Meyer, Marissa. (2014). Cress: The Lunar chronicles. New York, NY: Feiwel and Friends.
ISBN 978-0312642976 Hardback, $12.53
Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: In the third installment of the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder, Thorn, Scarlet, and Wolf are on the run, hunted by both Earthen and Lunar authorities. Aided by Cress, a Lunar shell trapped in a satellite orbiting the earth, the group gets separated as they continue their fight against Queen Levana and her quest to rule both Luna and Earth.
Recommended for: ages 12+
Book Review: Meyer has a gift for taking an old, over-used fairy tale theme and giving it new life. First with Cinder, then Scarlet, and now Cress (the story of Rapunzel), she skillfully combines just enough fairy tale elements to be recognizable, while creating a believable dystopian future. Writing from multiple points-of-view helps the reader understand and invest in each character. They come alive. Her heroes are real people with flaws that we can relate to; her villains are people we love to hate. Humor and action infuse this book, my favorite one yet.
As Cinder learns more about her past and her abilities, we see her grow and mature. Scarlet is pushed to her limits and her reactions are priceless; I love her grit and strength. Wolf battles his own demons as Thorn loses some of his rough edges. We meet Cress and can’t help but admire her spunk and intelligence, while we relate to her insecurity and anxieties. When we encounter Dr. Erland again and learn more of his backstory, plotlines from the previous books begin to fall into place, answering some questions and raising new ones. The last installment in the series is called Winter.
Awards:
2014 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction
Carson, R. (2012). The girl of fire and thorns. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 978-0062221834 Audiobook, $29.99
Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation:Elisa, the younger of two princesses, is the chosen one – chosen by God and endowed with the power of the Godstone to perform a great act of service for her people. Chased by dark forces who want to steal her power and kept ignorant by those she trusted, Elisa must discover the secret history of the Godstones to fulfill her destiny.
Booktalk: Elisa has spent her entire life feeling like second best next to her graceful and queenly elder sister, Alodia. Her father and sister have never included her in political discussions or decisions, instead, she has been trained to speak three languages and study scriptures and the art of war. You see, Elisa is the chosen one, the bearer of the Godstone. She has been chosen by God to perform a great act of service for her people. But Elisa doesn’t feel chosen, she feels neglected, scared, and insecure.
When her father marries her off to the king of a neighboring country as part of a treaty, Elisa has no idea what to expect. She thinks her father and sister are just trying to be rid of her. She has no idea that she’s in danger in her own country, or that she’s headed to a country in the midst of war. Just when Elisa begins to discover the truth about her own destiny, she is kidnapped by a man who thinks the power of her Godstone will save his people. But, what if Elisa can never discover its secrets? What if she can never harness its power? Will Elisa’s faith be enough to save her?
Awards:
2012 William C. Morris YA Debut Award Nominee
2011 Andre Norton Award Nominee for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy
2012 Ohioana Book Award for Young Adult
2011 Cybils Award Nominee for Fantasy & Science Fiction (Young Adult)
2012 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults
What teens are saying:
"I loved the characters and the action just kept coming." ~ Keddi B., age 16
Watch the author talking about The Girl of Fire and Thorns in the official HarperTeen book trailer:
Enjoy this fun book trailer made by the ladies at notrequiredreading.com:
See what else the author is up to on her official website here:
Howe, K. (2014). Conversion. Holland, OH: Dreamscape Media, LLC. ISBN 978-1629237640 Audiobook, $59.99
Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: Danvers, MA (formerly known as Salem Village) is home to the exclusive St. Joan’s Academy, a private high school for girls. When the students start succumbing to a mystery illness no one can explain, they draw national attention and Colleen Rowley, a 17-year-old senior, is the only one to see the connection to what happened centuries ago.
Booktalk: When the girls at St Joan’s Academy, an exclusive private school in Danvers, MA, start falling sick from a mystery illness, no one can figure out what’s really happening. Colleen Rowley, a 17-year-old senior, has been reading The Crucible for her history class and is the only one to see the disturbing similarities between what’s happening at St. Joan’s Academy now and what happened in Salem Village centuries ago. As more and more girls fall ill, the "Mystery Illness" draws national attention. With the media circling like vultures, can Colleen and her friends survive their senior year? What is the real connection between Salem Village and Danvers? Or, is there even a connection at all?
