Teen Read Week – October 17-23, 2010
Teen Read Week is an initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Since its inception in 1998 librarians, educators, and teens set aside this week to celebrate Teen Read Week. This year’s theme is Books with Beat @ Your Library, which encourages teens to read poetry, audiobooks, books about music, and more.
For books with beat try, Beige by Cecil Castellucci; Just Listen or This Lullaby from Sarah Dessen; The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz; Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems about Love by Pat Mora, Green Witch, a lyrical novel by Alice Hoffman; or Poetry Speaks Who I Am from Elise Paschen and Dominique Raccah.
Browse through this small selection of teen titles from the past few years. For more information about Teen Read Week visit: www.lita.org/teenread
Contributor: Emily Griffin
Reviews
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian
Sherman Alexie
Illustrated by Ellen Forney
In this blunt yet poignant story of a teenager wanting to make the best of himself, Alexie uses his own experiences to give us a feel for an Indian boy crossing over into a white world. Not only does Junior feel guilty for selling out, but his tribe members and best friend, Rowdy, add to that guilt, while his new white school mates either tease him or ignore him. Finally connecting with an equally unpopular geek as well as the popular girl, because he cares enough to address her bulimia, Junior tentatively carves out a place for himself and makes friends. His basketball prowess gains him admiration although his victory against his reservation high school is bittersweet. He is a thinking, caring kid, who eventually manages to reunite with his buddy from the reservation, Rowdy. Multiple alcohol related deaths in Junior’s family are particularly hard-hitting but make the point that alcohol is still a significant problem on many reservations. The sarcastic, self-deprecating humor should add to this book’s appeal. 2007, Little Brown and Company, $16.99. Ages 14 up. Reviewer: Kathryn Erskine (Children's Literature).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
American Indian Youth Literature Award, 2008 Winner Young Adult United States
Boston-Globe Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 2008 Winner Fiction and Poetry United States
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2007 Honorable Mention Favorite Book to Handsell United States
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2007 Honorable Mention Hottest Selling Book to Go Out of Stock United States
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2007 Winner Favorite Young Adult Novel United States
Cybils, 2007 Finalist Young Adult Fiction United States
Delaware Diamonds, 2009 Winner High School Delaware
Los Angeles Times Book Prize, 2008 Nominee Young Adult United States
National Book Awards, 2007 Winner Young People's Literature United States
National Parenting Publications Award, 2007 Gold Book Ages 12 & Up United States
ISBN: 9780316013680
ISBN: 9781428764507
Along for the Ride
Sarah Desen
Growing up in a divorced family, Auden never learned how to ride a bike. She became super focused on academics in order to appease her parents and was never really allowed to have a childhood. Because she studies all the time, she has no social life and even plans to spend her summer in-between high school and college reading ahead for her fall classes. But after getting a present from her highly social and carefree brother, Auden makes a sudden change of plans. Instead of spending her summer on academics, she decides to spend it at the beach with her dad, his new wife, and their new baby. Despite intending to spend the summer entirely free of work, Auden ends up helping her stepmother out by working in her kitschy, boardwalk boutique. There she begins to get a glimpse of the world of a normal teen--friendships, fashion, and even boys. Auden’s chronic insomnia results in her befriending one boy in particular, Eli, a local bike celebrity. Eli’s tragic past has turned him into a recluse and has kept him from bike riding for almost a year. Late at night, the two go on mini-quests to recapture Auden’s childhood and in the process they gain much more. Dessen’s complex characters and rich plot make this both an engaging and realistic novel. Not only will this novel appeal to readers looking for a quick and easy read, but also to those who insist on quality writing. 2009, Viking/Penguin, $19.99. Ages 14 up. Reviewer: Melissa Joy Adams (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780670011940
The Book Thief
Markus Zusak
From the beginning I was struck with the book’s uniqueness. How can you not be struck when you open the cover to understand that the narrator is Death? Zusak imagines a vivid character who sees first colors and then humans, recording his thoughts about both in an extraordinary way. Death sees a sky, for example, that is “like soup, boiling and stirring. In some places, it was burned. There were black crumbs, and pepper, streaked across the redness.” Zusak visions a Death who is both detached and empathetic. It is Death who gently picks up a multitude of souls in Nazi Germany and carries them tenderly off. Add to this unusual narrator, the intriguing character of Liesel Meminger, the book thief. Death introduces her as a young child whose younger brother dies while en route to being deposited with their foster parents in Molching, a small town near Daschau. Rosa, Liesel’s harsh-speaking, tender-hearted “wardrobe-bodied” foster mother is complemented by her new Papa. Hans Hubermann has eyes made of kindness and silver. There are a host of fascinating minor characters including Max, a talented Jew who is hidden for a long time in the Hubermann’s basement and Rudy, the boy next door who longs for a kiss from Liesel and fancies himself a runner like Jesse Owen. While people starve on Liesel’s Himmel Street, Liesel hungers after books and begins to “steal” them from a knowing mayor’s wife. And there is one more fascinating component--the book’s structure. Death, as narrator, slips in and out of time to foretell deaths and deeds, interrupts his narrative to announce in bold, certain truths, tender conversations, or other notes. Death begins each section with a playbill of events to come and ends with a chilling last note that seems to explain the book’s last line, “I am haunted by humans.” 2006, Knopf, $16.95. Ages 13 up. Reviewer: Susie Wilde (Children's Literature).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
