Book Flash...

What would you do?

2011-05-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti

What would you do if you were to come into two and a half million dollars unexpectedly? That’s the question facing Indigo Skye, a high-school senior whose life has consisted primarily of spending time with her boyfriend, navigating her family (Dad has left the family to sell surfboards in Hawaii), and working mornings at Carrera’s restaurant in Seattle. Indigo can tell what people are like by what they eat for breakfast, especially the regulars. But when a well-dressed stranger on an orange Vespa comes in and orders only a cup of coffee, Indigo finds him hard to figure out—even after he becomes a semiregular. After the stranger gives her a fortune, Indigo’s search for answers takes her to Hawaii to confront her benefactor and also to ritzy Hollywood suburbs, where she learns that being rich is not all it is cracked up to be.

So many great titles... so little time!

2011-02-15T11:52:00.000-08:00

Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
Lauren seems to have the perfect life with good friends, decent grades, and a great-looking boyfriend; but when she meets Evan Kirkland, Lauren realizes she needs to make a choice in her life before one is made for her. (Destiny)

Freedom

2011-02-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

Grace by Elizabeth Scott
Sixteen-year-old Grace travels on a decrepit train toward a border that may not exist, recalling events that brought her to choose life over being a suicide bomber, and dreaming of freedom from the extremist religion-based government of Keran Berj.

Play by Play

2011-02-15T11:35:00.000-08:00

Night Hoops by Deuker

Nick and Trent are mismatched in everything except when playing basketball. Trent is a street basketball star--too rough on occasion--whose ability would win out anyway. Nick loves the game of basketball and is willing to give his all to it. He would do anything on the court to earn his father's approval. After his parents separate, Nick finds solace on the basketball court. Through playing many hours of late night basketball with Trent, Nick discovers they have more in common than he originally thought. They both realize that being a team member is one of the most important parts of growing up. Deuker's plainspoken style is appealing. His use of Nick as the narrator makes the story realistic. This coming-of-age book meets many young adult issues head-on with sanity and reason. It is not only about basketball, but also about life. Deuker convincingly tells a story about choices and about growing up, using basketball as the setting. (Book Report)

Compromised

2011-01-25T14:11:00.000-08:00

Compromised by Ayarbe

"Her con-man father imprisoned, fifteen-year-old Maya skips out on foster care. Traveling from Nevada to Idaho, Maya is joined by suicidal kleptomaniac Nicole and Klondike, a boy with Tourette's syndrome. The realities of street life, including prostitution and drugs, are confronted full-on; some graphic language underscores the bleakness." (Horn)

Care to dance?

2011-01-25T14:05:00.000-08:00

Ten Cents a Dance by Fletcher

"When Ruby replaces her ailing mother in the tough, meatpacking Yards of 1940s Chicago, the feisty teen can’t stand the job’s grimness and poverty wages: I spent eight hours a day stuffing hogs’ feet in jars, and we still ate beans. When handsome bad-boy Paulie urges her to try the Starlight Dance Academy, and get paid to dance with men who show up each night, she can’t resist this far more lucrative prospect. Although her mom believes Ruby has changed jobs to become a nightshift telephone operator, Ruby sashays into the wee hours as a dance-hall girl looking for glamour and adventure. Readers will be riveted by Ruby’s journey as she leaves one desperate existence for another and finds herself drawn deeper into a world that is hard-edged and even dangerous—especially when she begins to let Paulie lead her down a dubious path. Blatant racism, crime, and the swing-era music scene permeate the backdrop of Fletcher’s absorbing wartime novel, which will have readers rooting for its spirited, soul-searching heroine." (Booklist)

A classic gone awry?