Awards:
2015 Massachusetts Book Award (Young Adult Category)
Enjoy the official book trailer for Conversion from Penguin Teen:
See what author Katherine Howe is up to on her official website here:
Aveyard, V. (2015). Red queen. New York, NY: HarperTeen. ISBN 978-0062310637 Hardback, $21.99
Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: In a world divided by what color blood runs in your veins, Mare Barrow is a Red - nothing more than a slave - until she accidentally discovers she has a power no one can control. Now, trapped in the castle by a lie, she must navigate a world where anyone can betray anyone. Booktalk: Just a month before her 18th birthday, Mare Barrow is desperate. She has never done well in school and she can't find a job. The only thing Mare excels at is being a pickpocket. Without a job, her only choice is to be conscripted into the army on her birthday. Her three older brothers have already been taken by the soldiers and will probably never return home. That's just what happens to Reds - people with red blood instead of silver. Silvers have all the power: they are wealthy, they don't have to fight in the army, and they have powers, special gifts that make them better than Reds. At least, that's what they believe and teach.
When a chance accident shocks Mare into using powers she never knew she had in front of the most powerful Silvers in the kingdom, Mare finds herself living in the palace disguised as a long-lost Silver princess. The world of the Silvers holds dangers that Mare never imagined could exist. Will trying to navigate a world where "anyone can betray anyone" destroy Mare? Can she figure out who to trust? Is anyone or anything safe in a world where power is all that matters?
"I've done this a thousand times before, watching the crowd like a wolf does a flock of sheep. Looking for the weak, the slow, the foolish. Only now, I am very much the prey." (p. 33)
Awards:
This book has not won any awards (yet!).
What teens are saying:
"I really enjoyed this book! It was fast paced and kept my interest throughout the whole story. I like that the main character had to wrestle with the pros and cons of changing the unjust society she lived in. Exploring that side of things was new and interesting." ~ Mardi B., age 18
Here's the official book trailer for Red Queen from HarperCollins:
Black, H. (2013). The coldest girl in Coldtown. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0316213103 Paperback, $9.89
Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: Stalked by hungry vampires and desperate humans, 17-year-old Tana, her infected and thirsty ex-boyfriend Aiden, and a vampire named Gavriel must navigate the streets of Coldtown safely.
Booktalk: In a world where vampires don't hide from humans, but live openly in walled off cities called "coldtowns," humanity lives in conflict with itself. Some live in fear, others watch the tv feeds from coldtowns and want to become vampires themselves. Still others just want to be part of the party while remaining human.
How far would you go to protect your friends? Your ex-boyfriend? A stranger? When Tana wakes up in a bathtub after a hard night of partying, she finds that all her friends are dead. Not just dead, but slaughtered by vampires.
While fleeing the carnage of the party, Tana finds her ex-boyfriend Aiden tied up in one of the guest rooms. Aiden is infected, meaning he's been bitten by a vampire and is consumed with the desire to drink human blood. In the room with Aiden is a chained up vampire named Gavriel. For reasons she can't explain, Tana frees them both and they barely escape the vampires who murdered Tana's friends. But, where can they go? Can Tana help Aiden or will he kill her first? And what does Gavriel really want? Can they survive the trip to Coldtown?
Awards:
2013 Locus Award Nominee for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy
2013 Andre Norton Award Nominee for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy
2015 Green Mountain Book Award Nominee
2015 Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Nominee
What teens are saying:
"I stayed up all night to finish this one! Then, I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking of vampires." ~ Marie W., age 14
Watch the official book trailer for The Coldest Girl in Coldtown here:
Listen to author Holly Black talk about her book The Coldest Girl in Coldtown here:
Dixon, H. (2011). Entwined. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 978-0062001030 Hardcover, $17.99
Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: A retelling of the classic fairy tale “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” with a twist. Azalea, the eldest sister, must fight to save her family from an ancient evil and keep a sacred promise made to her dying mother.