American Booksellers Book Sense Book of the Year (ABBY) Award, 2007 Winner
Children's Literature United States
Cybils , 2006 Finalist Young Adult Fiction United States
Heartland Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, 2008 Nominee United States
Michael L. Printz Award, 2007 Honor Book United States
National Jewish Book Awards, 2006 Winner Children's and Young Adult Literature United States
Parents' Choice Award, 2006 Gold Fiction United States
Quill Awards, 2006 Nominee Young Adult/Teen United States
Sydney Taylor Book Awards, 2007 Winner Teen Book Award United States
Thumbs Up! Award, 2007 Honor Book United States
ISBN: 0375831002
ISBN: 0375931007
ISBN: 9780375831003
ISBN: 9780375931000
Charles and Emma: The Darwin’s Leap of Faith
Deborah Heiligman
Most books about Charles Darwin center around his voyage on the HMS Beagle and the writing of his hugely significant and controversial book, The Origin of Species. This one is different. Here, the focus is on how Darwin’s life was influenced by his decision to marry and raise a family with a woman of deep religious convictions. The book has been meticulously researched and reflects the time of Charles and Emma Darwin. Above all, it is a love story. It begins in 1838 in London, two years after Darwin’s monumental voyage around the world. In this personal and highly readable biography, Deborah Heiligman examines how Charles and Emma Darwin met, how their friendship deepened, how they grew to love and respect one another, and how they struggled to create a successful marriage between science and religion. His wife’s religious convictions and her fear that they would be separated after death when she would go to heaven and he would go to hell, moderated Charles Darwin’s views and revealed to him how other faithful people might receive his revolutionary ideas. The author provides detailed sources notes, and these show that she has drawn from a variety of materials, including letters, notebook entries, and diary entries. This highly recommended book contains eighteen black-and-white photographs. Thirty-three chapters in length, it contains an epilogue, a family tree, source notes, a selected bibliography, and an index. 2009, Henry Holt/Macmillan, $18.95. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Phyllis J. Perry (Children's Literature).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Michael L. Printz Award, 2010 Honor Book United States
National Book Awards, 2009 Finalist Young People's Literature United States
School Library Journal Battle of the Kids' Books, 2010 Nominee United States
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, 2010 Finalist United States
ISBN: 9780805087215
ISBN: 0805087214
Countdown
Deborah Wiles
The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 forms the backdrop for this coming-of-age story of eleven-year-old Franny Chapman. Her life as a fifth grader has become very complicated. She has become invisible to her teacher; her college-age sister, Jo Ellen, has become quite secretive; her younger brother, Drew, is Mr. Perfect; her Uncle Otts is acting strangely and becoming increasingly more of an embarrassment to her. What’s more, her best friend, Margie, is distancing herself from Franny. With the Cold War heating up as Russian missiles are within striking distance of her home near Washington, DC, Franny must deal with the threat of war as well as the unsettling events of her own life. Wiles brings together all the elements of the story as she creates a most satisfying ending. Interspersed with Franny’s story are photographs and text from songs, advertisements, and speeches from the 1960s. They provide background on the social and political events of the day for young readers, and bring back many memories for adults who lived through this time. Wiles’ beautifully written, carefully crafted tale immerses readers in the turbulence of the early 1960s while reminding us that human nature remains constant. The literary allusions to bright light and blindness are successfully carried throughout the story. The photographs are not chronologically presented, which may be a bit confusing to some readers at the younger age level – a very minor concern. This is Book One of “The Sixties Trilogy.” I anxiously await Book Two. 2010, Scholastic, Ages 10 to 14, $17.99. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo (Children’s Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-545-10605-4
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
E. Lockhart
Lockhart chronicles the adventures of Frankie Landau-Banks-student, girlfriend, deviant. In the summer between her freshman and sophomore high school years, Frankie undergoes a metamorphosis. She tames her wild, frizzy mane, grows curves in all the right places, and hones her razor-sharp mind. Gone is her family's “bunny rabbit,” and here to stay is one stealthy woman. When she returns to school in the fall, Frankie captures the affection of school golden boy and logophile, Matthew Livingston. The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, an arcane society of which Matthew is a member, piques her interest. The Bassets' claim to fame is their perpetration of mediocre pranks on campus. When a class paper plants a seed in her mind, Frankie sets out to enhance the Bassets' mischievous nature with a chain of e-mails, a treasure hunt, and the members' limitless credit cards. Lockhart fashions a thoroughly enjoyable tale of a good girl who aches to be bad. She deserves special mention for her ability to create likeable characters out of those that literature typically maligns-privileged, WASP-y males. Matthew and his cadre of friends are witty and buffoonishly humorous, and Frankie's desire to share their friendship and gain their approval is entirely understandable. The prose flows smoothly, and readers will remain engaged to see what new dastardly deed the heroine has planned. Fans will applaud at the conclusion as Frankie strides into the sunset, her head metaphorically bloody but unbowed. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2007, Hyperion, 352p., $16.99. Ages 11 to 18. Reviewer: Angelica Delgado (VOYA, December 2007 (Vol. 30, No. 5)).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Cybil Award, 2008 Winner Young Adult Fiction United States
