belly is always a little bit "the outsider" as the only girl and the youngest of them all. Although they almost feel as if they’re all siblings, everyone knows that Belly has had a crush on Conrad since she was at least 10 years old, while he at turns makes her melt with joy and get frustrated with his aloofness. This summer, however, she meets a new boy at the beach who makes her feel like she might actually be beautiful. It is so easy to let this story take you in. So easy to see why Belly’s sad that this summer might be the last in a string of perfect summers. This is a book to get seriously cozy with and simply enjoy. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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The Center of the Universe, yep that would be ME by Anita Liberty (grades 10 +) Author Anita Liberty apparently found her high school stash of journals, notes and general random written record of her life at this age and decided to be inspired to write a hysterical book based on the contents. It is not clear how fictionalized the account is, but the book follows main character Anita's boy/SAT/parental-annoyances obsessed junior and senior years of high school. The book is peppered with "advice from Anita Liberty" such as: "Stop thinking so much. It's not rocket science. Just be happy you're finally getting some," and poems that offer equally wise insights. If you are you looking for a fun quick read - pick this up and die of embarrassment and jump for joy and have quite the senior year with Anita Liberty. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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Trouble by Gary Schmidt
(grades 6 +)
This book was one of the best books I have read for a middle school audience in a long time. It is no wonder that Gary Schmidt's books are often awarded and honored…Trouble is about Henry, a 14-year-old boy who's older brother is critically injured in a car crash the day before they were supposed to finally make a much anticipated climb. It turns out the driver of the car that hit his brother is a Cambodian refugee immigrant teenager named Shay. Everyone in Henry's rich town wants Henry's family to hate Shay - and all of the Cambodians who have been coming to settle nearby in recent years. Henry knows that his brother would also want him to hate Shay. However, Henry's family sits through the trial and it is obvious that the accident was truly an accident; and they wish the town would drop the whole thing and let them grieve. Meanwhile, Henry's sister barely leaves her room since the accident and Henry is determined to make the climb alone. In the end Henry finds himself in a position where he must accept help from Shay, and even though he really wants to hate Shay for his brother, he can't help but empathize with Shay's horrible life story. This is an excellently written story that deals with heavy issues but manages to be somewhat uplifting and keeps you eagerly turning the pages. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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Paper Towns by John Green
(grades 9 +)
This may not be quite as good as Looking for Alaska, but John Green still does not disappoint. His writing is superb and his characters are so well drawn that I couldn't help but eagerly read this book to its conclusion, even though the plot is a little cheesy and feels a little bit like you have read it somewhere before…Q has always had a crush on his neighbor and childhood friend Margo who he pretty much lost touch with since they became pre-teens and Margo was set on the very top of the popularity ladder. However, one night Margo climbs into the window of his room, which she hasn't done since they were kids, and invites him on a whirlwind night of adventure and revenge in their hometown of Orlando, Florida. He can't help but go along and ends up having a crazy, great night reconnecting with Margo. However, soon after this she disappears, a stunt she has pulled in the past…only this time she doesn't come back. She has always left cryptic, whimsical clues for her parents as to her whereabouts when she has run away before, but this time she leaves them for Q. Q is determined to find her and recruits his best friends to help him. The search for Margo takes over Q's last weeks of his senior year, and in his search he discovers that Margo is not really who everyone thought they knew. Read this book for the writing and the characters and enjoy the very humorous ride. By the end of the book you will feel as though you are a part of the group of Q's good friends and although the plot's a little predictable and the self reflection's a little bit corny, you won't want to miss a word. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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Impossible by Nancy Werlin
(grades 8 +)
Lucy Scarborough has always wondered if she was doomed to go mad like her mother did. But, raised by loving and stable foster parents, she thought that was an irrational fear to be put aside. However, when she is raped on prom night and ends up pregnant at 17, just like her mother was with her - she starts to worry a little bit more. Ater all, her mother went mad immediately after she gave birth to Lucy. It turns out that her mother had hidden a diary and a letter that she meant for Lucy to find and it reveals the fact that not only did she get pregnant at 17 and go mad after giving birth, so did her mother, and her mother's mother, and so forth. The reason: a curse placed on her family by the Elfin Knight. The solution: to complete the tasks laid out in a song passed down for as many generations. Lucy has the support of her parents and life long friend to try to complete the tasks in the song despite of how ridiculous the concept of the curse may seem. Although this book has a promising premise, it was a disappointing offering from Nancy Werlin. The unraveling of the plot starts to feel very predictable and I lost patience for reading the details of the story since I already knew where they going to lead. I don't know if it is because of my very high expectations, as a big fan of Double Helix and The Rules of Survival, but Impossible just fell short for me. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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Jerk California by Jonathan Friesen