2011-01-25T13:58:00.000-08:00

Pride and prejudice and zombies : the classic regency romance--now with ultraviolent zombie mayhem by Grahame-Smith

"This may be the most wacky by-product of the busy Jane Austen fan-fiction industry—at least among the spin-offs and pastiches that have made it into print. In what’s described as an “expanded edition” of Pride and Prejudice, 85 percent of the original text has been preserved but fused with “ultraviolent zombie mayhem.” For more than 50 years, we learn, England has been overrun by zombies, prompting people like the Bennets to send their daughters away to China for training in the art of deadly combat, and prompting others, like Lady Catherine de Bourgh, to employ armies of ninjas. Added to the familiar plot turns that bring Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy together is the fact that both are highly skilled killers, gleefully slaying zombies on the way to their happy ending. Is nothing sacred? Well, no, and mash-ups using literary classics that are freely available on the Web may become a whole new genre. What’s next? Wuthering Heights and Werewolves?" (Booklist)

A MUST-HAVE

2010-04-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

The vast prison Incarceron, made of metal and cutting-edge technology, was designed as a grand experiment: all undesirables would be sealed inside and given everything for a model utopia. But the experiment failed as Incarceron grew self-aware and tyrannical, resources dwindled, and prisoners divided into factions. Centuries later, prisoners exist under Incarceron’s watchful eyes with one belief: no one from Outside enters, no one from Inside escapes. Finn, however, believes he’s from Outside, and after he finds a crystal key that opens any door, he embarks on a journey to escape. Outside Incarceron, Claudia, the warden’s daughter, is also looking for escape, from an arranged marriage and from her role in a plot to end Protocol, which forces inhabitants to live according to seventeenth-century norms. When she too finds a crystal key, she comes into communication with Finn, who she believes is the true prince of the Realm. This gripping futuristic fantasy has breathless pacing, an intelligent story line, and superb detail in rendering both of the stagnating environments. Fisher’s characters are emotionally resonant, flawed, determined, and plagued by metaphysical questions. With some well-timed shocking twists and a killer ending, this is a must-have. (Booklist)

Are you good at keeping secrets?

2010-04-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

Sixteen-year-old Camelia is being stalked. Most people think it's the new kid at school, Ben, who is rumored to have killed his previous girlfriend. But Camelia is falling for Ben, and she's willing to trust in his psychic powers. The presence of Camelia's wisecracking best friends adds welcome levity to the lightly suspenseful story. (Horn)

Motocross Fans Unite

2010-04-12T14:30:00.001-07:00

A training guide to motocross racers that presents complete workout programs to help people build their strength, improve skills, and prepare for motocross and off-road racing. (Follett)

For the Sports Enthusiasts Out There

2010-04-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

The stereotype of jocks as insensitive dullards is challenged in stories that grapple with the big questions of life as well as with athletic prowess, told with good-natured aplomb and gritty honesty. (SLJ)

Black and White

2010-04-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

What if we lived in a country whose history included the enslavement of white citizens by black citizens? This is the world that Blackman paints in this compelling new novel. In alternating first-person narratives, Sephy Hadley, one of the privileged, wealthy black "Crosses," and Callum McGregor, a white "naught" who boldly attempts to obtain the education he feels he deserves, tell their story of trying to love and understand each other in a society that forbids interracial friendships and condemns interracial dating. Never simple, the relationship becomes even more complicated when Callum, swayed by the violent deaths of his sister and father, joins the Liberation Militia, the underground terrorist organization committed to obtaining equality for the naughts through violence. When Sephy ends up a hostage whom Callum must guard, his love for Sephy and his commitment to the cause of equality for the naughts are tested simultaneously. While offering the pleasures of a good thriller, this novel also challenges readers to examine their assumptions about race, class, and political allegiances. (Horn)

When the going gets tough...