Michael L. Printz Award, 2009 Honor Book United States
School Library Journal's Battle of the (Kids') Books, 2009 Nominee United States
ISBN: 9780786838189
ISBN: 0786838183
Going Bovine
Libba Bray
Bovine, as in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, that is to say, mad cow disease, which sixteen-year-old Cameron is not thrilled to find out he has, given that this is an invariably “fatal virus that eats holes in your brain.” Cameron used to think “it would be cool to die young. Honestly, things weren’t going so well in the life department. Death seemed infinitely more glamorous and, you know, kind of hard to f--- up.” But the trouble is that he has never really lived. So it’s time for a road trip, accompanied by a germ-phobic dwarf, a Norse god yard gnome come to life, and a tough-talking angel: maybe together they can find the mysterious Dr. X who offers the only hope of a cure - and in the process save the world from Dr. X’s dark energy that otherwise is going to destroy the universe. Oh, and maybe in the process Cameron can finally understand jazz, lose his virginity, become the object of a nationwide manhunt, bowl a lot of strikes, and eat a lot of vanilla smoothies. This is a huge book in every way: an epic, picaresque 480-page journey; a scathingly observed social satire of the ways in which we numb ourselves to avoid the pain and risk of actually engaging with our lives; a stay-up-late-to-finish-it page-turner; and a sprawling, hilarious, and deeply moving meditation on what it is, in the end, that makes life worth living. 2009, Delacorte/Random House, $17.99. Ages 14 up. Reviewer: Claudia Mills, Ph.D. (Children's Literature).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Audie Award, 2010 Finalist Teen United States
Indies Choice Book Award, 2010 Honor Book Young Adult United States
Locus Award, 2010 Finalist Best Young Adult Book United States
Michael L. Printz Award, 2010 Winner United States
ISBN: 9780385733977
ISBN: 0385733976
Graceling
Kristin Cashore
Katsa is a killer. The eighteen-year-old heroine of Kristin Cashore’s Seven Kingdoms fights better than Bruce Lee on speed and always gets her man. That is the problem. Kat is weary of doing the dirty work of her uncle, King Randas. She is beginning to question her special grace, specifically the heightened power of fighting that came with her separate-colored eyes. Meeting Prince Po, a near-equal in the lethal arts, creates other questions for the young lady. As she and Po set off on a quest to discover why Po’s kindly grandfather was kidnapped, the plot thickens into romance. Cashore’s first novel contains all the requirements of fantasy: a world stuck in the medieval mode of swords and long-suffering peasants, a touch of magic, and non-stop action. But once she’s gotten her moral priorities sorted out, Katsa’s real problem is not surviving impossible odds. For her, that’s a bagatelle. Much harder is admitting her femininity and recognizing that love can have a place in her life. Still, it is fun watching Cashore’s wonder woman single-handedly slay mountain lions and conquer impassable winter mountain passes in the course of rescuing the young queen of a rogue kingdom. It’s fun watching her get her man, too. 2008, Harcourt/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $17.00. Ages 14 up. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr (Children's Literature).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Andre Norton Award, 2008 Finalist United States
Battle of the (Kids') Books, 2009 Nominee United States
Cybils, 2008 Finalist Fantasy and Science Fiction (Young Adult) United States
Indies Choice Book Award, 2009 Honor Book Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book United States
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature, 2009 Winner United States
William C. Morrris Award, 2009 Finalist United States
ISBN: 9780152063962
ISBN: 015206396X
The Graveyard Book
Neil Gaiman
An assassin creeps upstairs to murder the only survivor of a slaughtered family. But the baby boy is gone. Innocently he has climbed from his crib, bottom-bumped downstairs, and headed outside, before toddling into a nearby graveyard. There ghostly Mrs. Owens, who has always longed for a child, realizes his danger and determines to adopt him. A lively debate erupts among the graveyard ghosts. Mrs. Owens finally gets her way after Silas, a mysterious visitor in the graveyard, volunteers to be his guardian and to bring him food. The baby, formally named Nobody Owens, is voted the freedom of the graveyard and there he thrives, loved and cared for. The freedom of the graveyard bestows ghostly talents, and Bod is taught useful skills like Fading and Haunting. But beyond his safe home there is danger. Bod stumbles into frightening adventures in this world and another, and Silas faces death fighting an ancient Fraternal Order determined to kill the boy. Gaiman writes with charm and humor, and again he has a real winner. Readers quickly begin to care about Bod and the graveyard residents. Bod's encounter with the ghouls is brilliantly inventive. Miss Lupsecu, his substitute guardian while Silas is away, is dry-as-dust strict, a bad cook, and a friend to the death. The conclusion is satisfying, but it leaves room for a sequel. Everyone who reads this book will hope fervently that the very busy author gets around to writing one soon. VOYA CODES: 4Q 5P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2008, HarperTeen, 320p., $17.95 and PLB $18.89. Ages 11 to 18. Reviewer: Rayna Patton (VOYA, August 2008 (Vol. 31, No. 3)).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Booktrust Teenage Prize, 2009 Winner United Kingdom
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 2009 Honor Book Fiction and Poetry United States