(grades 8 +)
Although this book feels a bit scattered and slightly confusing in the very beginning, bouncing around in time periods of the protagonist's life, it quickly falls into a nice groove as you are invited into the life of an 18 year old boy with Tourrette's Syndrome living in a "middle of nowhere" kind of country town. Sam has always blamed his problems on his Tourrette's and, in turn, on his father who died wrecklessly, abandoning him and his mother when he was 2 years old and passing to him this "freak" disease. However, as the book progresses we learn along with Sam that everything his "new father" has told him about his "real father" - which is all he knows - is a lie - and we can only see just how bad this "new father" is as Sam discovers this for himself. Sam's emotional journey is prodded along by a carefully planned road trip mapped out by a very good friend of his "real father" that he ends up taking with a mesmorizingly beautiful girl with problems of her own. This is a very well written book about self discovery that feels a little bit more complex and dense than your average YA novel. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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The Day I Killed James by Catherine Ryan Hyde
(grades 7 +)
Before the book begins, you imagine that Theresa was living a fairly average teenage life - but everything changed the day that James died. And Theresa feels that it was all her fault. James had always been in love with her, and she used him, and betrayed him and broke his heart. The book is about Theresa trying to come to terms with her heart wrenching guilt, alternating betwen reflective journal entries and chapters that chronicle her current whereabouts. Theresa drops out of life for a while, and even tries to escape herself completely by shaving her head, moving, changing her name and never looking back. She discovers that you can never really escape being yourself…This is a short book that explores thoroughly, and from many different angles, a single and profound theme: carelessness with someone's heart. This would be a great book group book as there is a lot to discuss, ponder and explore here. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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Confessions of a Serial Kisser by Wendelin Van Draanen
(grades 7 +)
Evangeline finds a stash of cheesy romance novels and self-help books under her mother's bed and can't resist reading them. She falls in love with one book — The Crimson Kiss — and from that moment forward is determined to find her own. Evangeline goes from barely having ever kissed a boy before her junior year of high school to kissing 2 then 4 then 6…all in a span of weeks…and she is still not finding the "crimson kiss" she dreams about. Meanwhile, she is misleading boys and creating a reputation for herself in the proccess. This is a fun read that makes you keep reading as you can't help but wonder: which boy will she actually like? which boys actually like her? how will she and her best friend fair this storm? and will she ever get her "crimson kiss"? But, I would only recommend this to die hard chick lit fans. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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Newes from the Dead by Mary Hooper
(grades 8 +)
It is not easy to be a woman in the 1650s…especially not a poor housemaid. In this book you follow the unfortunate story of Anne Green. The book begins with Anne Green, presumed to be dead by hanging, laid out on the operating table about to be dissected in the name of science. However, Anne is actually stuck in a state of paralyzed darkness - and not knowing herself if she is dead or alive cannot help but recall and regret the events that lead her to this spot. Meanwhile, one of the doctors spies her eyelids flutter and, thinking it to be a miracle, halts the dissection. The team of doctors then try to help coax Anne Green - convicted murderess - back to life. The author has fictionalized the account of an actual recorded event where a poor woman named Anne Green is hung to death and comes back to life in 1650 proclaiming her innocence and prayers answered. The original documentation of the event is included at the end of the book. This is a fascinating, enjoyable quick read for historical fiction readers. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt
(grades 9 +)
Harper's life as she knew and loved it is completely turned upside down when her dad divorces the only mom she's ever known. Not only that, but her efforts to keep her sexual relationship with her best friend as "casual" as he seems to be able to do is proving nearly impossible and taking a real emotion toll on her. In Harper's efforts to escape it all, and do some good in the meanwhile, she signs up for a teen summer program out in Tennessee to build a house for a family in need. The summer that she thought would help her escape and be completely alone ends up bringing her into close relationships that could change her life. This is another winner by Dana Reinhardt, proving again that "chick lit" can be fun, light and easy to read while dealing with heavy themes and thought provoking issues at the same time. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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Lock & Key by Sarah Dessen