2010-04-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles Times reporter Nazario won a Pulitzer Prize and many other accolades for the series of articles that inspired this compelling book about a 17-year-old's harrowing journey into the States. Soon to be turned into an HBO series, the book viscerally conveys the experience of illegal immigration from Central America, particularly by children who cross the U.S. border on their own. Economic hardships force single mothers to seek work in the States as illegal immigrants, leaving their children with relatives and sending money when possible. But like Enrique, these children often become bereft and take off alone to find their mothers. Nazario constructs Enrique's sad and difficult life in Honduras, his eight failed attempts at crossing the border, and a final successful journey into the States. She then chronicles Enrique's painful reunion with his mother after a 12-year separation, and provides interviews with his girlfriend and other relatives. Readers will empathize with the children who face the dangers of illegal immigration in hopes of finding their mothers-many are preyed upon by gangsters and corrupt government officials, others are mutilated by the journey, and some go crazy.

The Last Song

2010-04-12T13:56:00.000-07:00

Still fuming over her parents' divorce, teenaged New Yorker Ronnie discovers that she's expected to spend the summer with her dad in small-town North Carolina. Guess who's starring in the movie? Yep, Miley Cyrus. With a ten-city tour. (Follett)

Marked

2010-02-22T13:10:00.000-08:00

Marked by Cast & Cast

In 16-year-old Zoey Redbird's world, vampyres not only exist but are also tolerated by humans. Those whom the creatures "mark" as special enter the House of Night school where they will either become vampyres themselves, or, if their body rejects the change, die. To Zoey, being marked is truly a blessing, though she's scared at first. She has never fit into the human world and has always felt she is destined for something else. Her grandmother, a descendant of the Cherokee, has always supported her emotionally, and it is she who takes the girl to her new school. But even there the teen stands apart from the others. Her mark from the Goddess Nyx is a special one, showing that her powers are very strong for one so young. At the House of Night, Zoey finds true friendship, loyalty, and romance as well as mistrust and deception. She realizes that all is not right in the vampyre world and that the problems she thought she left behind exist there as well. Readers will identify with many of the characters, especially the protagonist. The story moves quickly (a little too quickly at the end) and purposely leaves many unresolved issues. (Rosenblum)

Check out this nwe book!

2009-12-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

Mexican Whiteboy by Matt del la Pena

Grades 9-12. Biracial Danny Lopez doesn’t think he fits anywhere. He feels like an outsider with his Mexican father’s family, with whom he is staying for the summer, and at his mostly white school, and he wonders if his confusion drove his father away. He also struggles with his obsession for baseball; a gifted player with a blazing fastball, he lacks control of his game. With the support of a new friend and his caring cousins, Danny begins to deal with the multitude of problems in his life, which include his tendency to cut himself, an unusual characteristic in a male YA protagonist. The author juggles his many plotlines well, and the portrayal of Danny’s friends and neighborhood is rich and lively. Where the story really lights up is in the baseball scenes, which sizzle like Danny’s fastball. A violent scene, left somewhat unresolved, is the catalyst for him to confront the truth about his father. Danny’s struggle to find his place will speak strongly to all teens but especially to those of mixed race. (Booklist, August 2008, Vol. 104, No. 22)

Buried

2009-09-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

Seventeen-year-old Claudine, the super-efficient daughter of an alcoholic single mother, awakens to a mess in her trailer home one morning and plunges into cleaning, her habitual mode of escaping unpleasant realities. She realizes her mother has gone, probably with a new boyfriend. Claudine, however, tells everyone that her mother finally has gone into rehab. Meanwhile, she struggles to impose order in the house with frenzied cleaning. As the days pass, she descends into ever-deeper compulsive behavior, neglecting her schoolwork, her chance for a scholarship and even her cat. At last, she makes a discovery from which she can't hide. Not a thriller as described, but an absorbing psychological study, first-time author MacCready's spare style holds the reader's interest as she peels away the defenses that Claudine has built up over her lifetime. The climactic scene packs a punch. Well-done and recommended for both reluctant and serious young readers. (Kirkus)

Queer Eye?