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2008 Honorable Mention Best Novel for Young Readers That Adults Would Love If They Knew About It United States
Cybils, 2008 Winner Fantasy and Science Fiction (Middle Grade) United States
Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award, 2009 Winner United States
Indies Choice Book Award, 2009 Winner Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book United States
John Newbery Medal, 2009 Winner United States
Locus Award, 2009 Winner Young Adult Book United States
Los Angeles Times Book Prize, 2008 Finalist Young Adult Literature United States
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature, 2009 Finalist United States
School Library Journal Battle of the (Kids') Books, 2009 Nominee United States
ISBN: 9780060530921
ISBN: 9780060530938
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
Collins has mixed an extraordinarily brutal, post-apocalyptical dystopia with strong, believable characters; stirred in aspects of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery, blended it thoroughly with philosophy, politics, and breakneck pacing; and ladled on the sauce of friendship, loyalty, and love to create a fantastic serving of young adult literature. Katniss Everdeen of District 12 (also referred to as the Seam since it provides coal for the rest of the districts and the Capitol) has been unwillingly thrust into a position of responsibility for the welfare of her younger sister and mother. After her father’s death in a mine explosion, Katniss’s mother suffers a complete breakdown and becomes incapable of even the slightest action to feed or protect her children. Because of her indomitable spirit and the generosity of the baker’s son Peeta, Katniss is catapulted into becoming the family’s provider. She takes to the woods outside District 12’s fence, where she hunts and gathers to provide the sustenance so vital to her family’s existence. In the woods she meets Gale, a young man who provides for his family in the same way. Their friendship is mainly about helping each other find enough game and greens to feed their respective families with enough extra to sell for the other necessities of life. An annual “punishment for previous uprisings” by the Districts, called the Hunger Games, is the Capitol’s way of controlling the District’s inhabitants. Each District is required to provide two “tributes,” one boy and one girl, to participate in a yearly battle-to-the-death of strength and wits. Much like the Roman gladiatorial entertainments, people treat the Games as an opportunity for gambling, gaiety, and self-aggrandizement (backing the winner results in highly-prized fame). Readers cannot help but imagine themselves caught up in such a life, identifying with and analyzing the actions of Katniss, who volunteers to take her sisters’ place as a tribute; Peeta, whose name is drawn as a tribute and who struggles to stay alive and protect Katniss in the Game; and Gale, who is left in District 12, promising to look after Katniss’s sister and mother. The challenges set up in the Game arena are inventively cruel, and the methods of “entertaining” those viewing the televised Game are ingeniously creative. Collins mines every aspect of human emotions without every approaching “preachyness” and keeps the action rapidly advancing to ensnare her readers. Because knowledge and observation of nature play a big part in survival during the Game brawn and brute strength may be overcome. One of the author’s strengths is her ability to include a myriad of interesting details that make the “former North American continent” seem alien, yet recognizable and real. Readers will eagerly await the second installment in this captivating trilogy. 2008, Scholastic, $17.99. Ages 12 up. Reviewer: Sheilah Egan (Children's Literature).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Children's Choice Book Award, 2009 Finalist Teen Choice Book Award United States
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2008 Winner Best Novel for Young Readers That Adults Would Love If They Knew About It United States
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2008 Winner Book With Best Plot twist United States
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2008 Winner Favorite Novel of the Year United States
Cybils, 2008 Winner Fantasy and Science Fiction (Young Adult) United States
Indies Choice Book Award, 2009 Honor Book Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book United States
School Library Journal Battle of the (Kids') Books, 2009 Gold Medal United States
ISBN: 9780439023481
ISBN: 0439023483
If I Stay
Gayle Forman
This moving first person novel, told by seventeen-year-old Mia, begins as a carefree, unexpected holiday. School is called off because of snow, leaving Mia, her eight-year-old brother Teddy, and her teacher father free for the day. Her mother takes the day off work, too, and since the snow melts off the roads almost immediately, the family piles into the car to visit friends and grandparents. When a pickup truck smashes into the passenger side, Mia’s mother and father are killed outright, her little brother is critically injured, and she finds herself standing over her own body as rescue workers fight to save her life. The book continues through the harrowing day and night with Mia’s descriptions of current horrors in present tense sections identified by clock time followed by past tense sections devoted to her memories of family and friends. Through this narration, we learn about her eccentric but loving parents, her affection for Teddy, her deep friendship with her classmate Kim, her strong relationship with her rock-musician boyfriend Adam, and her own promising future as a classical cellist. Throughout her day and night in the operating room and the intensive care unit, she observes her unconscious self in the bed and--after hearing a nurse tell her grandparents that whether she lives or dies is up to her--wrestles with her decision. She is torn between fearing that she cannot bear to live with the loss of her parents and brother, and aching to stay with Kim and Adam and her grandparents. The resolution comes when Adam brings in a recording of Yo-Yo Ma, the cellist he took her to hear on their first date. Adam’s tears and the sound of the cello combine to bring her back to consciousness. Well-chosen scenes and details make Mia and the other characters both vivid and appealing. 2009, Dutton/Penguin, $16.99. Ages 12 up. Reviewer: Judy DaPolito (Children's Literature).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