Booktalk: What do you love most in the world? What would you fight to keep? For Azalea, the eldest of twelve sisters and crown princess of Eathesbury, the answer is easy: her family. As Christmas approaches, her mother is ill and the hostess duties for her Kingdom’s annual Yuletide Ball have fallen to Azalea. She is excited for the ball, she loves to dance; her mother has taught her and her sisters well. When she’s called to her mother’s bedside just hours before the ball, her mother makes her promise to care for her sisters, always. Just hours later, her mother dies. Her father cannot handle the pain and goes off to war, leaving Azalea and her sisters shocked and reeling from the loss. Mourning traditions require that there be no dancing, or guests, for a year. Azalea tries to help her sisters, but she’s alone and brokenhearted. Azalea’s promise to care for her sisters is put to the test. Fighting against crushing hopelessness and isolation, the sisters finally discover magic in the castle – magic that allows them to dance their sadness away and pulls them out of their despair.
Too late, Azalea realizes that the dancing comes at a very high price. Fighting an ancient dark magic with nothing but her love, her determination to keep the promise she made to her mother, and a silver handkerchief, can Azalea pay that price? Can she keep her promise? Can she save her family from the terror that haunts them?
Condie, A. (2014). Atlantia. New York, NY: Dutton Books. ISBN 978-0525426448 Hardback, $18.99
Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: After getting Rio to promise to stay below in Atlantia, her twin sister Bay chooses to leave and go live in the Above. Rio is devastated and searches out the truth about why Bay left and what is really happening in Atlantia.
Booktalk: Rio has always wanted to leave Atlantia, to go live "Above." She doesn’t remember a time when she hasn’t felt the call of the Above. Her twin sister Bay is just the opposite. She has always known she would never leave; she hears Atlantia breathing and she breathes with it. When their mother dies, Bay pleads relentlessly with Rio to stay. Finally, Rio promises that she will - her love for her sister is stronger than anything else. Choosing day comes and Rio makes the irrevokable choice to stay. Then, Bay does the unthinkable and chooses to leave. Devastated and confused, Rio cannot accept Bay's betrayal.
Rio begins to search for a reason, a message, a clue of any kind that will help her understand why Bay left. What she uncovers is a secret deeper and darker than the one she has been keeping for her entire life. Can Rio figure out the truth before it's too late? Is she strong enough to listen?
"After losing my mother and my sister, I didn't think I had anything left to lose, but I do. You always have something left to lose.Until, of course, you die." (p. 46)
Awards:
This book has not won any awards.
What teens are saying:
"I absolutely loved Atlantia! It was a book with an interesting concept, that made the readers think about sibling betrayal, the importance of having your own freedom, and who really matters in life." ~ Olivia T., age 15
Here's my personal booktalk for Atlantia:
Get to know Ally Condie a little better in this interview done by The Girls in the Stacks:
Howard, A.G. (2013).Splintered. New York, NY: Amulet Books. ISBN 978-1419704284 Hardback, $17.95
Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: Alyssa Gardner, great-great-great granddaughter of Alice Liddell, lives in fear of inheriting her mother’s madness. When she learns the truth, she must go down the rabbit hole and save her family from Alice’s curse.
Booktalk: Ever since her great-great-great grandmother Alice Liddell told Lewis Carroll about her dreams of going down the rabbit hole, it’s like Alyssa Gardner's family is cursed. Every woman eventually succumbs to madness. Her own mother, Alison, has been an inmate at Soul’s Asylum since Alyssa was 5 years old. Alyssa herself first began to hear the plants and insects talking when she was in 5th grade. Terrified of ending up in the asylum with her mom, Alyssa has been silently suffering ever since,
Then, during one of her weekly visits to the asylum, something changes. Alyssa and Alison have the same illusion at the same time and it’s trying to kill Alison. Suddenly, Alyssa must admit the reality she’s been denying for the last 7 years. After her mom tells Alyssa that the family is cursed because of what Alice did in Wonderland, Alyssa knows the only way to avoid the madness and save her mother is to go down the rabbit hole herself to undo the damage Alice did.