2009-06-16T08:06:00.001-07:00

Getting It by Alex Sanchez

To get the attention of the girl he likes, Carlos enlists Sal, the only known gay student in his high school, to help him with a makeover, just like they do on the popular TV show "Queer Eye." Carlos gets more than he bargained for, as the business arrangement turns into friendship. Suddenly, Carlos sees people a lot more clearly. Is Roxy really worth it? Are his long-time friends really people he wants to hang out with? Award-winning author Alex Sanchez churns out another tale with a gay character and gay issues in the forefront. While the short chapters and fast clipped pace of the novel will likely appeal to reluctant readers, it's hard to miss the not-so-subtle messages in the book. Still, humor prevails as readers follow Carlos along from dweeb to stud, and from a shallow teen to someone with depth and compassion. Recommended. (Library Media Connection)

Have you read this one yet?

2009-06-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

When social services discovers that her neglectful mother has left altogether, seventeen-year-old Ruby is placed in the care of her married sister Cora, whom she hasn't seen in years. Warily acclimating to a new world of privilege, loner Ruby strikes up a tentative friendship with neighbor Nate, a personable, thoughtful golden boy whose life is not what it appears. When Ruby realizes that Nate's father is abusive, she struggles with how best to help someone who, much like herself, doesn't want to be helped. The intricacy of relationships that is Dessen's signature shines here, not just in the almost-romance with Nate but in the sisters' rebuilt relationship, Ruby's memories of her mother, and even Cora's loving but un-idealized marriage. The narrative's tendency to skate past key events, detailing the buildup and aftermath but skipping the thing itself, may frustrate those who want every juicy detail. Still, the in-depth exploration of issues of family, trust, and responsibility gives readers plenty to chew on, and the complex, deeply sympathetic characters are pure pleasure to spend time with. (Horn)

By the end you will realize how invested you have become.

2009-03-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

This is All: the pillow book of Cordelia Kenn
By Aiden Chambers

Nineteen-year-old Cordelia Kenn, weeks away from giving birth, gathers up her journals, poems, letters, stories, and thoughts in a collection to share with her daughter on the occasion of the unborn child's sixteenth birthday.

Jodi does it again...

2009-03-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult

Picoult has carved an impressive niche in the topical family drama genre, tackling medical ethics, faith, and the law in her sixteenth novel. Charlotte and Sean O’Keefe are the parents of Willow, six, who has brittle-bone disease, suffering 68 broken bones in her short lifetime, including 7 before she was born. Charlotte gave up her job as a successful pastry chef to care for Willow full time, doing whatever she can to prevent the inevitable breaks and trying to lessen Willow’s discomfort when they occur. After a lawyer broaches the possibility of a wrongful-birth lawsuit, which would find Charlotte’s ob-gyn (also her best friend) guilty of failing to diagnose Willow’s illness early enough for a possible abortion, the family unravels. Charlotte becomes increasingly aggressive in her new attack mode; Sean disagrees with the lawsuit and files for divorce; and Amelia, Willow’s teenage half sister, seeks attention by becoming bulimic and cutting herself. In her customary fashion, Picoult probes these sensitive issues with empathy and compassion. (Follett)

By Popular Demand...

2009-02-27T13:52:00.000-08:00

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Sixteen-year-old Katniss poaches food for her widowed mother and little sister from the forest outside the legal perimeter of District 12, the poorest of the dozen districts constituting Panem, the North American dystopic state that has replaced the U.S. in the not-too-distant future. Her hunting and tracking skills serve her well when she is then cast into the nation’s annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death where contestants must battle harsh terrain, artificially concocted weather conditions, and two teenaged contestants from each of Panem’s districts. District 12’s second “tribute” is Peeta, the baker’s son, who has been in love with Katniss since he was five. Each new plot twist ratchets up the tension, moving the story forward and keeping the reader on edge. Although Katniss may be skilled with a bow and arrow and adept at analyzing her opponents’ next moves, she has much to learn about personal sentiments, especially her own. Populated by three-dimensional characters, this is a superb tale of physical adventure, political suspense, and romance. (Booklist)