NAIBA Book of the Year Award, 2009 Winner Children's Literature and YA United States
ISBN: 9780525421030
ISBN: 0525421033
The Knife of Never Letting Go
Patrick Ness
Todd Hewitt is the last boy in town to become a man. The Noise germ infected the settlement of Prentisstown, killing all the women and allowing all the men to hear each other’s thoughts as well as the thoughts of animals. After revealing a horrible secret, Todd’s guardians send him away from town with a journal written by Todd’s mother before she died. With only his dog Manchee for company, Todd flees the settlement, pursued by all the men in town. During his flight, Todd meets the first female he has ever seen, Viola, who has just landed on the planet. Together, they find their way to various oases of safety, but cannot ever stay long because of their hunters. As Todd talks to other people and reads his mother’s journals, he discovers the true nature of Prentisstown. It is not until the final, horrifying confrontation that he realizes why they will not stop until they find him. This brilliant post-apocalyptic novel is gritty and exciting. The way the Noise is handled, from Manchee’s simple thoughts to the chaos in Prentisstown is particularly well done, as are Todd’s misspellings and grammatical mistakes within the text of the book (just enough to give us a sense of realism to Todd’s narrative, but not too many to be distracting). An excellent and gripping beginning to the “Chaos Walking” series. 2008, Candlewick Press, $18.99. Ages 12 to 18. Reviewer: Amie Rose Rotruck (Children's Literature).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Booktrust Teenage Prize, 2008 Winner United Kingdom
Branford Boase Award, 2009 Shortlist United Kingdom
Carnegie Medal, 2009 Shortlist United Kingdom
Cybils, 2008 Nominee Fantasy and Science Fiction (Young Adult) United States
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, 2008 Winner United Kingdom
UKLA Children's Book Award, 2009 Shortlist Ages 12-16 United Kingdom
ISBN: 9780763639310
ISBN: 0763639311
Liar
Justine Larbalestier
Micah Wilkins is a compulsive liar. She has gotten herself into plenty of trouble in the past with her lies. Her parents do not trust her, her teachers do not trust her, and her classmates keep her at a distance. But to us, fellow reader, she will give the truth. Or so she claims. Micah tells the story of her boyfriend’s disappearance in the first person, intertwined with stories from her background and, particularly, her family history. Despite her repeated confessions of dishonesty as she relates the events, Micah has a voice that you want to believe. This unique, unreliable narrator catches even a skeptical reader in her web of lies and is convincing in her quest for honesty. The clarity of thought and emotion masterfully make this unappealing character into someone you want to love. The truth of this story remains a question, even at the end of the book. There are several possible lines of truth, and it is up to the reader to decide which to believe. Micah’s story is one that will linger long after the final page. This book is ripe for discussion. It will appeal to readers of both realistic fiction and fantasy. 2009, Bloomsbury, $16.99. Ages 14 up. Reviewer: Jennifer Lehmann (Children's Literature).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Book of the Year, 2010 Shortlist Older Readers Australia
Locus Awards, 2010 Finalist Best Young Adult Book United States
ISBN: 9781599903057
ISBN: 1599903059
Little Brother
Cory Doctorow
Marcus believes it is another typical day in his life as a student at Cesar Chavez High School in San Francisco: outsmarting the school’s computer systems; stumping the gait-recognition security cameras; evading the class bully by corrupting his cell phone with thousands of spam text messages; and escaping the confines of his classes to play Harajuku Fun Madness, an Alternate Reality Game. The game turns deadly when Marcus and his friends are caught up in the chaos of a terrorist attack, taken prisoner by the Department of Homeland Security, and interrogated for days. When he is finally released, he finds his city has been taken over by security, with everyone being monitored for suspicious activity. Determined to hold on to his civil liberties and fight back against the DHS, Marcus develops an underground Internet, and soon XNetters everywhere are uniting to protest the government’s invasive spying on anyone whose ideology differs from theirs. What freedoms are people willing to sacrifice in exchange for the elusive feeling of “being safe”? While this futuristic techno-thriller explores timely and critically important themes such as privacy, the Bill of Rights, the role of government, and the imperfect nature of security systems, at its heart it is a classic adventure story about the power of the people to challenge authority and one teen’s refusal to give up his rights without a fight. A sure hit with technophiles and politically-aware teens as well as those who question authority (which means almost all teens), this smartly written novel has the potential to launch powerful classroom discussions and change the way young people think about government. It should motivate all readers to take a more active role in voting and governmental accountability, while also seriously analyzing their own views about civil liberties. 2008, Tor/Tom Doherty/Macmillan, $17.95. Ages 14 up. Reviewer: Keri Collins Lewis (Children's Literature).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Cybils, 2008 Nominee Fantasy and Science Fiction (Young Adult) United States
Indies Choice Book Award, 2009 Honor Book Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book United States
Locus Award, 2009 Finalist Young Adult Book United States
Nebula Award , 2008 Shortlist Best Novel United States
White Pine Award, 2009 Winner Grades 9-12
ISBN: 9780765319852
ISBN: 0765319853
Lockdown
Walter Dean Myers