What Alyssa doesn’t expect is that her best friend and secret crush, Jeb, will follow her down the rabbit hole. Can she find what she’s looking for? Can she protect Jeb and herself? Will Alyssa be the one to break her family’s curse, or will she be Splintered, too?
Awards:
#2 on the 2014 Teen's Top 10 from YALSA
2014 Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award
Watch my personal booktalk for Splintered here:
Watch the author's own book trailer for Splintered:
See what else the author has going on at her website here:
Meyer, S. (2015). Life and death: Twilight reimagined. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0316268394 Hardback, $13.19
Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: 17-year-old Beau moves to Forks, WA to live with his dad and falls in love with a local vampire girl named Edythe.
Booktalk: When ordinary high school junior Beau moves from Phoenix to the tiny town of Forks, WA, he falls for the vegetarian vampire Edythe. Thinking she must be completely out of his league, Beau is shocked at her virulent reaction to him. Stricken with a thirst for Beau like she's never experienced before, can Edythe restrain herself long enough to get to know Beau, or will her life mean his death?
Book Review:Are you a fan of the “damsel in distress” motif? Do you appreciate a good vampire story? Do you just wonder what all the hype was about and if it’s worth it? If you were not a fan of Meyer’s original book Twlight, you may still enjoy this one. According to the author’s foreward,
“Bella has always gotten a lot of censure for getting rescued on multiple occasions, and people have complained about her being a typical damsel in distress. My answer to that has always been that Bella is a human in distress, a normal human being surrounded on all sides by people who are basically superheroes and supervillains. ... I’ve always maintained that it would have made no difference if the human were male and the vampire female – it’s still the same story. Gender and species aside, Twilight has always been a story about the magic and obsession and frenzy of first love.”
Meyer’s exercise in role reversal turns out to be an interesting one. Just by their very nature, Beau and Bella are different and being inside Beau’s head was actually much more pleasant for me than being inside Bella’s. Beau, while still having most of the same self-esteem issues and hang-ups as Bella, is somehow not as pathetic. He comes across as less obsessive, but he’s also not nearly as friendly toward others as Bella is. Of course, we had four books to get to know Bella and watch her struggle and we only get one for Beau. Still, Beau is less moody and depressive and has a lot more fun one-liners than Bella ever did. He seems to take himself less seriously, to take life less seriously.
On the other hand, Edythe is not nearly as interesting as Edward. Her backstory is the same so perhaps she’s less interesting because we already know her? Edythe is more fun and less angry than Edward and she doesn’t seem to have the same level of self-loathing. She has the same protective instincts, but they come off slightly less controlling and domineering somehow. (I find myself questioning my own interpretation here).
Which brings me to my main point: reading this book was an interesting exercise in exploring my own subconscious sexist attitudes. I think a case could be made that Meyer has some of the same attitudes I discovered in myself. For example, I was disappointed to see how the scene in Port Angeles where Bella is almost sexually assaulted was changed to be Beau being threatened by a stranger with a gun. [In the original the stranger says to Bella, “Don’t be like that, sugar,” which has sexual implications]. This made the original scene in Twilight feel like gratuitous literary rape, one in which the scene is about fear and/or violence and the only reason it becomes about rape is because there is a woman involved. (See this blog post for a more detailed explanation of what I mean).
Overall, though, I enjoyed reading this book, not because it is great writing or an amazing storyline, but because it made me think about my own attitudes. Is Edward really any more controlling than Edythe, or do I just perceive it that way? Is Beau really less obsessive than Bella, or do I see it that way because we, as a society, see women as being more prone to obsess over men than men over women? Is Beau really any less pathetic than Bella or do my subconscious preconceptions of the “damsel in distress” color my view and make her come off as more pathetic then Beau?
Life and Death was decently engaging while making me examine my own prejudices at the same time. Highbrow, life-changing literature it is not. But, it was entertaining and forced me to think – I consider those to be good things in a book.
Awards:
This book has not won any awards.