True Confessions

2009-02-13T10:59:00.000-08:00

Triple Shot Bettys Fall in Love by Jody Gehrman

The Triple Shot Bettys--Geena, Amber and Hero--are back, serving up frothy lattes and falling in love, but this time their relationships are heating up and about to boil over (Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty, 2008). This time the focus is on Geena, a skater-girl who isn't comfortable being a "girlfriend" especially as she and her boyfriend, Ben, wade into new territory that leaves Geena wondering if he is interested in her body or her brains. To further complicate matters, Geena finds herself drooling over Mr. Sands, the intellectual doctoral candidate who takes over her English class. However, Amber provides the real twist when her infatuation with Mr. Sands quickly puts her in over her 16-year-old head. Hero plays a minor role this time, sending her sage advice from boarding school. Geena's spunky voice will draw both returning and new readers into the girls' tight circle, which, despite some relationship woes, manages to stay entertaining and upbeat. (Krikus Review)

My Tiki Girl

2009-02-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

My Tiki Girl by Jennifer McMahon

Fifteen-year-old Maggie, still grieving the loss of her mother in an accident that also gave her a limp, has turned her back on old friends but connects with a new student, Dahlia, who makes her part of her quirky family and plans their future together as roving musicians and lovers. (Follett)

Cowboys and Indians

2009-02-12T09:48:00.000-08:00

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
By Sherman Alexie

Alexie nimbly blends sharp wit with unapologetic emotion in his first foray into young-adult literature. Fourteen-year-old Junior is a cartoonist and bookworm with a violent but protective best friend Rowdy. Soon after they start freshman year, Junior boldly transfers from a school on the Spokane reservation to one in a tiny white town 22 miles away. Despite his parents' frequent lack of gas money (they're a "poor-ass family"), racism at school and many crushing deaths at home, he manages the year. Rowdy rejects him, feeling betrayed, and their competing basketball teams take on mammoth symbolic proportions. The reservation's poverty and desolate alcoholism offer early mortality and broken dreams, but Junior's knowledge that he must leave is rooted in love and respect for his family and the Spokane tribe. He also realizes how many other tribes he has, from "the tribe of boys who really miss . . . their best friends" to "the tribe of tortilla chips-and-salsa lovers." Junior's keen cartoons sprinkle the pages as his fluid narration deftly mingles raw feeling with funny, sardonic insight. (Kirkus)

Skate This!

2009-01-29T15:11:00.000-08:00

Derby Girl by Shauna Cross

Sixteen-year-old rebel Bliss Cavendar, miserable living in a small Texas town with her beauty pageant-obsessed mother, secretly joins a roller derby team under the name "Babe Ruthless," and her life gets better, although infinitely more confusing. (Follett)

Life...

2009-01-29T14:58:00.000-08:00

Looking for Alaska by John Green

At boarding school in Alabama, narrator Miles Halter faces challenging classes, school-wide pranks, and Alaska Young, a sexy, enigmatic girl. After Alaska is killed in a car crash, Miles and his friends question whether it could have been suicide and acknowledge their own survivor guilt. These intelligent characters talk smart, yet don't always behave that way, and are thus complex and realistically portrayed teenagers. (Horn)

The Big Secret

2009-01-29T14:50:00.000-08:00

Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell

Vassar Spore's "Life Goals" include a PhD and a Pulitzer Prize; they definitely do not include trekking across Southeast Asia with her bohemian artist grandmother. Vassar's travels are fascinating and funny (though a hiking trip in a Laotian jungle becomes unexpectedly dark). Finally leaving her comfort zone and planner behind leads Vassar to adventure, romance, and self-discovery. (Horn)

Always Running...

2009-01-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

Always Running by Luis J. Rodriguez

The author recounts his growing up in poverty in Los Angeles, his encounters with racism in school and on the streets, and his struggle to overcome prejudice, drugs, and violence.

This is one of our most popular books!

Check it out!

Beastly?