Reese Anderson is serving time in a juvenile detention center for something he most definitely did. He is serving his time with appropriate behavior and is now doing a work release program in preparation for an attempt at early release. But another young detainee is being bullied and Reese is not willing to let that happen. The center is a tough, gritty place with guards who look the other way and a code that does not allow Reese to tell them the truth. While on work release at a nursing home, Reese becomes an assistant to Mr. Hooft, an elderly Dutch immigrant who had been held in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Through that relationship, Reese is able to better understand imprisonment, the kind someone does to you, and the kind that you do to yourself. When NYC detectives drag Reese down to the police station, he realizes that he is now being accused of doing something he did not do and the decision he has to make has serious consequences for his future. Reese is caught in a seemingly impossible situation where it is the thought of his kid sister that keeps him going, gives him a new purpose, and helps him see a possible life stretching before him. This novel tells the hard story of getting caught and what it takes to get out of the grim cycle of recidivism. Reese is a smart kid with a tough life but a moral center; readers cannot help but cheer him on. There is adult language and realistic violence. 2010, Amistead/HarperCollins, $16.99. Ages 14 up. Reviewer: Janis Flint-Ferguson (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780061214806
ISBN: 9780061214813
Mistwood
Leah Cypess
The being doesn’t know how long she has lived in Mistwood. She doesn’t know her name, either, until the prince (somehow she knows he’s a prince) finds her and snares her with a jeweled bracelet. Prince Rokan tells her that her name is Isabel, and that she must use her abilities and powers as a shape-shifter to protect and defend him and his kin from all harm, as he prepares to ascend the throne. He takes her to his castle and ensconces her in a suite of her own. She doesn’t remember the prince or any of his family, but somehow she remembers what to do and how to behave. She realizes that she distrusts the prince’s sister Clarisse and the high sorcerer Albin. Or is she just responding to their feelings toward her? Knowing she’s a shifter, she attempts to turn into another creature, but is unable to. Is her power tied to Mistwood? When a young man tells her that the prince is an impostor, and that he must not be allowed to declare himself King, her memories begin to trickle very slowly back. Who is telling the truth? Who is the True King? Does the bracelet compel her to obey Rokan, because he placed it on her or because the throne really belongs to him? Debut author Leah Cypess has spun a fascinating tale of loyalty and love that female teen readers will devour. Young women will definitely identify with Isabel’s quest for her identity, both real and figurative, but the book may not be as popular with young men. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P S A/YA (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult-marketed book recommended for Young Adults). 2010, Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 320p., $16.99. Ages 15 to Adult. Reviewer: Marlyn Beebe (VOYA, June 2010 (Vol. 33, No. 2)).
ISBN: 9780061956997
ISBN: 9780061957000
Nation
Terry Pratchett
Mau’s right of passage ritual was supposed to prepare him for the transition from boy to man, not the wave that washes over his island village, leaving him the sole survivor. Facing the massive loss, he must focus on rebuilding his own life, preserving the traditions of his people, and becoming a leader to other survivors that find their way to the Nation. One survivor in particular has survived more than the wave. Daphne, whose father is one hundred and thirty-eighth in line for the throne, became free from the role as a proper young lady, and shunned her given name Ermintrude after the boat she was traveling shipwrecked on Mau’s island. The reader learns the rituals of the island culture with Daphne, and discovers new parts of the island with Mau. You will find the story etched in your mind when you are going about your day. There are familiar elements in this story such as Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, and the friction between religion and science as represented in Daphne’s traditional grandmother and modern father. There are so many levels of thought in this book; it would be great for discussions. A true adventure and survival story outside of Pratchett’s Discworld, his humor and depth still shine through. There is no better way to show both genders coming of age than with an island adventure that touches every emotion. Leadership, fear, questioning authority, and a sense of wonder all come together to make an unforgettable journey. 2008, HarperCollins Children’s Books/HarperCollins, $16.99. Ages 16 up. Reviewer: Renee Farrah (Children's Literature).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 2009 Winner Fiction and Poetry United States
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2008 Honorable Mention Favorite Picture Book of the Year United States
Cybils, 2008 Nominee Fantasy and Science Fiction (Young Adult) United States
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, 2009 Longlist United Kingdom
Locus Award, 2009 Finalist Young Adult Book United States
Los Angeles Times Book Prize, 2008 Winner Young Adult Literature United States
Michael L. Printz Award, 2009 Honor Book United States
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature, 2009 Finalist United States
School Library Journal Battle of the (Kids') Books, 2009 Nominee United States
ISBN: 9780061433016
ISBN: 9780061433023
Paper Towns
John Green