Enjoy an in-depth [non-spoiler] video review of the book here:
See all Meyer's work (and get links to fan fiction and contests) on her website here:
Dashner, James. (2014). The rule of thoughts. New York, NY: Delacorte Press. ISBN 978-0385741415 Hardback, $18.99
Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: Michael, Sarah, and Bryson have to find each other in the real world and figure out how to find and defeat Kaine in the VirtNet; all this while eluding capture by the police and searching for Sarah's kidnapped parents.
Booktalk: When Michael and his friends Sarah and Bryson found the cyber-terrorist Kaine in the Sleep, they uncovered a plan that goes far deeper than anyone can imagine. In this second installment of The Mortality Doctrine series, these three teenage hackers are wanted by the police as well as Kaine’s minions. Can they stop Kaine? Can they even survive?
Awards:
This book hasn't won any awards (yet).
What teens are saying:
"Rule of thoughts is the sequel to the Eye of Minds! It is an amazing book with lots of action, suspense, and it really crosses the boundries between what is real and what is technology." ~ Liv J., age 14
Here's my personal booktalk for The Rule of Thoughts:
If you're still on the fence over whether this book is for you, watch this quick trailer for The Eye of Minds, the first book in The Mortality Doctrine series, and prequel to The Rule of Thoughts:
Snyder, S., Capullo, G. and Glapion, J. (2012). Batman volume 1: The Court of Owls. New York, NY: DC Comics. ISBN: 978-1401235420 Paperback, $16.99
Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: Attacked and kidnapped by Talon, the assassin for the mythical Court of Owls, Batman has to fight for his life in this first volume of the "Batman New 52" reboot.
Booktalk: In this installment of the Batman series, Gotham City is as corrupt as ever but, as always, Batman refuses to give up on it. While Bruce Wayne invests millions of dollars to rebuild derelict neighborhoods and modernize the public transportation system, Batman continues his fight against crime. Bright, sharp pictures at the beginning introduce the reader to all the players, including Batman’s support team of Robin, Night Wing, Red Robin of the Teen Titans, and, of course, Alfred. Dark, graphic pictures tell the story of Batman fighting the violence and savagery of Gotham’s underworld.
Following a trail of clues that points to the mythical “Court of Owls,” Batman refuses to acknowledge that the stories might be true. The evidence continues to pile up until finally he is attacked by their legendary assassin “The Talon” and held prisoner for days before being sentenced to die by the Court of Owls. What connection does this secretive court have with Bruce Wayne’s great-great-grandfather, Alan Wayne? Will Batman survive? Will he defeat the mysterious Court of Owls or will this be the end of Batman as we know him?
Awards:
This book has not won any awards.
What teens are saying:
"I'm so excited that they're bringing Batman back! The new artwork is amazing!" ~ Joel W., age 13
My personal booktalk for Batman Volume 1: The Court of Owls:
Here's a link to the official DC Comics webpage for Batman where you can find "Batman 101" (a tutorial to catch you up on Batman's world), a link to follow Batman on facebook, and much more:
Alexie, S. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York, NY: Little, Brown, and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-01368-0 Hardback, $16.99
Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: In search of a better life, Junior decides to attend a white school off the reservation. While learning to navigate the new environment, he must simultaneously battle the resentment of his old schoolmates, the racism of his new schoolmates, and process personal tragedy in his own family.
Booktalk: Fourteen-year-old Arnold Spirit (aka Junior), lives the harsh realities of poverty on the Spokane Reservation every day. He experiences first-hand the tragic effects of alcoholism, drug abuse, and gambling, Junior routinely escapes into his drawings, thinking that his only way off the reservation is to become a rich and famous cartoonist. "I draw because I want to talk to the world...I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats." (p. 6)
When Junior loses his temper at school and throws a book at Mr. P, his geometry teacher, he gets suspended. But, instead of being furious, Mr. P. encourages Junior to leave the reservation and go to school in a small farming town about 20 miles away. Mr. P tells Junior how smart he is and that leaving the reservation is the only way to have a future. Junior has spirit and fight and wants a better life. The white school, Reardon, has more kids, more resources, and more hope than any school on the reservation.
But going to the white school is considered a betrayal by his old schoolmates, especially his best friend Rowdy. Will Rowdy ever forgive him? Can Junior figure out how to make the other rez kids understand that he just needs some hope? Can Junior find a way to fit in with the white kids and succeed at Reardon?