2009-01-28T09:05:00.000-08:00

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Cavalier and cruel, Kyle Kingsbury rules as prince of an upper-crust school until he angers the wrong Goth girl, who casts a spell that makes him look as ugly as his inner self. When claws, fur and fangs appear, Kyle is confined to a Brooklyn brownstone, where he grows roses, paws through The Hunchback of Notre Dame and IMs other transformed kids. Flinn's contemporary adaptation of Beauty and the Beast pulls fairy tales and classics like Phantom of the Opera into the context of modern teen life. Kyle's hilarious chat-room sessions most effectively exploit clever convergences of old and new. Teens will LOL. They will also find their preoccupations with looks, status and pride explored thoroughly. When Lindy, Kyle's Beauty, moves in, much of the interesting adaptive play recedes, but teens will still race to see if the beast gets his kiss, lifts the curse and lives happily ever after. (Kirkus)

Don't Even Think About It.

2009-01-05T13:39:00.000-08:00

The Book Thief by Markus Zusac

Death, "a companionable if sarcastic fellow," narrates this sophisticated novel set in small-town Germany during WWII. "It's a measure of how successfully Zusak has humanized these characters that even though we know they are doomed, it's no less devastating when Death finally reaches them. (Reed)

Read All About It!

2008-12-30T14:15:00.000-08:00

Peeled by Joan Bauer

Something's rotten in the rural apple-farming town of Banesville...and a doomsaying ghost (and the accompanying public panic) is only the tip of the iceberg. Ace reporter Hildy Biddle is determined to expose the ominous depths. Between her dogged pursuit of the truth, the gruff leadership of hardboiled, washed-up champion of journalistic integrity Baker Polton, and some serious dirt, Hildy's high school paper soon emerges as a legitimate media contender -- and a target. With the obfuscating mayor and the smug editor-in-chief of the town newspaper standing in her way, the odds of effecting any change are steep, but the more Hildy learns about the mystery at hand, the more important her mission becomes. In mannerisms, relationships, and even names, the colorful residents of Banesville are incisively and affectionately sketched, their quirks, motivations, and interactions giving shape and gravity to the iconic small-town struggle against corporate control. (Horn Books)

Stay warm this winter...

2008-12-30T14:08:00.000-08:00

Last Summer by Hailey Abbott

During her last summer before college, Beth struggles to balance a new relationship with Jimmy and a friendship with her old love, George; Kelsi misses Bennett terribly during his internship at a New York art gallery; and Kelsi's sister, Ella, grows frustrated over all the time Kelsi is spending with Taryn, her college roommate and Bennett's sister. (Follett)

Craving Sweets?

2008-12-15T13:27:00.000-08:00

Devilish by Maureen Johnson

Fast paced and very funny, this is the story of high-school senior Jane Jarvis, who gets in over her head--which isn't difficult because she's very short. She's also very smart, and when her best friend, Allison, starts acting oddly, it doesn't take Jane long to figure out that there's some unholy connection between Ally and mysterious Lanalee, a new girl at their Catholic school. Connection, indeed. As it turns out, Ally has sold her soul to junior devil Lanalee in exchange for popularity; however, Jane doesn't buy Ally's tearful confession. Boldly, she informs Lanalee that she will take Ally's place (she really thinks the whole thing is bunk). Bunk it is not, and soon enough Jane finds herself in the fight of (and for) her life. Johnson does a very clever thing here. She takes a typical high-school story about popularity (amusing enough in Jane's snarky voice) and turns it on its head when evil comes on the scene. Decorated in fine detail and well served by a terrific supporting cast, this page-turner will have high appeal. (Booklist)

Nineteen Minutes

2008-12-11T14:43:00.000-08:00

Nineteen Minutes
By Jody Picoult

Many things can happen in the span of 19 minutes-fun things, mundane things, and downright horrific things. Best-selling author Picoult shows just how quickly lives can be changed in this story of a school massacre much like Columbine that is told through the voice not only of the victims but also of the troubled teen who did the shooting.

If you've already finished the Twilight series... try this!