Printz Award-winner John Green has crafted a story that explores the themes of honesty and image, of identity and friendship. Quentin is a high school senior who lives next door to his classmate Margo. Margo is an unusual young woman who lives according to her own rules. Late one night, she knocks on Quentin’s window and drags him out of his studies and into a wild escapade. As he takes part in her revenge tactics, Quentin realizes how much he really cares for this crazy young woman. In the morning, she’s gone. Margo has run away before, and Quentin remembers that each time she leaves clues to her whereabouts. Because he is concerned about her emotional state, he enlists the help of his friends Ben and Radar, and Margo’s friend Lacey. The four hunt for clues with the help of Margo’s little sister. While Ben and Lacey, Radar and his girlfriend attend their prom, Quentin spends the night alone and finds what he believes to be proof that Margo is in a deserted “paper town”--a town that exists only on a map. So instead of attending their graduation, the three embark on a wild cross-country road trip to “save” Margo. Quentin tells his story with laugh-out-loud humor and heartfelt poignancy. Language and situations make this a realistic high school experience as Green explores the issues and ramifications of authenticity and image. These are characters readers will remember for a long time. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: S*--Exceptional book, recommended for senior high school students. 2008, Penguin, Dutton, 320p., $17.99. Ages 15 to 18. Reviewer: Janis Flint-Ferguson (KLIATT Review, September 2008 (Vol. 42, No. 5)).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Children's Choice Book Award, 2009 Finalist Teen Choice Book Award United States
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2008 Honorable Mention Favorite Picture Book of the Year United States
Edgar Allan Poe Award, 2009 Nominee Best Young Adult United States
ISBN: 9780525478188
ISBN: 0525478183
Ship Breaker
Paolo Bacigalupi
Nailer, a teenager living in the American gulf coast in the distant future, has a dangerous, low-paying job as a ship breaker. Small and nimble, he puts his life on the line daily while scavenging ships for copper wiring from oil tankers to fuel corporate greed, while Nailer and his gang struggle to afford food, shelter, and clothing, not to mention sufficient protective work gear. Nailer’s home life is bleak: his mother is dead and his father is addicted to crystal slide and abusing his son. When Nailer and his friend Pima discover an abandoned ship filled with valuables, it seems they have found an escape route. But Nailer’s conscience gets in the way when he realizes that the ship’s owner, a beautiful teenage girl, is still alive and needs his help. In his first book for young adults, Bacigalupi, an award-winning novelist, has created a dystopia where loyalty, integrity, and warmth seem to be slipping away, but class consciousness is still prevalent. From the very beginning, there is trouble, warning readers to hold on because scene after scene will be filled with adventure, fighting, murder, and desperation. Librarians should definitely add this book to science fiction collections. Teens will not be disappointed. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2010, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 336p., $17.99. Ages 12 to 18. Reviewer: KaaVonia Hinton-Johnson (VOYA, August 2010 (Vol. 33, No. 3)).
ISBN: 9780316056212
Shiver
Maggie Stiefvater
Grace has always had an interest in the wolves that lived in the wood behind her house. She watched for them and, in later years, watched out for them, especially the one with the stunning yellow eyes. When wolves kill her classmate’s brother, the town goes crazy and begins to hunt the wolves. Grace just cannot allow that to happen and steps into the situation to protect the wolves, coming away with an understanding that the wolves are not just wolves, but young men and women who change into wolves as the temperatures dip and the weather becomes icy cold. The young man with the yellow eyes, Sam, becomes Grace’s boyfriend and so begins a direct connection to the strange group of people who live their lives in two worlds. Her classmate calls on Grace to explain what’s happened to her brother Jack, who may now be a wolf himself. Told from the points of view of the two protagonists, this novel explores the love story between Grace and Sam, but also introduces a world where werewolves exist as part of the natural world, creatures to be loved and feared. The subtlety of the fantasy intertwines with a concern for wolves and the difficult existence of being human and animal. Shiver is a teen love story that is difficult to put down, gently haunting its readers with the agony of lost identity and a hope for the impossible. 2009, Scholastic Press, $17.99. Ages 12 up. Reviewer: Janis Flint-Ferguson (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780545123266
ISBN: 0545123267
Tricks
Ellen Hopkins
Five teens, three girls and two guys from quite different backgrounds face making choices and taking leaps of faith while they try to come to terms with their respective situations. As these young people fall into prostitution, they struggle with lack of self-esteem because of their failures and try to survive. This novel is written in verse and explores family and emotional problems and prostitution. It is a difficult read at times as it reflects some of life’s heart-wrenching difficulties. Each teen is searching for love and a sense of belonging. Eden, Seth, Whitney, Ginger and Cody do what each one feels they must to survive. The stories of theses strangers are interwoven to tell the overall story of their plight. The author, Ellen Hopkins, has been heralded as “the bestselling living poet in the country” by mediabistro.com. It is this extraordinary poetry talent that brings this story to life and allows the reader to empathize with their heartbreaking situations. In her author’s note, she explains that she wrote the books based on a statistic: the average age of a female prostitute is the United States is 12-years-old. Her story explains some of the reasons that might drive a young adult into prostitution and how they maintain their will to survive. She provides the hotline number for Children of the Night: 1-800-551-1300. This is an organization which provides resources to escape a life of prostitution. 2009, Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, $18.99. Ages 14 up. Reviewer: Annie Laura Smith (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9781416950073
ISBN: 1416950079
When You Reach Me
Rebecca Stead