Filled with humor and fantastic drawings, Junior’s story is filled with tragedy and heartbreak, but ultimately hope.
Awards:
2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
2007 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
2007 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
2008 American Indian Youth LIterature Award for Best Young Adult Book
2009 Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production Honor
2009 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
2010 American Indian Library Association Award
My personal booktalk for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian:
Watch the winning entry for KCLS's 2011 "Read, Flip, Win Contest"
Haddad, S. (2012). Socially awkward. Scotts Valley, CA: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1466452787 Kindle, $2.99
Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: When Jennifer Smith sets up two facebook profiles as part of her Master's Degree thesis project, she becomes obsessed with reconnecting with her old high school crush. Missing out on every social cue, she struggles to gain perspective and take control of her own life. Booktalk:Bored? Lonely? Wish you lived a more glamorous life? A thesis project away from finishing her Master’s Degree in Sociology, Jennifer Smith feels like her life is as boring and ordinary as her name. She has always lived in the shadow of her beautiful and popular sister Claire, but this project offers her a look at life from the other side – from Claire’s side. To examine the effect of attractiveness on how people respond to women, Jen creates two online Facebook profiles: a real one for herself and a fake one for the person she wishes she were (an exotic, slim, and beautiful model named Olivia). When her long-time high school crush friends Olivia and begins to pursue her online alter ego, Jen is thrust back into those painfully awkward memories. What should she do? How badly does she want to be with Sean? How far will she take the deception?
“Nothing good ever comes from making up lie after lie to get close to someone. Either tell him the truth and get it over with, or just end the project early.”
I couldn’t bring myself to tell Claire that I’d already started writing the paper based on what I’d learned with Olivia’’s profile so far. … Was I addicted to the freedom of anonymity? To being someone I wasn’t? Was it Sean that was keeping me online? Without the profile, I’d have no tie to him at all. And then what?” (p. 94)
Simone, N. (2008). Shortie like mine. New York, NY: Kensington Publishing Corp.
ISBN 978-1439590836 Kindle, $7.34
Cover Photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: Seven McKnight fights her own personal demons of body image and abandonment issues while trying to navigate the complicated halls of her local high school.
Booktalk: Seven McKnight, like any normal 16-year-old girl, has issues. She’s worried about her twin sister who’s dating a drug dealer, her dad left and has a new family in California, her mom works double shifts to keep food on the table and pay the mortgage, and her little brother and Uncle Shake won’t stay out of her business. But the most pressing problem is she can’t stop thinking about Josiah, the school’s star basketball player, who just happens to be dating her girl Deeyah. When Deeyah starts playing Josiah, will Seven step up? Would Josiah even be interested in a “thick girl” like her? Or, is he playing his own game? “I didn’t know whether to turn around and face him or not, so I started walking toward my class.
‘Slow up, beautiful. You don’t have to run.’ He grabbed my waist from behind and twirled me around toward him. ‘It’s cool.’ He ran his left hand across my cheek and my dimples lit up.
In a minute, I’ma hyperventilate!
I was cheesing so hard I hadn’t even noticed Deeyah standing in front of us. She tapped the heel of her stiletto riding boot. “My eyes must be deceiving me, Josiah, ‘cause I know you not hustling backwards!” She pointed her finger and rolled her eyes. “What is this, Seven? You tryna be me?”
"And why would I do that?” I snapped. “Then I’d be standing there looking at my man playing me.” (p. 36) How can Seven figure out who’s playing who? Will she figure out what is the right thing to do?
Awards:
Quick Pick for Reluctant YA Readers (ALA/YALSA)
The author's favorite book trailer for Shortie Like Mine:
Riggs, R. (2011). Miss Peregrine’s home for peculiar children. Philadelphia, PA: Quirk Books.