2008-11-26T08:26:00.000-08:00

The Host by Stephanie Meyer

You might assume that Meyer’s best-selling Twilight series (published for YAs), about the intense love between a human teen and a vampire, takes the interspecies relationship thing about as far as it can go. There’s where you’d be wrong. Meyer’s ingenious adult-market debut, heavily but not tediously indebted to Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, imagines the tangled web of attachments between an alien parasite and the colony of humans to which the alien’s host body once belonged. Meyer boldly chooses to narrate from the perspective of the invading alien, a 1,000-year-old female “soul” named Wanderer, and it is a tribute to the author’s skill that Wanderer is a sympathetic protagonist despite the fact that she tells her tale while clinging to the cerebellum of a human victim, 17-year-old Melanie. As Melanie’s unusually resistant consciousness begins to seep into Wanderer’s own identity, she finds herself seeking out one of the last outposts of human civilization to reunite with the people her body once loved. (Booklist)

UGLIES

2008-11-14T13:35:00.000-08:00

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Tally Youngblood lives in a futuristic society that acculturates its citizens to believe that they are ugly until age 16 when they'll undergo an operation that will change them into pleasure-seeking "pretties." Anticipating this happy transformation, Tally meets Shay, another female ugly, who shares her enjoyment of hoverboarding and risky pranks. But Shay also disdains the false values and programmed conformity of the society and urges Tally to defect with her to the Smoke, a distant settlement of simple-living conscientious objectors. Tally declines, yet when Shay is found missing by the authorities, Tally is coerced by the cruel Dr. Cable to find her and her compatriots-or remain forever "ugly." Tally's adventuresome spirit helps her locate Shay and the Smoke. It also attracts the eye of David, the aptly named youthful rebel leader to whose attentions Tally warms. However, she knows she is living a lie, for she is a spy who wears an eye-activated locator pendant that threatens to blow the rebels' cover. Ethical concerns will provide a good source of discussion as honesty, justice, and free will are all oppressed in this well-conceived dystopia. (SLJ)

Feeling Burned?

2008-11-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

Burned by Ellen Hopkins

Full of anger at her father, an alcoholic who abuses her mother, Pattyn begins to question her Mormon religion and her preordained, subservient role within it. She is confused by her mother's acceptance of the brutal abuse, and although she is furious at and terrified of her father, she still longs for his love and approval. As the consequences of her anger become more dramatic, her parents send her to spend the summer with her aunt on a Nevada ranch. There she finds the love and acceptance she craves, both from her aunt and from a college-age neighbor, Ethan. Told in elegant free verse, Burned envelopes the reader in Pattyn's highs and lows, her gradual opening to love, and her bouts of rage, confusion, and doubt. It exposes the mind of the abused, but regrettably offers no viable plan to deal with the abuser, a reality perhaps, but a plot element that may raise eyebrows in the adult community. Still, this will easily find rapid-fire circulation among its YA audience. A troubling but beautifully written novel. (Booklist)

Tithe

2008-10-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

Tithe by Holly Black

Kaye is 16 when she finally learns why she's such a strange young woman: she's a changeling pixie under a spell. A move home to the New Jersey shore brings her back in touch with her childhood friends, the solitary fey, who want to end their servitude to the higher-born faeries by foiling the sacrifice of human blood known as the Tithe. Kaye offers to masquerade as a human for the Tithe and is swept into a complicated net of politics and treason between two rival courts of faeries. Grim scenes from Kaye's life in the human world pile up at the beginning of the story in what initially seems a gratuitous manner (her mother is almost stabbed by her current boyfriend, Kaye steals for thrills, a new acquaintance tries to rape her), but the details all have explanations later on in the equally grim world of the faeries. The plot moves quickly, and the secondary characters are appealing, if not always entirely believable. Occasional awkward changes in point of view won't discourage readers who enjoy dark, edgy fantasy. However, the excessive use of obscenities adds little to character development. The greatest strength of the story lies in the settings, particularly the descriptions of the debased Unseelie Court. (SLJ)