(grades 8 +)
Ruby thought she was taking care of herself pretty well when her mom ditched her…again. But, when her landlords get suspicious and the authorities get involved they don't agree and she is sent to stay with her sister. Her sister had escaped the family years ago and now lives in a huge house with her new husband. Ruby is determined to run away immediately, but cannot make a smooth escape and ends up having to suffer through switching to a new school, for her senior year, on the rich side of town, getting reacquainted with her sister, and adjusting to this new life. Ruby doesn't think anyone will be able to help her or understand her - but it turns out that her sister, her sister's husband and her new impossibly nice neighbor, with secrets of his own, might be just what she needs to succeed. This is a well-written, fast paced, insightful story that will live up to the expectations of all Dessen fans and may create some new ones. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
(grades 8 +)
Clay Jensen arrives home to find a package with no return address. He quickly discovers that the package contains 7 cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah Baker who recently committed suicide. After listening to the first tape he realizes these tapes are her way of telling why she decided to end her life...and that the tapes are making their way around to all of the people who led her there. Clay has no idea what he could have done to harm Hannah - he has had nothing but a crush on her since Ninth Grade. They had finally connected this year and then she blew him off…we follow Clay on this anxious night while he listens to Hannah's voice and waits for his name to be mentioned, sickened with each passing story about what he did not know and how rumors ruin everything and secrets are hidden everywhere. Although this is not a particularly complex novel, it will keep you turning the pages to find out everything that happened to Hannah. It will also make you wonder about why someone would choose to end their life, and what people around them could have done to stop it — if anything. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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Gem X by Nicky Singer
(grades 7 +)
If you are a fan of the Uglies series by Westerfeld then you should give this novel a read. The setting and pace of this novel feel very similar…with one major difference - In Gem X there are huge segments of the population still living the old way because they cannot afford to be perfect. Maxo Strang is one member of the newest and most perfected generation of humans living in the Polis. The Polis is a world of the future with ambisuits that keep everyone the perfect temperature at all times, food only in the form of perfect pills, and dumbed-down Clodrones that are happy to serve the privileged. However, strange things are starting to happen to Maxo, he is starting to develop wrinkles and foreign emotions, that indicate something has gone terribly wrong and his life may be in danger. Meanwhile, the poor people, or Dreggies, living outside of the Polis have limited electricity, water, food and medicine. Gala and her brothers are Dreggies and their mother is dying. Their father went to the Polis years ago to sell his skin cells and never returned. Gala's brother Stretch is determined to find their father and Maxo Strang has developed an alarming crush on Gala. The leader of this entire world is worshipped by all- but turns out to be evil and secretly staging "disasters" killing thousands and blaming it on Dreggie unrest. Maxo and Gala's family's lives end up intertwined as the fast-paced adventure unfolds. Although this book feels a lot like Uglies (in setting, pace, and writing style), the worlds/societies are quite different and would be very interesting to compare. Good quick plot-driven novel for tweens and teens. However, beware of the ending that doesn't really feel like an ending since much is left unsettled - opening the door for a sequel. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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Three Little Words: A Memoir by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
(grades 7 +)
Ashley takes us through her life story in this straight-forward but compelling memoir. Ashley was taken away from home by the state at a very young age. Ashley spent the next nine years in more than 10 different living situations – with and without her brother. This memoir is both a heartbreaking look at the failures of America's foster care system and a heartwarming story of a very smart little girl who endures it all. Ashley's story has a happy ending when she is finally adopted at the age of 13 by a family who intends to make her a permanent part of their family – no matter what happens. In her memoir she shows the reader how orphan children have no voice when it comes to their care…and how she is intent on changing that fact by speaking loud and clear for everyone. It is less intense than America by E.R. Frank, or Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons…but it really hits home with readers because, unlike those stories, it is true. Ashley's voice feels fresh, as she is only 22 writing this and looking back, and the experience still feels "raw" for the reader. This will appeal to thoughtful tween/teen girl readers. Reviewer, Amy, Teen Librarian | |||
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