ISBN 978-1-59474-476-1 Hardback, $17.99
Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: When Jacob's grandfather is brutally murdered, Jacob seeks out the truth behind the stories of his grandfather's early life. What he finds defies reality. Booktalk: Jacob Portman had always looked up to his grandfather, whose adventures included fleeing the Nazis, traveling the world, and fighting monsters. Jacob believes each and every fantastical story Grandpa tells him, including the ones of the orphanage with levitating girls and invisible boys. Grandpa even has the pictures to prove it. Young Jacob dreams of being an explorer and having adventures just like his Grandpa. One day his mom sits him down and explains that everything has already been explored and Jacob’s dreams are crushed. He decides that all Grandpa’s stories must also be made up fantasies, too. There’s no such thing as boys with bees living inside them and girls with mouths on the back of their heads.
One afternoon just a few weeks before his 16th birthday Grandpa calls Jacob in a panic. The monsters are coming and Grandpa can’t find the key to the weapons cabinet. Assuming Grandpa is just getting old and hallucinating, Jacob heads over to his house to calm him down. But, when he gets there, Grandpa’s missing. Following the trail into the woods, Jacob arrives in time to hear his Grandpa’s last words and see the monster that killed him.
“Go to the island. ...Find the bird. In the loop. On the other side of the old man’s grave. September 3, 1940.” (p. 33) Mourning and traumatized, Jacob sets out to find out the truth, to figure out what Grandpa’s last words mean. But, when Jacob finally finds Miss Peregrine’s home for peculiar children, he discovers more than he ever expected.
“Part of me felt like something momentous was about to happen. The other part of me expected to wake up at any moment, to come out of this fever dream or stress episode or whatever it was and wake up with my face in a puddle of drool…and think, Well, that was strange, and then return to the boring old business of being me.” (p. 139)
Can Jacob find the answers he seeks? What made these children peculiar? Were the monsters Grandpa always talked of fighting really the Nazis in the war, or are there others out there?
Awards:
2012 Teen Top Ten - Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
Book Trailer from Quirk Books for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children:
Franklin, E. & Halpin, B. (2012). Tessa Masterson will go to prom. New York, NY: Walker Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8027-2345-1 Hardcover, $16.99
Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: When Tessa Masterson comes out as a lesbian and buys herself a tux to bring her girlfriend to her Senior Prom, all hell breaks lose in her small Midwestern town. Her best friend Lucas, who's partially to blame for the controversy, tries to figure out how to heal their relationship and stop the chaos. Booktalk: Lucas and Tessa have been best friends since Lucas took the training wheels off his first bike. So, when Lucas realizes he has a crush on Tessa, it’s only natural for him to invite her to their Senior Prom. The problem is, he’s seen too many chick flicks with his mom and knows girls like grand gestures. He goes all out and puts the invitation on a big marquee so now everyone in their small town knows.
Stunned that he never realized that she’s gay, Tessa has to say no, she just can’t keep pretending she’s something she’s not. Hurt that she would keep something so huge from him, Lucas lashes out, unaware of the backlash that’s coming. Now everyone in town is picking sides, reporters are everywhere, and Prom might be cancelled. What can Tessa do? How can she be true to herself and still fix things with Lucas? What is Lucas supposed to do? How can he calm the firestorm he started? How can he make up for the pain he’s caused Tessa? Will Brookfield-Mason High School still hold Prom this year? Will Tessa Masterson get to go to Prom?
Awards:
American Library Association Rainbow Project Selection
Watch a library student booktalk for Tessa Masterson Will Go To Prom:
Check out an interview with the authors about writing books collaboratively.
Klause, A.C. (2010). The silver kiss. New York, NY: Delacorte Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0385734226Paperback, $8.99 (First published in Hardcover in 1990).
Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: Simon is a 300-year-old vampire who needs Zoë's help to give meaning to his existence. But Zoë is struggling to accept the loss of her best friend, who is moving, and her mother, who is dying of cancer.
Booktalk: Who understands death better than a vampire? 16-year-old Zoë and 300-year-old Simon meet by chance one night as Zoë flees the loneliness of her empty house. Her dad has stopped paying attention to her, going so far as to tell her to stay away from her mother’s hospital room. She knows that he’s only trying to shield her from the pain her mother is fighting as she dies from cancer, but Zoë still feels lost and alone. On top of that, she just found out that her best friend since childhood, Lorraine, is moving out of state.