Local Author, Local Flavor

2008-10-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty
by Jody Gehrman

Whipping up lattes in the tiny drive-thru coffee shack Triple Shot Betty's isn't 16-year-old Geena's idea of summer fun, but with her favorite cousin Hero and best friend Amber set to work beside her, she assumes they're all in for a fantastic summer. Unfortunately, from the moment sweet, wealthy Hero meets blunt, down-and-out Amber, it's clear that the summer is in serious jeopardy as the two girls get hung up on their marked differences. However, just as Geena fears that her summer is ruined, Hero and Amber surprise her by uniting to brew revenge on the town's golden boy, who has a nasty evil streak. Nothing is sacred in this funny text, which describes even Geena's bathroom trips. Adding to the humor is the teens' natural dialogue, which although tackling mature content stays light and punchy with a realistic edge. Sassy and fun. (Kirkus)

The Truth About Forever

2008-09-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Macy, 16, witnessed her father's death, but has never figured out how to mourn. Instead, she stays in control–good grades, perfect boyfriend, always neat and tidy–and tries to fake her way to normal. Then she gets a job at Wish Catering. It is run by pregnant, forgetful Delia and staffed by her nephews, Bert and Wes, and her neighbors Kristy and Monica. "Wish" was named for Delia's late sister, the boys' mother. Working and eventually hanging out with her new friends, Macy sees what it's like to live an unprescripted lifestyle, from dealing with kitchen fires to sneaking out at night, and slowly realizes it's not so bad to be human. Wes and Macy play an ongoing game of Truth and share everything from gross-outs to what it feels like to watch someone you love die. They fall in love by talking, and the author sculpts them to full dimension this way. (NYPL Review)

If you like 'fantasy' you'll love Maximum Ride

2008-09-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
by James Patterson

Max Ride and five other human-avian genetic hybrids fly (literally) from the lab where they were created as experiments and forge a new life in hiding. When six-year-old Angel is captured, Max leads her makeshift family in a rescue attempt, raising questions about their origins and destiny. Smart-mouthed, sympathetic characters and copious butt-kicking make this fast read pure escapist pleasure. (Horn Book)

WARNING: You will not be able to put this down.

2008-09-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

"Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister Kate can somehow fight leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate-a life role that she has never challenged . . . until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister-and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves." (Picoult)

Read it before the movie comes out in 2009.

The wattage goes way up...

2008-09-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Nick from Hoboken is the songwriter, bassist and token straight guy for a queer/punk band; Norah from Englewood Cliffs is the privileged daughter of a recording exec who loves nothing better than the music. The story's written in alternating chapters in their two voices over a single madcap night. Nick's still hurting from his breakup with Tris, a blonde bombshell, and Norah from Tal, for whom she was never Jewish enough, vegan enough or political enough. When Nick sees Tris at the club where he's playing, he asks Norah to be his "girlfriend for five minutes" and a luscious kiss. On to another club, through various hardcore bands, rain on a Sunday morning, an encounter in the ice and soda alcove at the Marriott Marquis-all the while rooting for these smart-mouthed, but vulnerable teens to reach eachother through all the kissing and music. (Kirkus Review)

Why is everyone talking about Twilight?

2008-09-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Isabella, just moved from sunny, warm Phoenix to dismal Forks, Washington, meets the mysterious, aloof Edward Cullen. Drawn by his irresistible good looks and animal magnetism, Bella finds herself falling in love with Edward and determines to unveil the true person behind the impenetrable facade. For older teens, this is a predictable love story laced with adventure and vampirism.

Read it before the movie comes out
November 21, 2008
www.twilightthemovie.com

Next, you might want to check out her other books from the Analy Library: New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and Host.

Endless Summer

2007-08-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

Hello Tigers!

I hope you enjoyed your summer!

Coming in September...

book flash! Is a new blog that will host reviews of the hottest Young Adult titles available.

Stay tuned...

Ms. Abbott