Charmingly eccentric and impossible to categorize, this middle grade novel pays homage to Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time while employing many of that book’s elements as it crisscrosses the boundaries between reality and fantasy, time travel and mystery. Three distinct storylines give the novel momentum: Miranda’s mother’s forthcoming contestant role on “The $20,000 Pyramid” game show, Miranda’s friend Sal being punched by the erudite yet seemingly socially inept Marcus, and the homeless man whom Miranda and her friends dub “the laughing man.” A host of secondary characters play significant roles as well. Stead completely nails both the endearing optimism of her pre-teen characters and their earnest attempts to make meaning of the world while achieving the perfect V-cut. The game show subplot is reflected in the book’s chapter headings (e.g., “The Winner’s Circle,” “Things That Fall Apart,” “Things You Realize”). The author plays with the construct of time throughout the novel, using letters that foretell the future, manipulating tense, and framing the entire novel as a second-person narrative in which Miranda is addressing the writer of the letters. If the text feels packed, it is--and nothing is wasted. The movement between the ordinary and the fantastic creates a kind of magical realism, in which the extraordinary is every bit as acceptable as the everyday. Amusing, bemusing and occasionally plain puzzling, this book works its way to a deliciously twisty ending. It is an interesting, multi-layered book that can be read and interpreted at many levels. 2009, Wendy Lamb/Random House, $15.99. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Uma Krishnaswami (Children's Literature).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Andre Norton Award, 2009 Finalist United States
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 2010 Winner Fiction and Poetry United States
Indies Choice Book Awards, 2010 Winner Middle Reader United States
School Library Journal Battle of the Kids' Books, 2010 Nominee United States
ISBN: 9780385737425
ISBN: 9780385906647
Will Grayson, Will Grayson
John Green and David Levithan
The adage “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts” is proven to be absolutely true when considering this dual-viewpoint novel co-authored by two extremely talented authors. Two decidedly dissimilar young men share the exact same name as well as many very human traits, experiences, and feelings. Green and Levithan have spoken through these very believable characters with grace and guile; the speech patterns ring true and they express themselves with realistic body language and gestures. In order to keep the voices of the two boys distinct, one Will is written in all lower case letters; the other in the standard font sizes and sentence structure, which may actually reflect the more traditional side of that Will. He refers to the “other Will Grayson” when pondering some of their shared experiences and while processing “life lessons” he has gleaned from both “the other” and their friend, Tiny. Addressing the subjects of loyalty, friendship, love, and homosexuality with great aplomb and straightforward prose (sometimes delivered through text messages and e-mails, but mainly as first person narrative), the authors have give readers insight into high school teens without didacticism. The interplay building to the scene where the two Wills cross paths is tense and well crafted—one can hardly read fast enough to discover how they will manage the encounter. The character Tiny Cooper influences both of the Wills; he manages to be “bigger than life” without becoming a comic figure. His size, strength, and skills guarantee a respected place on the football team and his sexual orientation is never in question—neither for himself nor in the sight of others. He is openly gay and has “relationship issues” just as do the other teens. As the two Wills learn from each other (and a nicely developed set of friends), Tiny’s ambitions to write and perform in the biggest musical production the school has ever witnessed draws the storyline into a superb moment of absolute understanding that “love is tied to truth.” Humor abounds (“Phil Wrayson—what are the odds?”), realistic relationships are given respect and depth, adults are plausible, and the writing is brilliant—need I stress more that this book is outstanding? 2010, Dutton/Penguin Group, Ages 15 up, $17.99. Reviewer: Sheilah Egan (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-525-42158-0
Wintergirls
Laurie Halse Anderson
Eighteen-year-old anorexic Lia is already emotionally fragile when she learns that Cassie, her former best friend, has died. Cassie died alone in a motel room and Lia had let the thirty-three incoming calls from her go unanswered that night. Now Lia feels guilty and starts seeing Cassie everywhere, haunting her, talking to her, encouraging her to push her eating disorder as far as her body will take it. Lia notes every calorie she eats, exercises long hours into the night, and sees herself not as sick but as strong. Already hospitalized twice for her anorexia, Lia knows how to trick her family into thinking she is making progress, all the while fading away right in front of them. At five feet five inches tall, Lia weighs ninety-nine pounds and hopes to get down to eighty-five, knowing it will make her want to be seventy-five. Her illness and her struggle over Cassie’s death threaten to push her past the point of return. Anderson has created a haunting and startling narrator in Lia, who drags the reader right into the vortex of her constantly spinning mind, her narration shifting between poetic and manic. Lia’s agonizing battle with food, her family issues, old memories, and self-mutilation episodes are often difficult to read but also make the book impossible to put down. Fans of Anderson’s previous books may find this her most moving, complex, powerful, and important book yet. Cassie may haunt Lia, but Lia will surely haunt readers long after they finish this book. 2009, Viking/Penguin Group, $17.99. Ages 14 up. Reviewer: Amanda MacGregor (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780670011100
ISBN: 067001110X
Added 9/2/10
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