Loneliness is a feeling that Simon has endured for centuries. But, when he meets Zoë and discovers that his vampire charms don’t work on her, he realizes how badly he wants to make a connection. After 300 years on his own, the loneliness becomes overwhelming. Simon knows what has to happen to end his pain, but he needs Zoë’s help to make his plan work. Does he dare to ask her for help when the plan would put her in danger?
Zoë doesn’t understand what’s happening to her. She’s losing her parents and her best friend all at once but she can’t stop thinking about Simon’s kiss. She had no idea that it was possible to “rush into your death unknowing, inviting, enjoying the ecstasy of it” (p. 132). Still through it all, the pain persists. When Lorraine leaves Zoë is overcome and takes it out on her father, blowing up in anger. Can Zoë move past the anger and pain? Will she be able to move past it? Will helping Simon with his plans ease her loneliness? Or, is the silver kiss just one more step on a dangerous path to death?
Awards:
1990 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
1993 Sequoyah Book Award
1993 South Carolina Book Award for Young Adult Books
ALA Best Books for Young Adults
Enjoy this short Booktalk for The Silver Kiss:
Read an interview with the author about her involvement with writing and librarianship. Annette Curtis Klause also has her own iMDb page.
Okorafor, N. (2011). Akata witch. New York, NY: Viking Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-0670011964 Kindle, $12.99.
Cover Photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: Sunny and her friends must learn to harness their juju (magical abilities) and work together to save not only their home, but the balance of nature itself. Booktalk:What would you do if you saw the end of the world in the flame of a candle? What if that vision was real? For Sunny Nwazue, it is real. She saw the end of the world and knows it’s coming, but she doesn’t know what to do about it. Born in America to Nigerian parents who moved back to Nigeria when she was 9, Sunny is confused and hurting years later. As an albino with yellow hair, hazel eyes, cream-colored skin and Nigerian features who must always carry an umbrella to protect herself from the sun, Sunny is still looking for a place to fit in. The other students laugh at her and beat her up in the schoolyard, calling her an “akata witch.”
The thing is, in some ways that name is true. Sunny may not be an akata – a bush animal – but she does have magic, or “juju” as the Nigerians call it. She is a Leopard Person, someone with the ability to use juju, she just doesn’t know it yet. What Sunny does know is that she doesn’t fit in anywhere and her town is being stalked by a ritual killer named Black Hat Otokoto. What will Sunny do when she finds out she is among a tiny group of Leopard People destined to fight Black Hat Otokoto?
Awards:
2011 James Tiptree Jr. Award Nominee
2011 Andre Norton Award Nominee for Young Adult Science Fiction
Johnson, A. (2003). The first part last. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689849222 Hardcover, $15.95
Cover Photo courtesy of Goodreads.com
Annotation: 16-year-old single father Bobby reflects on raising his daughter alone and the events that led him to this situation. Booktalk:When sixteen-year-old Bobby looks into the eyes of his tiny, newborn daughter, Feather, he concludes that if the world made sense, humans would get to “do the first part last.” We would be born full of the wisdom we need to live our lives and get to die peacefully innocent. Sadly, that’s not how life works. We all get thrown a curveball or two.
On Bobby’s 16th birthday he gets a huge curveball when his girlfriend Nia tells him she’s pregnant. Months later, Bobby’s life is not at all what he had planned. A single father and still in high school, Bobby loves Feather fiercely, but he knows that life will never be the same. He can’t escape the fact that he’s still a kid himself. He can’t help that he still wants to be irresponsible and goof off with his friends and that he still wants to dream of going to college. Mostly, though, Bobby just wants a good night’s sleep.
Can Bobby survive this particular curveball? Can he do what’s best for Feather and still have a life of his own? Bobby just wants to do what’s right but how does he figure out what that is? When the first part comes first, how do you figure out what the last part should be?
Awards:
2004 Michael L. Printz Award
2004 Coretta Scott King Award
Book Trailer for The First Part Last:
** Be aware if you try to Google her, that there are several famous Angela Johnson's out there! There's a singer/songwriter, a famous blogger, and even a state farm agent!**
